THE letter by Tony Augarde (July 17) extolling the so-called virtues of the motor car made me look back with nostalgia to a time when there were few cars. A time before front gardens, streets, town and village centres were littered by them, when you could appreciate to the full, the beauty of towns and the countryside without something blocking the view. He says that you can carry four people in a car, but how many cars travel our roads with a full load? With bicycles, each person can have their own, relatively cheap, personal form of transport which takes up little room and provides an excellent form of exercise.

Without the car, public transport would be more frequent, faster and cheaper – but that is only the tip of the iceberg. Think of the reduction in pollution, the lessening of the damage caused by global warming, the need for fewer road repairs, reduced need for large areas of a town or village being taken over by expensive car parks and the likelihood that out-of-town supermarkets would become unviable, resulting in the regeneration of town and village centres.

In due course, the shortage of oil may bring about all these advantages anyway.

DERRICK HOLT, Fortnam Close, Headington

Today’s letters

Want to give your opinion? Email letters@oxfordmail.co.uk