Sir – A correspondent to your pages complained about the slow-moving traffic in Headley Way, but this is nothing compared to some roads where the delays can last for hours, particularly when there has been an accident, and accidents, with the death and injury that goes with them, are far from infrequent.

The continual pounding of our roads by motor traffic causes a vast amount of damage and, attempts to repair the damage often results in even more delays.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of the problems created by the car. These days front gardens and every stretch of road are littered with them, creating ugliness everywhere and preventing roads from doing the job for which they were built. Oxford, which was once a peaceful town has not escaped, not least because of the pollution that has been created by the burning of fossil fuels. Then there is the amount of land wasted to provide parking for cars, which probably transported only a single person.

It’s clear that the motor vehicle has become a serious pest and that something will need to be done before the problem gets worse. If not now, in the near future, the powers-that-be will have to tackle this problem.

It seems unlikely that appeals to people to get rid of their cars will work and penalties would seem to be the only option, such as an increase in road tax, with exceptions where transport is necessary. An increase in road tax might even do something to balance the Treasury’s books.

Derrick Holt
Oxford