Yes, Jersey obviously has different geography, and I would absolutely take the locals’ opinion on what they’d prefer. This isn’t advocating for it on Jersey, rather a comment on my region, as invariably the holistic “fuck cars” perspective get applied everywhere and I don’t believe it’s ever that black and white.
That said, I’d still rather see Bergerac driving round in his Triumph than riding a bike 😜
I know this will be a controversial take, but I live in a rural town where most houses are hundreds of years old, and like many European towns, car parking was obviously never considered during its construction. Not having a car is, unfortunately, not an option here for most, due to the town’s geographic location, rurality and public transport availability. If I want to take a train to a city here which is a 2 hour drive away, it’s a 5 hour journey during which I have to change trains in literally another country to get there.
That aside, because cars are - for the foreseeable future at least - essential here, everyone has one. And since the houses and roads weren’t constructed to accommodate parking, there are cars parked on roads and pavements everywhere. Some parking restrictions have come into place over the years to prevent obstructions, which has meant cars are often left wherever people can find a space. In my immediate area, most people have at least a 5 minute walk to their vehicle. This sounds acceptable, but there are a large number of elderly drivers that live in the town, which itself is extremely hilly, and is unhelpful for them.
New build estates are cropping up all around the town, and while not all of them have drives or parking spaces, most do, and it makes those areas considerably more accessible.
Yes, this will likely increase house prices, but locally that’s not the major factor. Around here it’s second-home owners that use them as holiday lets, or summer homes to escape from the city. A crackdown on that would have a far greater impact on local house prices without affecting accessibility for locals.
I’m very sorry