Drivers need to be more considerate of other road users

RECENTLY, the school run through the lanes in St Andrew’s has become increasingly challenging for my boys and I on our cargo bike. Not least do Guernsey car folk seem to have forgotten that pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and motorbikes have right of way over them, per the latest Highway Code, but the cars are often so wide that my boys and I find ourselves leaning into a hedge to get out of their way. What’s worse is many of them don’t even have the courtesy to slow down. With all the current environmental and economic challenges, I really hoped we might have moved beyond the large car as a status symbol of success and realised that having such a car on a small island like Guernsey, where traffic is an increasing issue, is actually a little bit silly. Especially if it’s mainly only driven around by one individual. Saying that, I do appreciate that people choose to have larger cars to travel off-island, but nonetheless other options locally might be considered. Furthermore, I had hoped we might have finally awoken to the fact that we each have to take individual responsibility for making positive change on this planet, and making those changes ourselves rather than expecting everyone else to make them for us. This might mean considering something far more suitable for our small roads and speed limits of 15/25 and/or 35mph, and/or taking a more sustainable and environmental friendly option, such as cycling, or using the bus. If driving a car is the only choice, then maybe it’s just a simple case of being a little kinder and more considerate to our fellow road users, especially those walking, on bikes or on horses. Unless we each individually start making these changes, then this world isn’t going to be a very nice place to live for our children and the future generations after them.