By the way I am sorry about your Dad. It must be hard.
Here you go - I will try to address your points.
'1. How do you judge how much extra space they take up on our roads? They take up less than a large van, much less than a lorry or articulated vehicle. They are cars - what determines the extra space they may (or may not) take up. They also pay a higher road tax than smaller cars, so that surely offsets any "extra space" - they're actually subsidising your road use, if you think about it logically!!'
By the difficulty I have (and others have) in passing them on an otherwise passable road, I guess. By the way they stick out well over the parking lines. By their measurements on Wiki, as an afterthought.
Paying more road tax is all very well, but it doesn't make me feel better to know that because they are paying for more of the road, I have difficulty in using it. That's not subsidy, thats pushing smaller vehicles out.
'2. How is that different from you being stuck behind a van? Don't quite understand that point. I often drive my daughter's tiny little car, I've never experienced problems with seeing past a larger car. Maybe your point only refers to incompetent drivers. Not sure what to say to that without appearing impolite.'
It's no different to being stuck behind/next to a van. But a van has usually got more of a purpose proportionate to its size. The size is required. (have answered that many times I think)
'3. This depends, surely, on how one would use such a vehicle. For instance, my o/h runs his own business, therefore generating a lot of waste. I use my large car to transport the waste to the dump/recycling centre. One trip in my large car would take about five or six in my daughter's tiny, "normal, economical" (and not all the items would fit in it). '
Yes fair point and if you are using the vehicle for this then it comes under 'need' I think - which isn't included in the point I am trying to make with this thread. Need is fine - excessive size without need is not.
'4. Personally, I have NEVER had a problem parking in a "normal" parking space. I've been driving R/Rovers for almost 20 years. Never a problem. Again, not quite certain where you have obtained your facts - I do, however, see a lot of very small cars parked very badly. This has nothing to do with the size of the car, again, purely incompetent driving skills.'
again I've answered this at least three times.
'5. I have driven in very narrow roads, again, never a problem. Many country roads are narrow, this has an impact on any size of car. In my daughter's weeny car I still have to give way to an oncoming vehicle, whatever it's size, on a narrow road. Another poor example from you, IMO.'
yy of course. I've answered this. Some roads nothing can get by - other roads, most cars can pass two abreast. It's the ones that can't, that you notice.