Aspiring bumpkins should note that all fashions start in London and ripple out to the shires. Down in the Elham Valley in Kent the “Chelsea tractor” has increasingly become an irritant for the “ordinary” motorist, who ponders why 4x4 traction is needed for no more than the weekly Waitrose shop.

The knowledge that a stand-off in a narrow Islington side-street with a Sherman tank masquerading as a silver Volvo 4x4 would become a thing of the past was one of the many lures in making a move to the countryside. How pleasant it would be to motor on rural roads where the other driver had read the Highway Code, and recognised that their cars, too, were equipped with a reverse gear.

And so it was for several years. But with the 4x4's power, why is it not they, rather than you, who has to reverse several hundred yards into a farm track? Of course, the perfectly courteous tank drivers are in the majority, and it is the small regiment of the truly selfish that is giving the others a bad name. This has now manifested itself to such an extent that a village of about 2,000 souls is having to consider installing a one-way system.

For years parents have been urged in the headmaster's newsletter to avoid parking on the pavement during the school run. For half an hour in the morning and afternoon the area has become a no-go zone for other drivers. Around the corner, parking chaos has led the council to consider the one-way system because of fears that fire engines will be unable to negotiate a way through in the evening. Perversely, it may well speed up traffic outside the school. Sadly, the selfish few who can't be bothered to park slightly farther away looks like making life more tiresome for the entire village.

There should be no need for a one-way system that forces many villagers on to a loop simply to get home. Not good for the carbon footprint. So while many townies are “downsizing” their wheels to establish greener credentials, many in the country cannot wait for such a trend to catch on.

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