March 2022: The Annual ALARM report says the UK faces a £13bn road repair bill – up 25 per cent from last year.

I think we can all relate to this article, published recently on AutoExpress. Living in the Fens means as soon as we venture outside our towns and villages we see the effects of subsidence or heavy vehicle use on roads we traverse regularly.

The Wisbech Standard seems to often feature stories re. the state of our roads, 2020 had two ‘worst’ contenders: Folly’s Drove and Stocking Drove, whereas in 2021 it was Cant’s Drove – until it was re-surfaced! I wonder what 2022’s will be. My current vote is for a lesser used stretch of road that connects the small hamlet (or village, depending on where you look) of Turves to the A605.

Whilst the overall solution to the problem is likely beyond the scope of our individual powers, I can only suggest that, to help improve ride comfort in our daily lives, we all invest in a classic Citroën* (or even a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, if feeling flush). Citroën’s hydro-pneumatic suspension really comes into its own in the Fens – I love driving my 1990 BX St. Tropez as my local ‘daily drive’, whereas my father would say a DS remains unparallelled for comfort. A good friend and Citroën specialist swears it is the Ami that surpasses them both, but I’m yet to experience the proof.

If you’d like to read a little more about the ‘magic carpet ride’ development, this very in depth article on Citroënët should provide all the answers!

*Disclaimer: The author of this article may be slightly biased toward Citroëns.