Early in lockdown, I would often go outside and gaze at the sky, freed from its shimmery pollution to reveal an azure blue rarely seen above London. Without car horns and aeroplanes, birdsong could occasionally be heard.
Environmentalists insist that we can find a way to hold on to at least some of those benefits post-Covid-19. But outside my front door sits my first car. Parked with it are any plans to cut my own contribution to pollution.
I’m far from alone. Car dealerships in the UK capital are reporting a new breed of buyer, the 30- or 40-something city dweller opting for vehicle ownership amid fears that public transport has become a no-go zone.