Come with me to Fitzjohn's Avenue in the leafy and well-upholstered north London suburb of Hampstead just before 9am, or a little after 3pm, on a weekday and witness a scene of mayhem.
Here, there is a concentration of expensive private primary schools, and the vehicle of choice in which to ferry precious Olivia or Oliver is invariably an immense, powerful, gas-guzzling SUV.
These cars are commonly referred to by their detractors and protagonists as Chelsea tractors because, although they were originally designed for use in the countryside fording streams and climbing muddy, off-road banks, they have become the must-have icon of financial success in towns and cities - a status symbol.
A fleet of them descend on an already congested Fitzjohn's Avenue in the rush hours, with many parents parking illegally and blocking driveways in their haste to get their youngster safely into class.
So bad has the situation become that a gaggle of placard-waving residents regularly protests. The scene neatly encapsulates the polarisation of London on the issue of the SUV.
Councillors in Richmond-upon-Thames, southwest London, last week brought the issue to the fore with their approval of plans to raise the cost of a parking permit for 4x4s to GBP300 (HK$4,600), triple the current level.
It's a move that is likely to be followed by other London boroughs and councils, despite heavy opposition from motoring groups.