‘It’s not called road tax!’; Autumn Statement reaction; Anti-LTN activists make video game where cyclists “transform streets”, and it’s fun; Le Col-Wahoo in danger after sponsor pulls out; Wiggins Jr aims high; Nairo’s coming home? + more on the live blog

After the BBC (as well as the Treasury, and the Guardian) took on the role of the classic anti-cycling punter by referring to ‘road tax’ in a headline about the Autumn Statement, road.cc reader hawkinspeter decided to complain to the broadcaster.

Here’s the complaint:

The article has a headline ‘Electric car drivers to pay road tax from April 2025’ and this is completely inaccurate. The article refers to VED and not ‘Road Tax’ as that hasn’t existed since 1937.

What is particularly annoying about this is that a certain segment of the population refers to ‘Road Tax’ when complaining specifically about cyclists and so by putting ‘Road Tax’ into the headline, the BBC is pushing (yet again) an anti-cycling agenda and prompting yet more abuse against cyclists out on the road.

There is literally no sensible reason to use the incorrect and out-of-date ‘Road Tax’ except to try to hurt people who cycle.

Meanwhile, IanMK was confused about something missing from the instructions of Brighton’s latest cycling video game sensation.

"How do you know when you’ve won?" he asked. "Is it the point at which climate catastrophe is averted?"

Great point...

Snuck away in the @OBR_UK #autumnstatement2022 report is a bombshell. Needless to say, I'm loading both barrels to fight this tooth & nail

A sneaky 23% rise in Fuel Duty is planned from March 2023@pritipatel @cmackinlay @johnredwood @TheABD @jkyleofficial @Iromg @TiceRichard pic.twitter.com/ND0F4tk4fG

— Howard Cox (@HowardCCox) November 17, 2022

WTAF!? Disgraceful.
Please explain @Jeremy_Hunt https://t.co/2jQO07Iq6k

— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) November 17, 2022

Head on over to our sister site ebiketips for the full story:

> Electric car owners may have to pay VED – but there are plans to raise fuel duty by 23% 

Hey @INEOSGrenadiers here’s a great opportunity to step into the women’s road peloton with a pre-made UK based team *wink wink nudge nudge* https://t.co/E09oBukjrd

— Sophie Hamer (@Sophie_Hamer_) November 17, 2022

Could add a couple more top level riders who may come available if B&B doesn’t happen, and suddenly this would be a very solid looking team. 👀

— Sophie Hamer (@Sophie_Hamer_) November 17, 2022

Do this and bring Cav into the men's team for the Tour. They've got the money and it's bang on-brand. Brilliant idea. Do it @INEOSGrenadiers!

— 𝔅𝔞𝔡𝔤𝔢𝔯 RPR 🔱 🄹🄰🄼🄴🅂 (@badgercyclist) November 17, 2022

Sounds like a plan. Will they do it? Probably not.

Gotta spend all that oil money on another Ganna hour record attempt…

More from Jezza Hunt’s much-anticipated Autumn Statement today, as the Chancellor’s announcement (reported over the weekend by road.cc) that electric car owners will have to pay vehicle excise duty (VED) from April 2025 has been roundly criticised by those within the EV industry.

> 'Road tax' is coming... but not for cyclists

“At this critical time for our environment it is infuriating that the UK government would throw up a new barrier for people looking to change from a polluting car to electric power,” says Patrick Reich, the co-founder and CEO of EV charging app Bonnet.

“We should be speeding up the transition to zero emission transport, not slowing it down. While it’s accepted that as millions more people climb into electric cars that they would eventually have to pay some form of road pricing, the proposed 2025 timetable is too soon and could discourage people from switching earlier.”

The precarious nature of pro cycling sponsorship appears to be on ongoing theme this winter, as Le Col-Wahoo revealed today that it is scrambling to secure the squad’s survival after one of its sponsors pulled out, almost halving the UK-based women’s team’s budget.

While it’s not yet clear which of the squad’s main backers has pulled out, sports director Tom Varney told VeloNews this morning that it will leave a hole of around €400,000 in the budget for 2023.

Le Col and Wahoo came on board to sponsor the second-tier team, formerly known as Drops, in 2021 and 2022 respectively, and oversaw a boost in the outfit’s finances and stature. The British team took part in the first edition of the revamped Tour de France Femmes this year, with their highest overall placing coming courtesy of Manx rider Lizzie Holden (on her way to UAE Team ADQ for next season), who finished 36th on GC.

However, the last-minute withdrawal has left the team’s management scrambling – both to fill the sudden funding gap but also to help their riders find new teams for 2023.

Zac Williams/SWPix.com

“One of our main partners has said that they can’t fulfil their agreement with us so as of last night I made all of the riders and staff aware that they should find another deal,” Varney told VeloNews.

“I’m also speaking with other managers that I know to try and help them with that as one of our priorities. As of this morning, I think three or four of them have something, which is helpful.

“If we can move on some of our highest-paid riders it gives us more of a chance of continuing. We have some other conversations ongoing to fill the gap but as things evolve in the next hours and days, I think what we can do next year will become clearer. It is a particularly unfair situation to be put in, especially at this stage.”

While Varney is rushing to secure contracts for his riders elsewhere, he remains optimistic that the team will be able to continue in some fashion, perhaps at a lower level, next year.

He added: “As things stand, we have our second highest budget for next year, so it’s still a positive situation based on what we’re used to. It’s not near what we had last season.

“I think the most likely situation is that we’ll continue on at a lower level, but I don’t know what that will look like and what structure and race program we can provide.

“I’m not shying away from it, and I’m trying to help riders and speaking to managers. We have a lot of good people who have taken it quite well considering. Let’s see how it evolves.”

Cycling Out of Context Highlights | 2022 Season

Thank you all for the memories. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/OaRTkdcbb5

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) November 16, 2022

I’d completely forgotten all about the giant, paper mache Stefan Küng statue. It’s been a long year… 

If you’re the type of person who, after a tough commute home from work, likes to spend the long winter nights huddled around the Sega Mega Drive (or whatever the kids are playing these days), I have just the game for you.

‘Brighton & Hove City Council’s Local Traffic Nightmare’ (snappy title, I know) combines two things dear to the heart of every road.cc reader: riding bikes and helping to make our roads a safer, more pleasant experience for everyone.

In the game, says the helpful (and hilarious, but we’ll get to that in a minute) instructions page, “your mission is to make using cars an extremely unpleasant experience so the residents give up – they can either walk or cycle.” Sounds brilliant.

Once you click ‘Play’, you will enter the game’s Farfisa organ-soundtracked 2D world, where you can ride around, installing cycle lanes, bike hangars, and planters for Low Traffic Neighbourhoods as you go.

> Council "investigating" after driver outrage at cycle hangar "deliberately" blocking car parking spaces

Admittedly, the gameplay isn’t exactly Pro Cycling Manager, the graphics belong in a 1980s arcade, and your computer feels on the verge of a catastrophic meltdown the whole time you’re playing it…

But hey, a game where you can simply ride your bike around and make streets safer at the same time – what’s not to love?

What’s that? The game is actually the brainchild of a bunch of anti-LTN activists in Brighton?

Well, you could knock me down with a Volkswagen Polo.

According to the Argus, the game was invented by campaigners opposed to Brighton & Hove City Council’s plans to install a ‘Liveable Neighbourhood’ in the Hanover and Tarner area of the city, to parody the “absurd idea”.

Anti-LTN campaigner Chris Beaumont told the Argus: “It’s a lot of fun and a very tongue-in-cheek look at the way these things have developed.

Chris says the game, based on a similar arcade-themed satire of Southern Rail, “does get the message across and highlights the absurdity of what’s going on. It’s a great idea and some people will find it funny.”

> Anti-cycle lane councillor now furious that HGVs are putting schoolchildren in danger

Ah, of course – now all that stuff in the instructions about the “collateral damage” of LTNs, “extending the misery”, and “knowingly and intentionally making residents’ lives painful” makes sense now. Well, it doesn’t, but you know what I mean.

Interestingly – and I’m not claiming that this says anything about the perspectives of those involved in the making of the game – when your mini cyclist rides on the pavement, you’re reprimanded for “hitting an elderly person”.

But… when a motorist strikes you, knocking you from your bike, the car also explodes into pieces, and you’re pointedly told: “You have been caught being bad at cycling”.

Hmmm…

Brighton & Hove City Council told the Argus they are aware of the game, and criticised it for its “inflammatory and disappointing language”.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The Liveable Neighbourhood trial aims to reduce the ongoing creep of traffic into residential streets.

“This would make our streets safer and our air cleaner for residents, and discourage unnecessary car journeys.

“All properties will still be accessible by vehicle. We’re also working to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are considered.”

As for the game? I think I’ll stick to PCM, thanks.