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news
Rishi Sunak official portraitRishi Sunak’s ‘Plan for Motorists’ will “rob people of choice” and force them to drive, say cycling and walking campaigners
Rishi Sunak’s so-called ‘Plan for Motorists’ – a package of measures expected to be announced at the upcoming Conservative Party conference which will curb the introduction of 20mph speed limits and allow drivers to use bus lanes more frequently – has been criticised by the UK’s leading cycling and walking organisations, who say the proposals will restrict people’s travel choices, “leaving many with one default option: to drive”.
The prime minister’s expected announcement, first reported by the Guardian, marks his latest contentious attempt to win votes by taking an explicit pro-motoring stance, a position first outlined over the summer when Sunak claimed he was “on the side” of drivers and underscored by last week’s highly divisive pledge to water down some of the government’s key net zero commitments, such as the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
Sunak’s latest ‘Plan for Motorists’, which is expected to be announced at the Conservative conference on Monday, is reported to include proposals to limit the power of local authorities in England to place new 20mph speed limits on main roads.
Earlier this month, 20mph speed limits were implemented on almost 500km of roads in Wales, with initial analysis suggesting a “dramatic” change in traffic speeds, and a “far more pleasant” and safer environment for cyclists and walkers, while journey times for motorists in Cardiff and Wrexham have increased by 45 and 63 seconds, respectively.
Aside from limiting the power of councils to introduce 20mph limits, the prime minister aims to restrict the number of hours a day that car traffic is banned from bus lanes, while also curbing the ability of local authorities to impose fines from traffic infractions caught by automatic number plate recognition cameras, and on the use of such cameras at box junctions.
Sunak is also expected to raise concerns about 15-minute cities, an urban planning concept devised to enable residents to easily walk or cycle to necessities such as shops, schools, or pharmacies, but which has come under fire in recent months from conspiracy theorists who believe the schemes are part of a plot to restrict movement and infringe upon individual freedoms.
> Tory MP attacks 15-minute city concept with known conspiracy theory
A Department for Transport source, however, has described the policies as “speculation”.
Nevertheless, six of the UK’s leading active travel groups have claimed that the prime minister’s reported ‘Plan for Motorists’ will deny citizens “their choice, health, and freedom”.
According to the CEOs of Cycling UK, British Cycling, Bikeability Trust, Living Streets, Ramblers, and Sustrans, the proposals, instead of giving people real choice over how they live their lives, “ignore possibilities for cheap, reliable, and sustainable travel, leaving many with one default option: to drive”.
The Plan for Motorists, the organisations claim, “strips away opportunities” for families, currently in the midst of a cost of living crisis, to allow their children to walk or cycle to school safely, live healthy lives, and to travel to work or make short journeys cheaply, while also increasing congestion and pollution.
> Rishi Sunak accused of seeking to exploit division over LTNs as he orders review of schemes
“When the government should be giving people more opportunities to live their lives responsibly, it’s robbing them of options,” a joint statement from the six groups says.
“When Ministers could be promoting public transport, cycling, and walking as cheap sustainable options in a cost of living and climate crisis, they’re entrenching congestion and reliance on driving for short, local journeys.
“When the government could respect people’s freedom to choose how they travel, it’s removing the alternatives. This is a plan that looks no further than one way of travelling and will make the roads worse for those occasions when people do need to drive.
“Having a reliable bus route to work, the freedom to cycle to the park, or to be able to let your children walk to school safely while breathing clean air should not be beyond us.
“This plan restricts people’s travel choices, setting the country on cruise control towards missed net zero targets and a worsening health and inactivity crisis, while denying our children of their independence and freedom to move around their local area safely.”
Last week, Cycling UK argued that Sunak’s “watering down” of the UK’s net zero commitments underlines the need for the public to show their support for green, healthy policies.
The prospect of active travel, as well as environmental, initiatives being dragged onto the campaign trail ahead of the next general election became increasingly likely over the summer, in the wake of the Conservatives’ win at the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, a narrow victory credited to the Tory opposition to Labour mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to extend London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone.
Following that symbolic by-election, Sunak announced that was “on the side” of motorists and ordered the Department for Transport (DfT) to undertake a review of LTNs and traffic-calming measures, prompting Cycling UK to urge the prime minister to avoid sowing dissension between cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists by using the schemes as a “political football” during the election campaign.
After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
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96 comments
Make mine a double too!
Ha ha.
It's the gremlins still running amok on road.cc's servers I think.
Ha ha.
It's the gremlins stil running amok on road.cc's servers I think.
As the season changes and some favour more indoor activities I can recommend "Vociferous Minority", a reboot of the classic Minority Reboot, featuring an out-of-shape Lance Strongarm as Tom Cruise. The plot features a dystopia future where a bureau has been set up to predict crimes before they occur. This has led to a massive fall in crime (as none is reported). However Lance discovers that there is actually a "minority report" (appearing on road.cc and in the Guardian) produced by a tiny minority of "vociferous vulnerable road users" (30 million). This has been covered up in a not-secret-at-all conspiracy. Can he win the war on the motorist and save the school run? Strong support from Nigel Garrage as the saintly Mr. Toad and a comedy turn by Chris Boardman playing against type as a lycra-clad Stravawarrior.
Original soundtrack by DJ Chadders? (mainly just an annoyingly repetitive & grating background noise)
I thought Vociferous Minority was the band that Ginger Baker played in after Cream split up.
Having watched the aged Baker smash a documentary maker in the nose with his stick (still had his timing...) I suspect that you're right, but it would be the vociferous minority in favour of running over cyclists.
Having said that apparently he was a bit of a cycling fiend before he became a musician (and ... general fiend) so perhaps the other way round?
Roadcc servers being used by AI to predict 1000s of possible futures and determine which one is most likely would certainly explain the performance of the website.
I'll have mine with a side order of Tofu and and a copy of the Guardian to read.
As the season changes and some favour more indoor activities I can recommend "Vociferous Minority", a reboot of the classic Minority Reboot, featuring an out-of-shape Lance Strongarm as Tom Cruise. The plot features a dystopia future where a bureau has been set up to predict crimes before they occur. This has led to a massive fall in crime (as none is reported). However Lance discovers that there is actually a "minority report" (appearing on road.cc and in the Guardian) produced by a tiny minority of "vociferous vulnerable road users" (30 million). This has been covered up in a not-secret-at-all conspiracy. Can he win the war on the motorist and save the school run? Strong support from Nigel Garrage as the saintly Mr. Toad and a comedy turn by Chris Boardman playing against type as a lycra-clad Stravawarrior.
By the way, I'm still proud to be a Woke, Snowflake, Lefty Loser.
Me too.
Yes, and if I remember correctly I said something last time along the lines of "get lost"
Is it comedy hour already?
Ooooo! LifL-piffle - my favourite kind of mindless Toryspiv stoopids all strung together by a cardboard cutout pin-striped dafty sprung fully-formed albeit only in two dimensions from the Torygraft cartoon page. (That being any page of this particular old comic-for-the-nasty).
How much is that Starmer paying you to make Toryspivery look as daft as a brush? (A bogbrush, to boot)!
Anyway, keep 'em coming. Laffs is good for us all.
I see that the Tory party are implementing a 'scorched earth policy' as they prepare for opposition - only this time it's the actual Earth they are looking to destroy.
Still, won't affect Sunak - must be fun to watch the world flood or burn from the top of an Ivory Tower.
I see that the Tory party are implementing a 'scorched earth policy' as they prepare for opposition - only this time it's the actual Earth they are looking to destroy.
Still, won't affect Sunak - must be fun to watch the world flood or burn from the top of an Ivory Tower.
" London imposing the Ulez charge, £12.50 on ordinary families when they’re just trying to get their kids to school, take them to football practice, go weekly shopping or, you know, get to work."
That's motornomativity - in a large city with frankly excellent public transport system, the idea that cars are a sensible choice for everyday short journeys. No one (excluding people in wheelchairs etc) needs to be driven to school in London.
My family is a fairly ordinary London family (albeit better off than average). My kids walk to cycle; we walk to my son's football practice; I ride to work; our weekly shop is delivered. But yes, we do drive - my wife drives to work, for example - by our 13 year old car is ULEZ compliant.
From the media coverage, you'd think that ULEZ is some terrible measure affecting absolutely every driver travelling in the zone. I think more than 9 out of 10 vehicles are compliant. Mine is, although I've not driven it for two weeks, and that is 11 years old.
Indeed - just like the 15 minute city Hunger Games & LTN nonsense. Manufactured culture war BS because that's the last straw they are clinging to
The Press are creating all of this for clicks. Nobody, as far as I can see, is creating policies to force someone out of their car.
The introduction of 20mph zones or limits is primarily due to idiots that can't be trusted to drive at an appropriate speed for their surroundings, never mind within a 30mph limit!
For many years, almost every new housing development is in reality a LTN as through routes are avoided if possible. Nobody is STOPPED from driving anywhere generally and the latest 15mins neighbourhood is trying to make sure everything you need is within a 15 minute walk, NOT stopping you driving for more than 15mins. Unless you believe the Press of course.....
Not only pro-motorist, but pro-law-breaking-motorist....
Oh, FFS!
But then, he does count a helicopter as essential personal transport...
He's just full of lies. The ULEZ is unlikely to affect ordinary families unless they've got one of the older more polluting vehicles.
What about our rights to breathe in air without getting respiratory diseases from all the tyre particulates and car pollution? What about children being able to play in the street without some red-faced Daily Heil reader shouting abuse at them from behind his wheel?
Enough is enough - can everyone just not vote Tory ever again please?
But, He's going to fix the potholes
Probably just in rich, tory-voting areas. And he'll boast about it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62436193
Anyhow, let's not forget about all the extra people he killed with his astoundingly stupid "Eat Out to Help Out" campaign to spread Covid quicker.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/03/sunak-under-fire-as-stupid-eat-out-to-help-out-scheme-to-be-focus-of-covid-inquiry
The conversations below leads to two conclusions
1) Rishi Sunak will turn anything into a political football, if he thinks it will get him votes.
2) With any luck he may be alienating more right thinking people than winning new votes
Experience with Brexit gives me little hope in this outcome
No he won't! Rishi '7 bins meat tax' Sunak is doing literally anything to make tories relevant. Desperately embarrassing decision making!
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