Cycle lane fanatics have pathological hate of car-owners comment

More worrying, is how they have infiltrated our national and local corridors of power to use these emotive soundbites to blackmail elected politicians to strangle our roads in cities and

towns across the UK. How has this been allowed to happen? Not one political party, in any manifesto, whatever flavour, at the 2019 election, stood on promises to build new cycle lanes and

put up those concrete planters to cause the chaos currently infecting our urban economies. Transport Minister, Grant Shapps seems hypnotised by a small minority of ill-informed, politically

driven well financed greens, who pathologically hate the motorist. They are hell-bent on making cars, taxis, vans, and trucks obsolete. Shockingly a Tory Minister is grounding road transport

decisions on emotion, not common sense, or any pragmatic data. Businesses and local communities are being devastated, not by COVID-19, but by myopic local authorities, without any

consultation and funded by the Department of Transport, through our taxes. This crushing of our city roads by new vacant cycle lanes and road cordons is intensifying congestion, escalating

pollution, and horrifically risking lives by delaying emergency services. All this, so that fit well off young cyclists can enjoy their fair-weather pastime at the expense of economic common

sense. Covid has been used as a deceitful façade to implement a plethora of new road narrowing, barricades and devoted cycle lanes to eat into our town and city roads. The extra £250m which

has been spent on these projects, at a time of financial crisis, is simply a high-priced idealistic formula for even more congestion and the associated increased pollution that comes from

resultant slower moving or stationary vehicles. This policy is indefensible, with MPs’ constituents across the UK, up in arms at seeing high streets desolated, small businesses ruined, and

ambulances obstructed. Here for example, is just one supporter’s communique with FairFuelUK, of the many we receive, showing the resentment that is out there, being fuelled by clueless

virtue signalling polices that the majority do not support, unless you are a dedicated cyclist, of course. This heartfelt email said: “The Council is despotic. We have a nightmare with

standing traffic all day. They have put in dangerous cycle lanes that are impossible to cycle in! We are a group started just over 4 weeks ago we are almost 3K people, but we need help. This

council put in these lanes without ANY consultation of any kind, not with emergency services, police, residents or disabled organisations, Nothing! They are a disaster. Please HELP” Another

message from a small businessman said “I have a removals company and my travelling time is hours more than before all the lockdowns since March. “Lanes are closed in both directions for

cyclists. THERE ‘AREN'T ANY! “These are just a few examples, the traffic congestion is a nightmare finding somewhere safe to park for loading and unloading is difficult I am having to

make long detours I am using more fuel, and taking longer to do my job which makes it more expensive.” As you can see, there is much disapproval from our supporters, many like those shown

here, that indicate drivers and tax paying stakeholders, are not being consulted in decisions that are affecting our roads. Yet it is motorists increasingly taking the out-and-out hit and

heightened cost of the DfT’s myopic political decisions. With only four percent of road journeys by bicycle, the over-emphasis on cycling initiatives and their influence on policy is

counterproductive, both economically and politically. Along with MPs from across the major parties in the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Fuel for UK Motorists and Hauliers,

FairFuelUK has called upon the DfT to involve stakeholder organisations to help formulate a long-term road transport strategy that will benefit all road users for decades to come. From

motorists through to trucks, it is vital all interested voices have input into creating policies that are accepted by the majority of road users including cyclists, that will benefit

business, the economy, the quality of the air we inhale and of course, all road user’s safety. The demonisation of those that generate the 5th largest income to the Treasury must stop. And

the sanctimonious cyclists running our transport policy must recognise, roads are not just for them. With cliff edge target times to ban diesel and petrol vehicles getting shorter, voters

are rightly upset that those who are affected worst, have no say, and their supporting voices are not involved in shaping road transport strategy. Here at FairFuelUK, for example, we have a

long-standing proposal endorsed by the All Party Parliamentary Group, that will benefit the economy, improve air quality through vehicle emissions reduction, which would be both immediate

and measurable. And importantly, will not hit hard pressed drivers and businesses in the pocket. That should not be ignored. But at the moment the Government is blocking this constructive

low cost solution. When will political common-sense surface and the authentic Conservative ethos in freedom of choice return? These so-called ‘healthy revolution’ transport decisions have

been steamrolled onto drivers and taken without any stakeholder conversation. All road users must be consulted, not just the highly paid Lycra clad Liberal elite political advisors, with

their selfish and emotive green plans. These are the same minority of road users, that do not even contribute financially to our road’s infrastructure, but appear to have the loudest voice

in Number 10 and our city halls. Wake up Boris and listen to the commercial heartbeat of the nation. You might remember them, they are the voters who gave you an 80-seat majority. Howard Cox

is the founder of FairFuelUK