I've just received two penalty notices. This war on motorists has gone far enough
If you drive around this country on a regular basis you might be forgiven for thinking that everyone in power hates cars. Whether they're running national government or local councils, it appears that if you sit behind the wheel of a vehicle you are seen as the enemy.
How else to explain some of the baffling measures introduced in recent years to make driving more expensive, more difficult and a lot less fun than it used to be?
Smart motorways, clean air zones, bus lanes, speed bumps, emergency gates, cycle superhighways and low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have all conspired to frustrate and annoy motorists going about their daily business.
But finally, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel – even if the tunnel has just acquired a new toll charge that it never used to have.
For the past five years LTNs have been a battleground between local residents and campaigners all over the country. They grew up mainly as a result of Covid restrictions being put in place by over-zealous local burghers who saw restriction of travel as a silver bullet to reduce pollution. And campaigners who saw an opportunity to get people out of their cars and into – as they call it – more active forms of travel.
The trouble with LTNs, though, is that they are rarely well through out. Closing off entire streets to through traffic just pushes the congestion somewhere else – usually onto main artery roads that they become permanent traffic jams pumping yet more fumes into the air.
In some parts of London the battle for parking spaces, delivery van access and exemptions for disabled badge holders were painted as culture war issues pitting Net Zero zealots against entire communities who were objecting to their imposition.
Now it looks as though the law has finally stepped in to bring some common sense to the discussion.
Just last week the High Court ruled that Lambeth Council in South London was wrong to ignore local objections to its latest scheme. Not only that, it acted unlawfully. The council could now be forced to do away with the bollards, the planters and all the other paraphernalia that has been the bane of people's everyday lives in West Dulwich.
To add insult to injury the judge in the case, Mr Justice Smith, criticised the council for ignoring a report from campaigners at the West Dulwich Action Group who highlighted the unintended consequences of the LTN.
Lambeth Council say they are still measuring what the impact of the judgment will be before they decide what to do next. But residents are angry that they spent public money defending a lawsuit that they knew they couldn't win.
For their part the council claims LTNs are helping them to combat climate change. Just how they're doing that is anyone's guess.
The flip side of all those fines of course, in addition to effectively being an extra tax on road users in the borough, is that some businesses have been hurt, impacting the local economy.
There have been similar objections raised elsewhere in the country. Business owners in Oxford have been complaining about restrictions which force people to drive ridiculously circuitous routes to get from one part of the city to another.
And in Manchester the clean air zone has once again been put on ice while the pros and cons of installing it are weighed up.
Taxi drivers in Newcastle are refusing to enter some parts of the city because of the cost of charges and fines.
One thing is for certain, if victorious LTN challenges become the norm there will be many councils looking for more ways to raise revenue. In some areas they are installing ever more sophisticated traffic cameras that aim to catch people using their phones while driving.
In the part of London where I live they've come up with an ingenious wheeze. Simply change the usage of the road at specific times.
Last weekend I awoke to not one, but two penalty charge notices, for driving my car down a street that I've used for years without any problems.
It turns out that it has now been designated for use by pedestrians and cyclists only during the hours of 8.30-9.15am and 3-3.45pm. Naturally the new sign explaining all this is not very easy to see and looks like it applies to a different street.
That'll be £160 for each penalty notice to Southwark Council – discounted to £80 each if paid within two weeks.
Of course I've appealed but I'm not holding out much hope. After all, this is a racket we're all involved in. I fear that, even if LTNs are no more, green zealots will concoct new and ever more imaginative methods of rinsing drivers.
Mike Graham presents Morning Glory every weekday from 6am-10am on Talk
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