We are told to expect action to make it more difficult for Councils to introduce low traffic neighbourhoods and 20 mph zones. We are promised the end of the much disliked ULEZ zone in outer London.
There have been big strides to tax and regulate drivers off the roads in Wales and London in recent years, and in other  parts of England with anti driver Councils. Getting the right balance between local  needs for clean air and safety, and combined local and national needs for a good road system that get people to work and goods to market is not easy.Here are some thoughts of how to get a better balance.
1. National highways should be for road vehicles. They are our safest and fastest roads. The network needs completing to at least 4 lane dual carriageway standard, preferably with grade separated junctions. These are U.K. government controlled.
2 A strategic network of major local roads. Whilst under the control of local Highways authorities they should have national limits placed on how far they can go in restricting them . Government could lead cross Authority larger improvement schemes. These roads would normally be a minimum of 30 mph in urban areas and faster permitted speeds elsewhere.
3. Other roads under local control. Residential  roads should be regulated against excess speed and inappropriate parking.
4. It is a good idea to promote more walking and cycling. This should be done by installing better footpaths, greenways and cycle ways apart from main roads. We need more and safer capacity, not cycleways carved out of an inadequate main road adding to tensions and conflicts between different types of road user.
5. Review extent of pavement capacity in London where  it is in places excessive. I walk a lot in London. Along the Embankment and in the City pavement space is well above our needs whilst east-west road capacity has been strangled.
June 9, 2024
My part of the world has a Liberal Democrat MP and a Liberal Democrat council. I wrote to the MP to complain about poorly controlled roadworks destroying mobility between the North and South of the borough. I pointed out it was all under Liberal Democrat control.
Over a month went by before I received an answer. It was along the lines of:- âNothing to do with me mate. Itâs a matter for the council. I will copy them in. If you donât hear from them within a couple of weeks get back to me.â
Several weeks went by and answer came there none. I wrote back to the MP to remind him of his words. He then said parliament was no longer sitting so he was not officially obliged to anything but he would chase the council again. I suppose he was looking for votes at this stage.
I still have not heard anything and the roads are as bad as ever.
My borough takes direct action over ULEZ. The cameras are quickly sawn down. This may be illegal but I donât see an end to it.
June 9, 2024
Sensible points, but far too late now for the fake Conservatives.
You say:-
4. It is a good idea to promote more walking and cycling. This should be done by installing better footpaths, greenways and cycle ways apart from main roads. We need more and safer capacity, not cycleways carved out of an inadequate main road adding to tensions and conflicts between different types of road user.
Indeed I like waling and cyccling but these methods of transport are over 10 times more dangerous than taking a car when done on normal mixed use roads. Though do note walking and cycling are fuelled by human food and large amounts of fossil fuels are used to fertilise, grow, harvest, dry, butcher, chill, packages, freeze & cook human food. So a couple of people in a car is often more CO2 efficient than walking and certainly rather slower. Not that CO2 is actually a problem.
So many road have carved out bus and cycle lanes that are largely unused. Giving 60% of the road space to 5% of the traffic is an excellent way to increase congestion and to inconvenience & mug motorists. An idiotic way to raise taxes.
June 9, 2024
JRâs party imported 4,000,000 in two and half years from foreign/alien cultures. How did the govt think they were going to get around? How was it going to help itâs net stupid policies?
June 9, 2024
@Peter; As I understand it, having questioned how street work has been carried out in my area, most councils can only permit either night or day; lane or complete road closure; the use of TTLs or ‘stop boards’; and are in consultation with the EMS etc. which seem to be why authority has to be obtained in the first place. Of course all this flies out of the window if the work is in its-self either “Essential and/or Emergency”. But then perhaps I too was being fobbed-off with excuses, that would not surprise me. đ
Perhaps if Whitehall Depts. and our elected Local Authorities still had more direct influence, control, residents and local business connivance could be placed higher than Agency and Utilities profit/loss calculations. Even the Highways Agency makes a hash of planned repairs, yes they often do overnight work on the major Trunk routes but cause chaos on other roads by carrying out work between 6am-9pm that is clearly suitable for night-work. Why, it saves the Agency money but costs the economy many millions each year, thus the taxpayer saves in one hand but so often pays out far more with the other.
June 9, 2024
Point 5. North South road capacity has also been strangled with choke points on the bridges. Half the road space is now given to cycles. Pedestrians are impeded by huge blocks at either end set up after terrorist incidents. So I am not sure improving East West road capacity helps much.
I also value the pavement space which I used between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges. South of the river there are no cars beside the river anyway and it is much more pleasant to amble along.
June 9, 2024
Just imagine all the multiple billions of our money utterly wasted by the Tory govt. over HS2 could have been used to improve rail and roads around the country, north, south, east and west. Once more, no excuses JR, your transport secretary and community secretaries were and are utterly useless and cost the taxpayer an absolute fortune. Highest taxes on record for nothing, absolutely nothing in return. Work from home civil servants not productive, who would have thought, I also suspect unaccountable when in the garden, collecting children, golf course, gym etc etc.
Foreign Office workers could not be bothered to go to the office to save lives in Afghanistan! Lead by the head honcho in his house in France! MOD needs scrapping and start again, but no one wants to challenge these useless depts. DEFRA still waiting and implementing anything EU. It is almost as if they can only follow laws, refs and directives from EU because ministers incapable of thinking and leading their departments ie take back control!
June 9, 2024
For the people of the UK roads are the chosen means of transport. Air transport has been ignored and railways are dreadfully managed and subject to politically inspired industrial action.
Road maintenance, creation and control should, at Motorway, A, and B level, be controlled by national UK government. Leaving it devolved to every collection of ill qualified local bigots is a basic mistake whatever their politics. Their remit should not extend beyond burough boundry or to the road categories defined above. Their activities can then be constrained at local election time by the local electorate. If you allow our chosen transport system to be controlled and interfered with by locally elected school teachers and dustmen then you deserve what you get.
The basic failure as with all failure lies at the top. National government thought that devolution was a good idea, it was absolutely not, unless of course your intention was to use it to subvert said government. Divide and render it useless was the EU plan for the UK, ably assisted by their fifth column within UK government, elected and employed. You, in government, are running around like ants on LSD, unable to see the basic problem and therefore incapable of correcting it.
Have you SJR ever considered that you rendered yourself less effective by not saying forcefully those things you now feel free to say outside the party machine. Therin lies the weakness of party politics, to the detriment of the population. I accept that in many instances you tried. There were not enough like minded of you.
Reply I made these things very clear in my meetings with Ministers
June 9, 2024
4-lane carriageways deliver many advantages, but DUAL carriageways such as motorways are badly designed.
Opposite-destined traffic causes worst accidents. UK country roads allow vehicles to pass in opposite directions, with drivers using each otherâs lane to overtake at 60mph, crashing at 120mph!
When multi-lane roads from opposite directions are merged into motorways, the fast lanes should be FURTHEST apart.
A typical 3-lane motorway consumes 9 lanes: 2 hard shoulders, 6 driving lanes and a metal barrier lane in between to avoid 140mph impact.
Now imagine a 4-lane road with 30mph as its maximum speed for the inside lane, increasing to 60mph then 70mph for the outermost overtaking lane. If you wanted to join that road with another road from its opposite direction, you should join the 30mph sides, with a red zero-speed emergency lane in between for added safety.
That way, you would have a 4-lane motorway consuming less than an existing 3-lane motorway does. The 33% space created would reduce congestion, pollution, lost time, fuel consumption, vehicle wear, road wear and gain several other advantages.
Right hand drive cars and driving on the left rules would remain exactly as they are now, with drivers still overtaking on the right and entering and leaving the motorway from the left lane. A badly driven car would have to cross EIGHT lanes to reach crash impact at 140mph!
The present motorway folly started when the M1 designer stuck the Southbound road from Birmingham to London in the East instead of West forcing the fastest lanes closest together. Non-thinkers just follow.
June 9, 2024
By having a 20 mph speed limits in Wales allows economic harm to the of the rest of the country in transporting goods. Govt. should have stepped in and stopped it, same for London. The truth is that the Govt. Instigated/wants it and has encouraged it but wants to blame others ie Shapps and ULEZ, electric cars, 15 minute cities all under the u brillâs of net stupid.
We voted against EU Balkanisation of England and rejected mayors and police commissioners as a Govt. stealth measure of creating regional structures, Tory govt imposed them at huge cost to taxpayer without and benefit other than to regionalise England and Balkanise it to divide and conquer England for EU. Message to Tory party: get stuffed and good riddance.
June 10, 2024
@Bloke; “A badly driven car would have to cross EIGHT lanes to reach crash impact at 140mph!”
Indeed, they would never reach the on-coming lanes and this that combined impacts speed, they would first collide with any (near) stationary vehicles in the safety “red zero-speed emergency lane” [1], then the slower vehicles traveling in the same direction, including lorries – all very nasty, very messy… đ
With modern Armco or reinforced concrete barriers, with perhaps added Impact attenuator’s, head-on 140mph collisions are now uncommon. I am also mystified as to how a slow moving vehicle would ever safely get off such a multi-lane road, having to first cross the “safety” lane and then the high speed lane, before reaching the off-ramp, or would there be on/off ramps in the centre medium?
Crazy; do you actually drive, or just watch old Top Gear repeats?!
June 11, 2024
jerry:
A driver being so reckless would first hit the rear of vehicles in his same direction, slowing himself down by knocking some forward. Impacting any lorryâs rear would stop him sooner. The red emergency lane would be empty before impact, and allow rescue services to reach from both directions.
The inner 30mph lane is for slow moving vehicles. None would enter the red lane, except in emergency. Leaving the motorway would be just as vehicles do now, at slow speed from their left: no fast-lane crossing is involved! Joining the motorway would also be from the left, at 30mph.
All roads to and from all motorways have to merge and separate, using flyovers or tunnels if they happen to cross the path of another.
The proposal described is safe and efficient. If anything remains misunderstood, I shall be happy to explain to anyone.
June 9, 2024
The Conservative Party have had 14 years to help drivers and done the opposite. For example forcing EV cars on people and taxing cars more. This has not been done for economic reasons but because you have been infected with the woke mind virus and joined the end-of-world cult called NetZero.
You and your party have been in power since ULEZ was conceived and done nothing to stop it.
The internet has been literally wall to wall complaining about Conservative Policies. I understand the other Parties are worse. But The Conservative Party has now created the perfect condition for an upstart Party to replace them.
The Woke mind virus has taken over Westminster.
Itâs time to face the public.
June 9, 2024
Schapps as Transport Secretary encouraged implementation of ULEZ, but to the north and south circulars. Khan just went one better.
June 9, 2024
He (the tory transport secretary) didn’t just encouraged, he had to instruct and sign-off on the policy
June 9, 2024
When Johnson was London Mayor he lambasted Brown, who through taxation, forced motorists to buy diesel cars instead of petrol for the public only to be taxed again years later to change from buying diesel cars!
Sunak currently acting in EU lock step to put limiters on cars, we voted leave to back control not follow EU!! He really is a slug.
June 9, 2024
@Javelin – Whatever they have said in manifestos, promised on the campaign trails they have done the opposite.
In the US the war on the combustion engine, is not a push to evâs, but a requirement for vehicles to increase their range by 2%. The one and only ULEZ city in the US has dropped its proposals.
This UK Conservative Government and their counterparts in other factions, prefer to see the UK destroyed by denying an equal footing with its Worlds competitors. That’s the point is is a World competing to improve the lot of their people, it does it by the wealth it creates – UK Politicians don’t see this they deny it, they are configuring the UK’s demise
In the UK all our Political Parties see Tax as there get out of jail free card, not one is interested in controlling expenditure, creating wealth to fund our requirements – just tax, tax, tax. tax no longer funds the essentials to keep the wheels of the Country turning, it is just a means of stroking ego, vanity, and personal self esteem
June 9, 2024
Agreed. Times up for the Tory’s. The true conservatives like Sir John will be taken down with the rest. Your party, not you Sir J deserve this for their repeated betrayals on many topics. You know the list. They still haven’t learnt and are parachuting in One Nation Liberals into their remaining seats. Goodbye Torys welcome the new opposition Reform. A real Conservative Party. Cameron etc all to clever to realise their obvious eventual demise from 2005.
June 9, 2024
If the conservatives were competent they would be hitting the anti car measures from labour hard, quoting their 20 mph roads in Wales etc.
June 9, 2024
Indeed yet hobby cyclists can race round Regents Park in pelotons at 40+MPH killing and injuring people.
Laura Kuenssberg, in typical BBC mode, seemed very determined to taint Nigel Farage as a racist this morning. This simply because he correctly said âSunak did not understand our cultureâ. He could also have added Sunak does not understand economics, understand that calling an early election was bonkers, on the causes of inflation, on how to spend tax payers money wisely, on how to deliver his pledges, how not to lie to parliament (on unequivocal vaccines safety, on having cut taxes or on how net zero is vital). Sunak does not seem to understand very much at all.
On climate alarmism – verses climate realism the BBC are still entirely one sided (and totally deluded) with endless alarmism and zero climate realism. In an election, where we do now have one climate realist party, do they not have a duty to be impartial and stop their endless alarmist lies. The usually sensible John Caldwell was pushing the net zero lunacy on Lauraâs programme today. No climate realist invited to comment.
June 9, 2024
If the BBC insist on sticking to their âclimate realists (other than the politicians) are banned from the BBCâ agenda (so all the people invited on to comment are climate alarmists) this is surely clear and blatant bias from them during the election period against sensible climate realist parties.
The BBC is also hugely biased over the vast net harms done by the Covid Vaccines and in trying to smear Farage as a racist as much as possible. Also being pro-biden/anti Trump (another climate realist). As usual the BBC art grads are totally misguided on all counts.
June 9, 2024
LL,
Sunak publicly stated he was the son-in-law of India. Sunakâs mass immigration policy shows the largest number of immigrants come from India. Braverman was against mass immigration from India to be linked to any trade deal, Sunak ignored her. India is openly allowing the persecution of Christians in India. What are we to make of Sunakâs declaration and actions?
So what basis has Kuenssberg have for her deliberate left wing smear of Farage? None. She should be sanctioned or sacked for overt left wing bias.
June 10, 2024
Indeed typical BBC and typical Kuenessberg. The BBCâs wrongheaded one side only agenda on Climate is totally wrong too. If the BBC are going to be one sided at least choose the climate realist, rational & scientific side of the debate that is obviously more sensible.
June 9, 2024
Sunak understood very well that his future career depended on doing what the WEF demanded.
June 10, 2024
Seems so. Even lying that the vaccines are âunequivocallyâ safe when they have clearly injured and killed millions worldwide as he must surely know. Unless he has decided not to look.
June 9, 2024
I live in a small village in dw Oxfordshire. It is not a route to anywhere so traffic does not travel to or through it except from two near smaller villages mostly to call at the village shop and village hall.
We had 20mph signs put up. No-one pays any notice and in most cases are trvelling below 30 because of the layout.
But as usual people go into petty authority because they get a thrill out of it and like to order people about. Think they are better than the rest of us and daren’t say no most of the time.
June 9, 2024
The not conservative party has been waging war on the motorist for the last 14 years. Suddenly there is a scramble to restrict or unwind the damage done.
No one believes in the manifesto promises as we know they will be ditched luke hot coals if re elected.
Still going ahead with fining car firms if they don’t sell sufficient BEVs so the sale of new cars will drop as manufacturers restrict ICE sales thus reducing the tax take.
Law of unintended consequences will play havoc with government finances.
June 9, 2024
@Ian Wraggg – in the US the war on the combustion engine, is not a push to ev’s, but a requirement for vehicles to increase their range by 2%. The one and only ULEZ city has dropped its proposals.
This UK Conservative Government and their counterparts in other factions, prefer to see the UK destroyed by denying an equal footing with its Worlds competitors
June 9, 2024
I read that EV sales are up 50% on small islands like Guernsey, Jersey etc. where range issue are not such an issue. Though still only about 3% of cars on the roads. But they still make little sense even on small islands. This as they will be low mileage cars perhaps typically 4,000 miles PA finance and depreciation on a cheap new small EV is likely to be ÂŁ1.30+ per mile. So yes the electricity may be cheaper than the petrol (mainly due to more tax on petrol) but that is largely irrelevant compared to depreciation & finance.
Plus they will cause more CO2 not less as they will only end up doing about 40,000 miles before being scrapped. More CO2 is produced making the new car will ever be saved. Not that CO2 is even a problem anyway.
Keep your nice flexible old car as long as possible.
June 9, 2024
Good Morning,
Jolly good, local improvements, much desired.
What about the BIG problems….NET ZERO, ENERGY SECURITY, FOOD SECURITY, NATIONAL SECURITY…
Throwing crumbs around now will not save Mr Sunak and his cohort of apparatchiks.
June 9, 2024
Peter stop being ridiculous
Thesr measures are controlled by the wef and UN with assistance from Brussels. Don’t expect any sensible policies from the liblabcon as they’ve all been contracted out.
June 9, 2024
Yes, we learnt of the ‘plan’ when the commissar for the WEF in Brussels came to visit ‘dear Rishi’ in NI…. No doubting the intensions for a much ‘closer relationship….’
The Proles must rise up!
June 9, 2024
@Peter Wood – beyond the brain capacity for the Conservative Government, and all would be contenders in this election. It is not about the survivability of the UK and its people, it is ego and self gratification.
June 9, 2024
PW : âThrowing crumbs around now will not save Mr Sunak and his cohort of apparatchiks.â
âThrowing crumbs around now will not save Mr Sunak and his cohort of apparatchiks.â
Theyâre not wanting to win as evidenced by the PMâs deliberate âmistakeâ to leave the D-Day event early in order to upset their older, more loyal voters. They prefer a Labour government and its policies of open borders, a faster drive towards Net Zero and if possible re-joining the EU. Theyâve been wanting to lose ever since the vote for Brexit. Unfortunately PM May, who tried to cancel Brexit, came up against Ed Miliband and PM Johnson came up against Jeremy Corbyn, neither of whom were acceptable to a large proportion of the voters. And PM Johnson had unfortunately assistance from the Brexit Party.
June 9, 2024
PS : Apologies, I made a mistake. Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the Labour Party for both the 2017 and 2019 General Elections. So PM May was up against Jeremy Corbyn and not Ed Miliband.
June 9, 2024
There seems to be a bit of a reaction in the corporate world to the growing trend of working from home. WFH, which really took off during the lockdowns, means that there are much less folk using the roads to get to work, though apparently the school run is still necessary. WFH is popular and many studies have concluded that it increases productivity. Working practices in the UK have changed – with more WFH, the roads and indeed the railways are used much less.
Between October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, homeworking in the UK more than doubled from 4.7 million to 9.9 million people, source; ONS
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/homeworkingintheukregionalpatterns/2019to2022
Tax relief is claimable for those who have additional household costs, if they have to work at home for all or part of the week:-
https://www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/working-at-home
In April 2024 a new British law (The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023) came into force; employees now have a legal right to request flexible working from their first day in a job.
It is now government policy to encourage more WFH. I’m all for getting more ICE vehicles off the roads
June 9, 2024
My younger son works in the City. Most City companies are requiring their staff to report into the office a minimum of 3 days a week and preferably 4. It means that at least some of the services jobs (ie cafes/pubs/sandwich bars) may survive.
You presumably want these jobs to be destroyed.
June 9, 2024
I do wonder if one reason mental health issues seem to have proliferated recently is because of Work From Home SG? Some people might need the social interaction that office life can bring. Even ‘commuters’ often have others they know and chat to on their journeys. Getting out of the house is very good for you (and I’m retired)
June 9, 2024
SG
Having run my own business from a well equipped office at home for 30 years, I can guarantee that few people are more efficient working from home, than going into a proper place of work with colleagues.
People are humans not machines, they interact in very many ways with each other, learn from each others success and and failures, absorb information unconsciously, and usually accomplish more as a group than as individuals and distractions.
When in the workplace you have face, face training, interaction, mentoring, social and work skills, etc, etc.
The great experiment certainly is good for some, but many Companies are now finding the opposite.
And yes in the distant past I have experienced managing a 60 strong self employed workforce, all working from home, or remote locations, not an easy task.
June 9, 2024
WFH is the policy of government civil service, local government employees, government funded employees ie teachers etc and quangos …in the main, the private sector are fully back to work
June 9, 2024
Many with an interest in defence were dismayed to learn that in May 2024, the Royal Navy had only one carrier available, two destroyers (one deployed, one in work-up), two general-purpose frigates (one deployed, one in work-up), three anti-submarine warfare frigates (one on operations, one in work-up, one in maintenance), and three SSN submarines (one active, two in maintenance)
Actually, the RNâs aircraft carriers are in varying states of readiness. HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently under repair, while HMS Prince of Wales is undergoing maintenance. Both are expected to return to operational status shortly.
The new Astute-class SSN submarines are predominantly in maintenance. HMS Astute, HMS Ambush, HMS Artful, HMS Audacious, and HMS Anson are all currently undergoing various maintenance activities in the Clyde. HMS Triumph, an old Trafalgar-class SSN submarine, is active and currently deployed at sea.
The Albion class assault ships are both unavailable. HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark are in Devonport, with Albion laid up and Bulwark in refit. We now only have one seviceable RFA Solid Stores ship and two oilers
The Royal Navy clearly has insufficient resources to defend the nation from the now clear Russian threat. Apparently Labour are going to undertake a “proper” SDSR within a year of coming to power. Whilst all three services have been absolutely savaged since the malign Cameron/Osbourne 2010 SDSR, the needs of the Royal Navy are now acute.
Wa are spending ÂŁ50bn a year on defence. Labour should ensure that the taxpayer gets more bang for it’s buck, and less MoD cock-ups
June 9, 2024
Not precisely to do with driving but our council has embraced âNo Mow MayââŠa strategy advertised on their website.
Many complaints regarding long grass, visibility etc
Council apparently denying any truck with No Mow âŠ.grass they say a result of machinery problems.
So obviously they are terrified of voters realising the extent of their involvement.
They did a âTake the kneeâ thing too ( which went unnoticed) but back-peddled like mad over dabbling in traffic meddling.
Ashamed of their wokeryâŠ.who is leaning on them?
June 9, 2024
Everhopeful
Indeed mowed Wokingham Councils grass outside our house only last week myself because it was over 300mm high, and grass and weed seed was blowing into our garden and drive yet again.
Spent hours and hours doing extra weeding last year, and early on this year, picking out the excess seedlings whilst on my hands and knees.
ÂŁ3,250 council tax and they do not even cut the bloody grass on the verges..
I see the Lib Dems are putting up Car Park charges again this year after doubling them last year.
The War against the people continues.
June 10, 2024
Yes, I’ve been mowing the grassy strip in front of my home but I’m not going to do the one at the side. We are half way through June and no sign of the Council here yet. It just seems like a very convenient way to save money.
June 9, 2024
So after 14 years of systematically punishing motorists we’re now told the Not-a-Conservative-Party “promises” to do a screeching hand-brake turn.
Is Sunak also going to “promise” to scrap Net Zero and the law which will make it illegal to buy a petrol driven car?
It’s easy to make “promises” when you’re about to be kicked out of Office.
June 9, 2024
More clear cut evidence of vaccines damage in various studies. See the recent Dr John Campbell Videos and studies on excess deaths especially prevalent in the more heavily vaccinated countries. The figures look more and more appalling.
Unequivocally appalling it seems.
June 9, 2024
So agree with you.
And how would one feel if, like our local commie âagent for changeâ,one had been actually RECRUITING, organising and generally bossing around idiots to â Go and get itâ?
Saw that on social media.
Some sort of Local association that actively debars the likes of moi.
There was a big takeoverâŠmy membership blocked and no more contact.
Also before that some very odd jiggery pokery regarding a campaign I got involved in.
The council just caves inâŠ.WHY?
June 9, 2024
Wokingham introduced an Air Quality and metering system in the Town Centre a few years ago, which is constantly monitored. It is in a position next to the curb of (Peach Street) the main through road at head height.
The Council have confirmed that the air readings are slowly getting better, having done absolutely nothing to change the road system, speed limits or emission controlled vehicles.
The reason the air is getting better appears to be that the development of better ICE engines, Hybrids. EV’s, stop/start technology, and the demise of the older Ice vehicles as they are eventually scrapped, has done it for them, this when traffic volume has increased within the Town Centre.
Thus an improvement was gained by just letting design, research, science, and improved development, work through the system without any need for interference, fines, charges, or vehicle limitations at all.
June 9, 2024
Firstly, we need to reform the planning system so that building new infrastructure is not prohibitively expensive.
Dual carriageways are not always appropriate for sparsely populated parts of the country. However, grade-separated junctions for their single roads would go a long way to levelling up by speeding access to these places.
Local strategic networks should also have grade-separated junctions as standard, with bypasses including tunnels replacing 30 mph zones. The government should first complete the schemes with the highest cost-benefit ratios. However, local authorities should maintain long-term plans to complete their networks to avoid building on the land involved.
We should build high-density housing around existing rail infrastructure and enable high-frequency services. This approach will create a service people want to use, reducing demand for road use.
June 9, 2024
John
All manifesto’s are now promotional dream sheets, nothing more nothing less, and the fully costed element is simply a guess, based on simple calculations on the back of an envelope.
They are wild and simple promises made in order to get votes.
I have long since disregarded manifesto pledges, because that is all they are, pledges.
All of these pledges make life more complicated and expensive, and are rarely effective at all, in fact in many cases ever more legislation makes matters worse.
Let us take the simple matter of pot holes, you surely cannot get much more of a simple task than that filling up a hole in the road, it can be seen to be getting worse and more costly to fix by the day, it does damage to vehicles, it slows down our roads, and can be the reason for accidents.
Even if reported it takes weeks and weeks to get action, someone then inspects it and sprays white paint around it, then more weeks go by, the white paint disappears, so more white paint is sprayed around it until red paint is required. Then a team come out and repair it, but do not do it properly and the few smaller pot holes around it in the same road are left to fester and get worse until they get the inspection and paint treatment.
More and more money is being spent we are told every year to mend our roads, but they are steadily getting worse day by day because work is not being done properly, with any sort of an efficient plan.
Why are repairs not overseen or inspected before payment ?
Why are road repairs not guaranteed by the contractor to last at least two years?
Why are new and resurfaced roads failing so fast ?
June 9, 2024
Todayâs piece and yesterdayâs piece make me smile. Over the last 50 to 60 years Wokingham has been transformed, by the building of tens of thousands of houses, from a sleepy market town to a sprawling urban mess. 60 years ago the Finchampstead Road was a single lane road taking a few hundred cars into Wokingham in the mornings. Now it takes thousands. Itâs still the same road though. No wider. Same bottlenecks. This has happened under largely Tory councils and governments. Now youâve got the gall to complain when someone tries to improve life for the people unfortunate to live in the rat maze that you have turned Wokingham into.
June 9, 2024
Our real problem in the UK, is that we give far too much sway to bossy, shouty single issue groups who want to impose their views on the rest of us.
I would love to be able to walk and cycle everywhere but, a combination of age and disability prohibits me from doing so.
I cannot see how people can do their weekly shop on a bike or go out as a family for a day out.
If something is desirable, then people will do it anyway. It is not the role of the state to mug the population or to dictate how people can or cannot move around…. Unless they don’t want us to move around at all.
June 9, 2024
The role of the state….. Has anyone else noticed how they’re both bickering on how much increase in tax the other will Rob us to pay for THEIR pet projects like mass legal and illegal immigration? Just today, the Tory’s are going to Reform welfare, a bit like a cheques in the post 14 years too late! When will they deploy the core to solution in the Channel? The Navy, immediate turn around or deposit on beach and destruction of the dingies and confiscation of engines for sale here. Time to get firm with the FRENCH problem and deport the rest, no amnesty under their pretend vetting processes.
June 9, 2024
+1
June 9, 2024
Once again:- Great ideas…. far too late.
June 9, 2024
Our Council appears to have no idea when it comes to cycle ways. In most cases they would have been better to leave alone. They designate pavements as cycle paths, which is downright dangerous for the reasons it is otherwise illegal. One path is signposted as a cycle path but then ten yards further on they erect a “CYCLISTS DISMOUNT” sign. Another so called cycle path has anti-cycling barriers erected across it. Still another regularly sports a mud pool up to 6 inches deep. Generally it’s better to avoid their provision and cycle on the road.
Motor vehicles can generally get past cyclists provided the road is wide enough, but widening roads isn’t something the council can generally do. That means there is provision for cyclists when it’s not really needed, and nothing where it is.
Oh and by the way, like most cyclists I also drive a car.
June 9, 2024
@Dave Andrews – Pedestrians must use and support Public Transport – keeping healthy when most of the Political Class is perusing destruction of the ‘minions’ seems the order of the day.
Road transport must give the cyclists a wide berth of 1.5 meters/5 feet, how about cyclists giving pedestrians a wide berth of at least .6 of a meter or a full handle bar width. Meaning a parent with child should have at least 1.5 + .6 (7 foot) of space before pedestrian footpaths could even be considered joint use.
Here in Wokingham the clueless Liberal Democrats want cyclist to ride on right and have signed the routes accordingly
June 9, 2024
Sir John
While you are correct, and all your points extremely valid and good aspirations. Conservative manifesto’s in the last 14 years have been notorious for being dismissed the day after the election.
June 9, 2024
Good morning Sir John
After your unsuccessful bid for the Conservative leadership in July 1995, Enoch Powell wrote a note to you. It said:
“Dear Redwood
You will never regret the events of the last week or two. Patience will evidently have to be exercised – and patience is the greatest of political virtues – by those of us who want to keep Britain independent and self-governed.”
I wonder what you thought after reading his note then and what your thoughts are now you are no longer a M.P. almost 29 years later.
June 9, 2024
Patience is to be exercised not on a personal scale but on a national scale. Powell said âthe People will win in the endâ. On a personal scale we just need to be content (as he was and as John Redwood should be) that we have each done our best.
Think of a nation as a single living thing. Thatâs how it often behaves, for instance at elections. Sometimes you can âfeelâ the whole nation, like a flock of birds swooping in unison, has made up itâs mind and changed direction.
Democracy only works when you have a cohesive nation. It cannot be imposed on all.
You know at Durham Cathedral, which is 1,000 years old, one continuous prayer has been offered up. You join the prayer during your lifetime, but the prayer is bigger than lifetimes. Itâs a nation at prayer and the timescale is enormous. Similar to the political process of a nation.
Thatâs what Sunac is left out of. Because he is not part of our nation regardless of location of his birth or what government generated documents say.
June 9, 2024
Once again the fossil fuel lobby is planting anti-renewables propaganda in the right-wing press. Their current threats are classic project fear – Labour’s plans to decarbonise the grid will result in “enormous costs” and that old chestnut “blackouts” – because of intermittent wind and solar
Even worse, the current Energy Secretary Clair Coutinho is alleging that imposing âover-ambitiousâ climate policies would result in âwidespread public unrestâ What tosh!
Claire Coutinho has an investment banking background. Like her predecessor Grant Schrapps, she has absolutely no experience whatsoever in the energy sector. She is clearly reading from a fossil fuel lobby influenced script, probably written by one of her SPADS with CCHQ connections.
For the benefit of Ms Coutinho, last winter power generated by wind, hydro and solar reached 55TWh, 10TWh more than the 45TWh’s generated by the – only 50% efficient – gas power stations across the UK. 55TWh is an absolutely phenomenal amount of juice, which saved us from having to import at least 25 tanker loads of extremely expensive LNG.
The wind failed to blow on only 5 days October-March 2023/24. The lights stayed on
reply The S of S is right to highlight the dangers. The lights have only stayed on thanks to massive imports on low wind and sun days. You refuse to include the green taxes and the cost of backup power in your numbers.
June 9, 2024
The Climate Change Propaganda and Net Zero is a UN-inspired SCAM. It has nothing to do with the climate and everything to do with transferring manufacturing away from western industrialised country and transfer of wealth.
This is what Ottmar Edenhofer, lead author of the IPCCâs fourth summary report released in 2007 candidly admitted in 2010:, âOne has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. Instead, climate change policy is about how we redistribute de facto the worldâs wealth.â
Or, as U.N. climate chief Christina Figueres pointedly remarked, the true aim of the U.N.âs 2014 Paris climate conference was âto change the [capitalist] economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution.â
We produce 1% of global CO2 emissions. NOTHING we do will make a scrap of difference to the climate, but then it’s not intended to. It’s intended to lower living standards, transfer jobs and impoverish us.
June 11, 2024
@Donna
Despite the deluded Nigel Farage and his Reform party’s assertions to the contrary, the world is rapidly decarbonising electricity generation. One observes that the fossil fuel cartel is now fighting a rearguard action against EV’s, wind and solar generation, grid scale energy storage and hydro. In 2022 renewables produced 8000 TWh of electricity that otherwise would have been generated by coal and gas, or roughly 27% of total global energy demand
The fossil fuel cartel can see the writing on the wall. Aramco, the Saudi Arabia owned national producer, is selling off large chunks of it’s business.
Global energy investment is set to exceed USD 3 trillion for the first time in 2024, with USD 2 trillion going to clean energy technologies and infrastructure. Investment in clean energy has accelerated since 2020, and spending on renewable power, grids and storage is now higher than total spending on oil, gas, and coal.
https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-investment-2024/overview-and-key-findings
June 9, 2024
Driven by the overwhelmingly left/liberal mindset of journalists across the entire media landscape, but especially in broadcasting, the centre of politics has moved well to the left in the last 20 years. The result has been that the UK electorate, particularly the under 50s, have gone soft. They have no experience of a real Labour Government and I doubt whether Margaret Thatcher could win a general election today. She would be branded as a a fascist by most journalists.
It’s ironic that, just as the rest of Europe appears to be redressing the balance, we are about to go the other way, thanks to the faux Conservatives we have had in charge for the last 14 years.
Taxes have been allowed to go too high, largely thanks to Sunak’s ridiculously over-generous furlough scheme.
A Labour government is going to pile on more tax rises on top of those imposed by Sunak and Hunt.
We can only hope that voters realise their mistake before the end of Starmer’s first term.
I will still be voting Conservative in the hope that those of a right of centre outlook can take over and restore the party to its rightful place. A merger with Reform will be essential. We need politicians like Nigel Farage in parliament taking the battle to Starmer and Co.
Here’s hoping that the likes of Hunt are the first to lose their seats.
June 9, 2024
Merger won’t happen. You’re voting for the party of Lord Greensill in the hope he’ll accept a doffed cap from Nigel Farage as a sign of acceptance of Lord Greensill as leader of some merged outfit. Dream on. Electoral annihilation of Greensill and crew is the only viable route.
June 9, 2024
from the MsM
“New Zealand was on Saturday night expected to revoke a ban on drilling for oil and gas amid fears of blackouts, as Labour plans to impose a similar crackdown on the North Sea…”
The World! gets it, the UK Parliament and its Government fights it. The answer to all things is the creating of ‘Wealth’ to fund a way around what ever is thrown your way. This Conservative Government and its Parliament believes it is Tax that funds everything.
How can you fund anything when your policies focus on maliciously creating a diminishing resource – the wealth to pay taxes?
Reply The U.K. government has granted more oil and gas licences!
June 9, 2024
@Reply – we are still waiting, everything is paused as the incoming Government is threatening to tax them out the market and refuse further fulfilment of the UK’s energy needs, unless it is taxpayer funded wind subsidies etc.
June 9, 2024
More licences at 75% tax rates, making break even projects less likely and risky in the real world of capitalism and profits. The Uni Party thinks it can tax us all to growth whilst importing subsidised minimum wage workers and their families. No no no. Reform! More windmills, importing electricity from hostile nations and solar panels will be the solution to all our power generation said no one, ever!
June 9, 2024
And South Korea has recently authorised drilling for oil in the East Sea.
June 9, 2024
More smoke and mirrors, the war on the motorists continues, give back to one hand, take twice as much from the other! I see it reported that a new Conservative Govt would outlaw any new “Pay Per Mile” road charging, but no mention of scrapping road fuel duties, thus existing Law on the statute book could be quietly to charge taxes on EV charging, whilst unfreezing hydrocarbon taxes.
Good luck on #3, whoever forms the next govt, even more so if local and residential roads become ever more shared spaces. Yes pavement parking is a scourge but no worse than our local councils requiring residents put (wheelly-)bins out on the public pavement, even when residents place them sensibly the collection teams then leave the emptied bins all over the place, to trip-up those with poor sight and inconvenience others, all in the name of productivity, yet our Council taxes have seen huge year-on-year increases.
If pavement parking is outlawed, many roads will become to narrow during the night or at weekends for the passage of Ambulances and Fire Engines, of course the Govt or Local Authority could try to (further) limit residential on-street parking, but I suspect residents will reply with a bunch of P45s at the first opportunity. đ
June 9, 2024
Another daft idea from the DfT, some years ago, but now expanded upon without thought, is were cyclists are allowed to gather ahead of other traffic waiting at a traffic-light controlled junction.
Even if allowed to go first, all it does is place the cyclist in more danger due to following motor vehicles having to overtake (again). How about having a bicycle lay-by to the side, and make the _cyclist_ wait the extra 30 or 60 seconds, perhaps longer on busier roads, after all if riders are that impatient they can always dismount and walk across the junction, pushing their bicycles, as pedestrians, using the Pelican crossing!
June 10, 2024
Yes, I followed a cyclist out of Christchurch during rush hour last week, with heavy traffic coming towards me. Followed him patiently for 3-4 minutes (at about 10mph) until I was able to pass him with a wide berth. Unfortunately, almost immediately after, I had to stop at a pedstrian crossing. This guy cycled up (on the outside) and plonked himself in right front of me in the middle of the lane. The lights changed and off he went again, holding me up (and by now) quite a queue behind me. We eventually reached another set of traffic lights (at a crossing) set at red. He simply went up on the pavement, rode across the adjacent pedestrian crossing and cycled merrily along on the other side of the lights. Fortunately, by the time I caught up with him again, I was able to pass him safely.
But what a nonsense this all is. The Likes of the One outweigh the Rights of the Many….
June 9, 2024
I know quite a few cul de sacs with turning places at the end, where some of the residents have taken to parking multiple cars in those turning spaces. Sadly there seems to be little the other residents can do about it. Anti social stuff like this could easily be stopped if the ruling class had any idea of the problems of normal life. Turning places where nobody can turn around are dangerous apart from anything else, as it stops emergency vehicles attending etc.
June 10, 2024
@iain gill; I suppose more car drivers could always learn how to drive using reverse gear, using their mirrors etc. I’m being serious by the way, it is an essential skill for those who drive large vans, coaches and lorries etc.
June 10, 2024
not along long streets with children playing, its an unnecessary risk compared to turning around in turning spaces.
June 10, 2024
@Iain gill; Silly argument, what if the children are playing in the turning spaces.
June 14, 2024
I agree with you Iain, they should have double yellows.
June 10, 2024
Speaking as someone who visits a friend with a similar Cul-de-Sac parking problem Jerry, I wouldn’t fancy reversing out onto the main road (old A3) where he lives. It’s bad enough trying to get out when driving forward. The main culprits have a garage right opposite the turning bay but they don’t use it, seems to be too much effort (they are not exactly the most considerate of neighbours).
I have a similar Cul-de-Sac opposite my house and vans, lorries and the dustmen (etc) going down it, all reverse back into it, something they can do because it’s off a relatively quiet residential road. I guess they don’t like reversing out onto another road either – even when it’s not the A3! đ
June 10, 2024
@IanT; Sounds like the other residents need to take it up with the council and Neighbourhood Policing, as the ‘guilty’ party clearly has an alternate option, their own garage/driveway. There might even be a case under ASB legislation, more so if the behavior is putting others at direct risk of harm. If all else fails, perhaps even offer to pay for “Keep Clear” markings if needs-be, I suspect the real problem is no one is prepared to kick up a fuss.
June 9, 2024
At the stroke of a pen, your manifesto could reverse all ULEZ, LANs and speed limits âŠ.its your choice, not the councils, not the opposition, not the UNs, but the tories choice
Put it in bold in your manifesto that youâll reverse the anti-driver net-zero policy
June 9, 2024
Starmer as PM will take the UK back into the EU
June 9, 2024
Incorrect, itâs Sunak and the tory parliamentary party that will bring us back to the EU âŠremember they (the tories) havenât repealed any EU laws, they, by their design and policy have allowed labour in
June 10, 2024
@DOM; Given Sunday nights projected EP election results I doubt Starmer wants anything to do with the political EU, on the other hand some on the right must now be regretting Brexit, the EU side-steps to the right, the UK is on course for a hairpin turn to the left…
June 9, 2024
Let’s face it, very little investment has been made in our roads system since Blair appeared on the scene, and the roads have been crumbling ever since.
If they are so important why haven’t they been properly designed and managed – Clearly they are not to those that pull the strings. successive governments have allowed car usage to outstrip road capacity by encouraging car ownership and subsidising car manufacturing. At the same time they have not increased road capacity, far from it!
We still have too many country lanes that are unfit for purpose..
While roads are under-funded, HMG is finding plenty of money to set up walking and cycling paths that go nowhere and will not take cyclists off the roads.
To quote a failed labour politician who himself did so much damage to our country, it was Prescott who came up with the phrase that required ‘joined up thinking’ to be applied to our national transport system – It is still missing!
June 9, 2024
ââThe Met Officeâs temperature recording stations is at Aberdeen Airport. It has been operational since 1959. Its about 50m from the aircraft pictured on the runway, and only a few yards from a road and car park. It has a UN WMO classification of Class 4, meaning there is uncertainty of up to +/-2C.ââ
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/06/09/dyce-weather-station-next-to-runway/#comments
I donât trust the tory driver net-zero policy nor the quango met-office temperature readings
June 9, 2024
Maybe the new manifesto could include upgrading all met-office weather stations to UN WMO class 1 within the first month of office âŠ..or donât they want us to know the real temperature
June 9, 2024
âIt is a good idea to promote more walking and cycling.â
This is the plan together with the 15 minute cities. Points 1 to 3 will not be required as electrification of transport will bring the intended big reduction in the number of vehicles on the roads.
BTW, forget owning a car. The transport minister in 2021, Trudy Harrison, MP said :
âOwning a car is outdated â20th-century thinkingâ and we must move to âshared mobilityâ to cut carbon emissionsâ.
In the UK 80% of local grids are only capable of supplying 1 â 2KW continuously to each household according to a consultant research engineer (Eng.D) from Southampton University in written evidence to a Parliamentary Committee studying evs. Although meter boxes are fitted with 80 amp fuses (18.4 KW at 230v) this power consumption is only possible if it is for random amounts at random times which will not be the case when heating and transport is electrified. His conclusion was that evs could only be owned by 1 in 7 households even when staggering the supply to 7KW chargers and this was not taking into account the 4-5 KW needed for heat pumps running 24/7 in winter. The engineer said that heat pumps were not feasible at all without upgrading the local grid as they impose even more load than evs.
June 9, 2024
PS : Link to the consultant engineerâs Parliamentary evidence :
https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/82722/pdf/
June 9, 2024
Agree to some extent.
Motorways and trunk roads should be government controlled as you say. They are of national strategic importance so there must be no scope for local politicians to work against the national interest.
But I suggest A roads should be government controlled too and taken out of the clutches of politicised local highway authorities. These roads might not be part of the long distance strategic road network but they still have a local strategic importance that is in the national interest to protect, especially if parts of the national strategic network are temporarily unavailable. For example, diverting M4 traffic through Reading is not a smart move when the Council has introduced delays on the diversion route at the same time.
Likewise any B roads that are regarded as of local strategic importance should be promoted to A roads for the wider public good.
As for the remaining roads, might I suggest that if the Council wishes to reduce the speed limit below 40mph, the adjoining land to a depth of 400-500 metres should automatically be designated as land for housing or industry if not already developed. That should concentrate minds wonderfully!
June 9, 2024
The world changes in four weeks time. If you think it’s been bad since 2010 in terms of climate change propaganda, authoritarian woke extremism and progressive poison then just wait when the disciples of this cancerous ideology get their hands on the levers of power. Labour will make the last 14 years of Tory rule look like a monkey’s tea party.
Always remember that the Tories went Maoist woke for an easy life and to protect themselves from harm by the fascist left but Labour is the real woke deal. Vicious, revengeful and nasty to misquote Tommy Hobbes
June 9, 2024
Reading Road from Wokingham towards Reading, says it all. Cyclists 4 lanes, motor vehicles 2, pedestrians 0. Motor vehicles must out number cycles at least 100 to 1, and pedestrians 10 to 1. Who gets the most facilities?
The 20mph speed limits, limits all motor vehicles, cyclists if and when they turn up are not restricted. Occasionally gangs of cyclist take to the roads in Lycra to have a race to the finish, essentially to block people going about their legitimate business. This is OK, a motorist speeding just a Council ‘cash cow’
Why and how do these racing gangs not have to comply with traffic signals, there is a spot on the A30 when these races are taking part they ignore ‘red’ lights. The motorist gets penalised.
There are a couple of pathways alongside the Thames that explicitly have signs saying ‘No Cycling’ Primarily as there presents is dangerous to others. They ignore these signs.
Why does the so-called rules of the road and common decency not find its way into these marauding club gangs.
June 9, 2024
It would be nice if, where I live, the council maintained the roads (country). Most of the time they haven’t touched them for years, deliberately, and many are now collapsing, beyond the usual potholes.
The council and the leaders don’t care. They are often eco-loons too, dangerous. They must be named, and punished. I dare say the law protects them, even if people and property are damaged.
As for major roads, they are often not wide enough, and services are not frequent enough, but trying to get anything done anyway, often takes so long that by the time works starts the plan has been overtaken by new needs.
June 9, 2024
Re: Today, Country File;
Universal Credit; Is there something wrong with the Conservative Party?
Farming and Self Employed support?
You have been told! UC does not work!
UC is destroying these businesses!
These businesses have never had a stable income!
It’s about time they listened (they are too London Centric)?
We need increased Food/Fish Production, but as you know, small businesses are at the heart of Wealth Generation, so it’s not just Farming!
The sad truth; we need to get the Conservative Party out of Power, they are too stupid or Arrogate!
Sorry, but true!
Best Regards, and many thanks for you’re work!
RDM.
June 9, 2024
Forget it John, just give up and join Reform.
June 9, 2024
Every other tory member has
June 9, 2024
Lots of the villages in South Somerset have 20 mph limits on the through road. Seems to work well. Most people stay under 30. When the limit was 30, many people did 40.
June 9, 2024
It makes the genuine careful motorist a criminal âŠ.thats the wrong approach
Its got nothing to do with local road or weather conditions, nor modern brakes and tyres âŠ.it has everything to do with social engineering and net-zero
June 9, 2024
If the government was actually functional it would be doing something about the chaos at Birmingham Airport. The massive queues and chaos really need immediate action.
The country is a laughing stock with this kind of nonsense going on.
June 14, 2024
It’s in public/private ownership, owned by the W Midlands Boroughs and that pesky Ontario Teacher’s Pension that seems to own much of the UK? Its used by Easyjet, Jet2, Ryanair, TUI so where was the delay?
June 10, 2024
On point 3 Wokingham and police need to get act togetther when you drive round take a look at state of speed cameras . Trees and bushes obscuring and miss graduatated lines on road missing at the school on Easthampstead road. They fly down the new NWDR breaking the 30mph . I raised this with Mathew Barber and got the brush off from his office. I asked the simple questions is there a record of maintenance and work required that they shared with WBC to carry out works. And what speed cameras had been live in last 12 months. Back came the answer you will have to ask TVP for this but we doubt you will get it. Total waste of time.