Cars and their drivers have always been an easy target, and right now they’re under pressure like never before. Blamed for all of society’s ills, from climate change to poor air quality and the cause of death and destruction galore, the car is a convenient scapegoat. And that’s the key word here; convenient. Nothing matches the convenience of the car when it comes to getting on with your life.
I’m a keen cyclist, but when I’ve got to lug my camera gear even a short distance, it’s not the Claude Butler that’s going to make the journey. If I’m just nipping into town, I’ll always walk – if I’ve got the time. The problem is, I often haven’t. As a result, I select the best of mode of transport for the task in hand and that’s often the car, even if I’d rather walk or cycle.
So far so good, but there’s a bunch of people who reckon they can determine which journeys are essential and which are not – and they’re taking over transport planning. There’s a growing number of folks who reckon that public transport is good and private transport is bad, whatever the circumstances. Then there are the professional campaigners, who spend their lives protesting against any development whatsoever; they’re the ones who insist that much-needed bypasses only encourage more travel, so all roadbuilding must be halted.
If you’ve got a strong stomach and a decent sense of self-restraint, perhaps you’d like to encounter some of these people first-hand. I’ve done it and I can honestly say that you have to experience these people to believe them; they’d generally prefer us to go back to the days of the horse and cart and are often the biggest hypocrites you’ll ever meet. If you don’t believe me, get along to this year’s Roadblock extravaganza, in Birmingham on 27 October. Intriguingly, it’s run by the Campaign for Better Transport – which of course really means the Campaign for No Transport.
