Known *and evidence based* fixes.
This is the thing. We know over and over that #TrafficRestriction and #ActiveTravel infrastructure have health, environmental and economic benefits and yet the same arguments have to be had with a shouty minority. Every. Time.
The thing is that #TrafficRestriction is a particularly odd choice of wedge issue (presumably because the people being inconvenienced don’t live in the area with the filters, whereas the people living there *like* having less through traffic).
Plenty of anecdata it just doesn’t work.
They’re certainly likely to suffer from being associated with an unpopular Westminster government, even aside from their position on #TrafficRestriction
And more in #Oxford. I maintain that opposing #TrafficRestriction is a weird choice of hill for Oxford Labour to die on
It's a totally inexplicable choice of a hill to die on, as all the evidence over many, many elections across the UK suggests opposing #TrafficRestriction is a poor and rarely successful choice of wedge issue.
Especially disappointing when he’s meant to be form a party that believes in #EvidenceBasedPolicy, and all the evidence shows that #TrafficRestriction is economically beneficial, and a poor choice of wedge issue @libdemcycling.org.uk
All the evidence for #CongestionCharges and #TrafficRestriction is that one you get through the pain of implementation, no-one wants to go back.
To quote @ianwalker.bsky.social, tell me what your problem is and I’ll tell you why the solution is fewer cars.
It’s just embarrassing how British politicians have so little stomach for basic #TrafficRestriction measures that would make our towns and cities so much nicer and our people healthier.
So often the way with people campaigning against #TrafficRestriction - “I want less traffic but not at the price of my own convenience” #BadFaith
Anti #TrafficRestriction campaigner turns out to be a conspiracy theorist. I am shocked.
As I understand it, cities where there’s a suburban network and the city is paying for it are OK, smaller towns not so much.
Paris has done awesome work with #TrafficRestriction and it’s good to hear other cities are doing the same.
It's completely obvious, what's remarkable here (given the response of taxi drivers in London/GM etc to any proposed #TrafficRestriction) is that there is a taxi drivers' rep saying it.
Not the least remarkable thing about Oxford's proposed #CongestionCharge is that taxi drivers, a group often opposed to any form of #TrafficRestriction, appear to have thought about it and realised why it works in their favour.
Does need to be some form of bus prioritisation or #TrafficRestriction to make bus services reliable though.
Also a funding question - are/can CAZ/congestion charges and traffic offence fines available for transport investment?
One of the reasons will be increasing traffic. But god forbid we should put in any #TrafficRestriction on residential streets to address this.
I wonder if there's sometimes an issue with how the question is asked (and I am conscious this is a lift from the latest @beavertrust.bsky.social #LodgeCast) - maybe it's better to ask "what would this neighbourhood look like with #TrafficRestriction?" vs. "should there be traffic restriction?"
As I understand it, what's being done in Paris is generally popular, and the recent Oxford citizens' assembly was in favour of #TrafficRestriction.
Where is the political will and leadership in the UK?
I love the way that, even though #InducedDemand is well established in fact, that ‘reducing jams’ is still used as a justification for road building.
This will also only reduce through traffic in the town centre if some form of #TrafficRestriction is also done.
Good stuff in here about our coastal towns - have long wondered when something will be done to attract domestic visitors back to the #Seaside, and not having a main through road along the front is probably part of that
Why isn’t eg. Blackpool prom permanently closed to traffic?
#TrafficRestriction
Yes. And one of the arguments against #TrafficRestriction is always “there isn’t an alternative to driving”.
Well, we have one now. It’s time to act, and frankly what’s the point of having huge political capital if not to use it to do the right thing?
The flip side of that is people who'll oppose #ActiveTravel infra or #TrafficRestriction of any kind, will generally oppose *anything*
I’m coming to the conclusion the noisy minority against #TrafficRestriction are only interested in being able to drive their car wherever and whenever they like, and making everyone else as miserable as they are #TootToot
Your occasional reminder that this stuff is electorally popular, provided there is the leadership and vision to do it #TrafficRestriction
It’s the same for everything.
See also campaigning against #TrafficRestriction or #ActiveTravel infra - it’s always a small aggressive minority, who, maybe because of the SoMe echo chamber effect, think they’re in the majority.
And the end result is that everything takes ages or doesn’t happen.
But there needs to be a degree of #TrafficRestriction to promote #ModalShift?
Certainly in urban areas there needs to be #TrafficRestriction +/- congestion charges even with EVs
This all seems fair, but:
* Without some form of #TrafficRestriction buses will never be reliable
* #ActiveTravel also key
* Light rail is better than buses for generating regeneration due to permanence?
This is an argument for #TrafficRestriction - everything seems to suggest that carrot alone doesn’t encourage #ModalShift (maybe trams aside) so you need eg. congestion charges/bus gates/a circulation plan. But that leads to screaming in the local paper.
The lesson of anything to do with #TrafficRestriction is just to get on and do it. In six months, the fuss will be forgotten, but if you don't do it, it will rumble on in the background giving conservatives ammunition and hurting progressives.
See also Greater Manchester's #CleanAirZone.
