Tag Archives: Sadiq Khan

Record Fines for 20 MPH Speeding

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The Times has reported under a headline that there are “Record fines for 20mph speeding despite PM’s pledge to scrap zones”. Motorists received more than 216,000 fines for travelling between 20mph and 30mph in 2023, four times more than in 2018. London is a particular problem area. The Met alone has issued 595,000 of the fines — the equivalent of one ticket for every four cars registered in London — amid a crackdown on speeding initiated by Sadiq Khan as Mayor.

There is no correlation between lower speed limits and reduction in road casualties. So why is this campaign to lower speeds being pursued? To finance the police is one reason as they do benefit from speed awareness course fees despite denials.

But it’s also just a symptom of the general attack on the use of private vehicles by those like cyclists who would like them removed from our roads or forced to drive no faster than a cyclist.

How do we get sanity returned to our roads? Voting Mayor Khan out in May might help.

Times article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/35635115-22b8-438e-bce5-fae72b20723d?shareToken=005028e1f6f33aa934779508d4be2bed

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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TfL is a Financial Basket Case

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Transport for London (TfL) is a financial basket case. Its income is much less than its costs so it has a budget for 2023/2024 of income from passengers of £5.2 billion but costs of £10.5 billion. In other words, it is spending twice its income! The difference is mainly made up by Government subsidies of various kinds including regular bail-outs when it runs out of cash.

A summary of the finances can be seen on page 4 of the TfL Quarterly Performance Report last published – see https://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-quarterly-performance-report-q2-2023-24-acc.pdf

TfL is in essence a business that provides transportation to the public and it should be run like one. Some borrowing to finance capital expenditure may be justified but the approach by Sadiq Khan who chairs the TfL Board is simply financially reckless. Income from fares should cover operating costs.

Financial mismanagement is the key problem at TfL.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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Parliamentary Petition to Expand those who can vote for London Mayor

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To follow on from my previous blog post on a move to block ULEZ expansion in Parliament, it would help if everyone could sign the following Parliamentary petition.

Sadiq Khan’s support in London is predominantly in Inner London, Outer London largely does not vote for him and if the vote for the London Mayor could be extended to the home counties there is no doubt that it would be the end of this petty dictator.

The home counties rely on London boroughs for jobs, shopping and medical facilities so it is unfair that that they don’t have a say in who is Mayor and their policies.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO GIVE THEM A VOICE

Give Everyone within the Home Counties a vote for the London Mayor. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643187 (click on to access)

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

Sadiq Khan Lied Over Emissions

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We all know Sadiq Khan is a consistent liar but a draft report from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirms exactly that.  A total of 578 people contacted the ASA to “challenge” TfL (Transport for London) to prove its claims about the impact of the ULEZ, which were broadcast and published between January and June this year. The advertising watchdog’s recommendations state that two complaints about two radio adverts and one in a newspaper should be upheld.

See https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/18/sadiq-khan-ulez-expansion-pollution-reduction-asa-report/

There is no doubt that the information published by TfL and Sadiq Khan prior to the public consultation on expansion of the ULEZ was grossly misleading. The health benefit from expansion of the ULEZ is negligible but the financial cost will be enormous. Costs of £2.7 billion over the last 5 years on TfL charges on motorists have already been incurred which will rise even higher in the next couple of years – see https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/18/london-drivers-pay-billions-charges-ulez-sadiq-khan/

It’s time we had a new London Mayor who is more financially competent and does not rely on motorists to bail TfL out from reckless mismanagement of public transport finances.  

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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20 MPH Limits are so Tedious and Unnecessary

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Yesterday I drove into central London from my home in Bromley to attend an appointment at Guys Hospital. I regularly drive in as I wish to avoid public transport mainly because I now use a wheelchair and wish to avoid the risk of a Covid infection to which I am vulnerable. So I took the A20 and A2 through Lewisham, New Cross and Deptford.

The whole route now has a 20 mph speed limit once you are in Lewisham. This makes it extremely tedious and is totally unjustified on road safety grounds. The A2 is of course the historic road from London to Dover. It should be a four-lane motorway with a 70 limit but is now reduced to a crawl from the GLA boundary.  

It’s a typical example of how Transport for London (TfL) have destroyed the London road network under the chairmanship of Sadiq Khan in the last few years.

I may have a ULEZ compliant vehicle, exemption from the Congestion Charge as a Blue Badge holder, and free parking at Guys Hospital but when TfL create road congestion through stupid restrictions I end up taking hours on simple journeys.

Many years ago I used to commute into central London via car. Now that is totally impractical due to TfL induced congestion.

Since the 1960s there has been no comprehensive plan to improve London’s road network. That’s why we have horrible air pollution on roads such as the South Circular. Improvement plans are regularly defeated by anti-vehicle lobbyists and by individual councils such as Lewisham and Greenwich by nimby factions.

The UK Government has said it will back motorists who keep our country moving and its plans would include: a review of guidance on 20mph speed limits in England to prevent use in “areas where not appropriate”. Well the whole of London’s A roads should be excluded for a start.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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Moving Pollution Up North

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I recently traded in my non-ULEZ compliant Jaguar XF for a petrol vehicle. I got a better trade-in price than I expected but it was not a total surprise because I figured that dealers would sell such vehicles in the North of England or Scotland. According to a report in the Telegraph (see link below), that is exactly what has been happening.

Sadiq Khan has just exported London’s air pollution to the rest of the country. Which I am sure they are grateful to receive – NOT. This is what happens when you have an idiot in charge in London who does not consider the unintended consequences of his actions.

Telegraph article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/10/22/londons-diesel-cars-being-sent-to-the-north-because-of-ulez/

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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Bromley Air Pollution, Vehicle Theft and Cars are good for your Health

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Latest quote for the Press from the Leader of Bromley Council as posted on Facebook:

Councillor Colin Smith, Leader of Bromley Council said, “I am frankly beginning to feel slightly embarrassed for the Mayor and his desperately repeated claims that Bromley residents are suffering from a higher mortality of premature deaths than any other Borough in the Capital.

“He appears to believe that if you repeat something often enough, it makes it come true. I have to tell you that whilst that might work for him in the very strange world of City Hall, it doesn’t work out here in the real world.

“It really is complete nonsense.”

Councillor Smith continued, “Factually, Bromley is a very healthy borough with a low overall mortality rate.  The fraction of mortality attributable to air pollution in Bromley is actually the 3rd lowest in London.

“Apart from the figures being used actually being guesstimates, based on research commissioned by the Mayors own Team, the researchers chose to ignore Bromley’s much older population profile, to take no account of the fact that many elderly Bromley residents spent the younger years of their lives living in Inner London Boroughs experiencing the smogs and smoke filled pubs and clubs of yesteryear there, where any damage which might have been caused to their lungs would have occurred, or the fact that many elderly folks from out of Borough are drawn to Bromley’s multitude of excellent care homes to be closer to their loved ones for their final years either.

“In summary, Bromley enjoys the second cleanest air in London, very marginally behind Havering. We also have cleaner air than every single Borough already ensnared within the Mayor’s existing ULEZ scheme and even his own scientific projections confirm that extending the ULEZ further out would only add the most marginal of benefits.

“Londoners should remain in no doubt that this is what it looks like. A cynical Tax Raid aimed at the outer London suburbs which front runs the Mayor’s unspoken intention to introduce Road Price Charging for everyone once the camera network has been set in place, very much including families and businesses who have already converted to a Green or Hybrid vehicle.”

Comment: A good summary of the facts re air pollution in outer London boroughs and the lies spouted by Sadiq Khan and TfL.

Attacks on ULEZ enforcement cameras continue although TfL don’t seem to be issuing fines for non-compliant vehicles as yet. Mayoral Reform Party candidate Howard Cox has promised to refund all fines if he gets elected next May. That would be likely to make TfL even more bankrupt than it already is which might make for some difficult decisions.

Other news is that the BrownCarGuy has reported that 17,000 drivers are still paying car tax (VED) on cars that have been stolen. The recovery rate on stolen cars has been falling while thefts have been rising as keyless systems are now very vulnerable. See https://browncarguy.com/2023/10/16/car-owners-paying-tax-on-stolen-cars/#more-18242

Shahzad Sheikh also reported that a Japanese university has established a link between good health in older adults and car ownership: “The latest research from Japan’s Waseda University confirms what we’ve all suspected. Cars are good for your health, especially if you’re elderly! Car ownership for older adults was associated with higher self-rated health status, greater number of years lived in the current municipality, and better working status”. See the full report here https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/news/78563

The moral is: keep driving as long as you can and maintain mobility.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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The Plan for Drivers

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Last week the Government published “The Plan for Drivers”. It starts with the statement: “There’s nothing wrong with driving. Most of us use a car and, for many, life would not be liveable without their car. For those in rural areas, it is a lifeline. A car can hugely expand the independence of a younger person, as well as keep older people connected to key services and their families”. That’s very much the view of this writer. Apart from a few ghettos in central London, where massive expenditure on public transport subsidised by taxpayers, has made it practical to live without a car, most of the country need to use cars.

This new document is clearly a tilt to electoral popularity in the party conference season. In it Mark Harper, Transport Minister, says “Used appropriately and considerately, the car was, is, and will remain a force for good. It is not right that some drivers feel under attack. This long-term plan will address key elements of those concerns. We will explore options to stop local councils using so-called ‘15-minute cities’, such as in Oxford, to police people’s lives; we will restrain the most aggressively anti-driver traffic management measures. We will make it clear that 20mph speed limits in England must be used appropriately where people want them – not as unwarranted blanket measures. We will take steps to stop councils profiting from moving traffic enforcement”.

Is this the end of the “war on the driver” as some people call recent anti-car policies? The answer is possibly. But it needs more than just fine words to halt the war. Many of the negative policies have been supported by local councillors and elected mayors such as Sadiq Khan in London using legislation enacted by central Government that gives them the powers to do so. Those powers need removing and as their motives are often financial so those incentives must be removed.

There are many legal changes required to stop a small minority of local politicians imposing their irrational views on the rest of us. There need to be referendums on any proposed new regulations on vehicles and driving. And petitions to invoke referendums on existing ones.

The Plan for Drivers: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-drivers/the-plan-for-drivers

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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The War on the Motorist and New A20 Speed Limit

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It has been widely reported that Rishi Sunak is to announce new motorist-friendly policies that might inhibit the introduction of more LTNs, restrict more 20 mph speed limits and times of bus lanes might be relaxed. On BBC Radio Manchester he argued that prioritising driving was the best policy as the vast majority of journeys are made by car. He has that right at least so why are we spending billions of pounds on HS2 which will be used by very few people? It should surely be scrapped.

Mark Harper, Transport Minister, said this on Twitter: ”Too often the private car is vilified by Labour politicians and sneered at by the metropolitan bubble, when it has been one of the most powerful forces for personal freedom & economic growth”. But will this fine rhetoric which will no doubt be lapped up at the Conservative Party Conference this week be followed up by action to control local councillors who introduce silly speed limits. Or Sadiq Khan in London or Mark Drakeford in Wales (petition against default 20 limit in Wales now has more than 450,000 signatures but is still being ignored!).

More details in this Government statement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-announces-new-long-term-plan-to-back-drivers

If the Conservatives follow through on this agenda it will certainly win them some votes.

A20 Speed Limits

Meanwhile the latest imposition of an unreasonable speed limit has been imposed in the last few days on the A20 between Crittalls Corner in Sidcup and the BP service station/McDonalds before the Swanley M25 junction (eastbound only). The speed limit has been reduced to 40 from 70 and signs for average speed cameras put up and 40 repeater signs also so presumably this is a permanent change. It is unknown why this change has been made although it has been suggested that it is due to road flooding which requires some work on the road which may not be done until May 2024. However it is a ridiculously low speed limit for such a dual-carriageway.

The country is grinding to a halt because of unreasonable speed limits which will mean enormous numbers of drivers will get fines even when driving at safe speeds.

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When Will Sadiq Khan Get His Comeuppance?

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Today (the 29th August 2023), the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has been extended to the whole of Greater London. This is unjustified on the scientific evidence of the miniscule benefit to air pollution and improved population health but it will cost many Londoners (and those who live in surrounding counties) dearly.

In practice it’s just another tax to support Sadiq Khan’s mismanagement of TfL’s budgets.

How did Sadiq Khan manage to obtain such dictatorial powers that he can impose such wide-ranging taxes without the consent of the people? He did so because central Government were asleep, or distracted by other political issues such as Brexit and a national pandemic.

But the tide is turning as people see how incompetent Khan has been at managing not just London’s transport network but in other areas also such as crime and housing. The only thing Khan has been good at is blaming central Government for his own failings and bribing the electorate with their own money – free transport and free school meals for example paid for out of taxes.

It could of course have been very different if the population had seen Sadiq Khan for what he is – a runt whose politics are all about building his ego and his stature by a relentless power grab.

But the tide is turning. Direct action to remove the ULEZ cameras or damage them is escalating while a serious challenge to Khan’s re-election next May is looming. Just as Ken Livingstone became so hated by his extreme policies that the call was to vote for “anyone but Ken” it will soon become “anyone but Khan”.

On a personal note I concluded that Sadiq Khan was not going to back down on the ULEZ expansion a few months back. He is clearly incapable of compromise and needs the money raised to pay for existing commitments. So I decided to change my ten-year old diesel Jaguar XF for a two year old petrol Jaguar XE. It’s very economical and is of course ULEZ compliant. Hopefully it will last me for many more years of low mileage motoring.

I am of course in the fortunate position of being able to afford to change my car every few years but many people are not. The scrappage scheme is simply a sop that will not significantly help them. Let us hope they remember that next May.

The economics of switching to an electric vehicle did not make sense just yet but it might do in a few years’ time. I am open-minded on the pros and cons of electric vehicles but the high capital cost and low resale values do not make them attractive as yet.

Roger Lawson Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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