Rishi Sunak’s plan for motorists would limit travel choices, campaigners say
Rishi Sunak’s “plan for motorists”, which would limit councils’ powers to impose 20mph speed limits and bus lanes, would simply restrict people’s travel choices and harm net zero ambitions, six walking and cycling organisations have said.
Separately, the organisation representing the UK’s bus companies said restrictions on bus lanes would be “a backwards step” and would particularly affect people on lower incomes.
The Confederation of Passenger Transport said: “With 40% of low-income households and more than three-quarters of job seekers having no access to a car, these plans will not help those hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis.”
The prime minister is expected to set out the new policies, which could also restrict the ability of local authorities to enforce road offences using automated cameras, at the Conservative party conference in Manchester on Monday, although the timetable could be brought forward.
In a joint statement, the heads of Ramblers, Sustrans, British Cycling, Cycling UK, Living Streets and Bikeability Trust said Sunak’s plan would end up leaving people feeling they had no choice but to drive, even if they would rather use other means.
Sunak’s plan is the latest in a recent series of contentious policy ideas, such as his watering down of net zero targets, designed to revive his government and create clear dividing lines with Labour.
The latest move would be hugely controversial, setting ministers on a collision course with local authorities, who rely on their powers to keep bus lanes traffic-free.
The joint statement said: “When the government should be giving people more opportunities to live their lives responsibly, it’s robbing them of options. When ministers could be promoting public transport, cycling and walking as cheap sustainable options in a cost of living and climate crisis, they’re entrenching congestion and reliance on driving for short, local journeys.
“When the government could respect people’s freedom to choose how they travel, it’s removing the alternatives. This is a plan that looks no further than one way of travelling and will make the roads worse for those occasions when people do need to drive.”
It continued: “Having a reliable bus route to work, the freedom to cycle to the park or to be able to let your children walk to school safely while breathing clean air should not be beyond us.
“This plan restricts people’s travel choices, setting the country on cruise control towards missed net zero targets and a worsening health and inactivity crisis, while denying our children of their independence and freedom to move around their local area safely.”
The plan is expected to include moves to limit English councils’ powers to place 20mph speed limits on main roads, and to restrict the number of hours a day that car traffic can be banned from bus lanes.
It is also understood to include curbs on local authorities’ ability to impose fines – and thus raise revenue – from traffic infractions caught by automatic number plate recognition cameras, and on the use of such cameras in box junctions.
Sunak is also expected to cite concerns about so-called 15-minute cities, an urban planning concept based on having shops and workplaces near homes, which some protesters claim is a UN-led conspiracy to limit people’s ability to travel.