Evidence Small Businesses Are Being Crippled By Local Authority Road Transport Policies

FairFuelUK’s latest road user survey shows, businesses are convinced it is a deliberately orchestrated approach by city based out of touch advisors to the Government who are using bad science to put across their own green political agendas.  It seems there is negligible consultation by local or national elected politicos with drivers, as to what these policies are doing to local communities, to logistics, small businesses, and motorists.

Small businesses from across the UK expressed their opinions towards these policies and how they feel being an essential business road user in today’s politically charged anti driver ‘climate’.

9,082 small businesses were asked between September 10^th-20^th, as to what the impacts of these urban council policies are, such as charges, bans , cycle lanes or road restrictions, on their operations.

Survey results:

61.4% are working longer hours to circumvent road narrowing, new cycle lanes or road blockages

43.6% will have to increase prices

37.8% say they will lose customers

33.2% likely will not work in their city again

28.9% considering laying off staff

11.9% believe their business will close due to city road blocking/cycle lane policies (of these, 62% retail, 27% contractors, 11% delivery)

66.8% have had altercations with cyclists regarding road usage and their behaviour
What do you think are the reasons for these charges, bans or road restrictions policies.
Only 1 reason could be chosen across each road user type : Drivers/Cyclists:

Survey results:

63.7% of Drivers said To Generate Cash – whereas Cyclists said 13.4%

3.0% of Drivers said To improve Air Quality – whereas Cyclists said 39.8%

1.2% of Drivers said To reduce congestion – whereas Cyclists said 71.0%

61.4% of Drivers said Deliberate Anti-driver policies – whereas Cyclists said 6.1%

Quotes:

Craig Mackinlay MP for South Thanet in Kent said: “My latest email inbox filler is from businesses and residents rightly up in arms about madcap ‘trial’ closures under the so-called ‘Emergency Active Travel Scheme’.  These schemes, which have sprung up across the country, have been implemented without consultation and, it would seem, without an ounce of common sense as to how these daft schemes will impact trade, the normal lives of local people or traffic flows.”

Craig Mackinlay MP for South Thanet in Kent said: “FairFuelUK are absolutely right to highlight local council failings in this area. As with many of these environmental initiatives, they usually do precisely the reverse of what was intended. Traffic jams and use of rat-runs adds to town centre pollution and fuel use and adds to pressures on local businesses at what is already an extremely difficult time for them. I have made my views known to the Transport Secretary in recent days. I will continue to make the case and support FairFuelUK’s excellent campaign in any way I can.”

Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK said: “The plethora of anti-diesel and petrol policies, using Covid legislation pretext, seem never ending. The strangulation of many of our city roads by local authorities will cripple high street businesses. White van man is seething, and small essential contractors are working longer hours for less. FairFuelUK is hearing from thousands of small businesses, that many of their existing customers along the now inaccessible city routes, are to be very disappointed not being able to secure contractors to come and work for them, probably never again.”

Christopher Biggins in the Mail on Sunday Oct 4 said: “So have the people who run London declared war on motorists? It’s a yes from me, especially after a weekend away when I found giant flowerpots had been brought in to close roads and block my route home. Local friends say their once-quiet street is now a rat-run because cars have to find somewhere else to go. I’d laugh if it wasn’t so tragic. And our other heroes – the police, fire and ambulance drivers? When we need them, they’ll be in the jams too? Terrifying but true. And it’s only going to be after the next disaster that we realise how much this matters.”

Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK said: “Clueless local authorities, conspiring with and funded by central Government are aimlessly clogging up the heart of our cities, and screwing the world’s already highest taxed drivers with yet more ‘pay to pollute’ congestion, ultra-low emission taxes and virtue signalling road blocks. Moreover, a growing plague of cycle lanes are eating into existing roads, arising from their insincere ambition to reduce vehicle emissions.”

Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK said: “Orchestrated by well-funded ‘green’ zealots, these ill-informed gullible politicos and well-paid secure in their jobs civil servants, are showing their transport strategy ignorance in bucket loads. Dishonest policies are being introduced behind a dishonest green agenda & Covid emergency legislation. Not only are they impeding our choice of personal mobility, strangling economic recovery but ironically these policies are actually reducing air quality.”

Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK said: “When will political common-sense surface and the authentic Conservative ethos in freedom of choice return? These so-called ‘healthy revolution’ transport decisions have been steamrolled onto drivers and taken without any stakeholder conversation. All road users must be consulted, not just the highly paid Lycra clad Liberal elite political advisors, with their selfish and emotive green plans. These are the same minority of road users, that don’t even contribute financially to our road’s infrastructure, but appear to have the most deafening voice in Number 10 and our city halls. Wake up Boris and listen to the commercial heartbeat of the nation, remember them? The voters who gave you an 80 seat majority!” Howard Cox, FairFuelUK Founder

A few Examples of the thousands of emails received by FairFuelUK on this issue in the last 21 days

“Dear Howard at FairFuelUK, I’m a daily driver and am absolutely sick and tired of what’s been going on the past few months, especially in London where I live, but I believe it’s going on everywhere in the country. What I want to know is WHO EXACTLY is doing all this? Who has authorised all the thousands of cycle lanes which appeared overnight? Someone is doing this, we need names, not just departments in councils. There must be SOME people in authority who support cars & drivers, they cannot all be anti car, every single one of them! Thank you for the hard work you do.” Yours, Gregory Burton – Health & Safety Officer  London Paddington HSS 
“Hi missed your media deadline but you might be able to use this, I have a small removals company in Liverpool my traveling time is hours more than before all the lockdowns since March, On Dunnings Bridge Road both outside lanes in both directions are coned off for no apparent reason, Lark Lane Liverpool is a complete nightmare, West Derby Road both directions lanes closed for CYCLISTS THERE ARNT ANY. These are just a few the traffic congestion is a nightmare finding some where safe to park for loading and unloading is difficult I am having to make long detours I am using more fuel, and taking longer to do my job which makes it more expensive. Thank you” Ken Jones

“Hi,  As a small business owner many traffic restrictions are affecting my business particularly in the larger cities and towns. Parking is the major problem which restricts how I carry out my work. Parking temporary permits cost a fortune in some areas eg. Powys charge £15 A DAY, where I park at night in my own area [ Neath Port Talbot it is £20 A YEAR which is fair.  Some towns/cities now have traffic free zones during certain hours, eg between the hours of 10am and 5pm no traffic movement allowed, I can get into these areas but cannot move my vans until after 5pm. If I need to get materials or I finish the work during those hours the vans cannot move until after 5pm so I am stuck in the zone. I need to have my vans close the work premises for access to my tools and loading up tools and materials I have finished with to keep the site tidy and safe. I parked in a public car park once because I was told to move my van from a restricted area. I paid my parking fee, during the day I needed the van back at the job to load up some stuff and drop off some other tools, when I went back to the car park all the spaces had been taken, so I lost my parking spot. Consequently, there are places I will not work in now such as Cardiff, Bridgend, Swansea, Llanelli, Carmarthen, just to name a few. There are going to be a lot of disappointed customers not going to find it easy to get contractors to come and do work for them. Is this info any use to you, Probably heard it all before?” Regards Dave Ineson Proprietor/Floorlayer     Floodec Flooring.
“Howard, Thank God someone is fighting our corner. I run a small business which provide engineering services mainly to the city of London. We are often tasked to respond to a 24hr call out for diesel generators which supply backup for essential building services such as lifts an emergency lighting. The current administration in London want cleaner air so would it not make so much more sense to open the traffic ways up and get the traffic moving instead of vans lorries and cars grinding away at 2mph whilst cycle lanes are empty. Upper and Lower Thames Street are a prime example of this lunacy. They were terrible before but now God knows what the emissions levels are in this area now. Because the people who run TFL sit in an office all day they haven’t the remotest idea of how their city is kept running. You cannot carry a tool cabinet on a bus or train. Try transporting 200lts of oil on a bicycle. When they sit in their offices ordering stuff from the internet, I am pretty sure they think the fairies deliver it using green butterflies. Face it TFL, the diesel engine is going nowhere anytime soon. The whole of London is backed up by diesel generators in case the lights go out. Long distance lorries cannot be electric for the foreseeable future. Mr Khan and his cohorts should be made to drive around London for 8hrs making calls and deliveries and see how they cope with it. In the 60s someone landed on the moon, TFL cant even manage the traffic light systems. Hold their hands up who has been at a crossroads where there is nothing coming yet the lights stay red for what seems like forever, or when, for no apparent reason the pedestrian lights go red when there are no pedestrians. And don’t get me going about parking. My rant over, going to lie down.” Jim
“Dear FairFuel, Hi, the proposed new highway code will make driving a nightmare when horses and cyclists are given priority over vehicles, you need to get everyone to respond to the consultation promptly. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-highway-code-to-improve-road-safety-for-cyclists-pedestrians-and-horse-riders “ regards David.

*Article Source  https://fairfueluk.com