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MP says pollution is going up because “road space is being turned over to cycle lanes"N-S cycle superhighway (still from @Lakerlikes Instagram)

MP says pollution is going up because “road space is being turned over to cycle lanes"

Takes issue with local authorities’ ‘crusade to remove road space’
by Alex Bowden
Wed, Mar 08, 2017 17:07
44

Speaking yesterday during a parliamentary debate, Conservative MP Sir Greg Knight became the latest politician to blame cycle infrastructure for urban congestion problems. Knight said that pollution is, “going up because pavements have got wider and road space is being turned over to cycle lanes.”

Two weeks ago, Lord Tebbit claimed that the "cause of the excess nitrous oxide in the air in this area of Westminster and along the Embankment is those wretched barricades which have been put up by the former mayor.”

The barricades in question were those, “which have been put up in order to assist cyclists – who also get in the way on the main road.”

BikeBiz reports that while enquiring when the Government’s air quality plan is likely to be published, Knight echoed Tebbit’s sentiments.

“Is there not a case — I say this with respect — for making local authorities take into account the congestion effects of their crusade to remove road space in favour of wider pavements and more cycle lanes?

“Someone said to me the other day that there are fewer cars entering central London but that pollution is going up. Well, obviously it is going up because pavements have got wider and road space is being turned over to cycle lanes. The Mayor of London cannot have it both ways. If he wishes to reduce air pollution, he and others need to take care when they are seeking to remove highway lanes.”

Knight is a director of H&H Classics Ltd, a classic car auctions company, and also chair of the all-party parliamentary historic vehicles group.

Labour’s Rob Flello is another MP to voice similar concerns. Announcing the launch of a government inquiry into urban congestion in January, he suggested that “loss of tarmac” for cycle lanes could be a major cause of London’s congestion problems.

A 2016 INRIX report into congestion concluded that Transport for London’s £4 billion Road Modernisation Plan, together with the £15 billion Crossrail programme, would ultimately reduce congestion by 20 per cent, characterising the ongoing construction work as “short term pain for long term gain.”

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Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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44 comments

Avatar
ianrobo replied to Wolfcastle50 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Wolfcastle50 wrote:

Since polititicians are clearly dodgy is it time we got some on our side?  One that no one could have thought of as pro cycling would be good.

 

prob is plenty of good ones for all sides, after all Boris was a good cycling advocate but they are not as good as lying as the other MP's LTDA etc.

Avatar
ianrobo | 7 years ago
3 likes

come on be honest Nappe you never googled that, you knew it already frown

Avatar
nappe | 7 years ago
1 like

The classic car company he works for....From the urban dictionary,

H&H - An acronym commonly used in the LGBTQI community on dating apps like Grindr and Scruff

The first 'H' stands for horny and the second stands for high. Sometimes accompanied with mentions of 420.

(Search 420 for more information!)
420 - H&H - Looking for NSA fun, now!

Avatar
Jimmy Ray Will | 7 years ago
3 likes

As above, this should be fairly easy to prove one way or the other. If that proof isn't available then I'm surprised this is something that can be said in an official capacity such as this.

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IanW1968 | 7 years ago
10 likes

Don't come around here given it large with your 'facts'.....kin hippies, get a job and buy a car. 

 

Reading between the lines of course. 

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dodpeters | 7 years ago
17 likes

This would be easy to demonstrate if it was true, as there would be a close correlation between NO2 levels on roads and the proportion of space given over to pedestrians and cyclists.

It is this same effect, congestion due to cyclists and pedestrians, that has caused similar air pollution problems on the M1 near Sheffield.

Avatar
1961BikiE | 7 years ago
4 likes

Oh thank god he's only on £125.00/HR. Makes me feel much happier with my £8.30/HR.

Don't forget Governments have a track record in this area. Dr Breaching gets all the blame for rail cuts. But don't forget the Transport Minister who gave him the job was the chairman of a company. What did his company do? Oh build roads, especially those there new fangled motorways.

Less cars = more pollution? Really? REALLY? There's a bigger problem than pedestrians, cyclists and motorists if that really is the case.

Avatar
ianrobo replied to 1961BikiE | 7 years ago
4 likes

1961BikiE wrote:

Less cars = more pollution? Really? REALLY? There's a bigger problem than pedestrians, cyclists and motorists if that really is the case.

 

of coure the people who bribe him (sorry pay him) 150 p/h are ones who pollute the most. If they paid the full cost of their pollution then imagine their VED ?

Avatar
ianrobo | 7 years ago
1 like

sorry he earns 125 an hour, made a mistake thinking 2hrs a month, lovely second job eh ? 

Nice pay for doing fuck all and lie 

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burtthebike | 7 years ago
6 likes

"Sir Greg Knight" being as how he's a sir, and with his name anyway, am I the only one wishing he really did have a knighthood?  Preferably one which prevented speech escaping.

Utterly staggering that the petrolheads are blaming pollution on the forms of transport that don't pollute at all.  I'm beginning to think that the political class are learning from Trump: If you're going to lie, make it a big one and ignore any vested interests.

Avatar
ianrobo | 7 years ago
9 likes

From his own website tpo confirm the report

1. Employment and earnings
I am a director of H&H Classics Ltd (a classic car auctions company) of The Motor House, Appleton, Warrington WA4 4SN. I receive £1,000 a month for consultancy (about 2 hours a week) from March 2015 until further notice. (Registered 27 May 2015)
 

Great eh ?  500 quid per hour for a company whose cars pay NO VED (aka road tax) ....

 

so he earns his money for spouting total unproven tripe

oh of course he employs his wife as 'assistant'

I employ my wife, Janet Knight, as Parliamentary Assistant. 

Avatar
mitchibob replied to ianrobo | 7 years ago
3 likes

ianrobo wrote:

Great eh ?  500 quid per hour for a company whose cars pay NO VED (aka road tax) ....

 £1000 per month , 2 hours per week

 = £125 per hour, maximum

Avatar
brooksby replied to ianrobo | 7 years ago
3 likes

ianrobo wrote:

Great eh ?  500 quid per hour for a company whose cars pay NO VED (aka road tax) ....

In all fairness, I think that the original idea for historic vehicle VED was that they didn't go on the road very often, and that they were old enough motor vehicles to be of "historic interest".

The rolling deadline for what constitutes a historic vehicle rather blows a hole in this idea, IMO.

(In the interests of full disclosure, my only car is a 1970 VW Beetle which does about 2K miles p.a. and my wife's only car is a 1973 VW microbus which does about the same, and both are historic vehicle zero-rated for VED).

Avatar
davel | 7 years ago
23 likes

Can I refer the honourable gobshite to google and suggest he do some fucking research before just opening his ill-informed gob and seeing what falls out on taxpayers' money...

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