Conservative London mayoral candidate claims "virtue signalling" cycle lanes are causing "gridlock" and "havoc", would review cycling infrastructure if elected to end "war on motorists"

The Conservative Party's London mayoral candidate Susan Hall has committed to reviewing cycling infrastructure if elected, and lashed out at cycle lanes that she claims are "virtue signalling" and cause "havoc" and gridlock for motorists.

It should be noted that such a review would require the unlikely event of Hall first overturning a 26-point deficit in the polls in just five weeks to become the English capital's next mayor. Having launched her campaign in a cafe in Uxbridge on Sunday, Hall has again set her stall out as the candidate to end the so-called "war on motorists".

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Speaking to the Evening Standard, Hall said she is "pro any form of transport" but questioned why "damn ridiculous" cycle lanes had been built when "we must remember there's only two to three per cent of the population that are cyclists".

"We must look at some of these cycle lanes that have been put in," she said. "I'll give you the example of Park Lane. It's damn ridiculous, quite frankly. It was virtue signalling by this mayor [Sadiq Khan] because there's a cycle lane that goes through the park right next door. The traffic then gets gridlocked. Fumes all over the place.

[Park Lane segregated cycle lane — Transport for London]

"A successful city is a moving city. When you've put some of these cycle lanes in that cause nothing but havoc, when you put cycle lanes in because you're virtue signalling; that is unacceptable. The other thing that nobody seems to bring up, which is so important when we have gridlocked streets, is how do we expect our emergency services to get through?

"It is very important that ambulances, fire engines, police can get through the streets as quickly as possible, as well as the rest of us. So, I am pro cycling, but equally we must look at everybody else that uses the streets. And this war on the motorists must stop."

> 'The War on the Motorist' deconstructed — looking at the truth behind the myths

Hall's campaign is focused heavily on opposing the current mayor's Ulez scheme, something she claims she would scrap on her first day in office. The Conservative Party candidate, looking to become the first Tory figure to hold the role since Boris Johnson and in turn prevent Khan achieving a third term, has also previously been outspoken about her desire to remove "unnecessary 20mph zones" and reverse low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).

Earlier this month, Hall claimed LTNs — the schemes that prevent drivers rat-running certain roads in residential areas, in a bid to encourage active travel and tackle air and noise pollution — were "blocking ambulances" and preventing emergency services accessing routes.

LTNs (low traffic neighbourhoods) are blocking ambulances from getting to where they need to be.

I am listening to Londoners and will do all I can to help councils remove unwanted LTNs. Tell me if there's an LTN you want removed 👇https://t.co/48gzfeSLwI pic.twitter.com/towbJZbGIH

— Susan Hall AM (@Councillorsuzie) March 5, 2024

This came despite the London Fire Brigade, in 2021, saying that LTNs had no impact on response times. Likewise, police in Tower Hamlets last year urged the council not to scrap a Liveable Streets scheme, saying that it has resulted in a reduction in anti-social behaviour-related crime. Police in Hackney too have previously released a video urging people "don't believe any scaremongering" and adding that it is "just completely false" to suggest they could not attend emergencies because of the low-traffic schemes.

> Pop-up bike lanes don't slow ambulances according to… the ambulance service

In 2021, Hall also made headlines when commenting on a viral video of a child narrowly avoiding being hit by an impatient driver who refused to stop as he cycled past with his father. Hall claimed the child "should not be on the public highway riding a bike".

Speaking at her campaign launch, Hall argued Londoners had been "ignored" for eight years under Khan. "If he wins a third term, that would be giving him permission to ignore us again," she said.

"Crime has spiralled out of control after he shut police stations and failed to recruit police, rents have spiked because he has not built the affordable family homes Londoners deserve, and he has imposed his unfair Ulez expansion tax, hitting the lowest earners the hardest.

"I am listening to Londoners. My priorities are Londoners' priorities and as mayor I will recruit more police, build more affordable homes and scrap the Ulez expansion on day one."

In response, current mayor Khan said the choice between the pair, which he called a "clear two-horse race", was also "quite clear".

"Me, who's been delivering a fairer, safer, greener, more affordable London, or the Tories who would cancel that," Khan suggested to the BBC. "There's a possibility of a Labour mayor and a Labour government working together, rather than rowing against the tide of a Tory government.

"We'd have the winds of a Labour government at our back, bringing about real transformation in London."