Month: September 2023

A proposed £5 congestion charge in Cambridge will not be taken forward amid a lack of political consensus.

It had been suggested that the measure could help fund public transport improvements in the city, but in a public consultation some people said the charge would be “unfair or punitive”.

In the public consultation, 58% of respondents opposed the charge.

Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP), a body of elected representatives from local councils and university and business representatives, is not taking the proposal forward.

The executive board debated the proposal in a meeting on Thursday.

Elisa Meschini, chairwoman of the board, said: “It seems completely clear from the debate that’s gone on that we are not in a position to recommend that the county council receive the scheme for further work.

“As a result that recommendation today will not be made.”

She said there are “problems in our region, we’ve got to fix them”, adding: “Those who say we absolutely can do that, then step up your game.”

Other options to be explored include a workplace parking levy.

Liberal Democrat councillor Brian Milnes, of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said the area’s Lib Dems had “announced that they have reservations over the scheme”.

“I have to take that into account in assessing whether there’s any point, frankly, of putting it forward to the county council for approval,” he said, before confirming he did not recommend taking it forward.

Labour councillor Mike Davey, of Cambridge City Council, said that “four weeks ago the South Cambs Lib Dem group made a decision” not to support the congestion charge proposal.

He said it was “pointless proposing something that could not possibly happen” so did not feel the proposal should go forward to the county council.

Andy Neely, university representative on the GCP, said: “I think it’s clear there’s not political consensus at this particular point in time.

“It’s a shame the politics have got in the way.

“This is, as we talked about, a controversial thing.

“I think when you look at the data and the number of people in the younger generation that supported the proposals, the comment made earlier was that in 10 years’ time people won’t necessarily thank us for this.

“But at this particular moment it seems to be there’s not enough consensus to go forward.”

The Prime Minister said he is “slamming the brakes” on “hare-brained schemes” such as blanket 20mph speed limits and low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).

Rishi Sunak has vowed to focus on policies that stem the “relentless attack on motorists”.

He told The Sun: “I’m slamming the brakes on the war on motorists – it is as simple as that.”

The remarks come as his Conservative administration in Westminster announced a slew of pro-driving measures ahead of the Tory Party conference in Manchester on Sunday.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said guidance would be reviewed on 20mph limits to “prevent their blanket use in areas where it is not appropriate”.

The same undertaking would be happening for LTNs in England to “focus on local consent”, officials said.

The Whitehall department also announced that a National Parking Platform pilot will be rolled out, meaning that drivers should only have to use an app of their choice to pay for parking instead of downloading multiple apps.

Ahead of the DfT’s announcement on Friday, Mr Sunak said the decision by the Labour-run Welsh Government to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph for restricted roads was “not right” and the UK Government would take a “different approach”.

He confirmed to The Sun that local councils in England face a clampdown on “overzealous” enforcement of parking and yellow box junctions.

Charges will also be applied on utility firms who dig up roads during peak times, with the extra money diverted to fixing potholes, it has been confirmed.

As part of the package of measures, DfT officials said guidance will be strengthened to make sure bus lanes only operate “when necessary” and a consultation will be launched on motorcycles using bus lanes.

More details are expected to be set out in Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s speech to Tory members on Monday.

In a statement, Mr Harper said: “Too often the private car is vilified when it has been one of the most powerful forces for personal freedom and economic growth.

“That’s why the Government is taking the long-term, necessary decision to back the motorists who keep our country moving.

“We’re introducing a plan to ensure drivers can enjoy smoother journeys, park more easily and no longer face unfair and oppressive traffic enforcement measures.”

The Prime Minister told The Sun: “What we want to do now is make sure that all these hare-brained schemes forced on local communities, whether it is low traffic neighbourhoods, whether it is blanket 20 mile an hour speed limits, all of that… (they) need to stop.

“What we want to make sure is that local communities are not having these things imposed upon them, forced on them.

“We’ve seen that happening in Wales. That’s not right. And we’re going to take a different approach to this.”

He said cars were “freedom for most people” and that penalising motorists “doesn’t reflect the values of Britain”.

Asked whether he had ever received a speeding fine, Mr Sunak said he “probably” had but “not for a very long time”.

The Prime Minister has pledged to crack down on “anti-motorist” policies and last week delayed the ban on the sale of new conventionally fuelled cars and vans from 2030 to 2035.

The Welsh Government is predicting its change to 20mph speed limits will save up to 100 lives and 20,000 casualties in the first decade.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said there is “incontrovertible” evidence that “driving more slowly in built-up urban areas saves people’s lives”.

A Department for Transport-commissioned study published in November 2018 found 20mph limits in residential areas were supported by the majority of residents and drivers.

The report concluded there was no evidence of a significant drop in the number of crashes and casualties after the introduction of 20mph limits.

Drivers have been hit by a 29% annual rise in the number of parking tickets issued by private companies in Britain, new figures show.

A record 11.1 million tickets were handed out in the 12 months to the end of March, according to analysis of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data by the PA news agency and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation.

That is an average of more than 30,400 every day and is up from the total of 8.6 million during the previous year.

Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total annual cost to drivers could exceed £1.1 billion at the current rate.

Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

A long-awaited code of practice aimed at eradicating some of the sector’s worst behaviour was due to be introduced after legislation was passed in Parliament in March 2019.

The code was originally laid before Parliament in February 2022 but was withdrawn by the Government five months later following a legal challenge by parking companies.

A new call to evidence on the issue closes on October 8.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “In the four-and-a-half years since legislation was passed to create a single code of practice and address the worst excesses of private parking companies, as many as 36 million private parking charges may have been issued.

“The ballooning rate at which the volume of vehicle keeper requests continues to grow is a clear sign that something is seriously awry, creating distress for drivers and hassle for legitimate parking managers alike.

“While some drivers will choose to flout the rules and risk being penalised, the vast majority are simply trying to do the right thing.

“As the private parking minister recognised recently, most motorists do not choose to break the rules deliberately.

“Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis it is implausible that millions of drivers would knowingly want to risk running up a charge for as much as £100.

“Of course, Government needs to get the new private parking framework right after the false start it made last year, but surely that’s a task to be measured in weeks and months, not four-and-a-half years and counting.”

The code of practice, which was initially due to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023, stated that the cap on tickets for some parking offences should be halved to £50.

Its withdrawal pending a review of charges will likely lead to a delay in implementation.

The introduction of the code was led by levelling up minister Dehenna Davison until she resigned earlier this month citing an ongoing battle with chronic migraine.

She was replaced by Jacob Young.

The DVLA figures show the number of records obtained from the agency by companies chasing car owners for alleged infringements in private car parks such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas.

They do not include car parks run by councils.

Some 183 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records in the year to the end of March.

ParkingEye was the most active, buying 2.1 million records.

The DVLA charges private companies £2.50 per record.

The agency says its fees are set to recover the cost of providing the information, and it does not make any money from the process.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been asked for comment.

– Here are the number of vehicle keeper records obtained from the DVLA by parking management companies since 2018/19:

2018/19: 6.8 million

2019/20: 8.4 million

2020/21 (affected by the coronavirus pandemic): 4.4 million

2021/22: 8.6 million

2022/23: 11.1 million.

Rishi Sunak is preparing to curb English councils from introducing new 20mph speed limits, according to reports.

The Prime Minister will unveil the measure as part of a Plan for Motorists at the upcoming Tory conference in Manchester, according to several newspapers.

He is reportedly planning to limit the power of local authorities to impose new 20mph zones, restrict the number of hours a day that cars are banned from bus lanes, and scale back low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said the reports were “speculation”.

Downing Street was approached for a comment.

Sarah Mitchell, chief executive of charity Cycling UK, said: “When Beeching took an axe to local railways in the 1960s, we were robbed of the freedom to choose how we travel. The Government’s reported Plan for Motorists feels like history repeating itself.

“We need a holistic plan for how people can travel – not a plan that zooms in on one particular mode of transport.

“Better public transport and safer ways for people to cycle and walk are entirely compatible with driving.

“Focusing on one way of travelling is like trying to complete a jigsaw with half the pieces missing.”

Earlier this month, Wales became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph for restricted roads.

The First Minister has again defended the controversial 20mph speed limit on residential roads across Wales as a petition against the rollout has been signed by more than 430,000 people.

Earlier this month, Wales became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph for restricted roads.

Mark Drakeford told the Senedd the Welsh Government’s priority was road safety and saving lives.

“At the heart of the case for moving to 20mph speed limits as a default in built-up residential areas is road safety,” he told the Senedd.

“This is a measure that will save lives and that is the basis on which we will continue to defend a measure which only last week the leading academic journal in this field said was the most significant public health measure to have been attempted in the UK for nearly 20 years.”

Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, said 430,000 people had signed a Senedd petition against the 20mph policy, while just 3,000 had signed an alternative in favour.

“I don’t disparage anyone who signs a petition whether it has several hundred thousand or a few thousand, but the deputy climate change minister said on Friday night in a tweet that the 440,000 signatures to that petition were anti-road safety. Do you agree with him?,” Mr Davies asked the First Minister.

Mr Drakeford replied: “I think that all petitions should be taken seriously and that is exactly how the different petitions in relation to the 20mph zones will be viewed by this Government.

“It is through the Senedd and the petitions committee to respond.”

Mr Davies again told Mr Drakeford that the deputy climate change minister, Lee Waters, had called people who had signed the petition as “anti-road safety”.

“It’s not against road safety – it’s actually highlighting people’s genuine concerns about the way this policy has been implemented and their concerns about how it will unfold in their communities,” he said.

“I take it from the points that you’ve made that you don’t regard this petition as anti-road safety and you look at it as a genuine means for people to express themselves and express the concerns they’ve had.

“One thing that is highlighted again by interacting with people who have concerns over the proposals that the Welsh Government has implemented is will this affect other national speed limits in this country?

“So can you confirm that there are no plans from the Welsh Government to adjust any of the other national speed limits here in Wales before the next Senedd elections in 2026.”

Mr Drakeford replied: “So let me make this absolutely clear to people who may have been misled by information that purports to inform them about plans in Wales but does no such thing.

“We’re very used in Wales on a single journey moving from a speed limit that might be 40mph, 50mph, 60mph or 70mph.

“None of those are changed by this policy and there are no plans to do so.

“This is a policy designed to make a default position of 30mph of 20mph on roads which serve built up residential areas with scope for local authorities to retain 30mph where they believe that that is the right thing to do.”

The Welsh Government has said that cutting the speed limit would protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million a year.

It is predicting the change would save up to 100 lives and 20,000 casualties in the first decade.

Not all 30mph roads will see their speed limits reduced as councils have the power to exempt certain roads from the scheme.

The project is costing around £33 million to implement and has proven controversial, with reports of the new 20mph signs being defaced in areas including Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire.

The Welsh Conservatives have opposed the scheme and cited Welsh Government documents that estimate the cost to the Welsh economy of increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds at anywhere between £2.7 billion and £8.9 billion.

Rishi Sunak has been accused of leaving the motoring industry “high and dry” after delaying a ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

Speaking in Downing Street on Wednesday, the Prime Minister confirmed the plans alongside a raft of changes to how the Government tackles greenhouse gas emissions.

Reacting to the news, Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said: “The PM has left the industry and drivers high and dry by sacrificing the 2030 target on the altar of political advantage.

“According to our research, only half of people could see how an EV (electric vehicle) could fit into their lifestyle as it is, suggesting major barriers to adoption.

“We should be positively addressing concerns over affordability and charging rather than planting seeds of doubt.

“This announcement has only served to remove trust and confidence in the UK market.”

Another industry leader, the RAC Foundation, said the change contradicted the “huge sums of money” that the Government has already spent on electric battery production.

Steve Gooding, director of the transport research organisation, said: “It is hard to understand the rationale for the Prime Minister’s decision to delay the ban on sale of petrol and diesel cars by five years – what message does taking his foot off the gas in this way send to an auto industry that was confident of its ability to hit the 2030 deadline on the basis of a clear and consistent regulatory regime?

“Be they motorists or not, taxpayers might wonder how back-pedalling on the switch to electric cars can be consistent with the Government having put huge sums of public money on the table to support battery production.”

He said that RAC research estimated that if the UK is to meet its carbon reduction obligations then at least 37% of all miles driven by cars, taxis and vans will need to be zero emission by 2030.

“But with only 844,000 of the 33 million or so cars on the UK roads today being pure battery electric that means we have a mountain to climb”, he added.

It comes after Ford UK said earlier on Wednesday that the change “undermined ambition, commitment, and consistency”.

The chair Lisa Brankin said: “We need the policy focus trained on bolstering the EV market in the short term and supporting consumers while headwinds are strong: infrastructure remains immature, tariffs loom and cost-of-living is high.”

The RHA, which represents the interests of the haulage industry, said they needed “clarity, not delays” from the Government.

A spokesman said: “Government needs to collaborate with industry to come up with a detailed plan that provides certainty for investment, drives innovation, and directs support for those who want to do the right thing.

“This is the only way to bring down costs and encourage companies to make the switch to net zero in the long term. Simply changing deadlines without a clear plan in place will do neither.

“We will continue to seek the clarity and certainty our industry urgently needs to bring costs down.”

Another car maker, Stellantis, also called for “clarity” on the “important legislation”.

A spokesman for BMW, which owns the Mini brand, said: “Mini has already announced that it will become a purely electric brand from 2030 globally and this will not change.”

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said high demand for electric cars within the UK is needed if more are to be built in the country.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier on Wednesday: “You want to build close to where you sell, so you need a strong market here in the UK to help secure future investment.

“The concern now is, does this cause consumers to delay their purchase?”

SMMT figures show the private share of the market for battery electric new cars has already fallen from more than a third (36.2%) in the first half of 2022 to less than a quarter (24.2%) during the same period this year.

Demand has grown for fleet registrations, partly due to the lower company car tax for electric cars.

General secretary of the Unite union, Sharon Graham, said the Government was “kicking the can down the road” rather than developing a “proper industrial strategy”.

She said: “Instead, we get ever more uncertainty for workers, industry and consumers from a government that deals in piecemeal policies delivered on the hoof.”

Tory MP for Lincoln Karl McCartney described Rishi Sunak’s reported plans as “the common-sense decision”.

He said the “costs to normal drivers will be too high” if the 2030 ban is maintained.

He added: “The only people who will complain about this delay are the central London eco-zealots who do not live in the real world and are rich enough not to be affected.”

More than 60,000 people have signed a petition calling for 20mph speed limits for residential roads in Wales to be scrapped.

On Sunday, Wales became the first country in the UK to drop the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph for restricted roads.

The Welsh Government has said that cutting the speed limit would protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million a year.

It is predicting the change would save up to 100 lives and 20,000 casualties in the first decade.

Lee Waters, deputy minister for climate change, said: “It’s simple – slower speeds save lives and helps create safer communities for those that live there.

“Evidence shows that a vehicle travelling at 30mph will still be travelling at 24mph in the time it would take a car travelling 20mph to stop.

“We know decisions like this can be unpopular and we know that change is never easy, but what’s one minute on your journey time if it saves a life and reduces a lifetime of human misery for families affected.”

On Monday, Mr Waters joined pupils from Albany Primary School in Cardiff, which is located on a busy high street, for their walk to school.

Headteacher Wil Howlett said: “Many of our pupils have a very busy commute to school having to negotiate high volumes of traffic and parked cars.

“Reducing the speed limit will not only help make this journey safer but will also help to encourage more children and their parents to walk and cycle.”

Not all 30mph roads will see their speed limits reduced as councils have the power to exempt certain roads from the scheme.

The project is costing around £33 million to implement and has proven controversial, with reports of the new 20mph signs being defaced in areas including Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire.

The Welsh Conservatives have opposed the scheme and tabled a motion in the Senedd to halt the rollout but were defeated last week.

They cited Welsh Government documents that estimate the cost to the Welsh economy of increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds at anywhere between £2.7 billion and £8.9 billion.

They want to see more “targeted measures” rather than the introduction of the default speed limit with exemptions, and likened it to the ultra low emission zone (Ulez) in London.

Natasha Asghar, the Conservative shadow transport minister, said: “The new blanket 20mph speed limit has been in place for just one day and already people have had enough of it.

“For more than 60,000 people to sign a petition within 24 hours shows the extent of public outrage towards Labour’s madcap policy.

“This highlights that there has been little to no consultation with the general public, the Labour Government have clearly avoided all public scrutiny in a bid to get their socialist agenda pushed through.

“Labour and Plaid Cymru have refused to listen to public opinion and are continuing to wage their anti-worker, anti-road and anti-motorist agenda.

“With this ludicrous policy forced on the people of Wales, Labour can still U-turn on this disastrous rollout and deliver what Wales wants by scrapping blanket 20mph zones across Wales.”

As more than 10,000 people have signed the petition, it will be sent to the Senedd’s petitions committee for a debate.

The cost of car insurance for young drivers has soared by £594 in just a year, new research has found.

The average premium now stands at £1,792, representing a significant year-on-year increase from the £1,198 drivers aged under 24 would pay in August 2022. Car insurance now represents 63 per cent of the total car running costs for young drivers, with Compare the Market – which compiled the research – stating that higher car insurance premiums may be coming, in part, due to repair cost inflation.

Julie Daniels, motor insurance expert at Compare the Market, said: “Many young drivers will be worried about the soaring cost of car insurance in recent months. When combined with the wider cost-of-living crisis, more expensive insurance premiums could mean that driving becomes prohibitively expensive for lots of young people.

“For those looking to save money on their car insurance, it is a good idea to shop and compare policies to see if there is a cheaper deal available. Switching to a telematics policy may also be a more affordable option for some young motorists.”

Petrol costs for younger drivers, however, have fallen by £147 in the past 12 months from £982 to £836 for a motorist travelling 6,500 miles per year. The total annual running costs for a new car now stand at £2,8864 for a young driver. This represents a 19 per cent increase from last year, too.

Wales has become the first country in the UK to roll out a default 20mph speed limit for residential roads.

The scheme begins on Sunday and most roads in Wales that are currently 30mph have become 20mph although councils have discretion to impose exemptions.

The Welsh Government has said that cutting the limit from 30mph to 20mph will protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million a year.

The RAC warned drivers not to rely on satnavs for the correct speed limit and instead follow the road signs.

But any motorist caught driving over 20mph but under 30mph will initially receive advice from the police rather than face a ticket, a minister said.

Lee Waters, deputy minister for climate change, told the PA news agency: “Very much the intention initially is to educate and to speak to people and not to fine but over 30mph we will be fining and issuing points.”

The minister said he expected it would take around a month for motorists to get used to the changes but said trials of the 20mph limits had shown a typical delay of between one to two minutes for an average journey.

“Most delay doesn’t occur because of speed, it could be because of delays at junctions and traffic lights,” he said.

“We’ve all been overtaken by an idiot only to find them one space in front of us at the lights.

“A business model that assumes on somebody driving a way that is dangerous is not a very good business model.”

Councils have the power to change the default speed limit of any road locally but Mr Waters said some local authorities were rigidly sticking to the Welsh Government guidelines.

“The risk appetite of local authorities varies considerably,” he said.

“For example, the Vale of Glamorgan and Rhonda Cynon Taff have put in quite a few exceptions and exempted through roads.

“Other councils have not, and they are terrified to move away from the letter of the guidance.

“But I think confidence will grow and experience will influence that, and I think give it a year or two and it will settle down.”

The project is costing around £33 million to implement and has proved controversial, with reports of the new 20mph signs being defaced in areas including Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire.

The Welsh Conservatives have opposed the scheme and tabled a motion in the Senedd to halt the rollout but were defeated.

They cited Welsh Government documents that estimate the cost to the Welsh economy of increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds at anywhere between £2.7 billion and £8.9 billion.

They want to see more “targeted measures” rather than the introduction of the default speed limit with exemptions, and likened it to the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) in London.

Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Conservatives in the Senedd, said: “Whilst I agree that 20mph is sensible outside heavily pedestrianised areas, such as schools, hospitals and care homes, the Labour Government’s blanket 20mph speed limit rollout across Wales is simply ludicrous.”

Natasha Asghar, the Welsh Conservative shadow transport minister, added: “Labour and Plaid Cymru have refused to listen to public opinion and are continuing to wage their anti-worker, anti-road and anti-motorist agenda.”

But organisations including Brake, Cardiff Cycling Campaign, We Are Cycling UK Cymru, Friends Of The Earth Cymru, Sustrans and Living Streets Cymru have signed a joint letter organised by the 20’s Plenty For Us campaign backing the rollout.

“It’s not just a road safety benefit. It also supports broader health, climate and societal goals such as helping the vulnerable to get about, improving social connection, reducing air and noise pollution, and more,” they said.

Drivers are being warned not to rely on sat navs for the speed limit on Welsh roads when a cut from 30mph to 20mph is imposed from Sunday.

The RAC said motorists should “pay full attention” to signs rather than electronic devices after the change is made.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the speed limit reduction will protect lives and save the NHS in Wales £92 million a year.

Most roads in Wales that are currently 30mph will become 20mph, although councils have discretion to impose exemptions.

There have been reports of the new signs being defaced in areas including Conwy, Gwynedd, Newport, Torfaen, Wrexham and Flintshire.

The Welsh Conservatives, who are opposed to the rollout, have cited Welsh Government documents that estimate the cost to the country’s economy of increased journey times from lower average vehicle speeds at anywhere between £2.7 billion and £8.9 billion.

On Thursday, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said having such a 20mph limit as the default for many roads is “crazy”, after acknowledging there are circumstances where it is a good idea.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s vitally important that drivers are fully aware of the arrival of the 20mph limit in Wales, and pay full attention to all road signage.

“And, until sat nav systems have been fully updated, they shouldn’t rely on them to know what the speed limit is on any particular stretch of Welsh road.”

Mr Williams said compliance with 20mph limits is “quite poor” and it would be “more effective to target areas where they are most needed” such as on residential roads or in areas where there is high footfall.

He added: “Even if compliance with new 20mph limits is poor, it should lead to an overall reduction in speeds which will have a positive effect on road safety.”

Mr Drakeford told BBC Breakfast: “It is a major change. It will need time to bed in.

“It is not a change that is being introduced in order to make life difficult for people and therefore the enforcement authorities will approach it in that way.

“(They are) very well used to doing it, (they) enforce speed limits of all sorts in every part of Wales.

“The approach will be a reasonable one in which we give people a chance to get used to the new regime.

“And then, as the police say, people who flagrantly and deliberately are not prepared to obey the rules that everybody else will be following, then that will be a different matter.”

He added that there is “incontrovertible” evidence that “driving more slowly in built-up urban areas saves people’s lives”.