Nick H (UK) wrote:
Dave Arquati wrote:

Nick H (UK) wrote:

Piccadilly Pilot wrote:

Philip Mason wrote:

I can confirm I have been on the wrong side of a bus when the driver
decided that he would just pull out. it was on a wide road in London,
where I would have had enough space to overtake a "normal" road
vehicle which would have been pulling out from the same spot.
However, the bus decided it would indicate and, simultaneously, pull
out right into the side of my car. Luckily only minor scratches were
obtained, but it could easily have been much worse if, as you state,
My car were a bicycle or motorbike!

Current government policy is to stop Londoners from enjoying the
roads as we should, and instead they are forcing everybody to travel
on the HIGHLY inadequate public transport. I am sure it will not be
long before TfL is taken to the EU Court of Human Rights by someone
who feels they have the right to choose comfort over bus

Since when has there been the right to drive a car?

Since when has there been a right to pay vast amounts of money in
road tax and duty on fuel?

No-one is completely obligated to pay those sums of money.

Since when has there been a right to run buses on the road?

Since the authorities pay for roads, it's quite reasonable for them to
run buses on them - especially when it is not just motorists who pay
for roads, it's people who need/want public transport too.

Where do you think these authorities get their money from? Have you ever
paid any taxes?

Of course I've paid taxes. Since the authorities pay for roads out of
taxes (and aren't local roads are mostly paid for out of local taxes?),
and taxes come from everyone, then provision should be for everyone.
Obviously that includes motorists, but motorists also inflict the most
wear on the roads, cause the most accidents and injuries to other road
users such as cyclists and pedestrians, and require provision of parking
with all that entails. Therefore motorists should (and do) pay extra to
cover this.

Of course we all pay for roads, but motorists most of all.

For the reasons I just stated.

Do you think drivers never travel by public transport?

What does that have to do with the "right" to drive a car?

There is room for all. It wasn't car drivers that started the US and
THEM mentality. It was the politicians whose dogma is suited by
demonising car drivers.

Isn't the problem precisely that there *isn't* room for all? Faced with
ever-rising levels of traffic and therefore congestion and pollution,
what options are open to politicians? Facilitating car use just leads to
a spiral whereby traffic gets forever worse, planners devise schemes
based around car-users, and non-motorists are socially marginalised.

It may be that attempts to restrain the growth of car use have started
an "us and them" mentality, but that's just a product of many motorists'
inability to realise that constantly accommodating their current needs
will never satisfy their future ones.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London