'The whole idea is just to make driving unpleasant...'

Road lanes across the country are to become narrower to stop cars overtaking cyclists as part of a new war on motorists, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Likely to be far more successful than Labour's new war on asylum seekers, since no backbenchers will rebel against it... 

Official guidance quietly published last week on the Government's website states that the standard width of a road lane in Britain – which for almost 150 years has been 12ft – is no longer appropriate because of the safety risk posed to cyclists. Instead, lanes on local roads should either shrink no more than 10ft 8in wide or expand to at least 12ft 10in. Critics say space constraints in towns and cities mean they are far more likely to shrink.

This isn't something the government itself is persuing, it's outsourced it to another celebrity-helmed quango in an attempt to pretend its hands are clean... 

The guidance, which was drawn up by Active Travel England (ATE), a Government agency, will be applied to billions of pounds of future road building schemes, the MoS has learnt. Local authorities which defy the recommendations could see reduced transport funding.

It's yet more activist-driven nonsense with no thought given to the colatteral damage it will produce, slowing down deliveries and snaring emergency vehicles in gridlock. 

ATE's guidance follows a change to the Highway Code in 2022, which instructed drivers to leave space of at least 5ft when overtaking cyclists. ATE, which is led by former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman, says motorists using a standard 12ft-wide traffic lane 'may try to overtake cyclists when there is not enough space', increasing the risk of collisions.

You know what else increases the risk of collisions, Chris? Cyclists acting like twats! Maybe crack down on that first, eh? 

The Department for Transport said claims that ATE is waging a war on motorists 'are false and misrepresent the guidance'.

'Our hands are clean, we got a proxy doing it for us'. 

Watch Those Goalposts Move!

Microscopic particles emitted from brake pads can be more toxic than those emitted in diesel vehicle exhaust, a study has found. This research shows that even with a move to electric vehicles, pollution from cars may not be able to be eradicated.

Because the real target wasn't diesel cars at all, it was private cars, full stop.

Exposure to pollution generated by cars, vans and lorries has been previously been linked to an increased risk of lung and heart disease. While past attention has mainly concentrated on exhaust emissions, particles are also released into the air from tyre, road and brake pad wear.These emissions are largely unregulated by legislation and the study found that these “non-exhaust” pollution sources are now responsible for the majority of vehicle particulate matter emissions in the UK and parts of Europe, with brake dust the main contributor among them.

Maybe the answer is, when that cyclist passes too close to you, or pedals out from a side road, don't brake? 

Go on, do it for the environment! 😂

It’s The Users, Not The Supply…

Londoners are calling for the end of Lime Bikes in the capital after they were spotted blocking entire pavements.

A call I heartily support! There's a bike stand outside the office but these things lie on their sides littering the pavement all around it, they are a menace.  

A shocking picture posted to the Reddit group, r/London shows a large area of a street taken over by a parked Lime Bikes. Captioning the post, Reddit user ldn6 said: "Lime Bikes are blocking entire pavements and side streets. This is getting ridiculous." Now, a debate between Londoners has seen many call the hire bikes a 'nuisance' and have described the parking situation as 'ridiculous'.

It is, but the issue is the users of them. 

Commenting on the Reddit post, many suggested that the bikes may create an issue for wheelchair and pram users, as one local said: "Between these and bins on the paths, you don't realise how bad it is until you have a pram.

Others suggested that the problem could be solved by fining Lime: "The bike companies should be fined.

"If you put the burden of fining poor users on the companies that run the bikes, they would soon find ways to be more responsible."

Good point, but why is no-one suggesting fining the users as well? They are traceable. 

A Lime spokesperson said: "We never want Lime’s e-bike to obstruct anyone’s journey and we recognise that one of the most significant challenges facing our industry is the issue of overcrowded parking bays.

"We are working behind the scenes with boroughs to help create more parking bays across London.

What are you doing about the users who ignore them, though? 

"We have a team of 250 people that help to move mis-parked bikes and clear overcrowded bays. We encourage the public to report instances of overcrowding so our team can quickly move and redistribute bikes.

And what penalties do the users of those 'misparked' bikes face? Is it nothing? It is, isn't it? 

"If our vehicles are causing a hazard or obstructing traffic, we aim to respond at pace, with the majority of vehicles moved within one hour of being reported."

Start charging a penalty charge for every obstructively parked vehicle, and you'll soon see a change. 

A Different Sort Of Activist Infiltration...

We're used to trans cultists and Islamists, now that other scourge of modern life has decided to worm its way into the ranks of the decision makers:

A widower has today claimed a cycling lobby in Government tried to stop his seven-year battle for tougher penalties for killer riders. It comes after the House of Commons backed an amendment this week to create three new offences for dangerous cyclists — 'causing serious injury by dangerous cycling' and 'causing death by careless or inconsiderate cycling'. Campaigner Matt Briggs, 53, raised a glass to his late wife Kim upon news of the victory last Thursday, telling MailOnline it would hopefully give authorities a 'clear process to prosecution'.

They have such a process in other crimes and often drop the ball, so don't expect this to be any different... 

Kim sustained catastrophic head injuries after being hit by Charlie Alliston who was riding a fixed-gear bike with no front brakes at 18mph in Old Street, east London in 2016. She died a week later in hospital, aged just 44. Now, Mr Briggs has said one of the biggest setbacks to his campaign was 'forces' in Government that did not want cyclists to be held legally to account in the same way motorists are.

Can't be Boris, can it?  

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Briggs said he'd 'occasionally felt like giving up', after the former transport secretary Grant Shapps stated twice that new laws would be introduced but they never materialised. 'I was brought up to believe that when people in authority say something is going to happen, it does,' Mr Briggs told the newspaper.

*boggle*