To some in our industry it feels like there’s a war breaking out on the streets of London, as Andy Dubberley reports.
Earlier in the year, I wrote an article for this illustrious website which described the challenges faced by London-based chauffeurs and how the hallowed streets of our capital were becoming an increasingly difficult place in which to operate.
One of the issues I wrote about then was Transport for London’s obsession with cycle lanes and their refusal to acknowledge the huge impact their Cycle Super Highways scheme has had on Central London’s road system. A few months down the line and the completion of these cycle lanes, (with more to come), along with the seemingly endless pandering to the two-wheeled brigade has also caused something altogether more sinister to rear its ugly head.
Okay, before we go any further let me make my personal feelings clear. From both an environmental and health prospective, cycling should be encouraged and the sight of hundreds of people cycling to work in our major cities each day is undoubtedly a positive one. Of course, TfL’s hearts were in the right place when planners came up with the cycle lane idea but I, like many of my chauffeur colleagues who earn a living on the streets of London, believe the balance has been tipped too far in the peddler’s favour and the result is nothing short of discrimination against drivers in many chauffeurs’ opinion.
Apart from the congestion caused by idiotic changes in road design and junction layout, a consequence that no one could have foreseen is the sheer aggression and anti-motorist sentiment displayed by some cyclists. Quite frankly, it feels as if they’ve taken over the capital’s road system and their resentment towards anyone on four wheels has genuinely got to a shocking level.
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