One reader asks for a sense of perspective, urging action on a topic that will affects thousands...
Dear BikeBiz With the BBC under a crippling attack regarding their incompetent handling of the child abuse scandal, it seems the similarly incompetent handling of road safety by the Department for Transport has been swept under the carpet. Which is worse, the upset of one falsely accused Lord, or the heartbreak of several hundred? Last year, pedestrian deaths rose by 12 per cent and cyclist casualties by 16 per cent. In a civilised world, shouldn’t the “serious failings” of a few journalists pale, compared to the ‘serious failings’ of 13 million drivers? Figures show that 47 per cent of drivers
exceeded the 30mph speed limit last year. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified road deaths – at around 1.3 million a year – as a “global epidemic”.
To rub salt in the wounds, Labour want the
3p rise in fuel duty to be suspended because drivers are struggling. What about the millions who struggle to buy a decent pair of shoes? To be sure that rich and poor alike enjoy ‘fair play’ from a suspension of fuel duty, shouldn’t it come with both increased fines for speeding, and use of hand-held mobile phones? How costly is that? Given the widening gap between rich and
poor, and rising global temperatures, surely we’ve reached an age when income-related fines would be morally justified? How would motorists feel if motorway
restrictions were reversed to 56mph limiters on cars, with HGVs doing 80; 90; 100mph? Intimidated for sure. Balance the pressure; the books, and the Scales of Justice.