George Monbiot agrees with the Australia Institute, though he calls a spade a spade and comes out and says it. Whereas the Australia Institute hates four wheel drivers but dresses it up in all sorts of apparently reasonable and scientific talk, George just gets things off his chest. If he’s in for a penny he’s in for a pound.
But this is not, or not really, an article about speed, or cameras, or even cars. It is about the rise of the antisocial bastards who believe they should be allowed to do what they want, whenever they want, regardless of the consequences. . . . The car is slowly turning us, like the Americans and the Australians, into a nation that recognises only the freedom to act, and not the freedom from the consequences of other people’s actions. We drive on the left in Britain, but we are being driven to the right.
So there you go. The Australia Institute was mild in comparison.
“Mild in comparison” to George Monbiot. Great.
George Monbiot rocks steady
btw, I saw some good stats comparing cities/countries with good public transport systems v’s those that are highly dependent on private cars. The transport infrastructure affects the layout of urban settlements and the transport costs of the entire nation are much higher % of GDP when private road transport is the norm. Therefore proof that total ec costs are higher (total economic efficiency also likely to be lower?) as well as more polluting and encouraging a viral spread of libertine bastards.