Congratulations to Boris Johnson for abolishing his Stalinist Covid controls on the UK population. Adults do not need governments to run their lives and make decisions for them. For two long, the UK has become a sea of pointless regulations, designed by bureaucrats to make work and politicians who live in cloud cuckoo land. Many of these have the opposite effect of what they are designed to do. Take traffic lights as an example. Back in 2016, the Daily Express estimated that 18% of the time spent in cars is spent waiting for traffic lights to change. Traffic lights were introduced for two reasons. One was to improve traffic flow and the second was to improve safety at junctions. Proceeding through a traffic light will result in a £100 fine and three points on your license.
We all follow these rules, like sheep. No one ever asks "Why do we have to wait at a traffic light when there is clearly no traffic approaching". In the USA, motorists are sensibly allowed to turn right on a red if there is no traffic approaching. We always hear about the climate crisis, but no one ever says "How much carbon is generated whilst we wait at red lights when there is no sensible reason to?" I do much driving in the early morning, when there are no cars on the road, but my car sits at light after light burning petrol and creating CO2 to no good purpose. We have a very sensible law that forbids us from driving without due care and attention. It would be far more sensible to make traffic lights advisory symbols. A red light indicates that other traffic has right of way, but if there is none, then you can proceed. Just think how much CO2 would be saved. If the tree huggers are telling the truth, this will save lives and save the planet.
Of course, if you cause a crash, or endanger a pedestrian or vehicle by performing a dangerous manouvre, then yes, you deserve a fine and points or loss of licence, but we all have eyes. The law should be, similar again to the USA, that if you approach a red light, you stop and then can proceed with caution if there are no hazards. Driving in the UK is a minefield of laws and restrictions, many of which lack common sense. Parking rules are often scams to generate cash. Yellow lines are deployed, not to keep traffic moving but to enforce the anti driving bias of local councils and governments.
If Boris feels we are grown up enough to decide for ourselves whether we can legally spread an infectious disease whilst infected, we are grown up enough to decide whether we can pass a red light when there is not another car in sight for miles.
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Lou Knee is a Barnet Resident and a libertarian (his description). Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye
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