I’m going unapologetically rad (as in radical) this week. The time’s right to stick my neck out and demand a little, long-overdue action.
For starters, the problem of ecomentalists and other protestors playing in rush-hour traffic as they illegally park their bums on road surfaces has to, and can, be rapidly halted. just as we’d be obliged to halt tragically misguided folk from dangerously perching their vulnerable backsides on railway lines or airport runways, we must save those bonkers enough to sit on public roads. fact is, some people need protecting from themselves, while at the same time being stopped from taking others down with them – drivers and riders who might crash while trying to avoid accident-inducing human barricades, for example.

Insulate Britain campaigners sent to prison following motorway protests

So surely it’s a simple, justifiable case of the state removing those who dangerously occupy and obstruct public highways. job done. Lives saved. law and order maintained. Tailpipe emissions reduced. drivers illegally held against their wishes released. Anarchy on the streets peacefully avoided. call it radicalism if you like. Me, I see it as common sense.*
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Meanwhile, over in the showrooms and on the automotive websites where consumers are keen to spend money, pay their taxes and prop up UK PLC, countless start-ups and other firms keep making promises they’re at best struggling to keep. how many years have we had to endure the pointless hype surrounding the Google/Waymo and Apple car projects? too bloody long. same goes for other allegedly “imminent” vehicles like those from Bollinger, Elio, Faraday Future, Fisker (lovely bloke, not so great at getting cars to the public), Lucid and other wannabes.