Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑10 May 2021, 2:01pm
I think that's a correct analysis – unfortunately. However, from a political perspective Rees's opposition to CAZ and pro-active travel action might seem justified, when you bear in mind that in other circles he is being thought of as anti-motorist. Here's a typical quote, and no, it's not from the comments on BristolLive:
As was demonstrated in waltham forest in previous years and noted earlier in this thread on the results this year, trying to be 'pro-motorist' in cities is a vote loser. It might seem justified, but the siren call of the angry motorist is a poor trap to fall into, they are far louder than their actual voting power.
The blunt reality is that, in a UK city since about 2000 onwards, you can't be 'pro-motorist', there simply isn't space to do anything. You can either be 'anti-motorist' and actually make progress, or do nothing and tread water at best.
The problem with the latter is that the angry sub-urban motorist still can't drive their car with impunity without getting stuck in their own traffic and everyone trying to get about by other methods sees no improvement either, thus you end up as Rees has, simultaneously seen as just as anti-car as Ferguson was before him and pro-car (and thus anti walk/cycle/bus) by everyone else.
Unfortunately the advisers he surrounds himself understand none of this and dismiss knowledge from those who do. Even allowing for the initial misperception based on the controversy that Ferguson's RPZs and 20mph generated, it should surely have become rapidly apparent that he was barking up the wrong tree given the hostility he received when 'reviewing' (i.e. trying to remove) them.
Bmblbzzz wrote: ↑10 May 2021, 2:01pmWhether the big Labour losses to the Greens will change Rees's opinion on that, I don't know. Actually, I doubt it. He's won re-election as mayor, already dismissed the Green vote in his acceptance speech, and doesn't have much time for the council whoever is in it. (I'd also say the Green vote is partly due to dissatisfaction with Labour nationally, not strictly relevant on a local level.)
Perhaps a little but I think mostly local, compare Burnham or Kahn for example, yes they're a different tier of mayor but they did not suffer the national dissatisfaction and largely neutered any 'green wave'.
I'd agree that nothing will change though, tweets from the inner circle already make it obvious that the bunker mentality remains and is likely to harden if anything, I fear we are in for three more years of not much progress now, one of the early 'cycling cities' however sketchy much of that early infrastructure was is going to be one of the worst in the UK by then.