Squeeze the facts to fit the goal – and yes, your bum does look big when you do!
There’s a self-styled voice of reason in the Olde Countrie called the committee for the protection of rural England or CPRE for short. Its latest protest concludes that the major road projects over the past few decades have failed to the extent that they have increased the traffic on the roads affected!
I’m tempted to write ‘d’oh!’ But Backside is otherwise imprisoned today so here’s a more reasonable response.
They cite the Newbury bypass as evidence. Now I remember it from before it was installed – a legendary bottle-neck in Newbury town which held up north/south traffic every day. Of course the CPRE is correct, the traffic was diverted and the town recovered. And the traffic entered rural Emgland’s holy portals. But more traffic? Unlikely. Why suddenly drive around remote villages? Maybe a few white vanmen enjoyed careering along ‘short cuts’ but they’ve always done that.
I must consign the CPRE to its fate as a special interest group we cannot rely on!
Boadicea's Chariot 
England’s population has increased by millions. Of course more traffic will be a direct consequence of this. Had these road projects not been completed, a modest market town’s high street would resemble Westminster Bridge on a Friday afternoon.
The only reason why there would be more people driving through remote villages is that there are more people in England driving. There are also those who simply want to go off the “beaten path” for a time.
From a Reuters story
“A record 2.69 million new cars were sold in Britain in 2016 despite fears that the Brexit vote would hit demand, but the industry predicts sales will fall this year as the weaker pound drives up the cost of imported models.
Full-year car registrations beat the previous record of 2.63 million set in 2015, dashing some analysts’ expectations that Britons’ June vote to leave the European Union would lead to a slump in 2016.”
Not surprising there’s a few more on the road really 🙂
Probably ravenng ragheads/ robbers/ pikeys ricocheting around looking for unprotected farms and flocks!
A little more active deportation would obviate the necessity to desecrate our countryside.
Incoming! Didn’t expect that one! 😉
Maybe they should fix the existing roads before building new ones. Round here the roads are in a terrible condition.
Both, I think. Not enough space for all the traffic, which chews up every road.
Same here, you should see the size of the trucks thundering down the state highways which are not built for it so that they can avoid the weighbridges on the Interstate system.
And who are the biggest offenders?
The ravening ragheads that dominate BC’s trucking industry!
God preserve us from the bloody wogs.