Tag Archives: Ben Webster

Scepticism over climate change makes it harder for UK government to impose ‘carbon-reducing’ rises in energy bills – but opinions divide over £6m Ad to scare UK kids with Carbon Monster story

2 November 2009 – 12:19 pm

Plans to increase tax on fuel and energy supplies in the name of tackling climate change are being greeted with increasing scepticism and hostility as the ongoing financial crisis sharpens views on what people are prepared to do to ‘save the planet’ from climate change. Now, the BBC says that the UK government has is [...]

By Leon Mannings | Posted in About, What’s happening | Also tagged carbon, Carbon Monster, carbon tax, climate change, global warming, James Delingpole, The Australian | Comments (3)

Bad side-effects of road humps are finally acknowledged – now that 20 mph average speed cameras can replace them…

11 February 2009 – 2:15 pm

Protagonists of road humps and other physical traffic calming measures had until now rejected or ignored claims over many years that such measures have serious adverse side-effects on emergency services response times and pollution in residential areas. See recent report on air quality damage here and BBC news of problems from 2003, including noise from [...]

By Leon Mannings | Posted in About, What’s happening | Also tagged CO2, London Ambulance Service, NOX, Quentin Wilson, road humps, SPECS 3, SPECS average speed camera, traffic calming, type approval | Comments (1)

Greens face divisions over flying ‘organic’ fruit and eco damage cost of harvesting renewable energy from the sea

27 January 2009 – 9:34 am

Environmentally aware consumers face a double whammy of new difficulties on quests for the greenest food and ways to generate energy from renewable sources. A plan to ban food suppliers from calling produce ‘organic’ if it travels by air was reversed by the Soil Association this week – says Ben Webster of the Times. Meanwhile, [...]

By Leon Mannings | Posted in About, What’s happening | Also tagged coal fired power station, Environment, Friends of the Earth, Green, Greenpeace, Michael McCarthy, organic, power station, renewable energy, sea power, Severn barrage, Soil Association, tidal power, Treehugger, wave power, wind power | Comments (1)

Eerie silence as Road Pricing Golden key is laid to RIP and UK ‘experts’ see charge plan crash and face need for new way to go

19 December 2008 – 9:12 am

Congestion Charging aka Road Pricing was the golden key to solving UK transport problems until last week. It would cut traffic congestion and be a rich new source of funding for public transport and schemes to encourage cycling and walking. And, it was also an essential tool in a box of measures to save the [...]

By Leon Mannings | Posted in About, What’s happening | Also tagged airport, BBC Transport, Congestion charging, Gatwick, Heathrow, London airport, Road Pricing, Stanstead, Transport in The Times | Comments (1)

War of words over UK Road Pricing escalates as London C-Charge zone is halved – and £230,000 DfT funded TV ad about Manchester scheme is banned for bias to ‘yes’ campaign

29 November 2008 – 3:07 pm

The Western half of London’s Congestion Charge Zone will be scrapped – barely a year after former Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone doubled the zone in 2007, despite 70% of Londoners and 80% of businesses saying ‘no’ at the time as Ben Webster of The Times reported. Go here to see how lovely it all was [...]

By Leon Mannings | Posted in About, What’s happening | Also tagged Add new tag, C-Charge, Conservative Boris Johnson, Green Jenny Jones, Labour Ken Livingstone | Comments (0)