There is a widely held perception that there is a war being waged on motorists and that government is using motorists as a ‘cash cow’. There are frequent calls – often granted, as in June 2012 – for delays or reductions in fuel duty and other motoring taxes. These are often juxtaposed with calls for greater spending on roads. This paper sets out the costs of motoring both to individual drivers and to the public purse, compared to the cost of living and the costs of alternative transport modes. It considers whether there are justifiable reasons for increased taxes on motoring.
Two of the five recommendations of the report, the ones that directly affect cycling: