When transport journalist Carlton Reid tweeted (Bluesky-d?) that GB News were hosting a debate on their breakfast show about cyclists this morning, we braced for the usual onslaught.
GB News will be ranting about cyclists tomorrow morning. I declined the producer’s invitation.
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid.com) 22 September 2025 at 18:54
It followed a heated sparring yesterday between GB News presenters Tom Harwood and Nana Akua following reports that punishments for skipping red lights in London were going to be harshened.
In truth, that’s not quite the story. It’s only City of London Police that are considering tougher measures, and they only cover a square mile in the centre of the city (the rest of London is governed by the Metropolitan Police). The proposed change is to increase the maximum fine above £50.
Still, with Harwood revealing himself to be a cyclist, he suggested he could skip red lights when pedestrians weren’t around, kickstarting the following exchange:
Akua: The safest way is for everyone to follow the same rules. Because let’s say something happens that you haven’t spotted, you cause an accident and someone gets hurt. What insurance do you have? Do you pay road tax?
Harwood: I do for my car, but not for my bike.
Akua: Exactly. And that’s the problem.
In what went on to be a fairly serene discussion on the merits of Amsterdam-style bike lanes, the road tax quip stood out.
Road tax, as a tax that explicitly and exclusively funds the roads, has not existed since 1937. The Vehicle Excise Duty that has more-or-less existed since 1920 only applies to motor vehicles. Cyclists do not pay it because they are not able to pay it. Whilst there was a brief period under the previous government when a ‘National Roads Fund’ was created from the Vehicle Excise Duty fund, that was dissolved in spring last year and roads continue to be funded by general taxation that all of us pay.
The excise duty is also variable with zero and lower emission vehicles paying less than high-polluting and older motors. With no carbon footprint and significantly reduced impact on road deterioration, cyclists would not need to pay the excise duty.
Still, this morning the debate went on and presenters Eamonn Holmes and Penny Smith moderated a discussion between motoring journalist Amanda Stretton and Stop Killing Cyclists co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy. Thankfully the debate was civil and resulted in agreement between the two over the respective responsibilities of drivers and cyclists on the road. It was a slightly heartening exchange, and diminished the ‘rage-baiting’ spectacle that Carlton Reid feared the whole thing might become.
My reply: “I don’t do rage bait.” My reasoning: “Arguing with idiots is like playing chess with a pigeon. No matter how good you are, the bird is going to shit on the board and strut around like it won anyway.” Quote by Shannon L. Alder
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid.com) 22 September 2025 at 19:04