Staveley Head: Anti-Road Protestors Group Is Funded by Taxpayers Money

FLINT, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Aug. 14, 2009) - Anti-road protestors have been in existence since five minutes after Karl Benz invented the first motor car in 1885. Any speed in excess of 5mph would cause irreparable brain damage and the noise would frighten horses in the street. But it would appear that their modern-day counterparts have the unilateral support and financial backing of the Government.

The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT), formerly known as Transport 2000, is a registered charity having questionably achieved that status in the light of its stated aim "in promoting research" on transport and disseminating the results to affected parties. Regrettably, in keeping with their extremist views the results of their research are not always transparently impartial, and are frequently contradicted by reports emanating from more reputable public bodies.

The Newbury by-pass was a project aggressively opposed by the CfBT and after its completion their research concluded "The by-pass 'unlocked' the A34 attracting people from across the South of England. Traffic on the by-pass was almost 50% higher than predicted." A subsequent report produced by a coalition of West Berkshire Council, the Highways Agency, Friends of the Earth and the Department for Transport found that morning peak hour traffic on surrounding roads was reduced by an average of 25%, confirming that the by-pass had accomplished the intent of removing traffic from narrower and less suitable surrounding roads. These improved transport links have also been instrumental in attracting new businesses to Newbury which have created more jobs and boosted the local economy. A consequence of 'unlocking the A34'.

But perhaps the most sinister aspect of this "charity" is that it receives almost 75% of its Pounds Sterling 600,000 annual income from public funding. The largest contributor, providing some 40% of the gross funding, is the National Business Travel Network (NBTN) part of the Department for Transport, and by a worrying coincidence the DfT has appointed the Campaign for Better Transport to run its own paymaster, the NBTN, on behalf of the DfT and report to the Government.

A spokesman for Staveley Head, one of the country's leading van insurance providers, said "Thankfully we're living in a democracy and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, however extreme. The CfBT is openly and aggressively opposed to further road building, the widening of motorways, airport expansion and private transport - the last point being Staveley Head's main concern. They also campaign for lower speed limits, road pricing and congestion charges. A blanket opposition to all these proposals, on principle alone, is not a balanced view of individual situations and circumstances. It is unfair of the Government to provide finance and assistance to one group with such radical views, without giving equal consideration to a second organisation with opposite opinions."

One of the CfBT's senior employees is the fanatical anti-motoring activist, Rebecca Lush, who demonstrated her intolerance of other people's opinions when, in 2005, she threw a banana-meringue pie at TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson as he was receiving an honorary degree from the Oxford-Brookes University.

Staveley Head is one of the country's leading van insurance brokers and will give you all the advice and assistance you need regarding this matter, including a very competitive van insurance quote, if you log onto their website at www.staveleyhead.co.uk. You can also compare van insurance quotes and even take out van insurance online.