Ministers have prioritised driving over active travel after being swept up by conspiracy theories regarding “15-minute cities”.
Ministers began considering curbs on cycling and walking schemes in March this year, one document said, “in response to concerns about 15-minute cities”. Rishi Sunak’s government has repeatedly mischaracterised the urban planning concept.
Conspiracy theorists see it as a part of a “great reset” or “climate lockdown” in which people are forcibly kept within their local neighbourhood and not allowed to travel.
In his speech to the Conservative conference in October, Mark Harper, the transport secretary, described 15-minute cities as schemes in which “local councils can decide how often you go to the shops”, which was incorrect and is something that has never been proposed in the UK.
