UK economic uncertainty adds fuel to fire for conspiracy theorists

theguardian.com:

T he sea of yellow placards, held aloft in the protest against Oxford’s low -traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) scheme earlier this month, told a story. In the crowd of about 2,000 people who took part, it was clear the demonstration was about much more than traffic reduction.

“The 15-minute WEF ghettoes are not about climate, it’s tyrannical control,” read a placard. “Say NO to the new world order. Say no to 15 mins prison cities. Wake up, people, wake up.”

Oxford has accidentally found itself at a flashpoint. Its town planners cast as the acolytes of some shadowy new world order, intent on crushing liberty – not with secret police, arrests and intimidation but under the boot heel of a modal filter planted with a few herbs and shrubs.

Across the UK, councils are installing barriers to limit car traffic to main roads, while encouraging residents to walk, cycle and make use of local amenities. The idea is to reduce pollution, while making streets safer and more livable. The schemes, though, have split opinion.

In Oxford the council is going further than most to tackle worsening congestion on its medieval roads. Six electronic traffic filters are to be tested in a six-month trial. Private car drivers will need a permit to pass through between 7am and 7pm. Those without one will face a penalty charge of £35, rising to £70 if it is not paid within two weeks.

While there are legitimate concerns from residents, details of the scheme have also been repackaged for a wider audience of sceptics. The far right, libertarians, and assorted conspiracy theorists are riding the wave of resistance to LTNs as fertile ground for their interests. As the Covid pandemic fades, this is the next front in the fight against a supposed elite cabal, centred