Can direct action change transport – the largest source of emissions in Devon? – West Country Bylines
Caspar Hughes – 09/09/2021
There is a rich history of direct action targeting transport in the UK. Transport Action Network (TAN) evolved from the activists that took direct action to help stop the road building programme in the 90s.
I am in the process of helping Extinction Rebellion set up Roads Rebellion to help tackle transport issues in the UK. My campaigning has been focused at the other end of the spectrum to TAN, using direct action to successfully influence local governments to fund and build protected lanes for people cycling.
Recently, I was in the unenviable position of organising two ‘die-ins’ in two cities. Maria Perez-Gonzalez and Dr Marta Krawiec were both killed whilst cycling by drivers in Exeter and London respectively. People in Exeter hadn’t organised or seen a protest like this previously, Stop Killing Cyclists has been organising them in London since 2013. I got involved at the die-in for Ying Tao in 2016, when thousands of people lay down and filled Bank Junction in the heart of the financial centre of the world.
