FACE THE FACTS
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Ignorance may well be bliss, but for whom? Like a High Court Judge asking "Who is Gazza?", it probably pays certain Euro MPs to talk about the "harmful toxic element of carbon dioxide'. Neither should we be surprised when the Council for the Protection of Rural England announces: "We are very alarmed at the thought of 44-tonne lorries on our roads.., it would be highly inappropriate for this size of vehicle to be allowed". Well they would say that, wouldn't they?
How nice to live in a world where your pet theories are never questioned. Where you, and only you, know what's best for the environment. Where trucks are always juggernauts and the solution is simply to "put lorries in their place", stop building roads and transfer everything on to the railways.
How boring it must be when those nasty engineers explain that a 44-tonner on six axles actually creates less road wear than a 38-tonner with five. Or tries to remind you that your cosy family car, and millions more like it, do far more damage to the atmosphere than the HGVs that fill the shelves at your local minimart.
But fear not, all you self-appointed guardians of the environment—your myths will be believed. Headlines like: "Villages fear EC-wide call for super-lorries" are much more exciting than mere facts.
Part of the blame for this lies with the road haulage industry itself. We have allowed the greens to capture the moral high ground. Whenever the talk turns to the environment its the green spokesman who makes the headlines and to hell with the truth.
Next time you hear a green going on about "alternatives" to rood transport, ask him this simple question: "Do you honestly believe this country can exist without the heavy lorry?" If the answer is yes, leave them to their ignorance. If they ever found out the truth the shock could easily kill them.