ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the interplay of these so-called pro- and anti-car perspectives in British transport policy over the last decade. It examines the policy and cultural changes around transport and the environment that preceded the events of 2000, focusing especially on anti-roads activism in the 1990s. The chapter concentrates on the perspectives of the pro-car advocates who preceded - and some of whom initiated - the 2000 fuel tax protests. It examines the extent to which discourses around the environment, economic costs, and the liberty of drivers were drawn on by politicians, the press and the protesters both prior to and during the fuel crisis itself. The chapter considers what these themes tell about the competing agendas of the various parties to the dispute. It argues that discourses around the environment, economic costs and the freedom of the individual are of great importance in shaping how transport issues are contested by different interests.
