Revealed: Cardiff City Council's New State-of-the-Art Cycle Lane Network

Enjoyed this one from the Daily Mail today. This is Cardiff City Council's idea of a cycle lane:

According to the Mail, the council explained to baffled cyclists that the red box with a picture of a bicycle in it had been painted there to

'highlight the interface between the eastbound carriageway and the beginning of a new contraflow facility' in Cardiff city centre and to encourage green transport.

They went on, in a similarly pompous, meaningless tone:

'The purpose of the new facility is to enable cyclists to ride safely and legally in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic.
'The marking helps to highlight the point at which cyclists can turn left off the carriageway to join the contraflow facility.'

Yeah, right. The reality is, as we all know, that it serves no other purpose than to give the impression that the council gives a toss about cyclists, and that it's 'green', laughably. And the cost of this totally pointless waste of money to Cardiff Council Tax payers? A cool £2000.

We shouldn't be surprised, of course. That council's controlled by a beardy weirdy Liberal Democrat coalition (ed: yes, with Plaid. But that's hardly Plaid's fault, is it), which explains just about everything you need to know. Of course, that also puts it in the same category as the equally useless, LibDum-controlled Swansea City Council: hopeless.

Before government waste can be cut, folks, we have to cut the wasters, locally and nationally. Another reason to vote Tory whenever the opportunity presents itself, then. Simple as.