Tag: travel

Are Climate Lockdowns Beginning? An English County Will Require Permits to Drive Through Other Neighborhoods

In early December, the County of Oxfordshire, in England, voted to begin intensely filtering traffic in certain parts of Oxford between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.  This is slated to begin sometime in 2023, upon completion of some existing transportation projects. Right now, the local government says that there will be a six-month trial of using the filter system, and at the end of the trial period, there will be a vote as to whether or not it should be continued.

Six portions of Oxford will be restricted from private vehicles during this time period. Residents can travel freely in their own areas. However, attempting to enter a different restricted area using a private vehicle will require a permit. Violators will be subject to fines of £70 (about $85).  

How will this be enforced? 

Contrary to some internet speculation, there are no plans to erect physical barriers. People will still be allowed to walk, bike, or take public transportation wherever they want. Vehicle usage will be monitored with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, the same technology that has been around for more than 20 years to collect money remotely on toll roads. The ANPR cameras will also enable the county to issue permits to private drivers to make a limited amount of trips within the city within the restricted time frame.

Critics all over the world, including Australia Sky News host Rowan Dean insist that this is a gross violation of freedom of movement, and will lead us down the slope to a medieval world with an autonomous nobility and a peasantry tied to the land.  

Supporters reply that this is simply an attempt to remedy Oxford’s notoriously horrible traffic. What are we supposed to think? What’s actually going on?

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From Today, All New Vehicles In The EU Will Have Surveillance Black Boxes

From today, all new vehicles sold in the EU will have mandatory black boxes fitted that record technical data and will be accessible by authorities, greasing the skids for surveillance-powered speed-limiting technology.

While for the time being, drivers can opt-out of using the feature, privacy advocates fear the technology will become mandatory once it is properly rolled out.

Back in 2019, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) announced that July 6 would mark the day when all car manufacturers would be forced to fit new models with a system that keeps track of technical data.

The data recorded will include “the vehicle’s speed, braking, steering wheel angle, its incline on the road, and whether the vehicle’s various safety systems were in operation, starting with seatbelts.”

Although insurance companies won’t have immediate access to the data, it will be available to law enforcement.

Authorities claim the data will be “anonymized,” meaning the information can’t be used to identify the owner of the vehicle, although only the incredibly naive would plausibly believe that.

Such systems are expected to eventually include speed-limiting technology.

As Reclaim the Net’s Didi Rankovic explains, the most common method of speed limiting technology is Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA).

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Biden Weighs Vaccine Mandate for Interstate Travel

In efforts to further enforce coronavirus rules and regulations, Joe Biden is considering a vaccine mandate for interstate travel.

As reported by the Associated Press:

Still, while more severe measures – such as mandating vaccines for interstate travel or changing how the federal government reimburses treatment for those who are unvaccinated and become ill with COVID-19 – have been discussed, the administration worried that they would be too polarizing for the moment.

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Pfizer CEO’s Israel visit canceled because he is not fully vaccinated

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has canceled his expected visit to Israel after it turned out he has not been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, N12 reported Friday.According to the channel, Bourla, as well as members of the delegation that was meant to accompany him during his visit, have not received the second dose of the vaccine.As a result, it was decided to delay the visit by several days, which also posed a logistic challenge because of the upcoming Israeli elections. Bourla said in December that he has not yet received the vaccine yet because he does not want to “cut in line,” and would wait until his age group is next in line for getting vaccinated. As such, he has received the first dose, but not the second one yet. Pfizer did not respond to The Jerusalem Post‘s request for comment.

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United Airlines prepares to shake up white, male-dominated pilot population

United Airlines said on Tuesday it wants women and people of color to make up at least half of the 5,000 pilots it plans to train this decade at its new flight school, a push to diversify a career traditionally dominated by white men.

The announcement comes as U.S. airlines resume pilot hiring halted last year during the pandemic and as they find themselves in the crosshairs of politically charged issues involving race.

“We want to make sure that we are tapping into a big deep talent pool and not limiting ourselves to just one section of the pond,” Chief Communications Officer Josh Earnest said on a Zoom call with journalists.

Chicago-based United joined Delta Air Lines and American Airlines on Monday in speaking out against voting restrictions following recent legislation in states like Georgia that activist groups say unfairly target Black and other racial minority voters.

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Teachers Union President Busted Flying to in-Person Meetings, Meeting With Folks Without Masks

American Federation of Teacher’s President Randi Weingarten seems to have been at the forefront of throwing roadblocks in the way of more teachers going back to schools and having more schools opened, claiming that she wants more protections/guarantees for the teachers if they do go back.

A couple of weeks ago, we reported how she was questioning the CDC guidance that 3 feet of social distance spacing was sufficient for kids in schools. “We are not convinced,” Weingarten said. So follow the science, right? Sure sounds like a convenient denial.

But some noticed further hypocrisy when Weingarten posted about a trip that she’d taken on social media with “Boutique Airlines.”

So she’s one of those liberals that makes noises about climate change then goes and takes a private plane instead of a three-hour drive because it’s convenient to her for her meetings which she has to do in person, unlike those school kids who can just have their education relegated to Zoom.

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