No, this isn’t some sudden epiphany or life changing statement, something rather more mundane but intensely irritating. Today’s paper offered up a story that the Government has spunked£1 billion pounds of taxpayers (er, that’s our then) money on transport initiatives in the last ten years. Doesn’t sound much I hear you say well here’s the kicker; none of that money has actually been spent on building anything at all. No tunnels dug, no stations opened, no roads widened.

This litany of serial incompetence can be subdivided into£250 million on CrossRail feasibility studies,£74 million on “tram preparation” whatever that is,£20 million on Thameslink consultancy and a further£20 million deciding what to do with the road to Stonehenge? How can that cost£20 million without actually lifting a shovel? What kind of study was it? Loads of£2000 a day consultants ensconced in a Bahamas’ hotel wondering “well what about if we cladded it with jism and dead antelopes, that’d be authentic“.

My personal favourite is 32 million squandered by Fat Boy Prescott commissioning “Multi Model” studies whatever the fuck they are. The reports are currently being recycled as peat somewhere in the “stuff no one gives a crap about” filing room in Whitehall.

I could go on but burst blood vessels await. The TimesOnline has more.

It’s hard to know what’s worst; the fact that congestion, environmental pollution and the power of the car destroy and devalue the country every single day while a billion pounds is squandered, or that someone is earning a hell of a living grazing off the fat of Government stupidity.

So in the style of “if you can’t beat them, join them“, I’m considering moonlighting as an environmental impact advisor (dirt). This means being paid to ride my bike.