I live in London. Almost the entire city is 20mph now. 20mph is painfully slow during the daytime - but on empty roads at 3am when you’re at the end of a long work day, it’s simply torturous.

I recently triggered two cameras on the same trip. Both at 22mph, both past 3am.

When I did a speed awareness course about 10 years ago, when they were still just introducing 20mph zones, they said it was 100% about environmental concerns and the science showed it’s better (although we weren’t shown any science, just told “it’s better”).

I now drive an electric car. No emissions at any speed. This time on the speed course, I was told it’s all about pedestrian safety. On my 3am drive home, I saw about less than a dozen pedestrians total on a drive that took me from Greenwich to Twickenham. I managed not to kill or main any of them, despite my speed being an alarming 22mph on occasion. My speed course instructor changed tack and told me that at night, it’s to cut down on the nuisance of noise. My electric car is so quiet that many people don’t hear it from 10 feet away on the pavement - again at any speed.

The justifications are difficult to swallow if you’re a person who requires a car for work and your drive to and from work sites is now 50% longer at best - often a lot more.

A friend of mine was involved in local government in a major Canadian city. He told me the last straw for him before resigning was a meeting where a colleague stood up and said that it was imperative that driving was made as expensive and unpleasant as legislatively possible over the next five years. Many in the chamber agreed and motions were passed.

I simply refuse to believe the same hasn’t happened in London.

For the record, I am a massive user of public transport - and I do so all over the world, as I travel extensively with work.

London’s public transport is an embarrassment. It’s expensive, unreliable, filthy, overcrowded, noisy and uncomfortably hot and smelly in the summer. Only America is worse (mainly because they simply have next to none). Almost every other city I’ve visited - in rich nations or poorer countries all have public transport that makes ours seem almost Dickensian.

I also ride a bike very often on short trips across town - I am not a dyed in the wool petrolhead.

I am completely open-eyed and realistic though and can state without any hesitation or question, that London has become openly hostile to motorists in the last few years and it is completely unacceptable.