How ’15-minute cities’ became a lockdown conspiracy - BBC Newsnight

To reduce carbon emissions and meet climate goals, politicians in Oxford are attempting to restrict the number of times some vehicles can drive through the city each year while still allowing unlimited access via the City's ring road.

The city also has a long-term plan to be a 15-minute city, where food, medicine, education, and leisure facilities are all within a 15-minute walk or cycle from someone’s front door.

This plan has been conflated with its traffic-restriction trial by conspiracy theories that present the measures as a form of climate lockdown.

Newsnight’s Science Correspondent Kate Lamble reports on how a conspiracy theory about "15-minute cities" became tangled with some people's real concerns over the measures.

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#Newsnight #BBCNews

[Hedgehobbit]

This video is hilarious. First they say that it's misinformation that you'll be locked in your zone but 5 minutes later they say you'll need a special permit to leave, literally proving the conspiracy true.

[MenGrowingTOWin]

Remember when "covid came from a lab" was a conspiracy?

[KathyBooth]

They say 'conspiracy' theory and then say they are doing exactly what they are being accused of. They must think we're idiots.

[gstreets]

It's not disinformation. Your video confirmed all the things that people are worried about LOL

[psyste]

It goes from “it’s a conspiracy” to “it’s a good thing“ way too fast.

[johnguilfoyle]

"It's not as bad as you think, the government just wants to track your movement and fine you if you use certain roads more often than Big Brother allows."
But that's exactly what the conspiracy theorists and anti-Government people have been saying.

[noconsentgiven]

How can you call it a conspiracy when you have cities and states all over the world implementing these policies in part or whole🤔😑🤨?!!

[Sparkles]

BBC slagging off “misinformation “….ooh, the irony. 🤣

[LeftThumbBreak]

This article does more to confirm the "conspiracy" and "disinformation " then refute it. Fines for traveling too far or on the wrong road, how is this not a form of government locking its residents down. Then UK government needs behavioral change huh or more fines? So is that still a democracy? I missed the part where the people are consulted for the decision rather government academics.

[kyliec]

This comment section is so demoralising. Use of private motor vehicles, especially for longer distances, has been proven time and time again to be an inefficient way of travelling that is expensive, inequitable and dangerous. Car-centric design has destroyed the vibrancy of many places where streets that were made for people, are now thoroughfares for vehicles to speed through. Cars still have their place in our cities - we just don't need so much of them.

[russbuttypennyblackblade]

Should the government be allowed to require citizens to receive a medical product if the product’s manufacturer is shielded from legal liability?

That is the question in front of multiple state legislatures.

[Itshistory_itspoetry]

Conspiracies in the last 5-10 years have all been true.

[justindaffronte]

Installing surveillance cameras to monitor your travel and keep you in districts, sounds like Hunger Games

[teasquared]

Who needs horror films when you can just think about this?

[nathanchenery]

They literally say they are tracking how often you use your car.

[richardgregory]

"it's a conspiracy theory about how travel will be restricted"
"here's how we plan to issue permits to travel on certain roads and stick up cameras everywhere to fine people who disobey"

[Hankblue]

>"These conspiracy theorists think we want to restrict movement, it's ridiculous"

>"Anyway, we will be fining people who drive too far out of their zones"

[mcfarlane]

Anybody paying attention knows exactly what they're up to

[NESig]

Asking permission to do something constitutes a loss of freedom. Some people are fine with losing freedoms. I am not one of those people.

[Misterman]

This is why people should cancel their tv license