Mayer Hillman in conversation with Extinction Rebellion activists Clare Farrell, La Pethick, Becky Plenderleith and Jill Lewis.
Hidden Soundtrack highlights impact of noise pollution in capital – Transport Xtra
Climate charity Possible demonstrated the impact of noise pollution during an event in Shoreditch, London. Members of the public sat on the pavement at a cinema-style ‘auditorium’ while musicians performed across the road. During today’s event – called London’s Hidden Soundtrack – the audience wore headphones so they could listen to the performers over the sound of constant passing traffic.
Possible cites findings by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that noise pollution is second only to air pollution in terms of the size of the environmental health threat in Europe, with around one in three people being negatively affected.
Car clubs reduce car ownership and promote electric vehicle usage, says Enterprise – TransportXtra
A third of car owners who have joined a car club have got rid of at least one vehicle since joining, with more than two-thirds (68%) of those cars that were disposed of being at least five years old, according to a survey published by Enterprise Rent-a-Car. The research involved more than 4,000 Enterprise Car Club members across the UK and was carried out by shared transport charity CoMoUK.
The study showed that half (51%) of car club users also own a vehicle, but that car club membership gave…
Pliocene and Eocene provide best analogs for near-future climates | PNAS
The expected departure of future climates from those experienced in human history challenges efforts to adapt. Possible analogs to climates from deep in Earth’s geological past have been suggested but not formally assessed. We compare climates of the coming decades with climates drawn from six geological and historical periods spanning the past 50 My. Our study suggests that climates like those of the Pliocene will prevail as soon as 2030 CE and persist under climate stabilisation scenarios. Unmitigated scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions produce climates like those of the Eocene, which suggests that we are effectively rewinding the climate clock by approximately 50 Million years, reversing a multimillion year cooling trend in less than two centuries.
Musk See: Three Reasons Why Congestion Decreases When Cities ‘Delete’ Road Lanes – Streetsblog USA
Kea Wilson – May 13, 2022
A wildly inaccurate comment from Elon Musk about the traffic impacts of deleting lanes for drivers is prompting a conversation about the little-known phenomenon of “reduced demand” — and how advocates can better debunk common congestion myths that powerful, but often ill-informed, people continue to promulgate
In a much-tweeted-about comment at the Financial Times “Future of the Car” conference on Tuesday, the Tesla and Boring Company founder dismissed the phenomenon of “induced demand” as “one of the single dumbest notions I have ever heard in my entire life,” despite more than a century of research that confirms that increasing lane capacity for drivers only temporarily relieves gridlock before beefed-up roads attract new motorists and development, miring even more travellers in traffic jams along the new and “improved” corridors.
Survey reveals driver attitudes to ‘Close pass’ incidents – transportxtra
Some 96% of drivers in Scotland accept that a ‘close pass’ must be frightening for people cycling while 90% said there should be more protection for cyclists, new research shows. However, the survey also showed that 89% of drivers admitted to sometimes being frustrated when passing someone on a bike.
The survey, and involving 507 Scotland-based drivers, was commissioned by Cycling Scotland as part of its Give Cycle Space campaign. This includes a TV ad showing a ‘close pass’ from the perspective of a cyclist.
A cycle street where buses are guest – Bicycle Dutch
Bicycle Dutch4 May 2022
The city of ʼs-Hertogenbosch has a new cycle street. A very special version of a cycle street, where is not the cars which are guest but buses! The street is closed to private motor traffic. The Van Berckelstraat in the city centre had been closed since August 2020, but this spring the street was redesigned and reconstructed. The closure for private motor traffic is now permanent. Residents and the Cyclists’ union had waited more than 30 years for this to happen.
NSW government floats Sydney CBD congestion tax: secret document – smh.com
May 10, 2022
A cabinet sensitive document obtained by the Herald and Nine News warns that road users “do not pay the true costs” of driving and causing congestion around the city and floats broader road-use charging as a potential remedy.
Free e-bike loans in pilot areas across England: ‘Cycling made e-asy’ – cyclingindustry.news
Simon Cox 12 May, 2022
Cycling UK has today announced the launch of ‘Cycling made e-asy’ which, from this year into 2023 will offer free e-bike loans in pilot areas across England.
Making e-bikes freely available for people who would not normally consider, or have access to, cycling as a form of transport is the aim of an initiative, backed by up to £8 million of investment from Department for Transport. This enables Cycling UK to roll-out the innovative e-bike pilot programme, which is being launched in five places across England, starting with Greater Manchester.
Deegan is head of inspections at Active Travel England – transportxtra
Brian Deegan has been appointed director of inspections at Active Travel England (ATE), the Government’s new executive agency responsible for improving the standards of cycling and walking infrastructure.
The organisation was set up in January as part of the Government’s £2bn commitment for cycling and walking during this parliament. ATE will be responsible for awarding funding to projects that improve both health and air quality.
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