Chances are, if you were asked six months ago what a low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) was, you would have shrugged your shoulders and said, with rising intonation: “The Netherlands?”That’s probably not the case now. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced government and local authorities to rethink the way we get around. With many people preferring to avoid public transport, LTNs are among measures designed to prevent a rush to private cars (and ensuing gridlock) by providing safe routes for walking, cycling and scooting – and they’ve become Big News around the country. However, LTNs have been around for much, much longer – and the world hasn’t ended
Press Release: Pollution From Tyre Wear 1,000 Times Worse Than Exhaust Emissions — Emissions Analytics
• Tight regulation of exhaust emissions by the EU has meant that new cars emit very little particle pollution
• Increased popularity of SUVs, larger and heavier than standard vehicles, exacerbates this problem – as does growing sales of heavy EVs and widespread use of budget tyres• Fitting only high-quality tyres and lowering vehicle weight are routes to reducing these ‘non-exhaust emissions’(Belgian consumer association e-scooter tests & recommendation) Test Aankoop bezorgd over veiligheid elektrische steps: “Wij raden ze af” | VRT NWS: nieuws
Belgian consumer association tested 11 e-scooters, its recommendation? Get a bike.De consumentenorganisatie kocht online 11 verschillende steps die het door een onafhankelijk labo uitgebreid liet testen. Jens Van Herp van Test Aankoop in “De inspecteur” op Radio 2: “In het labo werd enerzijds een testsimulatie gedaan van alledaags gebruik. Versnellingen, vertragingen, heuvel op en heuvel af. Daarnaast werden ook de technische aspecten van de elektrische steps doorgelicht. Dat gaat dan om remafstand, vering en batterijkwaliteit.”
Build sustainable transport into recovery, business leaders and public urge – Cycle Industry News
Mark Sutton6 October, 2020Local authorities have been urged by business leaders and individuals alike to deliver on sustainable transport provision and micromobility, according to a new study of public and private sector attitudes.The call comes on the back of research carried out by global design and consultancy firm Arcadis, which polled the thoughts of 1,700 organisations and individuals this summer. Investment in ‘green infrastructure’ now ranks in the top three spend priorities in the minds of those businesses and individuals polled. Just 5% believe no action is required hereAir pollution particles in young brains linked to Alzheimer’s damage | The Guardian
Exclusive: if discovery is confirmed it will have global implications as 90% of people breathe dirty airLast modified on Tue 6 Oct 2020Tiny air pollution particles have been revealed in the brain stems of young people and are intimately associated with molecular damage linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
If the groundbreaking discovery is confirmed by future research, it would have worldwide implications because 90% of the global population live with unsafe air. Medical experts are cautious about the findings and said that while the nanoparticles are a likely cause of the damage, whether this leads to disease later in life remains to be seen.
Tuohy to lead CfBT at ‘critical time for transport’ – The Transport Network
The Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT) has appointed Paul Tuohy as its new chief executive.
Mr Tuohy stepped down as chief executive of active travel and campaigning charity Cycling UK, which was previously the Cyclists’ Touring Club.
He will join CfBT in November, taking the role vacated by Darren Shirley, who has left to lead the Department for Transport’s new Acceleration Unit.Coronavirus: How pandemic sparked European cycling revolution – BBC News
1 day agoBy Kate VandyBBC News, Brussels
From Bucharest to Brussels, and from Lisbon to Lyon, the coronavirus pandemic has triggered unprecedented investment in cycling around Europe.
More than €1bn (£907m; $1.1bn) has been spent on cycling-related infrastructure and 2,300km (1,400 miles) of new bike lanes have been rolled out since the pandemic began.‘Dramatic’ plunge in London air pollution since 2016, report finds | The Guardian
Exclusive: Number of people living with illegal pollution levels has fallen by 94% since Sadiq Khan became mayorDamian CarringtonSat 3 Oct 2020 08.00 BSTAir pollution in London has plunged since Sadiq Khan became mayor, with a 94% reduction in the number of people living in areas with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. The number of schools in such areas has fallen by 97%, from 455 in 2016 to 14 in 2019.
Experts described the reductions as dramatic and said they showed the air pollution crisis was not intractable. More than 9,000 people in the capital were dying early each year due to dirty air in 2015.49. Winning the War on Cars in Rural America – The War on Cars
adminSeptember 29, 2020
Dave Cohen of VBike Solutions
Reducing automobile dependence in America’s suburbs, small towns, and rural places is a daunting task. But a tiny non-profit organization in Brattleboro, Vermont is offering a glimpse of how it might be done. Launched in 2010 by bike advocacy legend and psychotherapist Dave Cohen, VBike Solutions is fomenting an electric-assist bicycle revolution in the Green Mountain State. Forging partnerships with state government, electric utilities, financial institutions and local bike shops, VBike is making e-bikes more accessible, affordable and just plain normal. Dave calls it “car reduction therapy for Vermonters.” And as War on Cars co-host Aaron Naparstek discovered while playing softball in Brattleboro this summer, it seems like it’s working. Plus: Vermont’s state bird makes a cameo!Casualty figures underline case for hierarchy of road users, says Cycling UK | road.cc
Latest data from DfT also highlights danger to vulnerable road users from inattentive drivers, says charityCycling UK says that the latest road casualty figures for Great Britain underlines the case for proposed changes to the Highway Code, including a introducing a “hierarchy of responsibility” to help protect vulnerable road users.The national cycling charity also says that the figures, released by the Department for Transport (DfT) highlight the danger caused by inattentive motorists, with “Driver or rider failed to look properly” making up around 40 per cent of factors identified by police at crash scenes.