Not only are traffic filters an inexpensive and effective way that Councils can make streets cleaner and safer, but, as our new research shows, they are overwhelmingly popular among those who are most affected by them.* Let’s make sure our Councils know this. Will you use our easy tool to write to your councillors with the evidence to ask them to take action?
We are really keen to hear of any responses you receive so that we can plan how to best engage with decision makers. Please forward any councillor responses you receive to cfc@wearepossible.org.
To see our draft email for your local Council, just fill out this short form.
Build now, pay (a lot) later: the hidden cost of car-centric development – transportxtra
Build now, pay (a lot) later: the hidden cost of car-centric development
Schemes such as Garden Towns require expensive off-site road infrastructure and a huge amount of on-site space for cars, says Martina Juvara. It’s time for cost effective alternatives that will help achieve net zero, she argues
Martina Juvara 05 October 2021
This is a decade of innovation: big change is awaiting us as technology continues to evolve and the response to climate change starts to gather momentum. Yet most housebuilding companies shy away from trumpeting innovation. They clearly rise to meet challenging government targets, but they do not make their customers aware of the innovation they are providing; energy efficient appliances are often disguised as chandeliers or Victorian-looking A-rated stoves, in developments reassuringly named like aristocratic parks or farmhouses.
Housebuilding companies will not be the ones fighting for change, proposing new ways to live and a different relationship with our cars. In doing so, they may be perpetuating a status quo where not enough questions are asked about the real costs of car-centric development. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones.
How pro-car extremists cheated a Cambridgeshire Consultation and Won – Conservative Friends of Cycling
Chris Howell 27th July 2021 Cambridgeshire County Council Highways and Transport Committee met to decide the fate of the experimental bus gate on Mill Road in Cambridge, that had been introduced in June 2020 as part of emergency active travel funding by the then Conservative controlled Council.
The scheme implementation was not a shining example of how to do things – initial consultations were poor and didn’t get local traders on board. The physical implementation was poor, with poor signage, ugly buildouts to allow social distancing, and no efforts at all to improve the appearance of the road or take advantage of the dramatic reductions in motor vehicles on the road to help traders benefit from the higher levels of cycling and walking. Local campaign group Camcycle begged the Council to improve the quality of the scheme, but these requests fell on deaf ears.
New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air pollution
Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change.
22 September 2021 Reading time: 4 min (1079 words)
New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood. The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change.
Providence Ordinance Paves the Way for Street Safety | Providence Media
The Green and Complete Streets Ordinance is the second of its kind in New England to mandate road repairs for accessibility
By Katarina Dulude
“When you travel Dexter Street now, you can see really clearly that it’s a thoroughfare that has all users in mind,” says John Flaherty of GrowSmart RI. He’s talking about Central Falls, the first city in New England to pass a Green and Complete Streets ordinance, in 2018, that lays out the framework for how future street projects will be executed. “They’ve got really clear crosswalks that have a different surface treatment to them, they have a sort of stamped concrete that appears to be brick, and you know, visually that sends a message to people who are driving that they’re actually crossing a pedestrian way.”
Legalise all e-scooters says think tank – transportxtra
Deniz Huseyin 05 October 2021
E-scooters should meet minimum safety standards both at the point of sale and while being ridden, says Centre for London
Private and rental e-scooters should be legalised alongside measures to ensure they are safe, affordable, and accessible to all,
says a new report by think tank Centre for London.
America’s Most Toxic Car Ads – Hummer EV vs Dodge Demon I Streetsblog USA
Kea Wilson – Oct 8, 2021
But to understand why, exactly, this round’s contenders are so corrosive to our transportation culture, we’re bringing in an expert: Tom Flood, advertising and marketing pro, sustainable transportation advocate extraordinaire, and one of our very favorite Twitter follows. In fact, he’ll be providing commentary on all four semifinal bouts.
“This is a true clash of the titans,” Flood said when we showed him the first two contenders. “Honestly, it’s hard to even call these ‘ads,’ because they’re more like cinematic tributes to road violence. They’re essentially two-minute propaganda reels about how the vehicle will save us all and fulfill our most predatory speed fantasies, which, of course, is a total contradiction. But welcome to the world of auto marketing!”
Voters, start your engines. Let’s take a look at the first match-up.
The Hummer EV
Electric Vehicles: the solution or part of the problem? – Webinar Monday, 11 October 2021, 7-8pm
XR Roads Rebellion
Electric Vehicles: the solution or part of the problem?
What should transport look like within the next five years – to meet the necessary
Join us for an evening with:
Carlton Reid Transport historian, analyst and writer
Chris Todd, Transport Action Network
in Conversation with Caspar Hughes, XR Roads Rebellion
Monday, 11 October 2021, 7-8pm
from 06:30 PM in London
“Cars only accepted in urban spaces of the future with room for cycling,” says Volkswagen Board Chairman – Cycle Industry News
Mark Sutton8 October, 2021
The car giant has spent the past five years looking to improve cycling access to its facility and has now launched a pilot project to stimulate greater ridership amongst its 500 staff. Wolfsburg’s cycling infrastructure network is reasonably broad and key loops actually circle the Volkswagen facilities in the city.
Will the fuel crisis trigger a green transport revolution? | Inside track
Green Alliance blog5 October, 2021
This post is by Helena Bennett, senior policy adviser at Green Alliance.
Amongst the chaos of the fuel crisis, the hours of queuing and the uncertainty of being able to drive, a collective sentience has risen, which questions whether we have to be tethered to petrol anymore.
Car sales advisers have reported that the number of people searching online for electric cars has rocketed, with a 75 per cent increase reported in a week. Sales of e-bikes have shot up too with one seller reporting a 100 per cent increase in enquiries.