The increase in road traffic in London during Covid, estimated at 30%, remains unaddressed by government. And rather than honour its 2019 election manifesto pledge to spend £9.2bn improving the energy efficiency of homes, schools and hospitals, the government omitted it from the budget. Yet while central government has fiddled, local government has acted. More than 500 jurisdictions have declared a climate emergency. Britain doesn’t therefore need more “plans… with a programme” and “a clear strategy” (“If we want to lead on climate, we must get our own house in order”, Editorial), it just needs urgent action to fund and implement existing plans across the country.

David Murray
Wallington, Surrey

A version of this post was originally published by Mariana Gil in Portuegese on TheCityFix Brasil on July 13, 2011.
How many bikes can you fit in the space occupied by a single car? Never thought about it? The creators of Car Bike Rack, CycleHoop, did and they developed a car-shaped bike rack to prove the point.
Originally commissioned by the London Festival of Architecture, the bright-colored bike racks raise awareness and encourage the use of non-motorized transport by converting car parking spaces into parking docks for 10 bicycles. Besides the functional purpose they serve cyclists, the car-shaped racks convey a serious message in a humorous way, explained the British company.

All of which makes Stockton-on-Tees a heartening example. Here, the council has striven to bring uses into its centre that are not mere consumption: events, independent enterprise, performance, a refurbished art deco theatre. It is also planning to demolish the 1970s Castlegate shopping centre and replace it with a park, which will open up a connection between the town’s broad high street and its formerly neglected river.

Highways England (HE) is looking to improve the A47 in six places between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth as part of a £300m project, including the sections between, North Tuddenham and Easton, and Blofield and North Burlingham.
What’s in the North Tuddenham to Easton plan?
Included in the plans are 9km of new dual carriageway between Hockering and Honingham

According to statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT)1, the percentage of UK trucks running empty has been on the rise in recent years. While figures dropped from 31% in 1984 to 26% percent in 2001, levels have increased since then reaching 29% in 2014. With green fingers already pointing at the industry’s contribution to CO2 levels, we really cannot afford to let empty running by trucks go unchecked.

Residents and parents in Oxfordshire have given positive feedback to a School Streets pilot that has taken place across Oxfordshire since March 2021. The pilot scheme trialled restricting motor traffic at the school gates at drop-off and pick-up times to open the road to safe walking and cycling.
School Streets aim to improve road safety, help boost cycling and walking and improve air quality.
Oxfordshire County Council has been working with walking and cycling charity Sustrans.

Moovit is one of a number of global Mobility as a Service providers. It has around 900 million users worldwide and covers over 3,400 cities. During the Covid-19 pandemic it has been publishing weekly high-level data on the use of its app, with a comparison to usage in a typical week in 2019. We do not know the exact correlation between the number of times people use the app and their propensity to take public transport or total public transport usage.