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Drunk driver ran over 10-year-old cyclist – then drove home with bike wedged under car | road.cc
A drunk driver who ran over a 10-year-old cyclist in West Sussex then drove home with the youngster’s bike wedged under his car has been jailed for two and a half years.
The victim, from Pulborough, was cycling along Church Street, West Chiltington, with his father and another rider when the local resident, 76 year old Keith Vernon, who lives in the village, struck him from behind.
The child was thrown over his bike’s handlebars and onto the road, with Vernon continuing to drive over him despite shouts from the two other cyclists as well as members of the public for him to stop.
He then reversed over the boy, destroying his cycle helmet.. before driving away.
Police officers went to the address of the registered keeper of the Renault Twingo car involved in the crash and found it unattended, with the driver – subsequently identified ads Vernon – having mounted a kerb and with the bike still wedged underneath the vehicle.
Reader spots police van parked blocking cycle lane [King’s Cross Road] for more than 24 hours – road.cc
One of our readers, Matt, got in touch with these pictures of a police van parked blocking a cycle lane opposite the Metropolitan Police Traffic Wardens Centre…brilliant. Matt first noticed the van parked on King’s Cross Road as he walked past on Tuesday at around 16:30…it was still there when he returned 24 hours later on Wednesday evening…
The final photo, above this story, was taken on Thursday morning, 39 hours after he first spotted it. Apart from the obvious point that a cycle lane is no place to park your van, Matt’s photos show the ‘Red Route’ sign that the driver had perfectly parked right next to…’No stopping Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm’…
Just as well there were no traffic wardens nearby…
Great British Railways to introduce extra storage space on trains for bicycles to get more people to cycle to the station rather than drive; | The Times
Friday May 21 2021
The DfT admitted yesterday that recent new trains had “compromised on passenger comfort” by installing hard seats.
It said that replacement cycles on trains would be brought forward to address concerns. The seats will be given extra padding or replaced. New design standards will also ensure that train carriages built in the future are “more comfortable than their predecessors”.
Putting Extinction Rebellion activists on trial isn’t in the public interest, so let’s stop | Peter Hain | The Guardian
Peter Hain Sat 8 May 2021
After the recent acquittal of climate activists by a crown court jury, it’s clear public sentiment is on their side
In the face of resistance by juries, surely there is a strong case to halt all the pending trials of Extinction Rebellion activists? With nearly a thousand trials still waiting to be heard in the courts, six members of the group were recently acquitted at Southwark crown court in XR’s second trial by a jury.
Newly elected metro mayors map out transport priorities – transportxtra
Voters across the country cast their ballots in local, Scottish and Welsh elections on 6 May. As well as winning Hartlepool from Labour in a parliamentary by-election, the Conservatives took control of an extra 13 councils, winning more than 240 seats. But they did not fare as well in the elections for metro mayors, losing both Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and the West of England to Labour.
Reducing roads can cause traffic to ‘Evaporate’ | Rapid Transition Alliance
In April 2019 a heavily-used bridge across the River Thames in London was closed indefinitely due to structural problems. Local media were full of alarm, warning about the likely traffic congestion that would result. But, curiously, several months later, the signs are that the opposite may be happening. Pollution levels in key nearby centres have gone down, a strong indication that fewer cars are on the roads. Could this be the latest sign of one of the best kept, and counter intuitive secrets in urban planning, that less road space doesn’t increase congestion but leads to a drop in vehicle numbers? In a world looking to quickly cut carbon emissions it’s an insight that could prove revolutionary.
Don’t overlook equity when deciding where to place cycling schemes – transportxtra
Cycling is often described as good for health, the environment, accessibility and social justice, but current appraisal methods may only capture some of these benefits, which may perpetuate bias, warn Rachel Aldred and James Woodcock
With colleagues at four academic institutions, we have developed the Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT; pct.bike). Funded by the DfT, the PCT is an award-winning open-source tool recommended for developing cycling networks, used by over 80 transport authorities across England and Wales.
Ignore the naysayers – low emission zones do work | The Guardian
Birmingham is following London and Bath in deterring highly polluting vehicles from its centre
Gary Fuller 19/4/21
Clean air or low emission zones are being rolled out in more UK cities. On 1 June, Birmingham will follow London and Bath by introducing a charge to deter highly polluting vehicles from the city centre.
The zones in Birmingham and Bath were delayed by Covid but these schemes are now needed more urgently than before. With new vehicle sales at record lows, older and more polluting vehicles are still on our roads rather than on the scrap heap where we expected them to be by now.
Lessons from London’s zone and the hundreds that operate in Europe counter many of the myths around these schemes.
Sep 2020) Climate change: Tax frequent fliers and get rid of SUVs, government told – BBC News
10 September 2020 Roger Harrabin
Earlier this year, the BBC’s Rebecca Morelle heard the views of four citizens’ assembly members
A frequent flyer tax, phasing out polluting SUVs and restricting cars in city centres are among climate change solutions suggested by members of the public.
A citizens’ assembly of 108 people from all walks of life published its report after weeks of debate.
They proposed curbing road building and using the pandemic to cut emissions.
MPs said the report offered a “unique insight”, but activists Extinction Rebellion said it didn’t go far enough.
The report says the government must show leadership on climate change and insists climate policies must be fair to all – especially the poorest in society.
Its radical conclusions may offer political cover to ministers who’re typically nervous of a public backlash against policies that affect lifestyles.