Carlton Reid May 17, 2021
Journalists reporting on road collisions can now check with a new set of media guidelines drawn up by legal, policing and safety experts. The ten guiding principles for the U.K. media, issued on May 18, have been supported by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
“We hope the information can encourage accurate and fair reporting,” said the union’s general secretary Michelle Stanistreet. A NUJ member sat on the working group which drafted the guidelines.
Guidelines already exist to help journalists report on suicides, domestic violence, and refugees.
One of the new Road Collision Reporting Guidelines stresses that journalists should not use the word “accident” for a road collision but, instead, use “crash.” This is the language going used by the police, who may also refer to “incidents.” The word “accident” suggests no-one is to blame for a crash.
Air pollution linked to ‘huge’ rise in child asthma GP visits | The Guardian
Exclusive: consultations for asthma and other respiratory infections go up with increased dirty air, finds study
Damian Carrington Tue 18 May 2021
A “huge” increase in the number of visits to doctors by children with asthma problems occurs after a week of raised air pollution, according to a study. The number of inhaler prescriptions also increases significantly.
Dirty air is already known to increase hospital treatment for severe asthma attacks and other respiratory problems. But the new research is the first using clinical data to show increased illness among the much bigger number of people who seek treatment from their GP.
The researchers said children were the most severely affected by the raised air pollution, but there were increases in GP consultations and inhaler prescriptions for people of all ages. Overall, they said, the study demonstrates that air pollution, particularly from diesel vehicles, affects whole communities.
“I look forward to being murdered with one of these”: Cyclists condemn “distracting” Mercedes in-car technology | road.cc
The now-deleted tweet showing a driver with a vast array of screens and gadgets in front of him raised huge concern among cyclists on social media
A tweet from Mercedes-Benz USA advertising the in-car technology in its S-Class range has caused uproar on the social media platform, with numerous people suggesting that the potential for distraction could put cyclists and pedestrians in danger.
The tweet, that has now been deleted by the Mercedes-Benz USA account, said: “With up to five screens, OLED displays, and 3D displays with real-time eye tracking, the new S-Class has no shortage of bright ideas”; however thousands of people were quick to point out the potential issues, with Pompey Cyclist saying: I look forward to being murdered with one of these in the near future.”
Do close pass laws increase road rage? New study finds increasing safety for cyclists could have ‘possible unintended consequences’ | road.cc
Do close pass laws increase road rage? New study finds increasing safety for cyclists could have ‘possible unintended consequences’
Quick, high-impact projects needed to reduce carbon from transport – transportxtra
19 May 2021
Big new transport infrastructure projects won’t happen soon enough in the push towards Net Zero in the crucial period up to 2030. That’s why we need complementary schemes now to accelerate the shift towards an electric fleet and encourage behaviour change. By Tony Meehan, Practice Director, Transport Consultancy, Atkins
The UK has a high-quality transport system. It’s not perfect; there are gaps, areas for improvement or replacing, and it sometimes struggles to meet our needs. However, it connects people, goods and places, it’s flexible and resilient and is a backbone to our economy and society.
Trouble in cyclists’ paradise: Amsterdam accused of favouring pedestrians – Guardian
Daniel Boffey Fri 21 May 2021
Its reputation is that of an idyll for cyclists, a city freed from the torment of cars. But while Amsterdam remains a model to most of the world, there are signs of trouble in paradise.
A series of developments have led the Amsterdam branch of the Fietsersbond, the Dutch cyclists’ union, to claim the municipality has turned on them, unfairly prioritising pedestrians in the city’s historic centre.
Centre of Paris to become a huge low traffic neighbourhood | road.cc
The centre of Paris is set to become in effect a huge low traffic neighbourhood by the end of next year under an ambitious plan to remove through traffic from the heart of the French capital.
A consultation was launched this week on the initiative, outlined in an interview with Le Parisien by deputy mayor David Belliard, which will cover the entirety of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements and, across the Seine on the Rive Gauche, parts of the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondisements, as shown in this graphic.
To draw an analogy from the UK capital, the zone is similar in size to one running from Oxford Circus to St Paul’s Cathedral and from the British Museum to the Houses of Parliament.
Not all motor traffic will be banned from the centre of Paris – local residents will have access, as will buses, taxis, tradesmen, professionals and delivery vehicles needing access to the city centre, although no decision has yet been made on whether tourist coaches will be exempt.
What makes a successful 15-minute centre, and why? transportxtra
Juliana O’Rourke – 12 May 2021
De Pijp, Amsterdam 1972: Children living in the Amsterdam neighbourhood De Pijp fight for a play street without cars in 1972 -BicycleDutch
De Pijp, Amsterdam 1972 – BicycleDutch (Youtube).
Investigating the UK’s 20-minute city capabilities – transportxtra
Transport accessibility is imperative for sustainable urban growth. As the Government reveals its new Planning Bill this week, with a focus on house-building, the transport accessibility of new developments is increasingly under the spotlight…
Sustainability is all about making decisions that do not have negative consequences for either current or future generations. With the government planning on building hundreds of thousands of new homes a year, they need to be built sustainably. The ethos of a 20-minute city encompasses this.
travel options for everyone.