Bus franchising, mass transit systems, clean air zones and new cycle routes feature in mayors’ transport plans

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.” 

An Australian study has concluded that passing distance laws could be having an ‘unintended side effect’ of increased aggression from drivers towards cyclists, as the country’s car-centric society means many motorists believe that ‘cyclists do not belong on the roads.’