London mayor Sadiq Khan is pressing the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to approve the reinstatement of a protected cycle lane on Kensington High Street when councillors consider the matter this month.
Kensington and Chelsea installed temporary cycle lanes  on the street with light segregation last September following pressure from Transport for London and the Government. The Prime Minister’s transport adviser Andrew Gilligan took a personal interest in the scheme. 

If you don’t build it, they won’t come
The 1989 film, Field of Dreams, is one of those from which a particular line has become a popular saying: “If you build it, they will come.” This is, as pedants like me will tiresomely remind people, a misquote of the original: “If you build it, he will come.” The ‘he’ in this case is the deceased father of the lead character (Ray, played by Kevin Costner), and the line is uttered by an ethereal voice only he can hear. The ‘it’ Ray had to build in the film was a baseball pitch, so that a ghostly ballgame could take place. The ‘it’ most often referred to in contemporary discourse on streets is cycle tracks, with the ‘they’ being people on cycles who would not otherwise travel that way.

But in 2021, in a climate and clean air emergency, what should it look like and who should it be for?
There are better greener and cleaner options than a motorway, like this recently proposed walking and cycling bridge, which has been greeted enthusiastically by local people.
The Silvertown Tunnel scheme in contrast is vehemently opposed by locals on environmental and economic grounds. First outlined by Boris Johnson in 2012 and developed by the same team that worked on the Garden Bridge, this is a dysfunctional scheme which has been pushed through initially on the grounds of assisting economic growth in East London but now of lessening congestion and pollution.

Are you still in danger? – make yourself safe!
When toppled from your bicycle, your first priority is to avert further danger to yourself. If unable to move out of harm’s way, then shout, wave or whistle to attract assistance.
Emergency assistance
In an emergency, always telephone 999 for an ambulance if you need them; this call will be logged and can be very useful evidence subsequently. [Note too the European-wide, and increasingly international standard emergency number 112, which can be placed on your mobile contacts list]. If you are injured but don’t need an ambulance, you can call 111 and they will give you advice and direct you to call 999 if necessary. For less serious injuries, seek assistance from A&E or your GP.

“Change is loss” is what Boris Johnson said as London Mayor when his officials advised changes to the capital’s road network. Over the last nine months we have seen that view expressed time and again, as over 70 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) have come into force, funded by the government’s emergency active travel fund in a response to the pandemic. Sadiq Khan’s campaign launch was disrupted by anti-LTN protesters this week and councillors overseeing the changes have been subjected to more than the usual abuse thrown at local politicians and communities have been divided.

While electric cars are more sustainable than their fossil fuel alternatives, they create air pollution through particulate emissions from tyres and lack the health advantages of walking and cycling, said Imperial academics Professor Robert Shorten of the Dyson School of Design Engineering and Dr Audrey de Nazelle of the Centre for Environmental Policy.The academics were speaking at a Sustainability Week event on urban mobility last Friday alongside George O’Connor from the world’s largest private mobility provider, Enterprise Holdings, Justin Abbott from Better Streets for Kensington and Chelsea, and chair Professor Mary Ryan, Imperial’s Vice-Dean for the Faculty of Engineering. The panellists said they would like to see cities transformed to better support walking and cycling and shared vehicle solutions.

By Amy Woodfield

BBC News, East Midlands
An army veteran is planning to cycle more than 300 miles (483km) on a penny farthing to raise money for charity.
Dean Williams, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, is doing the double coast-to-coast ride along the border of England and Scotland in June.
Mr Williams was due to ride the bicycle in the 350-mile (563km) Battlefield Bike Ride in France and Belgium but it was postponed due to coronavirus.
He said the unusual bike is “very comfortable” to ride.