A cyclist was left “seriously concussed” today after coming off their bike when they had to swerve to avoid a motor vehicle, but in doing so hit another one on London’s Kensington High Street – where the council last month tore out a protected cycle lane.
We understand that the incident happened towards the western boundary of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) with Hammersmith & Fulham, close to the Olympia exhibition venue.

The newly-created Cycling Marketing Board (CMB) aims to do for bicycle sales what the Milk Marketing Board once did for milk.
CMB has been formed by Fusion Media, a marketing communications agency specializing in cycling, and is paid for by bicycle brands, retailers and organizations to “entice new consumers to cycling, and diversify cycling’s image with governments and in the media.”
Fusion Media coordinated last year’s industry-backed #BikeIsBest campaign. A promo for the campaign has been watched nearly 3 million times on YouTube.

Bicycle couriers in York have asked that a ban on cycling on pedestrianised city centre streets be relaxed on the grounds that it is making their deadlines impossible to hit. “York’s restaurants are relying on us,” argued a union representative.
York Press reports that cycling is not permitted on most of York’s pedestrianised streets.
However, Cristian Santabarbara, of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), says this isn’t factored into employers’ algorithms and so couriers risk losing pay for arriving at customers’ homes late.

In Paris, the Champs-Élysées was originally designed as a place to stroll. But in 2021, around 64,000 cars travel down the eight-lane avenue each day. It’s polluted and noisy, and while the sidewalks are filled with tourists, it isn’t a place where people living nearby want to walk.

London’s taxi trade has won a High Court ruling challenging Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Streetspace plan which sought to manage the Covid-19 pandemic by making streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
The case United Trade Action Group Ltd & Anor, R (On the Application Of) v Transport for London & Anor saw Mrs Justice Lang rule that it was unlawful to close sections of London’s roads off to certain vehicles, including Taxis.
The ruling may now see some road space handed back on the grounds that Transport for London allegedly failed to distinguish taxis from general traffic. The Taxi organisation argued that the vehicles are a form of public transport. Interim Guidance offered to Boroughs has now been barred from further roll out, which will undoubtedly see a reduction in the number of pop-up cycle lanes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

The scheme complements measures that TfL and Lambeth Council are implementing across the borough as part of the Mayor’s of London’s Streetspace programme, which enables safer walking and cycling during the coronavirus pandemic.
The results of a TfL consultation into the scheme show that 83% of respondents agreed that the proposals would make people feel safer cycling through the area, with 70% saying the same about walking.
Ensuring that people feel safe when walking and cycling is absolutely vital to enable more people to reduce their reliance on cars and switch journeys to more sustainable modes wherever possible.

Elon Musk has once again used Twitter to air a controversial opinion. This time the SpaceX and Tesla billionaire has upset urbanists with his dismissal of a phenomenon that was first described in 1866.
On December 29, Musk tweeted that: “Induced demand is one of the most irrational theories I’ve ever heard.”
This was in response to critics who had pointed out that his earlier tweet—“Build super safe, Earthquake-proof tunnels under cities to solve traffic”—was merely describing a subway tunnel.
Musk later added: “If the transport system exceeds public travel needs, there will be very little traffic.”
There is very little empirical evidence for this claim, and copious evidence to the contrary, especially in Southern California, where Musk lives, and where the laying down of generous amounts of asphalt has always stimulated motor-vehicle use. (Electric cars get snarled in traffic just as easily as non-electric cars.)

A DRIVER who believes cyclists are a menace he should not share a road with is also dead against cycle lanes, he has confirmed. 
Roy Hobbs, driver of a Mitsubishi Shogun, admits he does not like driving within 50 yards of a cyclist in case there is an accident and they damage his paintwork. 
He said: “Roads are for cars. Simple as. Cycling on them risks their lives and my no-claims bonus.