Author name: Steven Edwards

News from Elsewhere

Low Traffic in My Neighbourhood – Young Fabians


Alexander Naile
Posted on 12 September, 2020My street has recently been swarmed by flyers declaring “Say no to road closures!” zip-tied to lampposts and anywhere else they’ll go. There’s anger at Lambeth’s putting in a Low Traffic Neighbourhood, or LTN, and it’s loud, misplaced and from a minority of the population.

News from Elsewhere

How e-cargo bikes can deliver change | BikeBiz


9th September 2020

Rebecca Morley examines how changing travel habits and online shopping trends will impact demand for e-cargo bike.

Demand for deliveries in 2020 is high – many people have been working from home and shopping online during COVID-19 and there’s potential for this trend to continue in the coming months.
And one option that might help, particularly in our cities, is the e-cargo bike. Even pre-COVID, their use had been growing rapidly as businesses looked for zero-emissions delivery solutions that can travel through congested streets faster than other vehicles. And earlier this year, funding was awarded to 18 local authorities from the £2 million eCargo Bike Grant Fund, funded by the DfT and delivered by Energy Saving Trust.

News from Elsewhere

Bash The Barriers – Beyond The Bicycle


We want to see physical and societal barriers to cycling removed and one of our key areas of concern are the physical barriers installed by local authorities across cycle paths. Disabled cyclists have been using their knowledge of freedom of information and equality legislation to challenge such barriers with some success. A great example of the process, type of questions and local authority reaction can be reviewed here.

Because equality legislation requires complaints to be made by the person with the protected characteristic, we would advise that only disabled people should use this process for challenging local authorities and only if they cannot physically dismount and walk or carry their cycle (such as a handcyclist). We would love to hear from you if this process has worked for you or if we can put in in touch with someone with experience in challenging local authorities. Please drop us a line here.

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Wandsworth Council suspend LTN trials – road.cc

11-9-2
The council in the London Borough has faced a backlash from some locals, and it looks like they’ve bowed to pressure. 
Councillor John Locker said: “We have monitored the traffic flows and listened to feedback from residents and businesses. We have also spoken to our partners including local hospitals and key services to hear the impact on them.
“It is clear that the LTNs are not delivering the benefits we want to see. In fact it looks like the combination of changes in areas like Tooting, where TfL are making changes to the main high road, are unfortunately having the opposite effect. That is why we have taken the difficult decision to pause and re-think about how we can achieve our objective of delivering healthier, safer streets.”
He added: “We all want to do what is right environmentally, whilst maintaining people’s ability to travel and making sure town centres and high streets function properly. It’s important that we listen to what people are saying so that we get this right.”

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Electric bike and scooter sales boom spurs Halfords back to growth | The Guardian


Sales more than triple on e-bikes and scooters as commuters avoid public transport

Zoe WoodTue 8 Sep 2020 17.51
Sales of electric bikes and scooters have more than tripled over the summer months, according to Halfords as the health crisis has prompted people to steer clear of public transport.
While many retailers are struggling due to the economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the car and bicycle parts company is enjoying a purple patch as shoppers invest in new wheels as well as sprucing up old bikes left languishing in sheds and garages.

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Sadiq Khan faces calls from Labour to scrap Silvertown road tunnel | The Guardian


Shadow minister says £1.2bn project should be ditched in favour of green transport links

Matthew TaylorMon 7 Sep 2020 07.00 BST

The shadow minister for climate change has called on the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to abandon his plans for a new four-lane road tunnel under the Thames.
Matthew Pennycook, who is also a local MP, said there was still time for the Labour mayor to reverse the plans for the £1.2bn Silvertown tunnel project, which is opposed by environmentalists, climate scientists and many local residents.

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Strategic planning must focus more on secondary school trips


Local Transport Today is the authoritative, independent journal for transport decision makers. Analysis, Comment & News on Transport Policy, Planning, Finance and Delivery since 1989.School Streets are a welcome development, but they focus mostly on primary schools. Measures are urgently needed to make it safe for secondary school students to cycle to school, writes Lucy Marstrand, walking and cycling lead at Project Centre

News from Elsewhere

Air pollution causes 3m lost working days per year in UK, says CBI | The Guardian


Analysis finds work absences related to poor air are costing Britain about £600m annually

Fiona HarveyWed 9 Sep 2020 00.01 BST
Polluted air in the UK causes 3m working days to be lost every year owing to people getting sick or taking time off to care for sick children, new research suggests.
Cutting air pollution and meeting the World Health Organization standards would benefit the economy by about £1.6bn a year, by improving productivity, according to the analysis carried out by the CBI. About 17,000 premature deaths of working age people each
year would be prevented by meeting the guidelines.

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