Author name: Steven Edwards

Laura Laker Thu 13 Aug 2020
Instead of spending £27bn on new roads, let’s make existing ones better for the two-thirds of people too scared to cycle

Two-thirds of people in England feel “it is too dangerous for me to cycle on the roads”, according to the latest National Travel Attitudes Survey. That’s two-thirds of people who feel too intimidated to take to two wheels as part of everyday trips, or for leisure – and it’s up from 61% the previous year. Astonishingly, 57% of people who already cycle agreed with the sentiment.

So last week, I wrote about Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and how it was my opinion that we needed a little honesty from those objecting to them as to why they are objecting to them.

The post had a few comments (I’ve published all received) and unfortunately a few have kind of reinforced the point I was making. There were people projecting onto others with the usual tropes of why nobody is thinking of elderly people, disabled people and NHS workers (home visits). There was a comment about the schemes pushing traffic from where wealthy car owners live onto the main roads where less well-off people live. There was also a comment about going the extra mile (yes I smiled) to listen to concerns which I cannot disagree with.

Mark Sutton14 August, 2020

City planners across the globe have been gifted a once in a lifetime opportunity to trial a new way to move on decongested streets. In the UK, results have been mixed, but our Parisian neighbours have led Europe at seizing the opportunity. Mark Cramer of Freewheeling France shares his report of progress.

Accompanied by LCC’s events officer Calum Rogers, Francis Cade is taken on a tour of London’s new cycling infrastructure, with plenty of examples of both permanent and pop-up lanes. 

The United Trade Action Group (UTAG) and the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) are asking for a judicial review of Streetspace for London in its entirety, plus the Bishopsgate Bus Gate scheme that excludes black cabs during peak times.

Mark Sutton4 August, 2020
Increased cycling levels across Europe should form a key pillar of the EU meeting the objectives of its Green Deal, which hopes to shave 90% off transport emissions by 2050.

Taking part in a public consultation on how to meet such a lofty ambition, a trio of key European cycling orgs – the European Cyclists Federation, trade-body Cycling Industries Europe and CONEBI – have put forward a recommendation to the EU that will go a long way to slashing transport emissions.

Specifically, the European cycling associations have jointly called for:

1) The treatment of cycling as an equal partner in the mobility system;

2) €6bn in EU funding for safe, high quality cycling infrastructure;

3) Improving the EU Urban Mobility policy framework;

4) Enabling a centralised €5.5 bn EU E-bike Access Fund to make the benefits of e-bikes available in all countries in the EU and stimulate further job creation ; and

5) Developing and implementing a genuine EU Cycling Strategy.

From guided tours to maps and insurance, we have all the advice you need to have a successful cycling trip

Carlton ReidWed 12 Aug 2020 08.00 BST

Bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since April 2019 due to structural concerns

:excerptstart05/08/20Reported annual walking activity, in terms oftrips made and miles walked, decreased in 2019after increasing in recent years

I’ll say from the outset that I am a supporter of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and as a result, I am trying to overcome my confirmation bias when engaging with people who do not support them. However, I don’t think there’s enough honesty coming forth from some of the objectors.

For those who don’t know, low traffic neighbourhoods are areas which maybe take no more than 15 minutes to walk across and from which through-motor traffic has been removed using modal filters to create a system of filtered permeability (I’ve written a whole guide to it for City Infinity). They are an integral part of the Sustainable Safety approach pioneered in the Netherlands and can be seen all over the world.