More than two-thirds (70%) of streets in Hackney now have Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), compared with just 4% of streets in Bexley, reveals the new Healthy Streets Scorecard published today.
The Scorecard, published by a coalition of organisations, ranks London boroughs on how healthy their streets are according to nine indicators including LTNs, bus priority measures, School Streets, Controlled Parking Zones and 20mph limits.
There are no School Streets in Bexley, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Sutton compared with 49% of schools in Islington.
https://www.healthystreetsscorecard.london/results
What makes biking dangerous is all the cars – Adam Kotsko
What makes biking dangerous is all the cars. What makes the bus so slow is all the cars. What makes it so everything is too far away to walk is all the space we have to reserve for the cars.
@adamkotsko Jun 10, 2021
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Active Travel England makes top level appointments, Boardman now permanent – Cycle Industry News
Mark SuttonWednesday, 29 June 2022
The DfT has announced top-level hires at Active Travel England, including the advancement of Chris Boardman’s interim role as head of the department to a permanent position as Active Travel Commissioner.
Appointed alongside, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Danny Williams and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Louise Wilkinson make up a team of five to begin with, with further help pitched in from the DfT as Active Travel England finds its feet.
Danny Williams wrote yesterday: “I know it might sound like a cliché, but being appointed CEO of Active Travel England today is something of a dream come true for me professionally.”
Why does the UK government persist in its 20th century vision for roads in England? – Inside track
This was the subject of a recent event organised by Green Alliance, Campaign for Better Transport, and Transport Action Network (TAN). I outlined the impacts of England’s roadbuilding plans, and the growing resistance to them and we also heard from the Welsh Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters.
Taking the cars out of the cities – Andrew Sissons – Medium
Andrew Sissons
Part 3 of: What would make life better?
Cars make people miserable. They’re noisy, they pollute the air, they hurt people in accidents. They seem to make the people who drive them miserable — there is some evidence that a long commute by car worsens your mental health and overall wellbeing, certainly compared to walking and cycling. They change the ways our towns and cities are laid out. They take up so much space. And the more cars there are, the more they get stuck in each other’s traffic. For the people that drive them and the people that they pass by, cars make life worse. But we’re stuck with them, and most people seem quite happy with that.
I didn’t think going car-free would be possible for me: but it has changed my life | Funmi Shonibare | The Guardian
I’ve always been a driver at heart. I passed my test when I was 19, and I’ve been behind the wheel for most journeys since. After becoming a parent eight years ago, I became even more dependent on my car, thinking that it meant security for me and my child, almost like driving was my duty. I couldn’t imagine a world where I didn’t get around on four wheels, but that all changed when I tried going car-free.
Study suggests existence of up to 2.1m ancient and veteran trees in England | Trees and forests | The Guardian
Study suggests existence of up to 2.1m ancient and veteran trees in England
Researchers find there could be many more ancient trees than previously recorded, amid calls for better protections
There could be more than 2m ancient and veteran trees in England, many times more than previously recorded, researchers have found.
Campaigners are calling on the government to give ancient trees the same protections as wildlife and old buildings.
A study by the University of Nottingham has found there could be 1.7m to 2.1m ancient and veteran trees in England, of which only 115,000 are on record. Most of these are unlikely to be protected by any conservation methods, policy or legislation, so it is impossible to know how many are at risk.
For active travel professionals, now is the time to shout – Transport Xtra
Now that we have a seat at the active travel table, we need to use it and that means more lobbying, more money, more data and case studies, more ambition, more training and more upskilling, says David Alderson is Director and Active Travel Lead, SYSTRA
In England, we have the formation of Active Travel England, Gear Change and LTN 1/20 bedding in. We have a revised Manual for Streets and CWIS 2 incoming later this year, a large number of Emergency Active Travel and Streetspace (via TfL) schemes on the ground, an expanding number of School Streets and LTNs implemented, extensive new and high-quality cycle infrastructure becoming a common sight; and with most councils either having completed, or in the process of developing LCWIPs, with some already on version 2.
Why aren’t more people cycling and walking when fuel prices are at record highs? road.cc Podcast
Simon Macmichael Jun 30, 2022
The cost-of-living crisis has been one of the big stories in the mainstream media in recent weeks, and much of the focus has been on the rocketing price of fuel and how that is hitting motorists in the pocket. To many of you reading this, one solution to reduce those motoring costs will be obvious – ditch the car for shorter or unnecessary journeys, and switch to cycling, walking or public transport instead.
But as Dr Walker, environmental psychology professor at the University of Surrey – not to mention record-breaking ultracyclist explains – trying to get motorists to choose active travel choices, or encouraging healthier diets to tackle rising levels of obesity isn’t as simple as launching a PR campaign with a catchy slogan because, fundamentally, humans are creatures of habit.
Welsh roads review imminent but publication deferred – Transport Xtra
Rhodri Clark 29 June 2022
The ground-breaking Welsh roads review is almost complete but the results will not be revealed to the public until the Welsh Government has examined the findings on each of the 55 schemes under consideration.
The government established an independent Roads Review Panel, chaired by consultant Dr Lynn Sloman, last year. The panel’s task is to consider which current road schemes, if any, are compatible with the government’s updated policies, particularly on climate change, and to…