Author name: Steven Edwards

News from Elsewhere

‘It’s people that change cities and generate the places in which we live – Transport Xtra

•
Martina Juvara is an accomplished urban planner who believes that people-friendly streets have a key role to play in dealing with dramatic societal and environmental changes. She talks to Annie Marstrand about the importance of mixed communities, life after COP26 and why she remains optimistic despite lack of government action

Six months after attending COP26, Martina Juvara admits to disappointment that the conference seems to have made little impact on prevailing attitudes. She hoped the stark warnings made in Glasgow would have been a catalyst for policy and behaviour change, including how we set objectives, travel and even shop.

News from Elsewhere

“Glaring mismatch” in CWIS2 goals and funding, says Cycling UK – Cycle Industry News

•


Mark SuttonFriday, 8 July 2022

Cycling UK has followed Bikeability and Sustrans with a reaction to the second Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), but cut a very different tone in the reaction to the contents.
Campaigns and Policy Director Roger Geffen MBE, never one sugarcoat a reaction, outlines his belief that there exists a “glaring mismatch between the increases in cycling and walking the Department for Transport (DfT) is aiming to achieve, and the funding available for doing so.”
In an analytical blog on the subject, Geffen dismantles what you may assume to be an increased funding pot (The figure of £3.784bn emerged in the CWIS2 document).

News from Elsewhere

Cars = More Parking = More Cars — Transportation Alternatives

•


July 8, 2022
Our cities have been built around moving cars, not people — and New York is no exception.
From mandatory parking minimums to the 3 million free parking spots, New York City is home to countless policy and infrastructure decisions that create the perfect conditions to encourage car ownership, increase demand for parking, and build car dependency.
It’s a vicious cycle known as “induced demand” — the phenomenon of increased supply causing increased desire.
There is a better way.

News from Elsewhere

Healthy Streets Scorecard reveals huge contrasts across the capital – Transport Xtra

•


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

News from Elsewhere

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.”

News from Elsewhere

Why does the UK government persist in its 20th century vision for roads in England? – Inside track

•
Wales is suspending and reviewing its roadbuilding programme and Scotland has committed to 20 per cent traffic reduction by 2030, so why is the government still pursuing a 20th century roads programme in England? It’s costing billions of pounds and driving us backwards on climate change and traffic reduction?

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.

News from Elsewhere

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.

News from Elsewhere

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.

News from Elsewhere

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.

Scroll to Top