02 May 2022
A search for Britain’s noisiest streets has been launched by the Department for Transport (DfT), with four areas across England and Wales set to trial technology to help stop rowdy motorists revving their engines unnecessarily or using illegal exhausts. Since the technology is still in its design phase, MPs are being invited to submit applications to trial new innovative noise cameras in their local area, helping to ensure communities can enjoy their public and residential spaces…
‘Criminalising our right to protest’: green groups’ anger over public order bill | Environmental activism | The Guardian
Measures in Queen’s speech would have outlawed protests that won votes for women and legalisation of unions, say critics
Helena Horton
Environmental campaign groups have hit out at the “draconian” protest crackdown bill announced in the Queen’s speech.
The new law appears to be targetted at groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain who have used disruptive methods to draw attention to the climate crisis.
Announcing the bill, Priti Patel said: “As the Queen’s speech outlined, the public order bill backs the police to prevent antisocial protests from disrupting people’s lives.” The home secretary hailed the “new criminal offences for ‘locking on’ and interfering with national infrastructure, and serious disruption prevention orders for reoffenders”.
The new criminalisation of “locking on” is aimed at protesters who handcuff or glue themselves to infrastructure, a favourite tactic of green protest groups. Insulate Britain demonstrators made headlines last year after glueing themselves to major roads, and Extinction Rebellion members have previously handcuffed and glued themselves to trains, causing disruption.
‘It’s just more and more lanes’: the Texan revolt against giant new highways I theguardian.com
Ross Lydall
Some of the most vocal LTN opponents in Enfield, who the Tories had recruited as candidates, failed to get elected in other wards – which LTN supporters said was a vote of faith in the traffic-reducing schemes.
In Dulwich, the pro-LTN Labour candidates standing for Southwark council emerged victorious over the Tories and Lib-Dems, both of which had opposed the schemes.
LTNs ‘the dog that didn’t bark’ in London council elections I standard.co.uk
Ross Lydall
Some of the most vocal LTN opponents in Enfield, who the Tories had recruited as candidates, failed to get elected in other wards – which LTN supporters said was a vote of faith in the traffic-reducing schemes.
In Dulwich, the pro-LTN Labour candidates standing for Southwark council emerged victorious over the Tories and Lib-Dems, both of which had opposed the schemes.
An archipelago pedal: e-bikes and islands in northern Norway I theguardian.com
I balk a little at the idea of riding an e-bike for our multi-day trip across the Helgeland archipelago in northern Norway. Bar a brief pause in my 20s, I have ridden a bike most days of my life without electrical assistance. And we’re only set to average 22 miles (35km) a day, albeit carrying a week’s worth of clothing, which I don’t usually do.
“You’ll enjoy it more this way,” says Maylinn Storjord at the tourist office, where my friend and I are hiring bikes. “It is flat, but Norwegian flat.”
The comparison reminds me of the way surfers in Hawaii scale their waves differently from the rest of us, on account of their huge size. I take her advice but vow not to switch the battery on for at least the first day. I regret this decision almost immediately, as e-bikes are a lot heavier than normal bikes, especially with panniers jam-packed with provisions.
Leicester looks to workplace levy to fund bus plan after BSI I transportxtra.com
Deniz Huseyin
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Climate sceptic thinktank received funding from fossil fuel interests – theguardian.com
Helena Horton
An influential thinktank that has led the backlash against the government’s net zero policy has received funding from groups with oil and gas interests, according to tax documents seen by the Guardian and OpenDemocracy.
Though the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) has always said it is independent of the fossil fuel industry, the revelations about its funding will raise questions over its campaigning.
The thinktank has always refused to disclose its donors, but tax documents filed with US authorities reveal that one of its donors has $30m (£24m) of shares in 22 companies working in coal, oil and gas.
Country basically run for benefit of angry drivers – thedailymash.co.uk
The Daily Mash 28th April 2022
BRITAIN is governed with the sole aim of appeasing red-faced drivers with high blood pressure, it has been confirmed.
Both the Conservative and Labour party have a tacit agreement that any legislation they propose to tackle congestion or climate change must be toothless enough not to annoy Britain’s car owners in any way.
Tory MP Norman Steele said: “We want a greener future, cleaner air and safer roads for the sake of our children. We even want more pedestrianised areas for scum who can’t afford an Audi.
“Obviously we can’t have any of those things because it would antagonise Britain’s most important demographic, angry drivers who swear a lot, especially at cyclists. And who can blame them? I hate those sneaky little worms with their helmet cameras.
Excess traffic to blame for delays to emergency services, study finds transportxtra.com
Deniz Huseyin 03 May 2022
Too many vehicles rather than traffic calming measures is the most likely reason for delays in ambulance and fire engine response times in London, concludes a report by climate action charity Possible.
Its analysis of the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns found that 999 London Ambulance Service average response times to the most serious medical emergencies fell by 47 seconds, and by 2 minutes 39 seconds for serious emergencies where patients were conveyed to hospital.
E-bikes trialled at Bristol hospital to deliver goods – BBC News
A new e-cargo bike scheme to deliver hospital goods in Bristol is to be trialled.
Goods and services have been previously been transported using diesel vans but now the West of England Combined Authority has invested £920,000 on using e-bikes instead.
The trial will monitor the carbon savings of the bikes in comparison to the vans using a GPS tracker.
A year-long trial will take place from June for 12 months.
Sam Willitts, one of the trial participants from the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI), said the e-bikes offer a greener solution.
He said: “It is a massive shift away from fossil fuels, it’s reducing our carbon emissions and its cleaner air.
“We really don’t want to be contributing to the health impacts of transporting things around the hospital sites.”
Recent estimates suggest e-cargo bikes deliver about 60% faster than diesel vans and cut carbon emissions by 90%.
