Mind you, we suspect that many aren’t that familiar with what the current rules say, judging by some responses we’ve received
By Simon Macmichael Dec 06, 2021
Well, the road.cc postbag … okay, inbox … has been busier than usual these past few days after we published an article on Thursday saying that the Department for Transport (DfT) had laid forthcoming changes to the Highway Code before Parliament, and that they are due to come into effect by the end of next month. But the disconnect between the contents of some of those replies, and what the Highway Code currently says even before the amended rules come in hardly fills us with confidence about the extent to which they will be observed.
link to original article
Tesla owners can now play video games… while their car is moving – road.cc
Latest development sees Elon Musk’s company accused of encouraging driver distraction. Could it put cyclists in even more danger?
Simon Macmichael Dec 08 2021
Owners of Tesla cars can now play video games while driving their vehicles following the company’s latest update, with Elon Musk’s business accused of encouraging driver distraction and endangering them and other road users.
The infotainment touchscreen panel that sits in the middle of the dashboard – and which in the latest models has a whopping 17-inch display, bigger than most laptop screens – has been capable of being used to play video games for a while now when the vehicle is in park mode.
Owners of Tesla cars can now play video games while driving their vehicles following the company’s latest update, with Elon Musk’s business accused of encouraging driver distraction and endangering them and other road users.
The infotainment touchscreen panel that sits in the middle of the dashboard – and which in the latest models has a whopping 17-inch display, bigger than most laptop screens – has been capable of being used to play video games for a while now when the vehicle is in park mode.
I’m not allowed to say it in public, so I never say it in public – George Hahn (198K Followers) Twitter
George Hahn @georgehahn Replying to @Streetfilms
I’m not allowed to say it in public, so I never say it in public.
But I’m gonna say it in public:
f%kin’ people with their f%kin’ cars.
People most likely to commute by bike where traffic speed below 20mph – but presence of lorries on roads makes no difference, says study – road.cc
Simon Macmichael Dec 07 2021
Researchers at University of Surrey say that findings can help councils reach decisions on speed limits and cycling infrastructure
A new study of almost 35,000 commutes in Surrey has revealed that people are most likely to cycle to work when traffic speeds on the routes that take them there are below 20mph.
A research team at the University of Surrey found that while roads that were busier with motor traffic acted as a deterrent to cycling, speed of vehicles put potential riders – and women in particular – off to a greater degree.
The study has been published in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation under the title, What aspects of traffic intensity most influence cycling mode choice? A study of commuting in Surrey, UK(link is external).
The university said that the study “analysed traffic data for all roads and cycle routes in Surrey to look at how different vehicle speeds, volumes, the proportion of heavy goods vehic
Carbon cost for A66 preferred route questioned by residents | New Civil Engineer
Catherine Kennedy
Local residents have claimed that the preferred route for a section of National Highways’ £1bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine project has been selected despite producing more carbon than the alternative.
National Highways announced the preferred route for the length of road past Kirby Thore village in Cumbria in May 2020.
However, according to the sifting matrix used to evaluate the routes, the preferred route would lead to 602,166t of carbon emissions, compared to 177,289t for the discounted option.
Local resident Emma Nicholson emphasised that “rather than going in a straight line that would be around 3km” National Highways has chosen to “go round the village, which would be between 4km or 5km” (see diagram below).
Swampy on tunnels, bailiffs and 25 years of protest: ‘We need to stop capitalists destroying the planet’ | Protest | The Guardian
Patrick Barkham
Dan works in forestry. Clare is a school counsellor. Recently, they took their youngest son to a superhero film. Their middle son loves football. They miss their eldest, Rory, who left home a few months ago.
The Hoopers are much like any other family with three children, or they would be if Dan did not have an unusual superpower. He is the best DIY digger of tunnels in the country. And for a quarter of a century he has burrowed passageways into the paths of new roads, runways and railways that destroy the countryside and add to spiralling carbon emissions and global heating. In this strange underland, Dan has another name: Swampy.
The story of Swampy, “the human mole”, was a tabloid fable in the 1990s. Margaret Thatcher’s “Roads for Prosperity” – supposedly the biggest road-building scheme since the Romans – was attracting growing opposition. Protests culminated outside Newbury, Berkshire, in 1996 when thousands marched against a bypass.
Journalist admits anti-cycle lane angle on London being named world’s most congested city would “get more readers” – road.cc
Traffic data firm Inrix says this morning’s ‘Bike lanes make London world’s most congested city’ headlines were not “accurately representing what we have said”
Simon Macmichael Dec 07, 2021
Mainstream media headlines this morning blaming London being named the city with the world’s worst congestion on bike lanes are not “accurately representing what we have said,” according to the company that carried out the research, adding that one journalist had admitted that the anti-cycle lane angle “gets more readers.”
How will humanity endure the climate crisis? I asked an acclaimed sci-fi writer | Daniel Aldana Cohen | The Guardian
9 Dec 2021
To really grasp the present, we need to imagine the future – then look back from it to better see the now. The angry climate kids do this naturally. The rest of us need to read good science fiction. A great place to start is Kim Stanley Robinson.
Robinson is one of the most brilliant writers of the genre. During Covid quarantine, I read 11 of his books, culminating in his instant classic The Ministry for the Future, which imagines several decades of climate politics starting this decade.
The first lesson of his books is obvious: climate is the story.
Charley says that Britain’s new towns are great. – BFI (video)
Charley says (no, not that one) that Britain’s new towns are great. Meet Charley, your jovial cartoon guide to Britain’s changing towns and cities. Interestingly, the New Towns Act of 1946 is not explicitly mentioned in this film, with the recommendations presented as if they had been conjured up by a popular movement. Halas & Batchelor worked with the Central Office of Information on seven Charley films which communicated many of the landmark policies of the post-war Labour Government. Watch more on the BFI Player: http://player.bfi.org.uk/
A lost decade of Workplace Parking Levy: what were the costs for Bristol? | Centre for Cities
A Workplace Parking Levy would simultaneously help Bristol face some of major its challenges: reaching net zero, improving air quality and making public transport better
3 December 2021- Guilherme Rodrigues
In recent months, Bristol City Council has discussed the possibility of implementing a Workplace Parking Levy (WPL). This idea is not new, it was initially talked about in 2011 but unlike Nottingham – the only city with a WPL – it has not been introduced.
Centre for Cities has previously recommended and supported a WPL as a form of tackling car congestion. Postponing the introduction of these levies is very understandable, especially in a period of post-pandemic recovery. That said, there are real costs associated with delaying a WPL: more congestion and less fare revenue to fund public transport improvements.
Bristol faces serious problems associated with private-car congestion
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