Cycling has increased by 38% during the hours the scheme is in operation
Lydia Chantler-Hicks
One thousand extra pedestrians are walking in Stoke Newington Church Street every day – thanks to new traffic restrictions that have seen the number of cars using the road fall by 60%.
A bus gate was installed under an experimental traffic order last September, to reduce the number of cars using the trendy Hackney high street and surrounding area between 7am and 7pm.
Hackney Council says the ‘low traffic neighbourhood’ scheme has seen walking and cycling surge between those times, with cycling up 38% and pedestrian numbers up 16%.
London Assembly backs ULEZ expansion and road user charging options | London Cycling Campaign
November 18, 2022
With a clear majority, on the 17th of November, the London Assembly backed the Mayor’s revision to his Transport Strategy opening up the option to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to cover all of London and later introduce ‘Smart & Fair Road User Charging’ (SFRUC). The vote was along party lines, with Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat members voting for the revision, Conservative members against.
Nottingham heralds WPL as paving the way to greener transport – Transport Xtra
Nottingham heralds WPL as paving the way to greener transport
Deniz Huseyin10 November 2022Since its launch 10 years ago, Nottingham’s workplace parking levy (WPL) has raised almost £90m for sustainable transport, a new report reveals.
Nottingham City Council said the levy also enabled it to secure “inward investment” of over £1bn in transport, including £570m for the tram network, £200m for electric buses and £60m to transform Nottingham Station into a 21st century multi-modal interchange.
1924: “Streets are provided primarily for unobstructed passage. – Michael Liebreich – Twitter
@MLiebreich
1924: “Streets are provided primarily for unobstructed passage. If any of them are given over to standing vehicles it is by sufferance and not by any right… The automobilist who hunts for a parking place on the streets and finds it is favored by privilege.” Brooklyn Newspapers.
Multimillion-pound UK road scheme facing legal action on climate grounds | Road transport | The Guardian
A legal challenge has been launched against a road scheme that opponents say clashes with climate goals.
Changes aimed at improving car journeys between Milton Keynes and Cambridge by upgrading junctions and building a 10-mile dual carriageway on the A428 between Black Cat and Caxton Gibbet were approved in the summer. The scheme, estimated to cost £810m-£950m, is listed in the government’s growth plan for accelerated delivery.
Scrapping five biggest road schemes would ‘nearly halve budget deficit’ – TAN – Transport Xtra
Spending money on new roads would swallow billions of public funds for very little return, Todd argues. “lso, building new roads in the long term makes things worse, with any congestion relief often short-lived and offset by increases in congestion on the wider road network.”
5 reasons why Dutch kids are happier than American kids – DutchReview
Heather Hager July 20, 2022
Dutch kids are a marvel: cycling around town, hanging onto the back of their parents’ bike, and eating hagelslag like there’s no tomorrow. No wonder they’re among the happiest children in the world — but why is that? And what’s different in Dutch kids’ upbringing in comparison to how American kids are raised?
London bike riders facing ‘dehumanising’ abuse online, British Cycling say | Evening Standard
Social media forums are also seeing misogynist language used
William Mata
London cyclists are worried “dehumanising” language directed at them on social media could be transferred into aggression on roads.
British Cycling has said the issue is particularly bad in the capital and the south east where there are proportionally more people on a bike.
Nick Chamberlain, policy manager of British Cycling, said: “Cyclists are worried that abuse online is going to be converted to dangerous [behaviour] on the road either verbally, or tragically physically where people have used a vehicle as a weapon.
“It is just generally dehumanising language. Things have not got better. The abuse is still there. The language is as unpleasant now as it was ten years ago.”
Residential speed limit of 20mph to save Wales £100m in first year | Wales | The Guardian
Rule change, a first for a UK nation, will save more than 100 lives over a decade, research claims
Steven Morris
Setting the default speed limit at 20mph in residential roads in Wales will save £100m in the first year alone as deaths and injuries are reduced, according to research.
The move, a first for a UK nation, will save more than 100 lives over a decade, the research claims, though a second study has found many people are concerned the limit will be very difficult to enforce and do not believe drivers will respect it.
The Labour-led government is introducing the 20mph speed limit scheme for many roads in residential and built-up areas across Wales in September 2023.
Town vs gown and car vs bike: row erupts over Cambridge congestion plan | Transport policy | The Guardian
Donna Ferguson
Now, tensions between town and gown are rising again in Cambridge. This time, it’s over proposals to introduce a £5 congestion charge on weekday car journeys to the city, with a protest march to Parker’s Piece common planned for 27 November.
People who live in the city centre and mainly cycle or walk, such as students and Cambridge dons, stand to benefit greatly from the scheme. Others, such as workers and families who have to drive everyday, are facing charges of up to £1,300 a year per car.