BBC News16 August
Almost every London school is in an area where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization limits, City Hall analysis suggests.
Figures show 98% of schools are in areas with toxic air quality, compared with 24% outside the capital.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah whose nine-year-old daughter died from pollution said “it was like lessons had not been learned”.
Across England 3.1m schoolchildren are affected.
Excessive levels of air pollution can stunt lung growth and worsen chronic diseases.
The analysis is based on figures from 2019, before the pandemic struck the UK.
City Hall said it shows the average concentration of particulate matter was a third higher at schools in London than in the rest of England.
Of the 30 local authorities with the highest particulate matter at schools, all but two were London boroughs.
‘I want to cycle without the fear of being hurt’ – BBC News
BBC News 2 days ago
A new social media campaign seeks to highlight to motorists that each cyclist is a person rather than a piece of street furniture.
It is raising awareness of the risks to those on bikes as more cars return to the roads after lockdown.
Joanne Ness, from Birmingham, launched the “More than a Cyclist” message after a fatal crash involving a friend.
An experienced cyclist herself, Ms Ness said his loss left her too frightened to enjoy the sport for months.
Last year, 140 cyclists died on Britain’s roads.
The latest government figures show there has been a 4% decrease in the number of cyclists killed in the past year, which the Department for Transport associates with a reduction of traffic during the pandemic.
“Cycling has always been a bit dangerous,” Ms Ness said. “In lockdown one, things were quiet, but ever since, the roads have got really bad.
Driver fined £400 after almost crashing into group of cyclists | road.cc
The motorist was also given nine points on his licence for the appalling driving
A driver has been fined almost £400 and given nine points on his licence for a ‘careless’ close pass on a group of cyclists.
The impatient motorist was trying to get past the riders as they approached a traffic island.
One of the cyclists even had to swerve to avoid being hit as the driver sped by on the A4054 in Pontypridd, Wales.
GoSafe, which aims to ensure safety on Welsh roads, said the manoeuvre ‘severely increased the risk to the safety of the cyclists involved’.
The motorist pleaded guilty to driving without due care at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court, where he received a fine of £386 and was given the maximum amount of points you can receive for that offence.
‘Cowardly’ driver who went to bed after killing boy, 15, jailed for 40 months – Liverpool Echo
Lauren Wise
A driver who mowed down and killed a 15-year-old boy riding his bike has been jailed.
Leo Meek ‘took out’ Jack Jones while driving a Volkswagen Tiguan on Manor Drive at around 9.40pm on April 26 this year.
The 15-year-old from Moreton had been cycling the familiar route to his aunt’s house after spending the evening watching a film with his little brother.
Meek, 22, left Jack with fatal head and neck injuries while speeding at between 53 and 55mph on a 30mph residential road.
He then fled the scene, and didn’t even apply his brakes, ditching his friend’s dad’s car and getting a taxi home, where he went to bed.
A bridge too far: can Sydney overcome nimbyism to become a cycling city? | Sydney | The Guardian
The delays and opposition to the long-awaited Harbour Bridge ramp are emblematic of a city still not at peace with cyclists
Gary Nunn
One of the world’s most feted pieces of transport infrastructure currently lets down an increasingly popular mode of transport: the bicycle.
Currently, the 2,000 cyclists who cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s dedicated cycleway daily must dismount and battle 55 steps on the north side. The number of cyclists struggling on the stairs looks only set to grow: cycling in Sydney’s inner city has doubled in the last two years.
Queensbury tunnel memorial commemorates 10 dead workers – BBC News
BBC News 4 hours ago
A memorial to the 10 men known to have died during construction of the Queensbury tunnel has been installed.
Work on the now disused 1.4-mile (2.3km) railway tunnel between Bradford and Halifax began in 1874 and was completed in July 1878.
Now campaigners hoping to reopen the disused tunnel as a cycle route have remembered the navvies who built it.
Two rows of wooden railway sleepers stand either side of the path and each is dedicated to a man who died.
The tunnel was delayed by two years despite a 600-strong workforce, with dozens of injuries, many of them life-changing, and 10 deaths, said the Queensbury Tunnel Society.
Huge boost to active travel in Scotland as SNP and Greens pledge to spend nearly £60 per person per year | road.cc
Massive hike in budget for walking and cycling revealed in shared policy document published today
The SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested in May’s elections to te Scottish Parliament, one short of an overall majority, while the Green Party won eight seats.
Cycle Tracks In Tight Spaces – The Ranty Highwayman
One of the issues we sometimes come up against is where we have a road with traffic volumes requiring cycle tracks to enable people to cycle, but where there isn’t enough space – what are the options?
Of course, there is always enough space if we are willing to be radical, but for lots of reasons, a road may still be needed to move motor traffic and making wider network changes may be way beyond a project scope or funding. It would be better to be working to detailed plans, but we have to be pragmatic.
Never mind going electric, where will we park? – BBC News
18 August 2021
A sleek, shiny car breezes along an open road, zipping easily through narrow city streets. Its paintwork is pristine, its electric engine is clean and silent. When it arrives there is parking right outside the front door.
So much for the advert. In reality, traffic in the UK is often slow and the roads can be clogged. A 60-mile (96km) journey on 60mph roads is reckoned to take 85 minutes – an average speed of 42mph (67km/h).
Drivers already own 32 million cars – that’s up 28% since 2001, during which time the population has only risen by 13%. And by 2050 there will be 44 million cars in the UK – so start looking for that parking space now.
Last year, the government announced a £2.8bn package to encourage drivers to switch to greener vehicles. This included a £1.3bn investment in charging infrastructure as well as discounts of up to £2,500 on low emission vehicles costing under £30,000.
Why is life on Earth still taking second place to fossil fuel companies? | George Monbiot | The Guardian
:excerptstart The human tragedy is that there is no connection between what we know and what we do. Almost everyone is now at least vaguely aware that we face the greatest catastrophe our species has ever confronted. Yet scarcely anyone alters their behaviour in response: above all, their driving, flying and consumption of meat and dairy. During… [Read More]