News from Elsewhere

News from Elsewhere

Minister repeats there is no prospect of requiring cyclists to be licensed as ‘Mr Loophole’ lawyer Nick Freeman continues to push his petition | road.cc

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Simon Macmichael Jun 29, 2021 

Licensing would deter many from cycling, and costs and complexity of system would outweigh benefits, says Baroness Vere

A transport minister has repeated that there is no prospect whatsoever of the government requiring cyclists to be licensed, even as self-styled ‘Mr Loophole’ lawyer Nick Freeman continues to do the rounds of the media to try and gain support for his petition calling for such a scheme to be introduced.

The solicitor, who defends often high-profile clients facing motoring-related charges and often secures acquittals on technicalities, posted his petition to the government website three weeks ago, but it is currently only halfway to the 10,000 signatures that would oblige ministers to provide a response.

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U.K. Unveils “Revolutionary” Transport Decarbonisation Plan But Still To Spend £27 Billion On Roads – Forbes

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:excerptstartCarlton Reid Jul 14, 2021U.K. transport secretary Grant Shapps has hailed his government’s much-delayed transport decarbonisation plan as “revolutionary” and a “world first”.  However, the plan does not envisage cutting the £27 billion road building program and instead relies on future technologies for aviation and converting the country’s car and truck fleets from petrol engines to electric ones. A

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E-bikes a catalyst for more inclusive bike retail and women’s cycle usage, says study – Cycle Industry News

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Mark Sutton8 July, 2021

A new study of electric bike use in New Zealand has found that the pedal assistance has acted as an enabler to empower women to bike, but more surprising still, could be the catalyst for bike retail environments becoming more inclusive.
The “Gender and the E-bike: Exploring the Role of Electric Bikes in Increasing Women’s Access to Cycling and Physical Activity” paper was published this month, revealing through interviews an optimism that interest in electric bikes was drawing in demographics that have previously been shown to be wary of bike shops, often seeing them as a male dominated environment. Bike shop managers, e-bike users and city planners formed the interview series.

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Double down on active transport, urges World Resources Institute – Cycle Industry News

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:excerptstartMark Sutton28 June, 2021 Active transport policy is not adapting fast enough to meaningfully address climate and sustainability goals, according to a study collaboration between the Transport Decarbonisation Alliance and World Resources Institute.With transport responsible for 24% of carbon emissions and 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the paper sought to understand to what extent policy changes

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Huge growth in number of people including families riding bikes on West London protected cycleway | road.cc

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Chiswick High Road has also seen fewer collisions and improved air quality

New data from Transport for London (TfL) and Hounslow Council have revealed 72 per cent growth in the number of people cycling on Chiswick High Road since Cycleway 9 opened last December.
The road has also seen a reduction in road traffic casualties and improved air quality – the latter contrary to claims by opponents of the infrastructure that it leads to more pollution.
The trial cycleway is a revised version of plans for the route that were consulted upon prior to the coronavirus pandemic and which received overwhelming public support, despite opposition from a small but vocal minority led by Conservative councillors in Chiswick, which lies within Labour-controlled Hounslow.

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Great North Road: cycling the old route from London to Edinburgh | The Guardian

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As any cyclist will tell you, there’s something strangely uplifting about being on the road early. Mostly it’s a case of enjoying empty roads and morning light, but perhaps there’s a smidgeon of self-righteousness, too. Mamils have a lie in? Never. As we wheel our bikes out of the Olde Ship in the village of Seahouses, nothing seems to be moving. With a gentle westerly blowing in from our left, we pass the deserted crazy golf course, shout good morning to a lone dog walker and head north close to a lazy expanse of sand dunes.

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Swapfiets lands in UK with monthly bike subscription service – Cycle Industry News

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Mark Sutton9 July, 2021

Swapfiets, an Amsterdam-based pioneer of the bike subscription model, has now landed in the UK with a service accessible from only £12.90 per month.
Building on a trend of hire businesses launching into the market, Swapfiets hopes to tap into a customer base that either prefers to hire, or struggles to own a bike due to space constraints. It is a trend that is particularly notable in the younger generations who have become accustomed to subscriptions rather than ownership.

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RIS2 Roads & Carbon – Transport Action Network

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Building new roads increases traffic, leading to more carbon emissions. The Government claims new roads will not significantly increase emissions so we decided to find out using their own data.  We used Freedom of Information laws to ask Highways England for the carbon impact of its 50 RIS2 schemes. So far we have data for 45 out of the 50 listed schemes, which reveals that Highways England estimates the extra traffic will lead to almost 32 million tonnes of extra carbon emissions, whilst construction adds another 4 million tonnes.

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Paris takes bold action on clean air. Now it needs to be effective and fair – Clean Cities

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June 28, 2021

…strong alternatives to private cars should also be put in place by both the City of Paris and the Métropole Grand Paris. These would allow all residents to rely less on their vehicles to move around the city and would give more space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. To accelerate this space redistribution, the City of Paris is planning to create a LTZ next year which will restrict the circulation of about 180,000 cars crossing the city centre every day. With the right measures, like improving public transport, incentivising car sharing, widely communicating about the restrictions and seriously enforcing the zone, the LTZ can be a real groundbreaker against air pollution, noise pollution and road accidents.

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