John Cooper said letter inviting him to have vaccine at Carmarthen Showground made no mention of restrictions
A Carmarthenshire man has revealed he was refused admission to the site where he was due to have his coronavirus vaccination – because he arrived by bike, and was told it was a drive-through facility only open to motorists.
John Cooper said that there was nothing in the appointment letter to suggest that people not arriving at the facility at Carmarthen Showground would be turned away if they were not in motor vehicles, reports Wales Online.
The 61 year old had ridden his bike from his home in Ammanford to Swansea railway station, a distance of at least 16 miles, before taking a train to Carmarthen and completing his journey to his appointment by bike.
When he arrived, however, he was told by security staff that he could not be admitted, because it was a drive-through facility.
But there was no mention of any such restriction in the letter offering him an appointment, with Mr Cooper saying: “Why didn’t it say in my letter of invitation that this was a drive-thru facility? Of course then I would have phoned the number given and rearranged the appointment.
There’s another pandemic under our noses, and it kills 8.7m people a year | The Guardian
Rebecca Solnit – Fri 2 Apr 202
While Covid ravaged across the world, air pollution killed about three times as many people. We must fight the climate crisis with the same urgency with which we confronted coronavirus
It is undeniably horrific that more than 2.8 million people have died of Covid-19 in the past 15 months. In roughly the same period, however, more than three times as many likely died of air pollution. This should disturb us for two reasons. One is the sheer number of air pollution deaths – 8.7 million a year, according to a recent study – and another is how invisible those deaths are, how accepted, how unquestioned. The coronavirus was a terrifying and novel threat, which made its dangers something much of the world rallied to try to limit. It was unacceptable – though by shades and degrees, many places came to accept it, by deciding to let the poor and marginalized take the brunt of sickness and death and displacement and to let medical workers get crushed by the workload.
Epping Forest parking charges “will offset impact of car trip” – transportxtra
Charges will be introduced at 14 car parks in Epping Forest from April to cover the cost of millions of car visits each year, says the City of London Corporation, which manages the former royal forest as a charitable trust.
The Corporation aims to generate enough income “to offset the significant cost of continued car park provision so that the charity’s limited resources can be spent on protecting the Forest and improving the visitor experience”.
Parking schemes are already in place at other green heritage spaces, says the Corporation, citing how the National Trust, English Heritage and Royal Parks all use parking income to fund and reinvest in their sites. “Adding a charge for parking will help the City to challenge perceptions that management of the forest is ‘free’ and that there is no cost to its preservation or management, including the upkeep of 50 car parks.”
Cycling and walking levels will remain high after lockdown – transportxtra
A survey has revealed that almost half of respondents plan to carry on walking and cycling more often in Greater Manchester once the pandemic is over. The COVID-19 recovery survey, conducted by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), found that 47% want to maintain their new travel habits after positive experiences on bike and foot during lockdown.
TfGM’s network intelligence data also shows that cycle trips are up 25% compared with the same period last year (March 2020). Meanwhile, the number of walking trips has fallen slightly (down 10%). “However, considering lockdown restrictions and local high streets are largely closed, this data shows confidence in making journeys on foot and by bike across the city-region,” says TfGM.
Study shows huge value of Covid era cycling infrastructure investment – Cycle Industry News
Mark Sutton31 March, 2021
A new study drawing on data from over 100 EU cities has concluded that Covid-era cycling infrastructure provision has already demonstrated a high return on investment, growing cycling rates by between 11 and 48%, on average.
Authors Sebastian Kraus and Nicholas Koch calculate that such impressive growth across Europe will generate somewhere between $1 billion and $7 billion in health benefits alone, if new cycling habits are retained; and much of that will hinge on the favourable cycling conditions remaining. Sadly, in many instances lanes have been removed as quickly as they have arrived, despite evidence showing improvements.
106 European cities had their daily bicycle count data combed to spot trends by the researchers, who discovered that during this pandemic period cities have added an average of 11.5km of provisional pop up cycle lanes.
MP complains to BBC over claim that people in low traffic neighbourhoods cannot use their cars | road.cc
“The least we can expect from a national broadcaster is a basic grasp of the facts,” says Lillian Greenwood in response to Nick Robinson’s comment on Today programme
An MP who is an officer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking (APPGCW) has complained to the BBC over a claim by Today programme presenter Nick Robinson that people living in low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) cannot use their cars, describing it as a “falsehood.”
LTNs prevent residential roads being used by rat-running drivers by blocking through routes using planters, bollards and other barriers, while still allowing access to local residents.
Lillian Greenwood, the Labour MP for Nottingham South, called on the BBC to report accurately on the issue, saying that “the least we can expect from a national broadcaster is a basic grasp of the facts.”
Revolutions by Hannah Ross review – the story of women on two wheels | The Guardian
Revolutions by Hannah Ross review – the story of women on two wheels
I’ve been cycling for decades – as a student, commuter and partygoer. I’ve sallied forth in strappy heels and dorky helmet: returning home late, I’ve dodged foxes while flying drunk and euphoric down deserted streets. I’ve cycled with one hand holding closed my wrap dress, and with skirt tucked into tights, or tied in a knot. I’ve fallen over at the lights, slowly and to the side, because my skirt has been hooked over the back of the seat. I’ve cycled into a lamppost at the side of the road while admiring spring trees in bloom. I’ve carried a boxed trumpet and a large houseplant in my basket, and flashing bike lights in my mouth. I’ve balanced a week’s shopping on handlebars, and kneed myself in the bump when pregnant. And many journeys have been spent furiously pondering esprit de l’escalier retorts following altercations with taxi drivers.
Kerb Your Enthusiasm: Flush – The Ranty Highwayman
The other day, I posted a photo of a dropped kerb at a brand new toucan crossing which had been left sticking up about 25mm above the road surface. I thought it was obviously poor, but some disagreed.
Having a flush dropped kerb at crossing points really shouldn’t be a point for debate and frankly, it’s not. If you disagree with flush kerbs then you are purely and simply wrong.
The photograph above shows the offending kerb and before I talk about why kerbs should be flush in these situations, it’s worth exploring a couple of other points. Notwithstanding drawings and scheme specifications, the actual type of kerbs we have available make kerb upstands more likely simply because the units are not designed to be laid flush.
However, this is the situation during a downpour with water running along the road channel and so in both cases, if the rain is that heavy, pedestrians are still going to have to deal with water. A well-designed crossing will have involved the designer looking upstream (hydraulically speaking) to see what the drainage is like. Having a gully just upstream of the crossing will help reduce the amount of water passing the crossing point.
BBC presenter Nick Robinson criticised for claiming drivers can’t use their cars in LTNs – road.cc
31 March 2021, 12:56
There’s been plenty of criticism for BBC presenter Nick Robinson this morning after he claimed that many people live in low traffic neighbourhoods where you can’t use your car. Robinson has been accused of lying and was corrected on Twitter by many people including an LTN resident who said they have no problem driving to their house.
In the BBC Radio 4 Today (link is external) interview with Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley, Robinson said: “More and more councils are doing these low traffic neighbourhoods where you don’t even have those exemptions, you cannot use your car.” Bartley agreed with the statement, saying it was proof of what happens if you don’t plan schemes properly.
Last week the BBC justified a report about LTNs which critics said was “shameful” and “embarked on its own journey to stir up a manufactured culture war”. A statement by the broadcaster said the report needed to use examples of “the passions LTNs have provoked” and hadn’t normalised death threats or vandalism.
Rapid global heating is hurting farm productivity, study finds | The Guardian
Oliver Milman Thu 1 Apr 2021
Weston Anderson, a researcher of food security and climate at Columbia University who was not involved in the study, said the new research provides fresh insight into the magnitude of the impact upon agriculture.
“The regions that this paper highlights as experiencing the largest reductions in agricultural productivity – Central America and the Sahel – contain some of the least food secure countries in the world, which is a real concern,” he said.
“It means that populations that were already food insecure are shouldering the heaviest burden of climate change, and highlights the importance of doing all that we can to improve agricultural production in these vulnerable regions immediately.”