News from Elsewhere

An aide memoire of items I’ve noted from the boroughs where I work, rest and play, in case it is of use to others.
Here’s a link back to December 2020’s round-up if you want to rummage backwards.
Consultations closing

Closing 28 Feb’21 … perversely, the consultations are still open …

are Wandsworth Council’s consultations on the low traffic neighbourhoods which were ripped out last autumn

(see 28 Feb’s date on the Wandsworth & Richmond consultation hub).

Closing 1 March, Wandsworth Council’s consultation on an updated Local Plan.

Feb. 18, 2021
I am starting to worry about the electric car.
Not the thing itself; I’ve found electric vehicles to be superior to their fossil-powered predecessors in just about every important way, and although I am a car-crazy Californian, I don’t expect to buy a lung-destroying, pollution-spewing gas car ever again.
But electric motors are merely a power source, not a panacea. From General Motors’ Super Bowl ads to President Biden’s climate-change plans, plug-in cars are now being cast as a central player in America’s response to a warming future — turning a perfectly reasonable technological hope into overblown hype.

We know the environmental, social and economic reasons for creating people-friendly, ‘liveable’ places. The last century has seen a significant rise in car ownership, resulting in cars becoming a dominant presence on our roads, impacting the way we use our streets and how we move around our local neighbourhoods. As a result, we are often left with congested neighbourhoods, poor air quality and uninviting public spaces.
Our streets should be more than carriageways for vehicles, and our cities should place people at its very heart, supporting and enhancing the lives of the communities they serve. 

Andrew O’Reilly in Los Angeles
Thu 18 Feb 2021 11.00 GMT
With year-round perfect riding weather and a topography that allows both bike commuters to enjoy pedaling without too much strain and experienced riders to explore the nearby mountains and hills, Los Angeles in many ways is a cyclists’ paradise.
But the city’s cycling reputation is tempered by the fact that it is one of the most vexing, difficult and downright dangerous cities in the United States to ride a bike in.
“The weather here is so perfect that you really don’t need a car to shelter like you do in other parts of the country,” said Phil Gaimon, a former professional cyclist turned author and YouTube star. “But LA is also the shittiest city in the most beautiful part of the world.”

With 130km of bike paths that wind along the region’s beaches, Australia’s 10th-largest city is striving to make cycling the preferred mode of transport. But it’s an uphill battle

Sat 13 Feb 2021 19.00 GMT
If Australians were asked what they most associated with Wollongong, most would probably nominate heavy industries such as coal and steel production. But now the city 90km south of Sydney has been recognised alongside diverse European destinations as it strives to make a new reputation as a centre for both professional and recreational cycling.

A new report commissioned by the Department for Transport has found that each passing generation is driving less within urban areas, in particular were convenient alternatives are provided.
Undertaken by NatCen Social Research, the research reveals a pattern of trends that are already in motion, such as young people’s propensity to avoid car use in urban areas, if alternatives are easily accessible. In rural areas, where far less congestion exists and travel distances often greater, the trend is understandable less pronounced.

Hiring a taxi is expensive. This is mostly because of the cost of the human driver. Replacing that driver with a robot will clearly reduce the cost. That is the one of the key promises of autonomous vehicles (AVs)—in the future, we will be able to travel where we want, when we want at low cost because we will no longer own cars and nor will we have to pay the high costs of human drivers.

February 15, 2021
One of Britain’s oldest paperboys has decided not to retire after being gifted an electric bike to help him on his route.
George Bailey, who distributes newspapers around the village of Headcorn in Kent, said he has been given a “new lease of life” with the e-bike.
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The octagenarian first made headlines at the end of January and had been considering giving up the 2.5-mile round.
However, he has postponed hanging up his bag after British cycling companies Raleigh and Evans Cycles offered him a new Raleigh Motus Crossbar E-Bike, which will give him up to 250 per cent of his pedal power, and speeds of up to 15.5mph.