Londoners told to reduce physical activity on Friday due to pollution | London | The Guardian
Government advises older people and those with lung or heart issues to avoid strenuous activity altogether
The government’s forecast predicts pollution levels will hit band 10, the highest level on the scale. The last time pollution levels hit this mark was in March 2018.
Older people and those with lung or heart problems should avoid strenuous physical activity, the government’s official advice stated, while people with asthma may need to use inhalers more often.
Even healthy people should “reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as a cough or sore throat”.
All power to the pedal on A-roads where bike numbers overtake cars – The Sunday Times
January 16 2022
Cyclists now outnumber drivers on some key roads
There are more bicycles than cars, lorries and other motor traffic on many A-roads, according to government figures. On eight main roads, cycles outnumbered all other vehicles, and in 35 locations they outnumbered cars and taxis on an average day, according to an analysis of Department for Transport figures for 2020.
In some parts of central London, cyclists are the kings of the road, accounting for 87 per cent of traffic on a section of Lambeth Road and 81 per cent on Royal Mint Street in the City with four other locations recording between 55 per cent and 63 per cent.
There are also two locations in Oxford where they are in the majority: in the High Street outside Magdalen College, which is the busiest..
Dave Hill: Sadiq Khan is right to start smart road user charging conversation – OnLondon
Arguing that motorists should pay more for using roads is a sure way for politicians to seize attention. If that was Sadiq Khan’s aim when announcing publication of a report about pathways to net zero, he succeeded.
Much of Element Energy’s 84-page study concerns electrification of heat and transport, housing retrofits and complicated costs scenarios, but the prospect of impending road rage, perhaps dwarfing that inspired by the pandemic’s instant low traffic neighbourhoods, was catnip to the media herd.
Hence the Mayor all over the papers, all over the telly and maybe all over the world for advancing the idea that a more sophisticated and comprehensive kind of road user charging will be required if London is to stand a chance of reducing the amount of motor vehicle travel by more than a quarter by the end of this decade – the minimum requirement by 2030, the report says.
Berlin is planning a car-free area larger than Manhattan. – Brent Toderian – Twitter
@BrentToderian
Berlin is planning a car-free area larger than Manhattan. The citizen-driven plan would create the largest car-free area in a city anywhere in the world. Leadership can come from many places when it comes to transforming cities. Via
@FastCompany https://fastcompany.com/90711961/berli
Milan confirms ambitious new cycling network linking 80% of the city to bike paths – road.cc
Ryan Mallon Sat, Jan 08, 2022
Milan has approved a £200 million plan to create a new network of bike paths linking the city and its surrounding areas.
The ‘Cambio’ Biciplan project was designed in consultation with the Dutch spatial economic research firm Decisio and is part of the city’s goal to secure a 20% modal shift to cycling.
The network will link 750 kilometres of bike lanes across 24 different lines, including 16 radial, four circular and four long-distance greenways. Some existing routes will be added to the network, while others will be newly constructed.
TfL targeting one million speeding fines a year, according to top Met officer – standard.co.uk
Joe Talora
Chief Superintendent Simon Ovens of the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, speaking at a meeting of the London Assembly transport committee on Tuesday, said TfL has “a clear position to get to a target of one million prosecutions a year for speeding”.
He said there were more than 360,000 prosecutions for speeding offences in London during 2021 and 263,000 during 2020.
Plans are in place to give 564 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in London the powers of traffic enforcement officers within “a few days”, the meeting was told.
The additional officers will be monitoring speed limits on London’s roads between 6am and 10pm to begin with as part of arenewed campaign of enforcement.
But Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, has said TfL’s goal is “not to get to however many prosecutions, the goal is to not enforce at all”.
‘Our walking and cycling plan will make Haringey safer and cleaner’ – hamhigh.co.uk
Cllr Mike Hakata January 14, 2022
The Walking and Cycling Action Plan (WCAP) underlines our commitment to making Haringey a safer, healthier and greener borough in which our transport infrastructure is designed and built to ensure active travel and public transport are the first choices for almost all journeys.
The WCAP occupies the space where transport planning meets public health.
Our lived environment is a crucial determinant of health, with air quality and inactivity being two key factors driving inequalities.
Two in three UK drivers unaware of planned Highway Code changes – theguardian.com
Two in three UK drivers unaware of planned Highway Code changes
Much of the British public is unaware of sweeping changes to the Highway Code that are due to come into force at the end of January, prompting claims that transport ministers are “missing in action”.
The revamped code establishes a hierarchy of road users, which means those who pose the greatest risk to others have a higher level of responsibility. This means someone cycling will have greater responsibility to look out for people walking, while someone driving will have greater responsibility to look out for people cycling, walking or riding a horse.
At least two in three drivers were unaware of the changes before Christmas, according to the AA, which polled 13,000 of its members on the subject.
Drivers face higher fines for breaking TfL road rules from next week – standard.co.uk
Joe Talora 7 hours ago
Drivers who break the rules on London’s “red route” roads are set to face increased fines of £160, TfL has announced.
As of January 17, fines for offences on the TfL-managed roads will increase from £130 for the first time in over 10 years following a public consultation carried out during autumn last year.
Fines can be issued for things such as blocking a yellow box junction, parking illegally in loading bays or driving in bus lanes.
TfL has said the increased fines will improve road safety and reduce congestion on some of London’s busiest roads while contributing to improved air quality.
Despite making up just five per cent of London’s roads, red routes carry 30 per cent of all the capital’s traffic while accounting for 37 per cent of all road traffic deaths in London.