News from Elsewhere

George Thompson
Stephen Fry has added his support to the campaign against the controversial Norwich Western Link.
The broadcaster, who grew up in Norfolk and is known for his links to the county, is among 23 prominent local figures, climate experts and politicians to have signed an open letter organised by the Stop the Wensum Link group calling for a rethink on the proposed route.
The scheme to build the 3.9mile road that would connect the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) to the A47 west of Norwich has been beset by problems in the last year, from rising costs to consultation delays. 

The planned A27 Arundel Bypass is a hugely destructive, costly, eight-kilometre, dual carriageway which would wreck three villages and harm rare and protected wildlife.  Most of the traffic is only travelling a short distance, much of which could be transferred to walking, cycling and public transport with proper investment.
You can help STOP this damaging scheme by responding to the consultation by 8th March (by email, or filling in Question 8 of the online feedback form ) stating:

Mark Moran 04 January 2022
City council argues business parking fees could raise £95m over decade to fund better public transport
Leicester City Council has launched a public consultation over its proposed Workplace Parking Levy (WPL), a scheme that the authority argues will help fund a radical overhaul and long-term modernisation of the city’s public transport, cycling and walking networks.
Over the summer Leicester City Council carried out initial consultations into a possible scheme, and now more detailed plans for the WPL have been published.
The 12-week public consultation will give people and employers the chance to find out more details about the proposed WPL and how it would work, and to comment on the scheme.

Eirian Jane Prosser
AMBITIOUS plans have been made to cut car journeys in Oxfordshire by a quarter over the next eight years. 
Oxfordshire County Council is currently urging the public to have their say on a blueprint aiming to deliver a zero-carbon transport network by 2040. 
The main goals of the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan, which was approved last October, include cutting car trips by a third by 2040. 
It also plans to increase the number of cycling trips around the county from 600,000 to one million by 2031. 
Environmenta campaigning groups, including Planning Oxfordshire’s Environment and Transport Sustainably (POETS) and Oxford Friends of the Earth, have praised the council for its plan. 

Government advises older people and those with lung or heart issues to avoid strenuous activity altogether

London could become mired in gridlock because of a shift towards driving as a means of transport during the Covid pandemic, the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan has said, warning that it risks creating a new health crisis from increased pollution.

@BrentToderian
BIG NEWS: Milan has approved a £200 million plan to create a new 750km network of bike paths linking 80% of the city to bike paths, & connect the city to surrounding areas. The goal is to achieve a 20% modal shift to biking by 2035. Strategy & leadership

U.K. transport firm Steer Davies Gleave takes “motivational interviewing” door to door.
Eric Jaffe 23 June 2014
Clinical psychologist William R. Miller stumbled upon “motivational interviewing” while working with heavy drinkers in the early 1980s. The therapy is based on the idea that telling people they need to change is a terrible way to get them to change; in contrast, motivational interviewing helps people identify their own reasons for change; it’s often described as “non-judgmental.” Over the years, motivational interviewing has proven effective in treating a range of behavioral challenges, from alcohol abuse to dietary change to gambling.

@Chisholm4Trail
The top of the range Range Rover weighs in at 2.5 tonnes. FIVE times that of old Minis. Road damage accepted to be proportional to 4th power of weight. One such Range Rover will do as much damage as more than 600 old Minis. Why are they allowed to trash roads and create potholes?