Laura Cozzi, Chief Energy Modeler Apostolos Petropoulos, Energy Modeler Commentary — 21 December 2021
Global SUV sales set another record in 2021, setting back efforts to reduce emissions
Cite commentary
IEA (2021), Global SUV sales set another record in 2021, setting back efforts to reduce emissions, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/commentaries/global-suv-sales-set-another-record-in-2021-setting-back-efforts-to-reduce-emissions
As the global economy has recovered strongly this year, car sales have rebounded too. Globally, they are set to grow by 4% in 2021, according to the auto industry tracker MarkLines, reaching close to 80 million and making up part of the huge drop they experienced in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, electric car sales have continued to show their resilience to volatility in the wider car market. In a few key car markets – such as Germany (above 34%), the United Kingdom (28%), France (over 23%) and China (18%) – the market share of electric cars reached record levels as of late November1.
Tell motorists to help tackle London’s toxic air peaks, authorities urged | Air pollution | The Guardian
Tell motorists to help tackle London’s toxic air peaks, authorities urged
Advise people not to drive or light wood burners rather than imposing restrictions on vulnerable, campaigners say
Matthew Taylor
Campaigners have called on the government to urge people not to drive or light wood-burning stoves during toxic air peaks rather than telling the vulnerable not to exercise or go outside.
London suffered its worst air pollution since 2018 on Friday, when experts predicted it would reach “band 10”, the highest level on the scale.
“Expect a ticket”: Drivers obstructing cycle lanes fined by Merseyside Police – road.cc
Ryan Mallon Sat, Jan 08, 2022
Police crack down on illegal parking in new experimental bike lane on Kingsley Road
Police in Liverpool have cracked down on motorists illegally obstructing cycle lanes after a complaint was made about a car which had been parked in one of the lanes on the Kingsley Road for days.
Responding to the complaint, Merseyside Police’s Roads Policing Unit visited the area in Toxteth and issued a number of tickets for “causing an unnecessary obstruction”.
“First time in history” EU prioritises cycling in major overhaul of urban infrastructure | road.cc
Dan Alexander Fri, Jan 07, 2022
The European Commission has proposed an overhaul of urban infrastructure which would prioritise cycling and walking to aid the EU’s net-zero goal by 2050.
The significance of the plans was summed up by the European Cyclists’ Federation, which said it is “the first time in history” the Commission has prioritised investment in active travel as the “backbone of urban mobility”.
Although still to pass, if approved the Efficient and Green Mobility package would require the 424 largest cities in the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) to form sustainable urban mobility plans based around active travel by 2025.
Cars – New Year Solutions – BBC R4
As global warming threatens the future of our society, Jo Fidgen tackles the ways in which ordinary people can make a difference.
We’re often told that we could help the environment by driving less, eating less meat, or using less water.
But in the face of a challenge as significant as global warming, how big a difference can small changes really make? And what would the world look like if we took those solutions to their logical extremes?
Cars are one of the climate’s biggest problems, from burning petrol to the carbon cost of manufacture. But they’ve also revolutionised how we get around and embedded themselves in the way our cities and societies are designed. Can people really be convinced to cut down their time behind the wheel?
Producer: Robert Nicholson
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
A corkscrewing bike path that takes you up to the treetops in a park in Limburg, Belgium – Taras Grescoe – Twitter
@grescoe
Fietsen door de Bomen, “Cycling through the trees,” a corkscrewing bike path that takes you up to the treetops in a park in Limburg, #Belgium
Cargo bike use flourishes as EU cycling initiative spend accelerates – Cycle Industry News
Mark Sutton4 January, 2022
A growth in spend on cycling initiatives in Europe has naturally stimulated active transport, but alongside this new data shows utility cycling continues to be a key beneficiary, prompting fast growth in cargo bike sales.
“Between 2007 and 2013, the EU spent €700 million for bike and pedestrian initiatives – that figure rose to €2 billion in the period 2014-2020,” the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) told the Brussels Times.
This Plumber Conducts 95% of His Business by Cargo Bike – treehugger.com
Sami Grover
Shane Topley rented an e-bike during lockdowns as a way to help clean up the city’s air.
Treehugger design editor Lloyd Alter looked at the long history of using cargo bikes for business and asked an interesting and critically pertinent question: “I wonder what combination of difficult parking, high fuel prices, and congestion charges would make this way of doing business viable again.” It’s just possible the answer to that question may simply be “whatever they are doing in London,” because cargo bikes in general (and e-bikes in particular) are becoming ever more commonplace on the streets of the United Kingdom capital.
And then there’s the story of West London plumber Shane Topley, who rented an e-bike during the COVID lockdowns as a way to help clean up the city’s air. His story, first shared by Transport for London (TFL), spotlights how many businesses can embrace e-bikes.
Why Do Rich People In Cities Drive Gas Guzzling SUVs? | Ash Sarkar – YouTube
Novara Media 183K subscribers
SUVs are polluting, tacky, and more likely to result in a fatal collision than any other kind of car. So why do rich people like them so much? Ash Sarkar goes to Kensington and Chelsea – home to more SUVs than any other part of the country – to find out whether posh people can be convinced to give up their gas guzzlers for a cleaner, greener planet.
Two-Thirds of Dutch People Live Within 15 Minutes Cycling of Train Station – Blog – Dutch Cycling Embassy
Joost de Kruijf 17/06/21
A study conducted by Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) shows 11.7 million Dutch people live within 15 minutes cycling distance of the train station. The study was conducted to gain insight into the bicycle accessibility of all municipalities in the Netherlands. This is particularly important now, because the Netherlands is facing a major housing challenge in the coming years. If bicycle accessibility is not considered in housing planning, we will fall behind the sustainability ambition in the field of mobility. The results of the study are presented by BUas in the Atlas Bereikbare Stad, a so-called Digital Twin of the Netherlands.
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