News from Elsewhere

The latest annual Travel in London report shows some promising signs. Cycling has increased by 40 per cent since the start of the pandemic, including a near-doubling of journeys on weekends. This is impressive, particularly when the total number of trips by all modes of transport remains 11 per cent down on pre-Covid levels.
The Mayor has an ambitious target that 80 per cent of all trips in the capital be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport by 2041. This went into reverse during the pandemic and the early recovery, but is now back on the right track.
To keep it up, we need to see further investment in segregated cycle lanes and fewer retrograde steps, such as the bizarre decision taken by Kensington and Chelsea council to scrap its cycle scheme. We must consider more pedestrianised zones, including on Oxford Street, rather than risk consigning what was once Europe’s premier shopping street to decline.

Nov 2022
Residents and businesses are being encouraged to have their say and find out more about the feasibility of introducing a ‘Mini-Holland’ scheme in a Nottinghamshire town at a series of events through December.
A Mini-Holland scheme in Stapleford aims to make an area, over time, as cycle and pedestrian-friendly as possible by making changes to the local roads to make walking and cycling trips in the area easier and more pleasant.

Dozens of towns and cities in Britain are at risk of disappearing into the sea within 80 years, new maps predict.
The maps, published by news organisation Climate Central, present a sobering image of the disastrous effects of climate change on the UK.
Climate Central has predicted that much of London could be underwater by 2100.
A 3˚C global temperature rise would have a “disastrous impact” for Britain, the non-profit organisation said.
And it’s not just Britain at risk. Climate Central estimates that 275 million people live in the areas that will go underwater by 2100.

E-bikes seen as natural replacement to cars in cost of living crisis

15 November 2022
Half the respondents to a survey believe that, faced with the cost of living crisis, electric bikes are the natural replacement for cars.
Cycle advocacy campaign Bike is Best commissioned the survey to explore the impact the rising cost of living is having on people’s habits.
Of the 2,000 respondents, two thirds (69%) have changed or are considering changing their transport behaviour, with 86% citing saving money as the reason for the change.
The study found that 84% plan to drive a lot less

The hidden environmental and social costs of van deliveries in London amount to nearly £2.5 billion per year, says new research

Rapidly decarbonising London’s transport system will not just make the city healthier, cleaner, and safer; it will also save Londoners money, says a new report Delievering Value from Just Economics.