News from Elsewhere

Simon Macmichael Dec 08 2021
Cycling PR pro and campaigner will push forward plans for active travel in England’s largest city-region outside London
Adam Tranter has been appointed cycling and walking commissioner for the West Midlands by the region’s mayor, Andy Street, who is looking to move ahead with initiatives to increase active travel there.
Tranter, founder and CEO of cycling, running and endurance-focused sport communications agency Fusion Media, has become increasingly involved in campaigning for active travel in recent years, and last year brought brands, companies and organisations in the UK cycling industry together to launch the Bike Is Best campaign.

Fears that net-zero transport won’t be achieved by the 2050 target without investment into electrified railway
Oliver Gill – 11 December 2021
The Treasury has blocked a £30bn blueprint to electrify Britain’s railways, raising doubts over Boris Johnson’s target for a net-zero train network by 2050. 
The plans, first circulated in Whitehall nearly 18 months ago, have been shelved on fears that the cost cannot be justified in the wake of the pandemic, according to industry insiders.
Sir John Armitt, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, warned: “2050 isn’t getting any further away and we need a detailed and costed plan for ensuring rail is decarbonised.”
The original report underlined the importance of taking action immediately to meet climate change commitments. It also highlighted how Britain’s railways remain far more dependent on diesel locomotives compared with countries on the Continent.
Called the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS), the rail blueprint proposed electrifying 12,500 km of railway over the next 30 years with a further 1,400 km of track dedicated to hydrogen trains and 1,000 km which will be battery-powered.

Crowds chanted slogans condemning government of Aleksandar Vučić, which backs planned Anglo-Australian $2.4bn mine

Mind you, we suspect that many aren’t that familiar with what the current rules say, judging by some responses we’ve received
By Simon Macmichael Dec 06, 2021 
Well, the road.cc postbag … okay, inbox … has been busier than usual these past few days after we published an article on Thursday saying that the Department for Transport (DfT) had laid forthcoming changes to the Highway Code before Parliament, and that they are due to come into effect by the end of next month. But the disconnect between the contents of some of those replies, and what the Highway Code currently says even before the amended rules come in hardly fills us with confidence about the extent to which they will be observed.
link to original article

Latest development sees Elon Musk’s company accused of encouraging driver distraction. Could it put cyclists in even more danger?

George Hahn @georgehahn Replying to @Streetfilms
I’m not allowed to say it in public, so I never say it in public.
But I’m gonna say it in public:
f%kin’ people with their f%kin’ cars.

Simon Macmichael Dec 07 2021
Researchers at University of Surrey say that findings can help councils reach decisions on speed limits and cycling infrastructure
A new ​study of almost 35,000 commutes in Surrey has revealed that people are most likely to cycle to work when traffic speeds on the routes that take them there are below 20mph.
A research team at the University of Surrey found that while roads that were busier with motor traffic acted as a deterrent to cycling, speed of vehicles put potential riders – and women in particular – off to a greater degree.
The study has been published in the International Journal of Sustainable Transportation under the title, What aspects of traffic intensity most influence cycling mode choice? A study of commuting in Surrey, UK(link is external).
The university said that the study “analysed traffic data for all roads and cycle routes in Surrey to look at how different vehicle speeds, volumes, the proportion of heavy goods vehic

Catherine Kennedy