Naturalist and campaigner Dave Bangs says limiting access to the countryside makes it harder to save our ancient landscapes
In a prehistoric bog where iguanodons once roamed and the early Britons first smelted ore into iron, what looks like a tiny orange candle peeps through the mire. It sends my companion into a paroxysm of joy.
“That’s good! That’s new!”
The candle belongs to a luminous fungus, Mitrula paludosa, otherwise known as bog beacon that is thinly scattered in the swampy habitat of the Sussex Weald. The exclamation – accompanied by an expletive – belongs to Dave Bangs, who, at 70, is perhaps Britain’s most enduring guerrilla botanist.
The find is one of many illicit discoveries documented by Bangs. For nearly six decades he has scoured the Sussex countryside for hidden ecological treasures, unearthing the neglected and endangered flora behind its fences. His field surveys have culminated in three books, a video and, in July, the basis of one of the largest mass trespasses in the UK in recent years.
you can complain about this ad here: WineRides – Twitter
@WineRides
you can complain about this ad here:
customerservices@tfl.gov.uk a very short email
will be fine to get it registered in the stats
Hammersmith Safer Cycle Pathway Festive Celebration Family Ride Tickets, Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite
Join other locals and families to welcome the new bike lane. We will ride from Lyric Square to Kew Bridge and back. Joining with Hounslow Cycling, we are supporting W6 Safe Cycling Families.
Easy pace, suitable for children. Anticipated duration is about an hour and a half. Meet 10:45am for 11am departure.
This ride is supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Cycling which is part of the London Cycling Campaign.
Government urged to act on pavement parking – transportxtra
Cycling and walking organisations write public letter to transport secretary
Mark Moran 26 November 2021
Research commissioned by Living Streets, found that 87% of parents with children aged 4 to 11 have had to step into the road because of vehicles parked on the pavement
Living Streets calls on the government to issue its response to the Pavement Parking in England consultation, which closed over a year ago.
In a letter to Grant Shapps MP, the charity says the government “has an opportunity now to achieve progress on this longstanding problem – doing nothing is not an option”.
The letter is supported by the Walking and Cycling Alliance (WACA) comprising Bicycle Association, British Cycling, Cycling UK, Ramblers and Sustrans. Other signatories…
“Cyclists wear hi-viz” – Cycle Gaz – Twitter
TfL slammed for “victim-blaming” road safety ad (+ video) – road.cc
Spot which suggests drivers and cyclists share equal responsibility described as “crass, old fashioned ‘false equivalence’ nonsense.”
by Simon Macmichael Nov 25, 2021
Transport for London (TfL) has been slammed on social media for an advert launched during Road Safety Week earlier this month, with Twitter users accusing it of “victim blaming” and promoting “false equivalence” by suggesting that all road users share the same responsibility for ensuring the safety of others.
The integrated campaign, entitled ‘See their Side’ and which will run “for a number of years,” aims to change the culture of road users and contribute towards Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s Vision Zero goal of having zero deaths and serious injuries on the capital’s roads by 2041.
It includes the above 60-second film that is currently airing on TV and which, according to the agency VCCP London, which drew up the campaign, “directly tackles the tribal culture which currently dominates London’s roads.”
2018) BMW drivers named most dangerous on UK roads – Go Compare
Strava Metro update gongs Manchester as UK’s per capita cycling capital – Cycle Industry News
Mark Sutton 19 November, 2021
New data released by Strava’s commuter focused Metro platform has placed Manchester as the UK’s per capita leader on cycling in the UK.
Efforts to make cycling more friendly in the northern city have been spearheaded by Transport Commissioner and former Olympian Chris Boardman and arteries with safe infrastructure appeared frequently in datasets. Oxford Road, Manchester Road and the Bridgewater Canal were most used.
Chris Boardman said: “It’s fantastic to see Greater Manchester leading the way on the number of commuters who chose to travel by bike and that’s before we have wide scale provision of connected routes. It’s no coincidence that the current number one route is Oxford Road which is where we have quality, segregated lanes in place. The appetite is clearly there to ride when it feels safe.
‘Every tree counts’: Dutch come up with cunning way to create forests for free | Trees and forests | The Guardian
More Trees Now aims to give away 1m unwanted saplings to farmers and councils with hope idea will spread across Europe
Senay Boztas
In a clearing in the Amsterdamse Bos, a forest on the outskirts of the Dutch capital, is a “tree hub” where hundreds of saplings, among them hazelnut, sweet cherry, field maple, beech, chestnut and ash, are organised by type.
The idea behind it is simple: every day unwanted tree saplings were being cleared and thrown away when those young trees could be carefully collected and transplanted to where they are wanted.
Volunteers have already collected thousands of saplings cleared from woodland paths and those unlikely to survive in the forest shade. On Saturday, on donate a seedling day, people will be encouraged to take unwanted saplings or cuttings from their own gardens and give them to 200 tree hub locations across the Netherlands.
This winter, Meer Bomen Nu (More Trees Now) aims to give away 1m young trees to farmers, councils and landowners. The small Dutch foundation hopes this circular practice will become commonplace across northern Europe.
Motoring is at war with life on Earth – John Dales
Despite all the evidence linking cars to climate change, many in the UK appear reluctant to change their driving habits, writes John Dales. Reflecting on COP26’s ‘Transport Day’ discussions, he warns that our failure to drive less is an act of self-harm
This was written in Glasgow, on what was ‘Transport Day’ at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26). From many people, with many different perspectives, there’s been a pretty good deal of eye-rolling, frustration and indeed anger about the COP26 proceedings. However, there is, in my view, and to steal a turn of phrase from Oscar Wilde, only one thing in the world worse than talking about climate change, and that is not talking about climate change.
Membership
Camden Cyclists Facebook Group
