Deniz Huseyin 17 November 2021
Side road zebra crossing trial in Moss Side, Manchester
The presence of zebra markings on side roads in Greater Manchester resulted drivers giving way to pedestrians 65% more often than on other side roads, according to a study by TRL.
The results showed that vehicles giving way to people on foot went up from 4 in 10 to 7 in 10 when the zebra markings were in place.
TRL looked at the use of non-prescribed zebra crossings at side roads. A prescribed zebra crossing has black and white stripes with give way lines, yellow globes on striped posts, and a line of studs and zigzag markings. A non-prescribed zebra crossing uses the black and white markings without the other features. Until now, the DfT has stated that under UK law zebra crossings must be wired to the electric mains and have Belisha beacons and zigzag markings. Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is asking for regulations to be amended to allow non-prescribed zebra crossings at a larger number of sites for long-term monitoring.
Industry leaders forecast what next for the global bike business – Cycling Industry News
:excerptstart16 November, 2021 As the final Eurobike in Friedrichshafen wound to a conclusion – leaders from across the bike business gathered on stage to address the industry’s most pressing issues. CI.N recaps on a talk touching on supply, sustainability and regulatory wrangles that could cost the trade dearly…:excerptend link to original article
Judge orders council that scrapped safe cycling and walking route to reopen consultation – road.cc
Campaigners succeed in judicial review of decision to allow rat-running motorists to drive through Poole’s Keyhole Bridge
Simon Macmichael Nov 8, 2021
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) council has been ordered by a High Court judge to reopen a consultation into its decision in March to allow motorists to once again drive through Keyhole Bridge in Poole, which had been made a safe route for cyclists and pedestrians when motor traffic was banned there in August last year.
The application was made by local campaigners the Keyhole Bridge Group, who crowdfunded more than £12,500 for the challenge – although the council has now also been ordered to pay the group’s legal costs.
National Highways: an ongoing threat to our great railway heritage – change.org – The HRE Group
Petition update 15 Nov 2021
At the end of July, the Government put National Highways’ infilling and demolition of legacy rail structures on hold following the controversy caused by its unwarranted actions at Great Musgrave in Cumbria where a delightful masonry arched bridge – with a handful of minor defects – was opportunistically buried in pursuit of the company’s policy of liability reduction. The structure was needed for the reconnection of two heritage railways, neither of which was consulted about the scheme.
Drivers to be banned from using hand-held devices – BBC News
It is already illegal to call or text on hand-held phones while driving unless it is an emergency.
From 2022, drivers will be barred from using a device to take photos or play games – with rule-breakers facing a £200 fine and six licence points.
The transport secretary said it would be easier to prosecute offenders.
Grant Shapps added: “Too many deaths and injuries occur whilst mobile phones are being held.
Hope on two wheels: plan to turn section of A12 into cycle park | Essex | The Guardian
:excerptstartCampaigners are pushing for a redundant 2½-mile stretch of dual carriageway in Essex to become a country park with cycling facilities James TapperThere has been traffic here for millennia, from the Roman legionaries who marched from Londinium to Camulodunum to the speedsters who now reportedly race against police cars at night. But part of the A12 in north-east… [Read More]
Biden’s $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Hastens Beacons For Bicyclists And Pedestrians Enabling Detection By Connected Cars – Forbes
Carlton Reid iNov 6, 2021
US President Joe Biden speaks about the bipartisan infrastructure bill and his Build Back Better … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Beaconization—or equipping bicycles and pedestrians with transponder beacons that can be spotted automatically by sensor-equipped cars—has been given the official seal of approval in the U.S., reveals a tucked away part of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the House of Representatives on November 5.
The mammoth measure passed in a 228-206 vote, with support from thirteen Republicans. Six Democrats voted against it, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Biden could sign the bill within days.
The Act sets aside $4.7 billion for expanding highways (yes, more roads in a climate crisis), $1.79 billion for improving transit, and $605 million for bridge replacement and repairs.
Instead of urban motorways we could have this. @SarahJ_Berry – Twitter
Sarah @SarahJ_BerryInstead of urban motorways we could have this. It’s an absolute no brainer.(TikTok handle: travelwithanya)link to original article
Campaigners accuse ministers of ‘oiling the way for massive road building’ – thetimes.co.uk
Extinction Rebellion activists outside the DfTprotest against new road schemes
Ben Webster November 11 2021
The government secretly sought advice on how to minimise “the chilling effect on road-building” of the need to cut emissions the day before announcing its transport decarbonisation plan.
The request was revealed in documents obtained by campaigners bringing a new legal challenge to try to block 20 major road schemes.
They argue that the government’s £27 billion road building programme is inconsistent with the government’s transport decarbonisation plan because the new roads will increase traffic emissions and make people more dependent on cars.
The schemes include widening the A66 across the Pennines, the A1 in Northumberland, the A12 and A120 in Essex, the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester, putting the A303 in a tunnel at Stonehenge, and a new crossing of the Thames between Kent and Essex.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, published a transport decarbonisation plan on July 14, which he said would deliver “a step change in the breadth and scale of our ambition to reduce transport’s GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions to reach net zero”.
link to original article
E-bikes would replace over 100 million car trips a year if Government met cycling target | electric bike reviews, buying advice and news – ebiketips – road.cc
Over 100 million car and taxi trips in the UK’s seven city regions could instead be completed on e-bikes if the Government is able to meet its cycling target, according to a new report by consultants Steer for the Urban Transport Group (UTG).The Fully Charged report – which was commissioned by the Urban Transport Group representing the UK’s… [Read More]