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“What drives you mad about cyclists?” Radio 4 presenter criticised for “irresponsible” questions during Highway Code segment | road.cc


“What drives you mad about cyclists?” Radio 4 presenter criticised for “irresponsible” questions during Highway Code segment

One Twitter user claimed the interview “encouraged aggressive driving towards cyclists”
A BBC Radio 4 presenter has been criticised for asking what some have described as “irresponsible” and “poorly judged” questions about cyclists during a segment on the recent revisions to the Highway Code.
On Saturday’s edition of the Today programme, the long-running news and current affairs show, Mishal Husain interviewed Kevin Fong, a doctor and television presenter, and racing driver and motoring journalist Rebecca Jackson

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“Lunatic Highway Code” encourages road rage and gives cyclists carte blanche, Fair Fuel UK boss claims – road.cc


Dan Alexander Feb 04, 2022 
The founder of Fair Fuel UK, which lobbies the government over fuel duty, has penned a provocative opinion piece published in The Sun(link is external) newspaper, attacking last week’s Highway Code changes, calling them a “cyclists’ charter to ride any way they wish”.
Howard Cox’s article titled ‘Lunatic Highway Code will just encourage road rage and put cyclists at risk – Government must rethink it now’ claimed the changes “must have been authored by an asylum inmate”.

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Town councillor blasts ‘hell-bent cyclist sleeper cell’ – southwalesargus.co.uk


Dan Barnes
AN ACTIVE travel group within a town council is being disbanded following accusations from one councillor that it had become a “sleeper cell” of cyclists.
In a transcript of the Monmouth Town Council meeting held on Monday, January 24, which has been shared with the Argus, a councillor has launched a scathing attack on the town’s Active Travel contingent.

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Extreme weather has cost Europe about €500bn over 40 years | Extreme weather | The Guardian


Fiona Harvey
Severe floods and other extreme weather have cost Europe about half a trillion euros in the past four decades, with Germany, France and Italy the worst-hit countries.
Between 90,000 and 142,000 deaths were attributed to weather and climate-related events over the period 1980 to 2020, the overwhelming majority of them from heatwaves.
The data, published by the European Environment Agency on Thursday, does not show a clear trend of increase in losses over the decades from the impact of the climate crisis. This is because the economic impacts tend to be concentrated in a few major events – more than 60% of the economic losses came from just 3% of the weather events over the period – and these can strike anywhere and cause vastly different results.

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3 in 4 people want to ride a bike but are put off by lack of safe lanes – theconversation (Australia).com


Lauren Pearson January 11, 2022
Cycling is healthy and sustainable, but only 1.7% of trips in Melbourne are made by bike. Car use has soared since lockdowns were lifted. 
We surveyed over 4,000 Victorians and found more than three-quarters are interested in riding a bike, but only in infrastructure that separates people from cars (such as off-road paths or protected bike lanes).
This proportion is far higher than previously thought, highlighting a huge opportunity to increase bike-riding rates by building separated bike lanes.

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Cyclists are being injured in London every day, says Sadiq Khan aide – Evening Standard


Ross Lydall @RossLydall 2/2/22
The risk of cyclists and pedestrians being killed or injured must be considered before Transport for London axes road safety schemes, an aide to Sadiq Khan has warned.
Dr Lynn Sloman said she was concerned that the safety of people walking or cycling was not prioritised highly enough against the need to maintain the capital’s bridges and road tunnels.

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Plans to encourage cycling by banning cars from “rat run” delayed –


1,000 locals have signed a petition opposing the scheme in Beeston, though one resident claimed campaigners have “catastrophised” the ban
Ryan Mallon 5/2/22
A plan to encourage cycling by banning motorists from a cut-through road described by locals as a “race track” has been delayed after a petition against the proposals secured over 1,000 signatures.
Last month we reported that Nottinghamshire County Council was planning to introduce an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) which would stop cars from accessing the narrow Dovecote Lane in Beeston. 
The planned closure, which will be enforced using planters, is being funded by the DfT’s Active Travel Fund and aims to encourage cycling in the area “for all ages”.

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How Cars Are The Apex Predators – Medium


If aliens were watching Earth, they’d think cars were the apex species. I mean, just look. If they looked down, this is what they’d see:
Roads
Road, roads everywhere. 20% of the earth’s surface is within 1km of a road, and the rest is vivisected into 600,000 pieces, most of them tiny.
Where there aren’t roads, there’s parking.
Parking
Parking, parking, with no one there. In LA there’s more parking spaces than human spaces (housing). As Strong Towns says, “parking is the dominant physical feature of the postwar American city,” and this car cancer has spread all over the globe.
Aliens can see it from space.
Predators

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May 2020) £90bn road revamp planned despite drive for green travel – The Times


Graeme Paton, Transport Correspondent May 26 2020
The roads funding plan came days after the government pledged £2 billion to boost cycling
A £90 billion upgrade of England’s motorways and main A-roads is planned despite commitments during the pandemic to fund green transport.
An official document shows that Highways England, the government-owned company, has proposed significant improvements to the country’s busiest roads over the next 15 years.
This month the government announced a £2 billion package to promote cycling and walking. Last weekend it unveiled a further £283 million to increase bus and tram services.
A day policing a smart motorway
In the March budget, the chancellor announced a £27 billion investment in motorways and main A-roads in England over the next five years.
At the same time, the Office of Rail and Road, the official watchdog, published its own “efficiency review” into Highways England’s longer-term plans. 

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