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UK lags behind Europe in cutting road deaths – transportxtra


Deniz Huseyin 29 June 2021
The UK has one of the worst records in Europe for reducing road deaths, according to a report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). Road deaths in the UK fell by 14% in 2020 compared with 2010, making it the second worst country for progress after the Netherlands, which saw a 5% decrease over the 10-year period.  
The report reveals that 18,844 people lost their lives in road traffic in the EU in 2020, 10,847 fewer than in 2010, representing a 37% decrease.

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Housing developer puts e-Bikes at “heart of masterplan” in deal with Orbea – Cycling Industry News


Mark Sutton21 June, 2021

Orbea has partnered with the Lightwood planning consultancy and land promoter behind numerous housing developments, offering residents free access to electric bikes, all as part of a bid to change how people travelThe Spanish bike maker’s link with the housing developer, which is known for its ‘garden village’ construction, is part a bid to change transport habits among residents, prompting thought about reduced car usage and even ownership. Using the DfT-backed Propensity to Cycle tool, the pairing hopes to be a testbed for the finding that 40% of commuter journeys could be taken by e-bike where the opportunity exists for people to easily try cycling.

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Welsh government suspends all future road-building plans | The Guardian


Deputy minister for climate change announces move as part of plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050

Steven Morris
The Labour-led Welsh government is freezing new road-building projects as part of its plans to tackle the climate emergency, and an external panel will review all proposed schemes.
The deputy minister for climate change, Lee Waters, told the Welsh parliament on Tuesday: “Since 1990, Welsh emissions have fallen by 31%. But to reach our statutory target of net zero emissions by 2050, we need to do much more.
“In the next 10 years, we are going to need to more than double all the cuts we have managed over the last 30 years if we are going to keep temperature rises within safe limits. That means changes in all parts of our lives. Transport makes up some 17% of our total emissions and so must play its part.
“We need a shift away from spending money on projects that encourage more people to drive, and spend more money on maintaining our roads and investing in real alternatives that give people a meaningful choice.”

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London Borough Healthy Streets Scorecard 2021 Tickets, Tue 6 Jul 2021 at 10:00 | Eventbrite


For the third year running, the Scorecard Coalition compares London boroughs on the action they’ve taken to promote active and sustainable travel in line with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy targets. Which boroughs are taking action? Which boroughs need to do more?

Find out which boroughs come top this year, and which boroughs need to do more
Simon Munk  London Cycling Campaign
On behalf of the Scorecard Coalition – their take on this remarkable year
Philip Glanville
Caroline Pidgeon

Cllr Shama Tatler 
Cllr Caroline Russell

Cllr Jim Glen
The Scorecard Coalition:
CPRE London | Future Transport London | London Cycling Campaign |

London Living Streets | Possible | Roadpeace | Sustrans London | Wheels for Wellbeing

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Why equitable streets matter more than ever post-Covid – transportxtra.com


Andi Adams 29 June 2021
Now here’s a startling fact: two people can travel along the same street at the same time but experience the journey in very different ways. One person’s 800m sprint is another person’s hurdles depending on age, gender, race, religion, belief, mobility (including ‘hidden’ disabilities), sexuality and more.
After the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard, thousands of women told their stories about how they walk with their keys gripped between their fingers, ready to become a makeshift defensive weapon. They told how they try not to travel alone at night or cross the road to avoid sharing the pavement with a stranger. Trans women, queer women and women of colour, women who wear garments such as the hijab or the burka may experience additional threat or sense of threat due to the compounding of intersectional characteristics. Existing in public as your authentic self can be dangerous. It can also be expensive. 
A study from New York showed that women on average spend between $26 (£18) and $100 (£72) a month more than men on transport, attributed to a need to feel safe (i.e taking a cab instead of the subway). 

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Do inclusive transport strategies really consider the needs of all users – transportxtra


Lucy Marstrand-Taussig 29 June 2021
Describing children as ‘vulnerable road users’ shifts the focus to the potential victim – we need to recognise that vulnerability is largely created by the physical environment, attitudes and laws, writes Lucy Marstrand-Taussig
Children are often described as ‘vulnerable road users’ which shifts the focus onto the potential victim rather than the external facts such as insufficient priority crossings
Figure 1: Temporary Strategic Cycling Analysis for Streetspace Plan 2020. Spider diagram routes are focussed on trips into and out of the city centre. Source: Appendix Four Analysis for the Temporary Strategic Cycling Analysis v1, TfL

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Road development scheme´s `undesirable´ climate impact ignored, High Court told | Daily Mail Online

The Department for Transport’s £27 billion road development scheme is unlawful after the Government ignored its impact on climate change, the High Court has heard
In March 2020, the Department for Transport (DfT) set out its Road Investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) for major roads in England from April 2020 to March 2025.

The strategy is made up of 50 major road schemes, including controversial plans for the A303 Stonehenge tunnel and the Lower Thames Crossing linking Kent and Essex.
The Transport Action Network (Tan), which supports sustainable transport campaigns, has accused Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and the DfT of unlawfully failing to take account of the ‘obviously material’ impact of RIS2 on achieving climate change objectives.
At the High Court on Tuesday, Tan argued the Government failed to consider commitments to tackle climate change, made up of the use of carbon budgets and the legally binding target to cut emissions to net-zero by 2050.

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Government to roll out Mini Holland schemes beyond London | road.cc

The government plans to roll out Mini Holland schemes similar to those found in three London boroughs to English towns and cities outside the capital.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has reportedly made £239 million available for around 12 such initiatives across the country.
Local authorities interested in bidding for a share of the money were invited to do so in a letter sent to them last week by DfT deputy director Rupert Furness inviting applications for grants from the government’s Active Travel Fund.
In the letter, excerpts of which were quoted on Forbes.com by transport author and journalist Carlton Reid, Furness made it clear that schemes would need to include proper segregation in accordance with the LTN 1/20 standard, and that cycle lanes demarcated solely by paint would be rejected.
Furness told local authorities: “Mini Hollands involve intensive spending on local roads and streetscapes to make them, over time, as cycle and pedestrian-friendly as their Dutch equivalents.”

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