News from Elsewhere

Trouble in cyclists’ paradise: Amsterdam accused of favouring pedestrians – Guardian


Daniel Boffey Fri 21 May 2021
Its reputation is that of an idyll for cyclists, a city freed from the torment of cars. But while Amsterdam remains a model to most of the world, there are signs of trouble in paradise.
A series of developments have led the Amsterdam branch of the Fietsersbond, the Dutch cyclists’ union, to claim the municipality has turned on them, unfairly prioritising pedestrians in the city’s historic centre.

News from Elsewhere

Centre of Paris to become a huge low traffic neighbourhood | road.cc


The centre of Paris is set to become in effect a huge low traffic neighbourhood by the end of next year under an ambitious plan to remove through traffic from the heart of the French capital.

A consultation was launched this week on the initiative, outlined in an interview with Le Parisien by deputy mayor David Belliard, which will cover the entirety of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissements and, across the Seine on the Rive Gauche, parts of the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondisements, as shown in this graphic.
To draw an analogy from the UK capital, the zone is similar in size to one running from Oxford Circus to St Paul’s Cathedral and from the British Museum to the Houses of Parliament.
Not all motor traffic will be banned from the centre of Paris – local residents will have access, as will buses, taxis, tradesmen, professionals and delivery vehicles needing access to the city centre, although no decision has yet been made on whether tourist coaches will be exempt.

News from Elsewhere

What makes a successful 15-minute centre, and why? transportxtra


Juliana O’Rourke – 12 May 2021

The simple idea of ‘putting stuff closer together so it’s easier to get to the stuff’ is driving the popularity of 15 – 20 minute centres. But as the new Planning Bill is introduced, should we know more about the implications of narrowing travel patterns, the potential for inequality, impacts on travel demand and the big picture for infrastructure investment?

News from Elsewhere

Investigating the UK’s 20-minute city capabilities – transportxtra

12/5/21 Dan Saunders

Transport accessibility is imperative for sustainable urban growth. As the Government reveals its new Planning Bill this week, with a focus on house-building, the transport accessibility of new developments is increasingly under the spotlight…

Sustainability is all about making decisions that do not have negative consequences for either current or future generations.  With the government planning on building hundreds of thousands of new homes a year, they need to be built sustainably. The ethos of a 20-minute city encompasses this.

travel options for everyone.

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SNP: free bikes, and zero emission bus investment – transportxtra


04 May 2021

Free bikes will be given to Scottish schoolchildren of low income households if the SNP is returned to Government next month.
The party’s manifesto also pledges to remove the “majority” of fossil fuel buses from Scotland’s roads by 2023. How this will be achieved is not explained. Scotland has about 4,200 buses of which only 0.5 per cent are currently zero emission.

News from Elsewhere

Spain rolls out national 30km/h speed limit on most urban streets -transportxtra


Juliana O’Rourke 12 May 2021

Mainly a bid to reduce road deaths, but recent changes in the way that people move around cities, such as the growing popularity of cycling, is also behind the new restrictionsFrom 11 May, the maximum speed on the majority of Spanish streets will be set at 30km/h. According to an estimate by the DGT state traffic authority, the new measure will affect between 60% and 70% of roads, although this percentage will of course vary from city to city, according to El Pais.

The measure comes after a royal decree was approved by the central government in November, and will be implemented on single-lane roads in each direction of travel. Roads that have a sidewalk at the same height will be limited to 20km/h, while those that have two or more lanes in each direction of traffic will have their speeds limited to 50km/h.

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