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Active travel behaviour change programmes ‘should last five years – Transport Xtra

Achieving behaviour change in favour of active travel needs sustained effort and funding for at least five years, according to a cross party group which believes the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013 has been poorly implemented

The group took evidence from many witnesses, including deputy climate change minister Lee Waters. Its report, published on 28 June, calls for a National Delivery Plan for Active Travel to be put in place by the end of this year. Among other things, the plan should clarify and codify the roles of various organisations and set out priorities for infrastructure development based on maximising modal shift.

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What do I mean by system change? Here are 4 pillars of a just, green society – George Monbiot – Twitter


@GeorgeMonbiot
What do I mean by system change? Here are 4 pillars of a just, green society: Private sufficiency, public luxury https://centerforneweconomics.org/publications/private-sufficiency-public-luxury-land-is-the-key-to-the-transformation-of-society/ Doughnut economics https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/12/doughnut-growth-economics-book-economic-model Participatory democracy https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/13/take-back-control-governments An ecological civilisation

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National Highways revises down carbon estimates for proposed Lower Thames Crossing _ Transport Xtra


The new forecast has been challenged by the Thames Crossing Action Group, which is opposed to the proposed road project.

Chair of the campaign group Laura Blake said: “The LTC Development Consent Order documentation of 2020 shows that LTC traffic carbon emissions were estimated to be 2.74 million tonnes, and in their latest press release National Highways admit that the latest forecast is 4.6 million tonnes.
“Far from a highly speculative 80% reduction in operational traffic emissions for the proposed LTC, there is actually evidence to show a whopping 67% increase in the estimated LTC operational traffic carbon emissions. Including construction and maintenance etc, this then results in a total of over 7 million tonnes of carbon emissions for the proposed LTC if it goes ahead. Yet another attempt by NH to try and put a spin on the realities of the proposed LTC with yet more greenwashing.”
“There is all the usual nonsense about improving journeys for those using the Dartford Crossing. Yet the design capacity for the current crossing is 135,000 vehicles per day, and it regularly sees 180,000 per day. That means we’d need to see a reduction of more than 25% in traffic, yet the proposed LTC would take as little as 4% of traffic away.  National Highways are not considering or planning for how traffic would migrate between the two crossings when there are incidents, if the LTC goes ahead, and there would not be adequate connections.”

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Tower Hamlets Council set to re-open roads to traffic -Transport Xtra


Tower Hamlets Council is seeking to scrap road closures introduced as part of the borough’s Liveable Streets programme.

This was one of the pledges of Lutfur Rahman, who was elected new mayor in May. His Aspire party won a majority, replacing the Labour administration, which had introduced the “liveable streets” to tackle congestion and air pollution and to encourage more residents to cycle, walk and use public transport. 
The new administration said it will review the restrictions where they have added to congestion on main roads, obstructed emergency vehicles and made it hard for vulnerable residents to access their streets. 

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The big idea: should cars be banned from cities? | Cities | The Guardian


Streets have been optimised for one thing: traffic. A kind of ‘urban rewilding’ could return them to the complex social ecosystems they once were

There has been justified excitement around the idea of rewilding over the past few years, with projects popping up all over the UK that aim to restore wildlife and encourage regenerative farming practices. It is now generally accepted that monoculture – largely brought on by the expansion of farmland – is bad for our countryside. But what about our cities

Like natural ecosystems, cities also used to be complex and diverse places that hosted a whole range of different activities. Our streets were public spaces, used for many purposes: work, trade, play, socialising and transportation.
Rebecca Solnit describes our relationship to our city streets perfectly in her book Wanderlust:

“The word citizen has to do with cities, and the ideal city is organised around citizenship – around participation in public life.” And that is how it once was.
Thalia Verkade and Marco te Brömmelstroet are the authors of Movement:

How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives (Scribe), translated by Fiona Graham.

Further reading
Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit (Granta, £9.99)
Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City by Peter D. Norton (MIT, £25)
Earthopolis: A Biography of Our Urban Planet by Carl H. Nightingale (CUP, £25)

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A reminder that owning and driving a car is the equivalent carbon to 20 flights to Rome per year – ShareOurCars – Twitter


A reminder that owning and driving a car is the equivalent carbon to 20 flights to Rome per year.

If you’re worried about climate change, consider sharing a car instead. #ClimateCrisis
Jo  Balham Retweeted
ShareOurCars @shareourcars
A reminder that owning and driving a car is the equivalent carbon to 20 flights to Rome per year. If you’re worried about climate change, consider sharing a car instead. #ClimateCrisis

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