Andrew Sissons
Part 3 of: What would make life better?
Cars make people miserable. They’re noisy, they pollute the air, they hurt people in accidents. They seem to make the people who drive them miserable — there is some evidence that a long commute by car worsens your mental health and overall wellbeing, certainly compared to walking and cycling. They change the ways our towns and cities are laid out. They take up so much space. And the more cars there are, the more they get stuck in each other’s traffic. For the people that drive them and the people that they pass by, cars make life worse. But we’re stuck with them, and most people seem quite happy with that.

I’ve always been a driver at heart. I passed my test when I was 19, and I’ve been behind the wheel for most journeys since. After becoming a parent eight years ago, I became even more dependent on my car, thinking that it meant security for me and my child, almost like driving was my duty. I couldn’t imagine a world where I didn’t get around on four wheels, but that all changed when I tried going car-free.

Study suggests existence of up to 2.1m ancient and veteran trees in England
Researchers find there could be many more ancient trees than previously recorded, amid calls for better protections
There could be more than 2m ancient and veteran trees in England, many times more than previously recorded, researchers have found.
Campaigners are calling on the government to give ancient trees the same protections as wildlife and old buildings.
A study by the University of Nottingham has found there could be 1.7m to 2.1m ancient and veteran trees in England, of which only 115,000 are on record. Most of these are unlikely to be protected by any conservation methods, policy or legislation, so it is impossible to know how many are at risk.

Now that we have a seat at the active travel table, we need to use it and that means more lobbying, more money, more data and case studies, more ambition, more training and more upskilling, says David Alderson is Director and Active Travel Lead, SYSTRA

In England, we have the formation of Active Travel England, Gear Change and LTN 1/20 bedding in. We have a revised Manual for Streets and CWIS 2 incoming later this year, a large number of Emergency Active Travel and Streetspace (via TfL) schemes on the ground, an expanding number of School Streets and LTNs implemented, extensive new and high-quality cycle infrastructure becoming a common sight; and with most councils either having completed, or in the process of developing LCWIPs, with some already on version 2.

Rhodri Clark 29 June 2022
The ground-breaking Welsh roads review is almost complete but the results will not be revealed to the public until the Welsh Government has examined the findings on each of the 55 schemes under consideration.
The government established an independent Roads Review Panel, chaired by consultant Dr Lynn Sloman, last year. The panel’s task is to consider which current road schemes, if any, are compatible with the government’s updated policies, particularly on climate change, and to…

by Florin Amariei
Do you drive an SUV? Then you might become a target for the environmental activists that are after your tires. The movement had just begun in the U.S. after having a successful start in the UK. Here’s what they do and, more importantly, why.
It took a little more than a month for this movement to spread to the U.S. At the beginning of May, we were telling you that a social media stunt turned people into activists. Their goal was simple – deflate SUV tires everywhere it’s possible. After letting the air out, they would add a pamphlet explaining the situation. The owner would have to deal with the deflated tires in the morning.

Frederic Akuffo