Driving

This rare stretch of uninterrupted blue skies is the perfect time to ride – and recharge – with the sun.

We’re giving away a portable solar panel that turns every golden ray into energy for your phone, ipods, tablet or cycle computer. And with most of us basking in a rare spell of uninterrupted sunshine, there’s never been a better time to soak up the benefits.

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If you ride a bike in Britain, you’ll know that it sometimes it can feel like you’re blaspheming against a national faith. This week the broadcaster Jeremy Vine announced he will no longer post helmet cam evidence of poor driving from his daily commute. Talking about the reaction to the videos he claimed: “Car driving is a religion in this country.”

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In city traffic, a two-seater electric pod like the Citroën Ami or the tiny pedal-assisted Quadvelo seems an obvious choice for urbanites – slipping through congested streets, easy to park, and using a fraction of the space and energy of a SUV. Designs such as the Ami, Pony4 quadricycle, or four-wheeled velomobiles promise a radically different transport model: One of smaller, lighter vehicles tailored to short trips.

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Each spring, as the frost thaws, Britain’s roads reveal their battle scars. Potholes are back in the headlines, a seasonal spectacle of cracked asphalt and political posturing. This isn’t just an annual grumble - it’s a worsening crisis. Roads are crumbling under the weight of ever-larger vehicles, and while councils scramble to patch the damage, the holes reappear faster than they can be filled.

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Imagine walking down the street and spotting a driver scrolling through their phone, barely paying attention to the road. It’s a scene so common in Britain that it barely raises an eyebrow. Despite harsher penalties, using a mobile while driving remains endemic, putting cyclists and pedestrians at daily risk.

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