News

Sweden aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. In order to reduce the emissions from road transport, which currently account for 30 per cent of the country's total, engineers are developing electric roads that bear a resemblance to life-size Scalextric. eRoadArlanda is the first electrified road to allow both commercial and passenger traffic to...

If you have ever endured a long flight plagued by children (your own or other people's), you may be interested to learn that Airbus is planning to transform some of its aircraft's cargo holds into play areas for children. A modular system will allow the aircraft manufacturer to transform some of the lower-deck cargo space on its aircraft...

As police struggle to carry out their duties in the face of budget cuts, British road traffic law is making their job harder still. Over 10,000 drivers continue to drive legally despite having accrued more than 12 penalty points. Every day, careless and dangerous drivers are stopped by the police and prosecuted by the CPS, but then treated...

We don’t believe that a bicycle needs to be expensive or new. Many older bikes are well made, cheap to buy and have the added benefit of being less attractive to thieves. We’re great fans of town bikes – a style that’s popular in continental Europe, but largely overlooked here - but pretty much any bicycle, of any age, is a great way to get...

Two thirds of Scottish Government ministerial cars are diesel it emerged this week following an investigation by The Scotsman. Under plans to reduce the air pollution that is estimated to cost the lives of over 40,000 people around Britain every year, the dirtiest vehicles are to be banned from city centres in Scotland by 2020. It is...

Now that both ends of the daily commute are blessed with daylight, you can afford to be a little more flexible in your lighting requirements. The USB Light is compact and lightweight, but surprisingly bright. It fits all bicycle handlebars and seat posts and is quick and easy to attach with its rubber band. Its large button on the upper...

The chemicals you use to clean your home can have a detrimental effect on the environment - not least because they invariably end up in the water supply. It’s possible now to buy cleaning products marketed as environmentally benign, but invariably they come in plastic bottles – just one aspect of their production process and product life...

There’s little doubt that our diet can have a significant and detrimental effect on the environment. After all, the food we eat is responsible for almost a third of our global carbon footprint. For example, the environmental costs of meat production are numerous: The production of feed, fertiliser, farm heating, effluent waste, water and...

The Bookman bicycle whistle might be based on nineteenth century technology, but its benefits for urban cyclists remain up to date. Established in Birmingham in 1870, Acme Whistles has teamed up with Swedish bicycle accessory supremo, Bookman, to create a new design of whistle for today’s rider. According to Bookman’s Johan Lidehall: “Most...

The snow has melted, the equinox has passed, and spring has sprung… in theory if not entirely in practice. However, even though a chill in the air remains, it’s surely open season on daydreaming about summer. If you're one of the five million British motorists heading to France this year, the ETA Guide to Driving in France is a free e-book...