News

London cycle hire has a name and first docking stations

June 23, 2010

With a little over a month to go before its launch, London’s mass bicycle hire scheme has been christened Barclays Cycle Hire and given its first docking stations in Southwark Street. By the time the scheme is complete, six thousand hire bikes will be housed across 400 docking stations in central London. A spokesperson for the Environmental...

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Riding a bicycle is harder than it looks according to scientists

June 22, 2010

Riding a bicycle may be a skill often mastered by age six, but it has taken scientists three years to express the art of pedalling, steering and balancing a bike as a mathematical formula. As every child quickly learns, the faster you pedal the easy it is to keep a bike upright, but on paper this skill translates to an equation of 31...

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Vans could be greener and cheaper

June 21, 2010

New vans could be up to 16% more fuel efficient and 10% cheaper simply by using the smaller engines that were commonplace ten years ago. A study commissioned on behalf of Transport & Environment, the sustainable transport campaigners, showed that ‘optimal engine sizing’ can cut total cost of ownership by up to 12% and can be...

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Car Junkie Detox | Public transport snobery

June 18, 2010

Today was a funny one – did the usual train / walk to work business. After work I was due to go to an engagement party, I had arranged for a friend to come and pick me up from the station, but was running late so called her and said not to worry about picking me up – I’ll get the bus. I might as well have just said I was marrying a tramp –...

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A bicycle sidecar is the stylish solution to carrying kids

June 17, 2010

There is a bewildering array of child seats, ‘tag-alongs’ and trailers aimed at helping famillies cycle together, but none is as stylish looking as the bicycle sidecar designed by Steve Bodiley. The Bicycle Sidecar allows a toddler to accompany an adult cycle on long rides while leaving the bike free to carry luggage or a rear-mounted child...

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Jury out on motorcycles in bus lanes

June 17, 2010

A trial to allow motorcycles to share London’s bus lanes with taxis and cyclists is to be re-run after it resulted in an increase in the number of collisions between powered two-wheelers and cars making left turns. Over the last eighteen months, motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters in London have been entitled to share red route bus lanes in...

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Least Green Car is Lambo Murcielago

June 16, 2010

The Lamborghini Murcielago, a vehicle that over the course of a year emits an amount of CO2 equivalent to felling a football pitch-sized forest of trees, has been named the Least Green Car of the Year 2010 by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA). The Lamborghini emits exactly five times more CO2 per kilometre than the car named...

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Green Car of the Year 2010 is Toyota iQ

June 16, 2010

Following a year of turmoil for Toyota involving questions over the safety of its vehicles, the world’s largest car maker has been awarded Green Car of the Year 2010 for its city car, the IQ, announced the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) today. The least green car of the year was revealed as being the Lamborghini Murcielago, a...

General News

Car Junkie Detox. Good days & bad days

June 16, 2010

Mediocre Monday I got the train to and from work. Although it’s taking me longer to get to work it is nice being able to catch up on current affairs and do a bit of facebook admin on my phone. The walk each side of the station is rather pleasant to due to the glorious weather, I think this whole task may be getting me down a bit if...

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New Electric Car Buyers’ Guide launched today

June 16, 2010

British motorists are promised mass-produced electric cars within a year, but family drivers consulting the newly-launched Electric Car Buyers’ Guide in the hope of finding an environmentally-friendly electric vehicle to drive away today face a choice of only three. The Electric Car Buyers’ Guide is a not-for-profit website that features a...

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