News

COP26: Cycling and a zero-carbon future

November 2, 2021

It's peculiar there's been no talk at COP26 about cycling and it's potential to tackle the climate emergency. Required reading for the great and the good in Glasgow this week as they glide serenely between meetings in their chauffeur driven limos, should be the open letter signed by us and over 60 other organisations across Europe which...

Cycling

Ditch your old banger and get free public transport for 3 years

October 20, 2021

Scrappage schemes may be popular with car makers and many motorists, but they are usually as financially questionable as they are environmentally spurious. Sustaining the capacity to produce cars that consumers are unwilling to pay for in full distorts competition and inevitably creates the need for further and prolonged state intervention....

Driving

Win a reflective ghoul for school

October 19, 2021

Who knows if trick or treating numbers will be back to normal this year, but with the clocks going back on the same day why not hedge your bets with a ghostly reflector. According to Bookman, "we can’t guarantee these little will animals will scare anyone, but they will definitely add safety thanks to their certified reflective...

Cycling

Tech targets drivers who overtake too close

October 19, 2021

When drivers overtake too close it's not just a frightening experience for cyclists, it's life threatening. Given most drivers ignore the law that 1.5 metres must be allowed when overtaking, what can be done to stop the close pass? Tether is the latest attempt at using a gadget to tackle the close pass. A small unit located on a bicycle's...

Cycling

More children being killed on UK roads

October 19, 2021

It should come as no surprise that the significant drop in traffic on UK roads during lockdown resulted in a drop in casualties. In fact, there were an estimated 1,460 reported road deaths in 2020, down 17 per cent on 2019. However, while motorised traffic dropped, cycling increased and with it the number of deaths. The average cyclist...

Cycling

Bike Parka - Winter protection for your bicycle

October 13, 2021

Autumn signals to cyclists that it's time to dig out base layers, hats, gloves and extra lights. But what about protecting your bicycle from the ravages of winter? Keeping a bicycle under cover protects it from wet weather and prying eyes, but with urban areas short on garages and sheds, for many it's easier said than done. When a...

Cycling

E-scooters and UK law

October 13, 2021

The UK is the last major European economy where e-scooters are still banned to use anywhere except on private land. However, the legal status of e-scooters isn't stopping them from being bought in huge numbers. Nobody knows for certain how many e-scooters have been sold in the UK but Halfords has seen its own sales more than double over...

e-scooters

Can we please pedestrianise pavements?

October 12, 2021

It's been illegal to drive on the pavement since 1883. However, one of the reasons footways the length and breadth of the land have been obstructed by cars for the last 138 years is that police have to witness a car being driven on the pavement in order to enforce the law. Pavement parking; the pandemic we refuse to tackle In a perfect...

Cycling

London councils that tear out LTNs face funding loss

October 12, 2021

Ealing Council in London may yet regret its decision to this week tear out seven recently installed low-traffic neighbourhood schemes. While many local authorities around the UK acknowledge the environmental benefits of reducing traffic levels, Ealing Council, alongside fellow London councils Harrow, Hillingdon, Kensington & Chelsea,...

Cycling

Google low-carbon routes miss a trick

October 6, 2021

Google Maps is to launch a new function that takes into account congestion and inclines to offer drivers the lowest-carbon route for their journey. The internet giant, which is launching the initiative in America this week and Europe next year, claims it could save 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, or the equivalent of 200,000 fewer cars...

Driving