UK public ‘supports green recovery from coronavirus crisis’
People would be prepared to continue many of the lifestyle changes enforced by the coronavirus lockdown to help tackle the climate emergency, and the government would have broad support for a green economic recovery from the crisis, according to a report.
Working from home is a popular option, along with changes to how people travel, and the government should take the opportunity to rethink investment in infrastructure and support low-carbon industries, the report found.
The findings come from Climate Assembly UK, a group of 108 members of the public chosen to be representative of the UK population and to help shape future climate policy by discussing options to reach net zero carbon emissions, in line with the government’s 2050 target.
Nearly eight in ten of the members said the measures taken by the government to help the economic recovery from Covid-19 should be designed to help reach net zero, and an even bigger proportion – 93% – said that, as the lockdown eased, the government and employers should encourage lifestyle changes to cut emissions.
A sixth of roads in London are wide enough to accommodate protected cycle lanes and could be quickly converted to keep cyclists safe, researchers revealed today.
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A sixth of roads in London are wide enough to accommodate protected cycle lanes and could be quickly converted to keep cyclists safe, researchers revealed today.
They found there was space for 2.2m-wide pop-up lanes in either direction on an extra 1,464 miles of road – enabling an eightfold increase in the amount of segregated space as lockdown eases and while Londoners are advised to avoid public transport.
Dr Ashley Dhanani, of The Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL, said: “Many Londoners want to cycle to avoid using public transport but are concerned about their safety when cycling on main roads. This new analysis shows there is plenty of space to create cycle lanes on key routes across the city.”
The researchers said it was important to avoid building short sections of cycle lanes in a “piecemeal” manner.
They identified five roads able to provide long, continuous routes for commuters heading into central London: the A5 from Edgware hospital to Marble Arch, the A2 from New Cross to Elephant and Castle, Camberwell Road/A2216 from East Dulwich to Elephant and Castle, the A107 from Hackney Central to the Royal London hospital, and the A503 from Manor House to Regent’s Park.
Hayley Everett, 15 June, 2020 The European Cyclists Federation (ECF) held a webinar today discussing the EU-funded City Changer Cargo Bike Project, which hopes to help cities realise the enormous potential of cargo bikes for both transport and logistics.
The project aims to facilitate a faster and larger-scale uptake of cargo bikes in urban sectors, estimating a third of delivery trips in cities could be replaced by this form of transport.Morten Kabell, ECF joint CEO, explained: “I can say from experience that for mayors, promoting these initiatives are cost-effective, low risk and rewarding. The inherent ease and affordability of cargo bikes makes them an increasingly popular choice for families, SMEs, non-profit organisations, and international logistics companies across Europe. “There are many ways in which traffic has redefined human spaces, and cargo bikes can also contribute to fostering a more dynamic street life and community by engaging citizens.” – – – – – link to original article
Hayley Everett, 15 June, 2020 The European Cyclists Federation (ECF) held a webinar today discussing the EU-funded City Changer Cargo Bike Project, which hopes to help cities realise the enormous potential of cargo bikes for both transport and logistics.
The project aims to facilitate a faster and larger-scale uptake of cargo bikes in urban sectors, estimating a third of delivery trips in cities could be replaced by this form of transport.Morten Kabell, ECF joint CEO, explained: “I can say from experience that for mayors, promoting these initiatives are cost-effective, low risk and rewarding. The inherent ease and affordability of cargo bikes makes them an increasingly popular choice for families, SMEs, non-profit organisations, and international logistics companies across Europe. “There are many ways in which traffic has redefined human spaces, and cargo bikes can also contribute to fostering a more dynamic street life and community by engaging citizens.” – – – – – link to original article
Hayley Everett, 15 June, 2020 The European Cyclists Federation (ECF) held a webinar today discussing the EU-funded City Changer Cargo Bike Project, which hopes to help cities realise the enormous potential of cargo bikes for both transport and logistics.
The project aims to facilitate a faster and larger-scale uptake of cargo bikes in urban sectors, estimating a third of delivery trips in cities could be replaced by this form of transport.Morten Kabell, ECF joint CEO, explained: “I can say from experience that for mayors, promoting these initiatives are cost-effective, low risk and rewarding. The inherent ease and affordability of cargo bikes makes them an increasingly popular choice for families, SMEs, non-profit organisations, and international logistics companies across Europe. “There are many ways in which traffic has redefined human spaces, and cargo bikes can also contribute to fostering a more dynamic street life and community by engaging citizens.” – – – – – link to original article
Hayley Everett, 15 June, 2020 The European Cyclists Federation (ECF) held a webinar today discussing the EU-funded City Changer Cargo Bike Project, which hopes to help cities realise the enormous potential of cargo bikes for both transport and logistics.
The project aims to facilitate a faster and larger-scale uptake of cargo bikes in urban sectors, estimating a third of delivery trips in cities could be replaced by this form of transport.Morten Kabell, ECF joint CEO, explained: “I can say from experience that for mayors, promoting these initiatives are cost-effective, low risk and rewarding. The inherent ease and affordability of cargo bikes makes them an increasingly popular choice for families, SMEs, non-profit organisations, and international logistics companies across Europe. “There are many ways in which traffic has redefined human spaces, and cargo bikes can also contribute to fostering a more dynamic street life and community by engaging citizens.” – – – – – link to original article
Sat 13 Jun 2020 Buzzbike hopes to tempt workers returning to the office as lockdown eases to try out its scheme
Thinking about cycling to work when the office reopens but not sure whether it’s really you? How about trying a no-strings-attached bike subscription service that you can cancel at any time?
Popular for several years in Europe – in particular, the Netherlands – bike leasing has arrived in London – and for many it could be a great way to try bike commuting without having to buy the bike.
The Dutch firm Swapfiets pioneered the concept in Delft in 2014. Since then, it has expanded across the Netherlands and into Belgium, Germany and Denmark.
The model is popular, particularly among students, because it allows users to pay a flat monthly fee from €16.50 (£14.70) on a rolling monthly contract. The basic one-geared bike is insured and if you have a problem the company whizzes round to fix it. Consumers love it because if they decide that cycling is not for them, they leave town – or buy their own bicycle – then they simply give the bike back and walk away. Recently, the company has added geared and electric bikes, too.
Travel stats are regular fixture at daily press conferences but don’t include cycling
The government is being urged to addcyclingto its daily round-up of coronavirus transport statistics in a bid to nudge people onto their bikes during the pandemic.
The chief executive of Halfords, Britain’s biggest bike retailer, has written to ministers asking for the stats to be included on the slides shown at the beginning of the daily press conference – which show other modes like public transport and driving journeys.
The government is keen to encourage people on bikes as a way of taking pressure off public transport and use road space more efficiently during the pandemic, and has made it easier for councils to throw up “pop-up” cycle lanes other facilities to help people commute to work on two wheels.
“I believe that adding cycling data to the daily briefing in the way I have described would serve to remind people about the desirability of the cycling option and help nudge those for whom cycling to work is a viable option to move in the right direction,” said Graham Stapleton, the business’s CEO.
Mr Stapleton said various technologies were available to highway authorities to count the number of cyclists, such as pneumatic tubes, piezo-electric sensors, inductive loops, and camera systems.
He added: “Over the past week, the Prime Minister and other members of the Government, including the Secretary of State for Transport, have encouraged people returning to the workplace to avoid public transport if they possibly can, and to cycle, walk or drive instead.
“I applaud the Government for the steps it is taking to facilitate safer transport choices and in particular for the immediate investment of £250m in cycling infrastructure, I look forward to the National Cycling Plan in June and to the appointment of a Cycling and Walking Commissioner.”
The letter was sent to Michael Gove, the cabinet office minister, with the prime minister, transport secretary, and cabinet office permanent secretary coped in.
On May 9, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, announced a £250m emergency “active travel fund” to fund the construction of segregated cycle tracks across the country.
The government has promised it will ultimately plough £2 billion into the policy to transform Britain roads, with cycling seen as the only mode of transport that will allow people to social distance, deliver the capacity to get people to work, and not cause huge tailbacks of traffic jams.
Before the crisis only a baseline of around 4 per cent of commuter journeys in the UK are carried out by bike, significantly lower than in some neighbouring countries like the Netherlands and Denmark.
A Government spokesperson said: “We have received this letter and will respond in due course. The slides at the daily Downing Street press conferences are kept under constant review.
“To encourage more people to walk and cycle into work during the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve announced a £2bn package which will pay for, among other things, pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements and safer junctions.
Instead of reopening society for the sake of the economy, what if we continued to work less, buy less, make less—for the sake of the planet? By Shayla Love Jun 16 2020, 3:00pmShareTweetSnap
At the end of March, Donald Trump tweeted, in all capital letters, “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF.”
He was referring to the economic ramifications of shutting down the country in order to protect the public from the novel coronavirus, which has now killed over 100,000 Americans.
Many Republican lawmakers have echoed the need to reopen businesses and get people back to work. In March, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Fox News that the economy must be salvaged, even if it meant that older people would “take a chance” with their lives to do so.
The economy is in trouble. In the first quarter of the year, gross domestic product, or GDP, contracted5 percent, the “largest quarterly rate of decline since last recession,” reported the Wall Street Journal. One week in May, over 2.1 million unemployment claims were filed, bringing the total to over 40 million—or about one of every four workers in the United States.
Proposed recovery and stimulus packages aim to get the economy and employment back to where they were before the pandemic. But with everything closed or ramped down, what if instead of putting it all back, we kept certain industries closed? What if, instead of going back to work full-time, we decided to work less, buy less, make less, and not fight to raise GDP at any cost?
New tool also ranks cities and countries including UK on how much is spent and how much is being built
The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) has launched an online dashboard that tracks progress being made in countries and cities across Europe in implementing safe space for cycling during the coronavirus pandemic – with Paris, Barcelona and Brussels highlight among the leaders.
As countries have begun easing out of lockdown, national and local governments in the UK and across the continents have been investing in active travel both to aid social distancing and to encourage people to get around other than by public transport or in cars.
“I find it inspiring to see that cities, regions and Member States are taking this as a wake-up call,” said Morten Kabell, co-CEO of ECF, whose members comprise cycle campaign groups from across the continent.
“People do not want to go back to unbreathable air and dangerous streets. We are glad to confirm that the data shows many mayors are taking the right steps to promote cycling and walking. It is the only way we can consider anything positive came out of this crisis.”
The dashboard summarises the total kilometres of measures announced and those implemented, plus the total budget allocated for cycling promotion.
Other pages include maps identifying cities where measure to promote cycling have been put in place, and leaderboards showing which countries and cities are making the greatest progress.
ECF says that in compiling the data, it has “analysed and cross-checked many sources including official and unofficial documents, plans, announcements, news items, and reports from our members on the ground from nearly 300 cities.
