#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No.31
#BikeIsBest Digest Edition No. 31 | Thursday, September 15th 2022 | View in browser
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition after a brief pause following the sad news of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen.
LONG LIVE THE (CYCLING?) KING
King Charles has been pictured riding a bike, and is known for his support for climate change policies. He once wrote, as Princle of Wales, that “Streets must be reclaimed from the car”. In the Netherlands, the King regularly cycles to appointments because it’s so normal there. One cycling journalist, Maria David, found the easiest way to get through the crowds to pay one’s respects around Buckingham Palace is by bike. Perhaps that’s true where you live too.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
THE QUEEN
On top of her ceaseless service to the nation over seven decades as sovereign, the Queen gave her support to numerous charities and organisations. Cycling UK shared a lovely image of Her Majesty as a young princess with a bicycle, noting the Queen was the charity’s longest-standing royal patron, offering 70 years of support. She also gave honours to various sportspeople and campaigners in the cycling world and lent her name to cycling facilities the country over that will continue to inspire for generations.
CAR-FREE WEEK AS ITALIANS RECLAIM PARKING SPACES
Italy’s national cycling federation has declared European Mobility Week (16-22 September) car-free week with events taking place around Italy promoting cycling instead of driving. Volunteers will also reimagine car parking spaces 17-18 September to present some alternatives, including “lounges, golf courses, gardens, free medical clinics, temporary urban farms, and bicycle repair shops”.
E-CONGESTION IS STILL CONGESTION
#BikeIsBest’s latest campaign is here to show e-cars still hog road space and that, given the choice, cycling is still the best use of public space, while making neighbourhoods more pleasant. Billboards across the UK will show three images: a road filled with combustion-engined vehicles, one with e-vehicles and one with cycles, demonstrating e-congestion is still congestion and ultimately bike is best.
ALL ABOUT THE PRICE TAG
At last week’s transport select committee Chris Boardman and Danny Williams, head and CEO of Active Travel England respectively spoke about the exciting new active travel body they are building, and just how much it will cost to deliver that target of 50% of all trips by active travel by 2040 equitably, between urban and rural communities.
MAN U BOSS CYCLING AS FOOTBALL CANCELLED
Erik Ten Hag and his wife were papped cycling in Altrincham after football matches were cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth. The Manchester United manager, a Dutchman, used the impromptu downtime to enjoy some sightseeing - and pancakes - using the most natural form of transport, a bicycle.
OTHER HEADLINES
BROAD STROKES FOR OXFORD BROAD STREET
Oxford council is in the process of pedestrianising Broad Street, a wide historic city centre street filled with colleges and bookshops and, previously, cars. The 18-month trial is part of the city’s progress towards a modern, low-traffic future, and proceeds a successful scheme on Broad Meadow. If you didn’t catch Streets Ahead, my podcast’s visit to Oxford, last month, you can listen here.
INTERESTING GRAPHIC OF THE WEEK
From this City Observatory piece on how the world’s widest road, the Katy Freeway, hasn’t managed to reduce congestion in Houston but has actually increased journey times by a gargantuan 30-55%.
Source:
ACTIVE TRAVEL PHRASE OF THE WEEK; SCHOOL STREET
An often time-limited closure to motor traffic outside the school gates, operating at the start and end of the day. Intended to keep kids safe from drivers, it's a resource-light, but effective tool in enabling active travel
Until next time,
Founder, #BikeIsBest
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