#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No.72
#BikeIsBest Digest Edition No. 72 | Friday 14th July 2023 | View in browser
Hello and howdy. Welcome to yet another record-breaking week as the world experiences its hottest seven days ever recorded.
PLAYING OUT, HEALTH, TECH AND INFLUENCERS
Road danger is still rightly high up the agenda this week, and climate change with it. Once again, we’re reminded of the power of providing alternatives to motor vehicles, including cycling, for all ages - from safer roads to better health, to helping cut carbon emissions and tackle runaway climate change.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
KIDS NEED PLAY TIME
Journalist and campaigner, Harriet Grant, has produced a film and article about the growing movement to create safe street space for children to play. Interviewees from Playing Out and local residents voice concerns in the clip that the growth in cars and rat running are damaging children’s health by curbing their access to the outdoor space around their homes in UK cities.
INFLUENCERS CHOOSE CYCLING
Getting out on our bikes is good for us. Indian wellness influencer, Mira Kapoor, and the Daily Mail this week underline the benefits of cycling for physical and mental wellbeing and even protecting our brain function as we age. Meanwhile, Arsenal players were filmed arriving at training by bike this week.
WARNING SIGNS?
Forbes journalist, Carlton Reid, reports on new digital tags proposed for Canyon bicycles, that will communicate with motor vehicles fitted with corresponding receivers. Carlton discusses some of the concerns around such RFID devices, such as: what happens if you don’t have a cell phone/expensive bike/your batteries die? Will drivers become less vigilant?
END OF THE BIKE BOOM?
It’s easy to draw conclusions from data - but is it the right conclusion? The Telegraph has seen data suggesting a bike sales slump and concluded people are cycling less, forgetting that of course in a cost of living crisis people are more likely to stick with their existing bikes, as road.cc points out.
LONDON’S HEALTHIEST STREETS?
The annual Healthy Streets Scorecard sets out borough progress in the capital in the last 12 months. It’s a good benchmark on things like school streets, controlled parking zones (which have a huge impact on short car journeys), 20mph zones and LTNs. Perhaps we need this around the country.
OTHER HEADLINES
WORRYING LACK OF PROGRESS IN NI
Cycling UK has criticised a lack of progress in Northern Ireland over cyclist casualties, which have remained at similar levels for a decade now. 59 people a year are losing their lives cycling on Northern Ireland’s roads, according to the latest road casualty statistics. The charity wants Northern Ireland to adopt Highway Code changes, among other things, to improve safety and get back on track to meet road safety targets.
INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK:
20MPH COVERAGE BY LONDON BOROUGH 20mph coverage in London is described by those behind the Scorecard as ‘a postcode lottery’, varying wildly from 5% in Barnet, to 100% in Kensington and Chelsea. Source: DataWrapper
ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:
Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ): An area where on-street parking is controlled during certain hours of the day. It’s said to be one of the most powerful measures to shift short car journeys to more sustainable modes, by removing large areas of free parking during busy periods.
Until next time,
Founder, #BikeIsBest
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