#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No.83
#BikeIsBest Digest Edition No. 83 | Thursday 28th September 2023 |
Hello and this week there’s growing calls to tackle road danger, and make it easier to walk and cycle on the streets, not just in the UK but worldwide.
THERE’S A BIKE FOR THAT
But seriously, the problems we’re seeing now, with air pollution, global heating and deaths and serious injuries on our roads are caused, in part, by our over-reliance on motor vehicles. With safe, attractive alternatives, not only can families be saved from heartache but we’ll make better, more equitable places for all of us to live.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
WORLD CAR-FREE DAY
It was World Car Free Day on Friday, a day designed to celebrate alternatives to driving. Over the weekend celebrations saw streetspace reclaimed for play and socialising, some Kidical Mass events and plenty of discussion about where public space will go next. With two thirds of our journeys less than five miles, there’s plenty of scope for changing the way we travel. There’s a nice myth-busting article on it here.
CYCLE TO SCHOOL WEEK
This week is cycle to school week - highlighting the importance and joy of active travel for kids. While a YouGov survey for the Bikeability Trust found 85% of kids 6-15 felt it was important to be able to cycle, more than a third (37%) were put off because the roads are too busy.
BIKE BUS BONANZA
One bike bus in London has grown to 85 participants in just one year - after being inspired by last year’s Cycle to School Week. The weekly Grove Park Bike Bus, in south-east London is proving a hit with kids (and parents) who can now ride to school in safety, accompanied by adults.
FIX OUR BROKEN JUSTICE SYSTEM
RoadPeace and Brake are calling for action to tackle how the justice system deals with road crime. The BBC movingly covered the human impact of collisions, featuring bereaved people who lost loved ones on the roads. Among calls are longer sentences for dangerous drivers, including license suspension following fatal crashes, and greater support for victims following collisions.
SAFE STREETS NOW
Campaigners in Birmingham have made their message heard following a summer of horrific pedestrian and cyclist deaths - and now the message is spreading across the country. ‘Safe Streets Now’ will see protests on 30 September at 11am in towns and cities nationwide calling for ‘space, peace and justice’ on the roads.
OTHER HEADLINES
TOO OLD TO LEJOG?
Not if you’re Peter Langford, who just completed the 1,100-mile epic cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats, aged 90. Mr Langford, a retired vicar, has raised more than £33,000 for two homeless charities with his month-long challenge. He regularly rides 50 miles per week, locally, ‘because it’s good exercise’. That, he says, a healthy lifestyle and good genes are his secret to healthy aging.
INTERESTING GRAPH(IC) OF THE WEEK
School street impact. This graph shows the reduction in particulate pollution (PM2.5) after a school in the Olympic Park introduced a new school street in February. Source
ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:
Roaming distance. The distance kids are allowed to travel from home unaccompanied. In a few generations this distance has reduced starkly - partly due to the rise in traffic on our streets. Play streets, school streets and traffic-calming measures like low traffic neighbourhoods, help reclaim some of that safety, and freedom for this generation of kids.
Until next time,
Founder, #BikeIsBest
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