#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No. 140

Hello and welcome to your great-big myth-busting newsletter, where we set the record straight, on one or two things.

PARIS, MISINFORMATION AND LET’S TAKE ROAD DANGER SERIOUSLY

Some cities are powering ahead with changes to tackle air pollution and emissions, while others are not. This week has brought us a terrifying reminder of the devastating power of climate-fueled extreme weather events, and the urgency of cutting emissions. Mis- and disinformation can trump reason and evidence, but not always.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

PARIS TACKLES THROUGH-TRAFFIC. The latest big phase of Paris’ people-friendly overhaul started this week, with a 5.5km2 area in the city centre becoming a no through route for motor traffic. A three-month educational period will be followed by enforcement of the new rules with fines, as officials say half of all city-centre traffic, up to half a million vehicles a day, are being driven through the city and out the other side.  

DISPROVING CYCLE LANE MISINFORMATION. A cycle lane that was claimed to be unnecessary and dangerous has proven to be the opposite. Since the Mayals Road route, in Swansea, was built three years ago, collisions have fallen, according to council figures, from ‘six in the three years’ prior to construction, to ‘one in the three’ since. Councillor for environment and infrastructure, Andrew Stevens, criticised misinformation spread when the route was built, that it would cause more collisions. 

CHILDREN’S DOCTORS CALL FOR CLEAN AIR MEASURES. Senior doctors have criticised ‘backsliding’ by Newcastle City Council over the removal of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Six consultant paediatricians, including the vice-president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and a respiratory consultant in Newcastle, signed the letter, highlighting air pollution as the second leading risk factor for death in children under five. The LTNs were removed during the pilot phase, following complaints. 

MP CRITICISES SAFETY FAILURE AFTER DRIVER HITS CHILD. Labour MP Matt Western has reiterated ongoing safety concerns after a driver hit a child outside a school in Leamington Spa on 2 October. Western said: “As I and so many parents have repeatedly stressed, the pedestrian and cycle access near Oakley School is not good enough. So many of us warned this would happen.” Warwickshire County Council says they are widening an existing footpath, and new cycle routes will be added in future but what hope is there if we can’t even get newly built schools right?

GREEN SPACES HELP MITIGATE EXTREME WEATHER. Nothing much could have mitigated a year’s worth of rain falling in eight hours in Valencia, but for many extreme events, street design can help a lot. New research shows that green space can help reduce heat-related deaths, with fewer people dying in greener areas of cities. Green space also helps improve our mental health - and can even help tackle the child obesity crisis, according to doctors.

OTHER HEADLINES

REBUILDING AFTER THE STORM. Bike shops can become the heart of a community. In Marshall, North Carolina, On Your Bike was devastated, along with much of the downtown after storm Helene brought 3-4 feet of floodwater and mud into the shop. With insurers denying their claims a GoFundMe campaign has raised $40,000 so far from the community to try and rebuild. In Valencia, meanwhile, local people have been using bikes to help deliver supplies to devastated communities. 

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: 

Traffic policing cuts. The AA is calling for 1,000 more traffic police officers, after a poll shows more than half of drivers think they can get away with being careless because they won’t get caught. Traffic police are down by 1,022 since 2016, as it was revealed this week there are 50 people driving legally with more than 30 licence points. Source: https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/aa-calls-for-more-traffic-police 

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Modal share. The proportion of journeys made by a particular 'mode', which could include cycling, public transport or private vehicle - or indeed hovercraft.

Until next time,

Adam Tranter

Founder, #BikeIsBest