Slowing down for Christmas, #193

Slow speeds make Santa happy

This week, we’re looking at efforts to slow down drivers - a proven way to cut danger and improve cycling and walking conditions. Plus, the culture wars latest, some long-term trends and just a nice story about someone discovering cycle commuting.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

THE CHANGING FACE OF CYCLING. The Guardian’s Peter Walker casts an eye over the cycling trends of the past 15 or so years. His piece highlights the disparity between London’s steady cycling growth and its gradual decline across most of the rest of the UK. The conclusion we can draw from the rise in gravel riding and sophisticated indoor trainers, while road bike sales decline — I say in the piece — is that unless we can build safe routes, away from high volumes of fast-moving traffic, we won’t realise the everyday cycling success of our European neighbours.

PEOPLE AREN’T JUST ONE THING. That’s the message from cycling minister, Lilian Greenwood, as she sought to further draw a line under the previous ‘culture wars’ narrative around cycling. She said pitching transport policy as for or against motorists or cyclists ignores the fact people use different means of getting about. Transport, she said, should work for everyone, and the forthcoming Road Safety Strategy, which was anticipated before Christmas but will now likely launch in the New Year, will seek to ‘create a culture of mutual respect’ on the roads.

SLOWER SPEEDS FOR BIRMINGHAM STREETS. Excess speed is one of the biggest contributory factors to road death and serious injury, so it’s good to see new 30mph speed limits introduced on 27 Birmingham roads this month. The city declared a road safety emergency last year and will use average speed cameras to enforce the new lower speed limits. As the city’s Cllr Majid Mahmood put it: “We are installing these cameras to stop those drivers who think it is acceptable to put people at risk by travelling too fast.”

WHY DO PEOPLE SPEED? The BBC’s Evan Davis underwent a speed awareness course, and wrote frankly about the experience. He said: “It should really be compulsory for everybody who drives. It was shocking to learn of some basic confusions about the speed limits that I and others were harbouring”. Many on the course, he added, were ‘unarguably guilty’ of driving at around 26mph in a 20mph zone. He realised while 20mph limits are increasingly the norm, attitudes are still catching up: 20mph feels slow for some, while others are simply unaware that even slight increases in speed elevate the risk of harm.

…AND WHERE? As Evan Davis found, speeding is not just about innate behaviour; vehicle and street design can make higher speeds feel less risky. University of Leeds research compiled data from goods vehicles (LGVs and HGVs) to help understand where professional drivers speed, with an interactive map. Researchers note the wider implications of driving too fast: “speeding is associated with poorer road safety and reduced walkability” - as well as cyclability.

OTHER HEADLINES

THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF CYCLING. One young artist’s experience with swapping public transport for cycling is a great reminder of how freeing it is to get on a bike for everyday trips. Sabine Kikuchi-House is saving £1000 a year and a lot of time waiting for buses and trains, thanks to a little help from her dad - and gradually-building confidence to try new routes herself. A nice way to round off this week’s newsletter.

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: Last month, the Department for Transport released the latest road casualty figures, with one graph showing the different vehicles involved when people die on the roads. It’s worth underlining where the danger lies. Source: Reported road fatalities in collisions by road user type and (other) main vehicle involved in the collision, Great Britain 2024

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Risk compensation: As researchers know, each of us has a natural tolerance for risk. Design roads and cars so that drivers can easily reach higher speeds and you’ll see people driving faster to meet their own perceived level of risk, or safety.

Until next time,

Adam

Adam Tranter

CEO, Fusion & Founder, #BikeIsBest

This newsletter is brought to you by Fusion, the agency for movers, specialising in communications and public affairs for active travel and mobility.