Streets, words and misdirection, #173

That thing, when we keep facing in the wrong direction

This week, we’re looking at the topsy-turvy world of street design that stubbornly prioritises the wrong things and stumbles into the same old mistakes. Words matter, but so do deeds - as a report on Vision Zero progress tells us. And words can lead people wildly astray, as one bizarre LTN protest case shows us.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

LONELY ROADS. ‘A very clear and statistically significant link between car dependency and loneliness’. That’s the conclusion from a report examining transport’s role in social isolation in England. Researchers developed a car dependency index and found loneliness increases by 5% for every 20% fall in satisfaction with public transport and active travel. This is serious stuff, given loneliness can be as bad for our health as smoking.

NO SHOPS, NO SCHOOLS. Making matters worse, new homes are baking in isolation, being built without basic amenities like shops or playgrounds. Campaigners say thousands of homes lack the kind of community infrastructure that makes a place liveable - despite planning requirements mandating their inclusion once a certain number of homes are built. Schools, doctors surgeries and community centres are being omitted in out-of-town housing developments, locking in car dependency and isolation, according to Transport for New Homes.

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE. Green London Assembly Member, Caroline Russell, has launched a new report on Vision Zero progress in London. She says the city is set to miss its target to eliminate death and serious injury on the capital’s roads by 2041, and sets out targets to resolve this. Those include public education, resourcing roads policing, including a road safety investigation branch, and introducing measures like side road zebra crossings, slower traffic speeds and graduated driving licenses.

FINING LEGAL CYCLING ACTIVITY. A west London council contractor has been fining cyclists for riding on a designated shared path - and forced to repay £100 to one wronged rider. Dr Paulo Ceppi told Kensington and Chelsea Council the fine was issued in error from a contractor he says was hiding in a hedge before accosting him. It was only when the Evening Standard got involved the council relented and agreed the contractor - Kingdom - had got it wrong. It seems Ceppi isn’t the only one being ‘trapped’ in this way.

E-BIKES > E-CARS. While we throw hundreds of millions of taxpayer pounds at helping people buy electric cars, electric cycles get almost nothing. There’s clear evidence e-cycles benefit not just those using them, but society. They help cut congestion and carbon emissions, boost people’s health and wellbeing, and are cheap to run. The return on cycling is generally £5.50 per £1 spent, the University of Leeds’ Noel Flay Cass argues, and that’s a conservative estimate. Cycling’s benefits far outweigh driving. Why aren’t we supporting it?

OTHER HEADLINES

WHERE THE RABBIT HOLE LEADS. A man sitting on a lamp post for six hours to protest an LTN is the bizarre end result of an ordinary man getting sucked into conspiracy land. The bizarre tale is reported by LondonCentric, who attended his court hearing. They say the case represents ‘the intersection of media, politics and protest that is quietly gaining influence in the capital’. Individuals can be drawn into conspiracy theories stemming from real-world concerns about street changes before catapulting themselves into the public eye via social media, to positions previously enjoyed by newspaper editors, as London Centric puts it.

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: This was a graphic tucked into a Times article last month saying Parisians had ‘declared war on reckless cyclists’. Its focus on one of the lesser causes of road danger underlines a stark fact: people being killed or injured by drivers of motor vehicles happens so frequently it ceases to make news. Source: https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/why-parisians-have-declared-war-on-reckless-cyclists-v63ftghn7

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Vision Zero: The target of zero deaths and serious injuries on the roads - and one adopted by a growing number of UK councils, and by administrations around the world. Its four pillars are: safe roads, safe speeds, safe vehicles and safe road use. Delivering on those targets is proving a stickier matter than simply setting those targets.

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.