Public bodies and transport operators must do more to enable people with mental health conditions to make journeys, states a new report. An online survey by the UCL’s Centre for Transport Studies revealed the main barriers for people mental health issues. Of the 385 respondents, 90% have anxiety issues, 71% suffer from panic attacks, 68% have depression while 51% have difficulty communicating and 45% have memory loss. The survey was supported by a range of organisations including Sustrans

In creating safer street design for cycling and walking, junctions consistently prove to be the greatest challenge for many designers and engineers. Dutch transport consultancy Mobycon

The Mini-Holland programme was the turning point for Waltham Forest, giving the council the means to challenge the dominance of the car, believes Clyde Loakes. The £29.6m grant from TfL changed everything. Up until then, the council had tried to encourage active travel through a range of small-scale measures, says Loakes, the council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment.  “Yes, we had the traditional traffic calming engineering solutions, b

The Landor LINKS Annual Survey of Mobility as a Service is now in its third year. Whatever sector of transport you work in, MaaS is now having an impact either as a planner, providing public transport, bike share, car hire, leasing, payments, operational support, TRANStech. We'd like to hear from you, so please complete the survey to gauge how MaaS – and our hopes and fears for it – are developing. Take part in the survey today Last year we had more interest from the automotive se

The Metropolitan Police is preparing to launch a huge programme of speed limit enforcement across London, which aims to catch a million offenders a year.  Councillors on borough association London Councils’ transport and environment committee heard about the proposal last week. Transport manager Andrew Luck told them of a “planned increase in speed enforcement activity, which will result in an increase in the number of offences processed from 160,000 to one million per annum&rd

The Scottish Parliament has voted down a Bill that would have made 20mph the default speed limit on most built-up roads in Scotland. MSPs voted last week by 83 to 26 to block any further progress for Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s     Restricted Roads (20mph speed limit) (Scotland) Bill.  The proposed legislation would have made 20mph the default speed limit on all ‘restricted roads’ – those with street lights placed more than 185 metres apart that are C or unc

Living Streets started life as the Pedestrians Association, a charity launched in 1929 by the journalist Tom Foley OBE and Nobel Peace Prize winner Viscount Cecil of Chelwood. During the 1930s the charity played an influential role in the introduction of the first Highway Code, the driving test, the 30mph speed limit in built-up areas and zebra crossings. The Pedestrians Association became Living Streets in 2001 and now runs the annual Walk to School Week and campaigns on issues such as the dan

Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, has celebrated its 90th anniversary by paying tribute to the journalist and diplomat who took the first steps towards making roads better and safer spaces for pedestrians. Thomas Foley was a journalist who worked for a number of London newspapers. Foley loved walking and never learned to drive. Throughout his life he campaigned to improve life for pedestrians as became increasingly concerned about he dangers posed by growing numbers of cars,

The winners of the 2019 everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards have been revealed. Over the past 12 years the everywoman awards have championed women in the transport and logistics industries, showcasing and celebrating the sectors’ most exceptional role models. The winners were announced at Grosvenor House in London on 13 June. While many of the winners were drawn from the passenger transport, infrastructure and freight sectors, the world of walking was also recognised at this y

The campaign to make 20mph the default speed limit on most built-up roads in Scotland has suffered a setback after the Scottish Parliament committee scrutinising the proposed legislation said it could not recommend the Bill to Parliament. Green MSP Mark Ruskell is promoting the Restricted Roads (20mph speed limit) (Scotland) Bill. It would make 20mph the default speed limit on ‘restricted roads’ – those with street lights placed less than 185 metres apart that are C or unclass

Kent County Council is to pilot measures to slow vehicle speeds to 24mph so that signed-only 20mph speed limits can then be justified.  Kent Police, like many other forces, does not support signed-only 20mph limits unless the existing average speed is 24mph or below.  The council is to explore ways to reduce speeds to this threshold on roads where average speeds are currently as high as 28mph. Possible actions could include removing centre lines, installing bus stop build-outs, chang

The London Borough of Enfield’s programme of bus stop boarders for cyclists is making streets more inaccessible and dangerous for blind and partially sighted people, according to the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK). Enfield has installed boarders that see the cycle track pass in front of the bus stop (see picture). Bus passengers cross the cycle track to board and alight from the bus, creating the potential for conflict with cyclists. The campaign group describes Enfie

London mayor Sadiq Khan has criticised Westminster City Council and other un-named boroughs, accusing them of trying to thwart his cycling agenda.  The comments came during a conference speech in which he said 73 miles of segregated cycle lane were now complete or under construction in the capital, up from 33 miles when he became mayor three years ago.  “I’m delighted that in just three years we have achieved more than the last mayor did in eight years, already doubling t

Oxfordshire County Council has approved a scheme to improve cycle safety at a notorious city centre junction.  Oxfordshire’s cabinet member for the environment, Yvonne Constance, last week approved the redesign of the George Street/Worcester Street/Hythe Bridge junction, which lies on one of the two main pedestrian routes between Oxford railway station and the city centre.  The current layout, introduced in 2014, is unpopular with cyclists. It features a teardrop-shaped waiting

The Blue Badge, Motability and Cycle to Work schemes should be offered to disabled people using bikes, says Sustrans. This would remove some of the barriers to cycling that many disabled people face, believes the walking and cycling charity. “The Blue Badge scheme should be extended so that disabled people can use it with their cycle for better access,” said Tim Burns, Sustrans’ senior policy and partnerships advisor.  A growing number of high footfall city and town cent

The Government should take a lead from Scotland and Wales and adopt road safety targets across England to push down the number of deaths and casualties, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). In 2017, 1,544 people were killed on England’s roads – the most since 2011 – and the number of people killed and seriously injured stood at 23,825, which is way above the 2010-2014 average of 21,283. Yet in Scotland the figures are falling, and while in W

Right from the moment Enfield became one of TfL’s Mini-Holland boroughs back in 2014, the rumbles of dissent began. Cllr Daniel Anderson, who until recently was the council’s deputy leader, recalls being verbally abused at public meetings: “It’s fair to say we faced considerable opposition. People referred to me - and still do - as the idiot who built the cycle lanes. But I can live with that. If I didn’t believe that it was the right thing to do I wouldn’t ha

The Scottish Government has left open the possibility of backing an amended version of a Bill to make 20mph the default speed limit for most roads in built-up areas of Scotland. Scottish transport secretary Michael Matheson told the Scottish Parliament in March that he could not support Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s Restricted Roads (20mph limit) Scotland Bill. He said councils were best-placed to decide what roads should have a 20mph limit (LTT 15 Mar).  But Transport Scotland told LTT

Residents campaigning for the reinstatement of a railway foot crossing told a public inquiry last week that rail safety does not exist in isolation from other considerations. The crossing on the Llandudno branch in North Wales provided a pedestrian route from houses and shops in Deganwy to the Conwy Estuary foreshore, a cycle route and the Wales Coast Path. Network Rail closed it in 2011 after a train narrowly missed striking a teenager. In 2015 Conwy County Borough Council made an Order for t

If you thought the debate about the appropriate speed limit for urban areas was between 30mph and 20mph, then think again: the City of London Corporation wants the speed limit on all of its roads cut to 15mph. The proposal is one of many eye-catching aspects of a new transport strategy to give pedestrians and cyclists more priority. The strategy also sets a 25 per cent traffic reduction target by 2030 as a “minimum aspiration”.  The Corporation already has a 20mph speed limit a

Cracked and uneven pavements make nearly a third of older people feel unsafe when walking on their local streets. The YouGov survey from Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, was released for National Walking Month. Living Streets is calling for councils to remember pavement potholes when repairing their roads to enable the most vulnerable to feel happier and safer using their streets. It is part of Living Streets’ #nine90 campaign which aims to highlight the need for stree

A cycle path between two RSPB nature reserves in West Sussex is now open. The county council’s Public Rights of Way team worked with The Manhood Peninsula Partnership on the scheme.  The route – which connects the Pagham Harbour and Medmerry nature reserves – includes 1.2km of shared pedestrian/cycling pathway and 1.7km of improvements to flood defences at Selsey.  The £400,000 scheme was chiefly paid for by West Sussex County Council, with £58,000 of Se

Councillors in Leeds have authorised more than £25m to be spent on city centre traffic management and public realm measures. The council is to spend £20.7m on detailed design and construction works for the Headrow Gateway scheme on the main east-west route across the city centre, on the north side of the pedestrian core. A further £5.6m is allocated to design and construction works for complementary works on Park Row, which connects City Square outside the railway station to

A decision on whether to pursue further traffic restrictions at Bank Junction in the City of London will be made next month. The ‘Bank on safety’ project introduced in 2017 saw all motor vehicles except buses banned from crossing the junction between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday. The City of London Corporation regarded this as an interim project, ahead of the more substantial ‘All change at Bank’ programme. In January, the Corporation authorised design work to commence

A new paper on the casualty impacts of signed-only 20mph limits in Bristol is being prepared for submission to an academic  journal.  Academics at the University of West of England (UWE) wrote a report on the Bristol experience last year for Bristol City Council. In it, the authors said the signed-only limits had avoided 4.53 fatal, 11.3 serious, and 159.3 slight injuries a year. “Because of the study design employed, it is not possible to state with certainty that the reduction

Graham Pendlebury will be retiring as DfT’s Director, Local Transport on 31 May. His successor will be Stephen Fidler, currently a Deputy Director in DfT’s Strategic Roads Division, with responsibility for overseeing delivery of the Highways England Road Investment Strategy.  Since taking on the role in February 2013, Pendlebury has been responsible for local roads funding and maintenance, bus policy, active and accessible travel, managing about 100 staff and an annual budget o

An ambitious programme to transform the National Cycle Network (NCN) has been launched with the opening of a traffic-free section on the Caledonia Way between North Connel and Benderloch in Argyll and Bute. The new link at Ledaig - funded by Transport Scotland and delivered by the charity Sustrans – has opened after a decade of community and landowner engagement.   It forms part of a £2m investment by Transport Scotland in NCN Route 78 throughout Argyll and Bute and the Highla

Transport for London is  to pilot green man authority on ten pedestrian crossings in the capital.  The signal strategy already operates on two bus-only streets, in Hounslow and Morden. The signals show a green signal for pedestrians continuously until a bus is detected, at which time people walking are stopped on a red signal, and vehicles are given a green light to proceed. TfL now plans to pilot the approach at a further ten crossings. A spokesman told LTT: “The signal contro

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is calling for changes to traffic sign regulations to allow zebra crossing markings to be installed on side road junctions as part of its new Bee network of cycle routes.  The combined authority has  just approved funding for a research study, which could provide evidence to persuade the DfT to revise the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016. Eamonn Boylan, interim chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester, told

I read with interest of the DfT’s regulatory review regarding micromobility vehicles (‘Regulatory reviews to smooth way for new mobility products’ LTT 29 Mar). However, similar machines, in the form of mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs, have been around for years. In view of changing road conditions over time, a full review is really overdue. There is nothing like losing the ability to walk much, if at all, to restrict someone’s ability to get out of their home a

When I was invited by GoSafe, the Welsh road safety partnership, to join a camera operator during a campaign on seatbelt wearing, I assumed that he would need specialist equipment for this activity. However, it was soon apparent that he would use the same equipment as for monitoring vehicle speeds, including a sharp pair of eyes. Speeding may be the most commonly-spotted offence but, as they sit in their vans, camera operators continuously look out for other misdemeanours, including not wearing

Roads have been closed to traffic outside 40 schools across England, Scotland and Wales for a two-week trial period as part of the Big Pedal event. This is the Big Pedal’s tenth year, but it is the first time schools have closed streets, working in partnership with walking and cycling charity Sustrans, the campaign group Playing Out and local authorities. More than 2,200 schools are taking part in this year’s event, which runs until 5 April. Sustrans is helping schools and local au

Leicester City Council has signed a partnership agreement with Santander for a bike hire scheme. An invitation for bike hire operators to submit bids will be published next month, with the scheme due to start at the end of this year. The scheme – comprising 500 bikes at 50 docking stations – will cover the city centre and surrounding neighbourhoods, including railway and bus stations, Leicester Royal Infirmary, university and college campuses, major workplaces and sports facilities.

New mobility solutions such as self-driving vehicles could exacerbate congestion and result in fewer people walking and cycling, warns a new report from the DfT. Rising automation must be complemented by more efficient use of limited road space, for example through shared rides, increased occupancy and consolidating freight, states Future of Mobility: Urban Strategy. Analysis carried out for the DfT suggests that traffic could grow 55%

Plans for a ‘Beelines Network’ of cycling and walking routes across Greater Manchester will take another step forward if 18 schemes gain approval next week. This will take the number of endorsed schemes to 42, delivering 319 new and upgraded crossings and junctions and 70 miles of new cycling and walking routes. If the latest schemes are approved by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the total value of cycling and walking related-projects across Greater Manchester wil

The Big Bike Revival – a project that aims to help people get their unused bikes back on the road – is to take place for the fifth consecutive year. The DfT is giving the charity Cycling UK £1m, double last year’s amount, to stage events across England.  The project offers free cycle checks, maintenance advice and tips on how to get cycling, along with training events to get people cycling again or for the first time. Cycling UK targets people on low incomes, those

Scottish transport secretary Michael Matheson has criticised a Bill to make 20mph the default speed limit on most roads in built-up areas of Scotland. He said decisions about 20mph speed limits were best left to councils and warned that the proposed legislation could even jeopardise the Government’s active travel spending. Matheson made the comments to the Scottish Parliament’s rural economy and connectivity committee, which is scrutinising Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s Restricted

Two new sections of motorway bus lane opened in Belfast this week, offering predicted peak time journey time savings of up to 15 minutes for passengers compared with car travel. Belfast already has hard shoulder bus lanes on two sections of the M1 in the southern suburbs and one on the M2 in a north-western suburb.  The new M2 bus lane runs from Junction 2 to J1B at Duncrue, close to the city centre. The new M1 lane is further out than the existing lanes, extending bus priority from Lisbu

Liverpool City Council is developing plans for £10m of improvements to road interchanges after deciding not to replace two condemned flyovers in the city centre. The Churchill Way flyovers, opened in 1970, were closed last year for detailed inspections after design and construction flaws were discovered (LTT 12 Oct 18). The inspections established that the structures could not be strengthened in order to carry vehicles or even pedestrians safely.  Replacing the flyovers would cost a

Pedestrians will be given more space on crowded streets in Edinburgh’s Old Town during the summer months under proposals being developed by the council.   Options include: removing street furniture; changing vehicle loading, waiting and parking restrictions; reducing carriageway widths; access restrictions for general traffic; one-way street operations; full road closures; and relocating bus stops and taxi ranks. Options for junctions include: banning left or right turns; increasing

The removal of a large roundabout in Waltham Forest, north-east London, marks the final phase of the borough’s Mini Holland programme. Waltham Forest was one of three outer London boroughs – along with Kingston upon Thames and Enfield – to receive funding from the then Mayor of London Boris Johnson in 2014 to create cyclist and pedestrian friendly routes. A new T-junction, with signalled crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, and bus interchange (pictured above) has replaced

Peninsula Transport,  the shadow sub-national transport body (STB) for the south-west of England, has outlined the road projects being considered for submission to the Government’s Major Road Network and Large Local Majors funding streams. The Government has asked STBs to submit their investment priorities this summer for the first five-year period of the National Road Fund (2020/21-2024/25).   Peninsula Transport covers five  local transport authorities: Somerset, Devon,

Eleven London councils have secured funding for projects to make their streets more people-friendly. The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) is providing a total of £53m in the second phase of its Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. Seven boroughs were awarded a total of £33m towards phase one projects in 2017.  TfL received 22 bids for phase two funding. The winning bids comprise a range of projects designed to cut rat running, make junctions safer, implement new wal

20mph campaigners have been accused of “dubious morality” by one of the authors of the DfT’s evaluation into the effects of signed-only 20mph limits. The criticism comes in response to comments about the research made by the campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us in evidence to the Scottish Parliament.  The Parliament’s rural economy and connectivity committee is currently taking evidence on Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s Restricted Roads (20mph speed limit) Scotla

There will be no big increase in 20mph speed limit enforcement if the lower speed becomes the default limit on Scotland’s restricted roads, the police have said.  Police Scotland has told the Scottish Parliament’s rural economy and connectivity committee that cutting the speed limit from 60mph to 50mph on single carriageway roads would be a better road safety policy than a default 20mph limit in urban areas. Reflecting on Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s Restricted Roads (20mph

A six-week consultation to discuss possible developments around Crewe railway station has been launched by Cheshire East Council.  An action plan is being drawn up to manage development and support the regeneration of the site around the station ahead of HS2’s arrival, scheduled for 2027. This will help identify the most immediate opportunities around the railway station, and ensure that related growth and development is ‘plan-led’, says the council.  The action pl

More of Scotland’s roads will be eligible for speed cameras under forthcoming changes to the criteria used to identify suitable sites. The changes include: extending the site selection period over which collisions are scored;  increasing the points value for fatal and serious injury collisions; and more weight to collisions involving vulnerable road users.  The current criteria are set out in the 2015 Scottish Safety Camera Programme handbook of rules and guidance. It says site

A public inquiry will be held in May into Network Rail’s closure of a foot crossing in Deganwy in North Wales, and Conwy County Borough Council’s formal Order for the crossing to be reinstated. Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb has submitted evidence in support of reinstating the crossing, which Network Rail closed in 2011.  In 2016, Conwy confirmed the right of way Order, which states that pedestrians are entitled to cross the double track Llandudno branch where the crossing existed (LT

Tributes were paid this week to Idris Francis, 79, who has died following a long battle with cancer. Francis, an electrical engineer, devoted much of his retirement to road safety analysis, particularly examining the effects of speed cameras, and was a frequent contributor to LTT’s letters pages.   The Alliance of British Drivers said: “Idris campaigned for many years against the misuse of statistics in road safety. He ran his own website called ‘Fight Back With Facts&rsq

Waltham Forest council has launched a £20,000 fund to help local community projects encourage more active travel.   Organisations can bid for up to £2,500 from the Community Walking and Cycling Fund to deliver projects with residents in the London borough over this spring and summer.  The council hopes the fund will lead to more community led guided walks or rides as well as bike maintenance classes for community groups.  Funding will come from the £27m Mini H

The City of London Corporation is to begin design work on the next phase of changes to Bank Junction, which could see some of the junction’s five arms closed to traffic. The ‘Bank on safety’ project introduced in 2017 saw all motor vehicles except buses banned from crossing the junction between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday. The City made the scheme permanent last September. ‘Bank on safety’ was always regarded as an interim project, ahead of the more substantial &

North Ayrshire Council has endorsed the Bill to introduce a 20mph speed limit across most of Scotland’s built-up roads, but on the condition that the Scottish Government provides councils with additional funding to cover the associated costs.  Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s Restricted Roads (20mph Speed Limit) Scotland Bill would cut the default speed limit from 30 to 20mph on roads that have streetlights placed less than 185 metres apart, are C class of unclassified, and have not ha

I write in response to the criticisms by campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us of consultant Atkins’ report for the DfT on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limits (Letters LTT 14 Dec 18).  Whilst their disappointment that the study found no significant reduction in casualties is perhaps understandable, it is no excuse for some of the badly-informed and misleading statements made by 20’s Plenty for Us about supposed weaknesses of the study’s methodology.  If we are

The end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 have seen a host of consultations, reports and inquiries into why it’s so necessary to boost walking and cycling levels; both through securing long-term investment and fully integrating quality cycling and walking infrastructure with public transport, homes and work. First, the Department of Health and Social Care launched its ‘Prevention is better than cure' vision, which specifically mentions the need to 'coordinate transport, housing, educat

The NHS will save £319m if cycling doubles in seven UK cities every eight years by 2040, according a new report from Sustrans. The charity calculates that 34,000 life-threatening illnesses - including Type 2 diabetes, stroke, breast cancer and depression - would be prevented, along with 628 early deaths. Transforming Cities: The potential of everyday cycling uses data from Sustrans’ 2017 Bike Life studies of B

Councillors in Bradford have approved the implementation of 20mph speed limits across the city centre and in streets around two schools.  The proposals are described as 20mph zones. “The new zones include areas that already have physical traffic calming measures in place, or streets where other factors such as layout and on-street parking naturally restrict vehicle speeds,” a council spokeswoman told LTT. “We’ve held a number of tests of traffic speeds on some of th

Sheffield City Region has today announced plans to appoint its first Active Travel Commissioner. The post will cover all aspects of active travel schemes to be delivered across the region, as part of Sheffield City Region’s bid for a share of the government's Transforming Cities Fund. Earlier this month, Sheffield City Region submitted six active travel and public transport schemes to the government for co

THE DfT should not lead on active travel policy but should instead be the delivery arm for other client departments, MPs have been told. The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) makes the comments in evidence to the House of Commons transport committee’s new active travel inquiry.  PACTS believes the DfT will struggle to orchestrate cross-departmental active travel initiatives. “The DfT is not a powerful department in Whitehall. PACTS has seen how diffic

Drivers in north-east Scotland are reporting dramatic journey time reductions following last month’s opening of a 20-mile section of Aberdeen’s Western Peripheral Route.  The project features a dual carriageway western bypass for the city, a link road between Stonehaven and Cleanhill south of Aberdeen, and dualling the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty, north of the city.  Sections north of the city opened last summer and last month’s opening completes the western a

Councils should develop and maintain routes that give priority to pedestrians, cyclists and those using public transport over motorised vehicles, NICE [the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] has stated in a draft quality standard published today. The body calls on planners to develop policies and initiatives to ensure “safe, convenient, inclusive access” for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport passengers with priority over motorised vehicles such as cars, mot

The DfT has announced regulatory reviews to smooth the way for “micromobility vehicles” on Britain’s streets, Mobility as a Service products, and new forms of flexible bus service.  The work programme is outlined in the DfT’s new future of mobility strategy for urban areas.  On micromobility, it says: “We are seeing the rapid development of vehicles such as electric scooters and skateboards, low-powered last mile delivery solutions and a blurring of prev

French president Emmanuel Macron’s decision to scrap next year’s tax rises on petrol and diesel following successive weekends of rioting prompted the media to ask what was the future for green taxation as an instrument of climate policy.   The BBC thought the protests were a bit of a puzzle. “The protests are, in some ways, surprising,” began an analysis article on its website. “The French, in overwhelming numbers, believe in man-made climate change. So why fi

Transport bodies this week gave more reflections on the DfT’s report into the effectiveness of signed-only 20mph limits (LTT 23 Nov).  In a letter to LTT (see page 31)  Rod King, founder of campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us, voices dissatisfaction with the report, saying it fails to address the original objectives set, and its findings are marred by data limitations.    David Davies, executive director of PACTS, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport S

A group of roadside Santas joined the City of London Police last week to launch a Christmas Road Safety campaign. Using handheld speed cameras, pupils from Sir John Cass and St Paul’s Cathedral Schools recorded several vehicles exceeding 30mph although there is a 20mph limit in the City. The City of London Corporation’s Road Danger Reduction Plan seeks to achieve Vision Zero – an end to all deaths and serious injuries on London's transport system - which is key part of the May

A two-week operation to target illegal and dangerous driving across London resulted in the arrest of 176 drivers for drink, drug, dangerous and disqualified driving. The operation is part of a joint Vision Zero commitment by Transport for London (TfL) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to eliminate death and serious injury on London’s roads by 2041. During the operation, 4,758 offences were identified – more than 800 offences higher than an average two-week period in 2016. T

A three-year DfT research study into area-wide signed-only 20mph limits has failed to find compelling evidence that the schemes reduce collisions or casualties in residential areas. The DfT this week said the final report’s headline findings presented a “mixed picture” about the performance of schemes, which many councils have implemented in recent years. The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) said the findings were “disappointing but not surpris

Bus operator Stagecoach says the outside lanes of motorways in Strathclyde should be reserved for buses and coaches. Transport Scotland’s current Managed Motorways study is considering the possibility of dedicating the hard shoulder of the M8 in Glasgow to buses (LTT 26 Oct). This, however, would see buses interrupted at each junction by other traffic crossing their path to join or leave the motorway. Robert Andrew, managing director of Stagecoach Scotland, told LTT: “We see potent

Birmingham City Council wants to pilot the use of default 20mph speed limit powers.  30mph is the current default limit for restricted roads and councils use traffic regulation orders to introduce 20mph limits. A default 20mph limit would reverse this approach.  Birmingham, which has  implemented signed-only 20mph limits in large parts of the city, says setting a default 20mph limit could “significantly” cut the implementation costs of 20mph limits. “Birmingham

Councils will get new powers allowing the use of CCTV and ANPR cameras to enforce parking restrictions in cycle lanes as part of a government ‘action plan’ to improve road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The two-year plan, published today, will end the requirement for civil enforcement officers to issue penalty charge notices to vehicles parked in cycle lanes. Among a raft of

Belfast’s Queen’s University has become the first organisation to achieve a Gold Standard in a new international Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation (CFE-UK). The scheme has been launched by EU project ‘Bike2Work’, with the charity Cycling UK the recognised provider for the UK.  CFE-UK is the only international standard for workplace cycling, working in partnership with countries across Europe. Site auditing and advisory work is also provided by charity Sustrans

Tower Hamlets Council is making over £120,000 available to community groups, schools, local businesses and housing associations who want to in reducing air pollution in the east London borough. To be eligible for funding, projects must be related to either reducing air pollution emissions, reducing air exposure to pollution or increasing awareness of air pollution; be directly relevant to actions in the council’s Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP); have a measurable impact; and have wid

US electric scooter manufacturer Bird is launching a pilot scheme at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The company, which operates in around 40 American cities, believes that its pilot scheme will demonstrate the usefulness of this hop-on, hop-off form of transport. The scooters are unlocked using an app. They are time-managed, being only available between the hours of 07.00 and 21.00. The scooters are collected and charged overnight. Bird believes this will overcome problems t

Network Rail will cut back its level crossing closure programme in favour of making more use of technologies to improve crossing safety, according to the DfT.  The news has come as a surprise because a Transport and Works Act Order inquiry is currently taking place into Network Rail’s plan to close 60 level crossings in Essex. In all, more than 1,000 crossings have closed since 2010, aided by a £109m ring-fenced fund from the DfT. But transport minister Jo Johnson has told the

New innovations can pave the way to smarter mobility on better quality roads and footways, offsetting the impact of funding cuts. This is one of the chief findings of a new report by the Local Government Technical Advisers Group (LGTAG).  The report says that “new techniques and low cost interventions” can help ensure the efficient repair of roads in England. The DfT’s local highway maintenance funding for English authorities is about £1bn a year, which is matched b

A 2.5km stretch of Nine Elms Lane and Battersea Park Road will be redesigned to make the streets more people-friendly, says Transport for London (TfL).  The proposals include: a new substantially segregated cycle route connecting to Cycle Superhighway 8, which runs between Wandsworth and Westminster; signals and junctions designed to separate cyclists and motor vehicles by time or space; wider pavements; 23 new or improved pedestrian crossings; and improved bus lanes.

Brighton & Hove Buses are working with Sussex Police, Brighton & Hove City Council and community groups to tackle hate crime with a poster campaign - #NoHateHere. Anti-hate crime posters went up on all buses in Brighton & Hove on13 October – the start of National Hate Crime Awareness Week - encouraging people to report incidents.

The Healthy Streets Awards 2018 took place at the London Guildhall last week. The judges were impressed by the high quality of this year’s entries, which included some of the best work carried out in the UK The winners of the Healthy Streets Awards 2018 were announced last week, with Waltham Forest bagging three trophies. The London borough took the Healthy Street of the Year, Behaviour Change Initiatives and Photo of the Year awards. It was also a good night for The London boroughs of So

A new European cycling industry association has been formed in a bid to influence government transport policy. Cycling Industries Europe (CIE) will supersede the European Cyclists Federation’s Cycling Industry Club. The CIE will be led by Tony Grimaldi, chief executive of bike company Cycleurope, and the Cycling Industry Club’s Kevin Mayne. The new association will bring together cycle and accessory suppliers with bike share operators, cycle delivery firms, consultancies and digital

Police forces in England and Wales are intensifying their use of HGV tractor units to enforce the law on major roads, with drivers of commercial vehicles being targeted in particular. Highways England acquired a derestricted tractor unit in 2015 ago for “Operation Tramline”. The unit was fitted with cameras that recorded the all-round view and could exceed the normal speed limit for HGVs on dual carriageways. The unit’s deployment by police forces around England resulted in ab

Every police force in the UK is to be offered a free ‘close pass’ virtual reality film and headset after a successful Kickstarter campaign by Cycling UK. The cycling charity has met its fund raising target of £15,000 in eight days and now plans to start distributing the film, which will allow drivers to see how it feels to be ‘close passed’ by a vehicle, by the end of November.  This follows a Kickstarter campaign last year, which enabled Cycling UK to give &l

I’ve done my fair share of travel behaviour change programmes in my time. These programmes often succeed in getting more people cycling, walking and using public transport more often but, when we ask people their primary reason for making a change, the main reason is something to do with personal health and fitness. Similarly, when we come to evaluating programmes, the largest benefits tend to reside in health improvement rather than ‘transport’ benefits. So, I was interested

An academic this week sounded a note of caution over Cheshire West and Chester Council’s claim that signed-only 20mph limits have cut injury collisions by 65 per cent.  In January 2016 the council approved the introduction of signed-only 20mph limits on residential roads where mean speeds were less than 24mph, and around schools where the mean speed was less than 30mph.  Councillors were this month presented with results of collision and speed monitoring from the first 36 areas

Three episodes back, if you recall, I got all exercised concerning the fact that, despite much excitement in the past decade or so concerning the benefits of de-cluttering, we’re still either putting too much stuff into our streets that either doesn’t need to be there at all, or putting the stuff that needs to be there in the wrong place. I specifically cited my old friends the ‘Keep Left’ bollards and a new menace: electric vehicle charging pillars. This time round, I&r

For years, the public transport world has been divided by a bitter dispute: namely, is it ever correct to describe a super-duper bus as a tram? The discussion took an unexpected turn with the launch of Belfast’s Glider bus rapid transit network earlier this month. The Belfast Telegraph and the BBC have both run stories in which the vehicles are described – by persons un-named – as “trams on wheels”. LTT wonders how those persons, and the journalists who quote them,

Sustrans has welcomed the launch of the Safer Streets Bill, which seeks to make 20mph the standard speed on residential streets in Scotland. John Lauder, the sustainable transport charity’s national director for Scotland, argued the Bill is great news for people who walk and cycle. “When it comes to saving lives and reducing injury on our roads, the benefits of 20mph speed limits are well known but worth repeating,” Lauder wrote in his blog on the charity’s website. 

Drivers’ dependency on the car has jumped in the last year, with third (33%) of motorists – the equivalent to 13.2m – saying they are more reliant on their cars now than 12 months earlier, compared to just 27% in 2017, reveals research conducted by the RAC. The motoring association's annual Report on Motoring is based on a representative survey of 1,808 motorists. Data from the study of motoring trends, now in its 30th year, shows car dependency had been dropping steadily sin

Around 50 streets in the capital will be closed to traffic on Sunday 22 September to mark World Car Free Day. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) are backing London Play, the charity that works to give children the freedom to play by shutting roads to traffic. The charity helps residents to organise Play Streets, where roads are closed to traffic a few hours once a week or month to provide a safe space for children to play outside with their friends. Play Streets also enc

Injury collisions at speed camera sites in Cambridgeshire have risen since cameras were installed but fatal and serious collisions have fallen, a report presented to councillors this week reveals.  The findings have re-opened the debate about the effects of cameras, with another researcher saying the use of a different method shows that fatal and serious collisions have risen at camera sites too (see panel).     Cambridgeshire currently has 33 fixed site wet film speed cameras.

Cambridgeshire County Council’s agenda for replacing existing wet film speed cameras with digital ones at a cost of £500,000-£600,000 unwittingly reveals that they no more understand their data or how to analyse it than do Transport for London, Hampshire Police (LTT passim and in detail at www.fightbackwithfacts.com/false_claims ). Accordingly I emailed the council to point out several self-serving errors about camera effectiveness and to provide a copy my results (see figures

Bike hangars have been installed in Salford, Greater Manchester, for residents with little or no internal space to store their cycles. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Salford City Council are piloting the scheme, with the initial installation of 11 Cyclehoop hangars. The hangar - which is designed to protect bikes from harsh weather conditions, theft and vandalism - can store six bikes. Initially, the annual fee will be subsidised at £20 per year for the first two years, befor

A traffic ban trial at Bank Junction is to be made permanent, the City of London Corporation has announced today. The ‘Bank on Safety’ scheme, which restricts the junction to buses and cyclists only between 7am and 7pm, has been in operation since May 2017. This marks the first phase of plans to totally re-design the junction by 2021, which could result in the removal of all motorised traffic.  The corporation’s Court of Common Council made the final decision after month

The City of Edinburgh has launched an online toolkit to help communicate the benefits of adopting a 20mph limit. The toolkit comprises activities and resources designed to help local communities to spread the word about calmer speeds and encourage behaviour change across the city.  Edinburgh became the first city in Scotland to implement a citywide 20mph network in March. The council hopes the 20mph limit will to improve road safety, encourage active travel and help make the city’s s

Thirteen people were arrested during the first two weeks of an operation to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on Greater Manchester’s Metrolink tram system. Operation Infinity was launched 13 August in response to a spate of incidents on the Rochdale and Oldham line. Officers and staff from the TravelSafe Partnership (TSP) arrested 13 people for a range of incidents including public order, theft, fraud, possession of cannabis, breach of parole and wanted on warrant.  TP officers

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) has questioned the Government’s plan to target road safety policies at four groups.  Road safety minister Jesse Norman set out the priorities to the House of Commons in June. He said the DfT was preparing a refresh of the 2015 road safety statement and a two-year action plan that would address four priority groups – young people, rural road users, motorcyclists and older vulnerable groups. “The first three o

An east-west cycling route has been officially opened by London walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman. The 12km Quietway 2 (Q2) will enable people to cycle from east London into the city centre and on into Bloomsbury and Walthamstow via Angel, Haggerston, London Fields and Clapton. The Quietway network is a continuous direct and clearly signed cycle routes on the capital’s traffic light streets. The Quietways complement fully segregated cycle routes that Transport for London (TfL)

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched a cycle training scheme designed to get whole families out and about on two wheels. The training programme consists of free two-hour sessions led by a professional cycle instructor who travel to the family’s home and tailor each session to suit their needs. Parents will be taught how to lead safe cycling trips on the road and how to ride protectively with children. Their children will be taught how they can travel safely on the roads t

The DfT is to update its guidance documents on tactile paving and inclusive mobility after researchers found that many authorities are failing to adhere to the existing guidance.  The DfT commissioned TRL to review two documents, Inclusive mobility (prepared in 2002) and Guidance on the use of tactile paving surfaces (prepared in 1998) to see if they remained relevant or needed updating.  TRL carried out a literature review and engaged with 12 stakeholders, receiving responses from n

New laws to crack down on dangerous cyclists have been proposed in a new government consultation. The new offence would be equivalent to causing death by dangerous driving. The government says the three-month consultation would complement proposals announced in June for a crackdown on dangerous drivers who pass cyclists too. Transport minister Jesse Norman said: “In recent weeks we have announced a range of measures designed to protect vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestria

The London Borough of Enfield has fitted purpose-built safety devices to its vehicle fleet to prevent fatal collisions with cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. The panels were designed by a former police officer who attended many collisions during his time with the Metropolitan Police. The PeoplePanels are designed to prevent people from going under a lorry. They fitted to the sides of lorries, with prominent warning signage and significantly reducing the risk of injury during a collision

A 20mph speed limit will be introduced on all Transport for London roads within the central London congestion charging zone, London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced.  The proposal features in the ‘Vision Zero’ road safety action plan published by the mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police Service.  The plan envisages no deaths on the capital’s roads by 2041. Interim targets are for 65 per cent fewer people killed or seriously injured in 2022 against a 2005-09 bas

Roads, footpaths, buses, trains and trams are used day in day out by ordinary people from all walks of life, and the way that transport supports – or frustrates – their plans and needs is a fundamental influence on their wellbeing and personal fulfilment. Transport planning is fundamental to our society; well-planned transport supports and enriches people’s lives, and can help people be healthier and happier, and build stronger communities.  It’s only right then tha

Transport for London is offering grants to schemes to help groups in the capital that face barriers to cycling. The Cycling Grants London (CGL) programme, funded by TfL and run by environmental regeneration charity Groundwork London, is offering a total of £240,000, which will be available to up to 30 groups. Projects will receive up to £10,000 over a three-year period to support groups that do not cycle due to barriers relating to income, health, ability, skills and access to inform

The government has imposed a moratorium on the creation of any new ‘shared space’ schemes in response to concerns raised during the consultation on its new Inclusive Transport Strategy. The strategy was developed following the Accessibility Action Plan (AAP) consultation, which received over 1,000 responses. Shared space schemes involve the removal of features such as kerbs, road surface markings, designated crossing places and traffic signs are removed. In the strategy document, t

The government will put up to £300m into extending the Access for All programme, making railway stations more accessible, including through step-free access. The funding commitment was announced alongside publication of the Inclusive Transport Strategy, which seeks to improve accessibility across all types of travel for those with both visible and less visible disabilities. The Department for Transport said the new measures and funding will help ensure disabled people can travel confiden

Proposals to make London the world’s most walkable city have been unveiled by Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner. The capital’s first Walking Action Plan, which is supported by Public Health England (PHE), maps out a vision to make London the most walkable city in the world, with a million extra walking trips each day by 2024. London’s Mayor Sadiq Kahn wants to increase the proportion of people walking, cycling and taking public transport from the cur

Plans for a major upgrade of junction 9 of the M3 motorway at Winchester have attracted overwhelming support at a public consultation. Some 96% of respondents backed the need for the improvements to this junction, which will be redesigned to create a dedicated free flow lanes, which will allow drivers travelling between the M3 and the A34 to avoid using the junction roundab

Speed limits on all red routes in London's congestion charging zone will drop to 20mph by May 2020, as part of plans to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on the capital’s road network by 2041.  The Vision Zero action plan – published today by the Mayor of London, Transport for London (TfL) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) – also states that by 2024 speed limits will be cut in most of London’s town centres and other high risk locations. Overall, TfL is

Now in its 3rd year, the Awards will showcase the ways in whiich people's lives are being improved through cost-effective, clean and integrated transport provision across towns and cities. These awards celebrate both the positive impact that smarter travel projects can deliver, and the professionals who lead them. Whoever you are, whatever your project or service, everyone has a chance of winning a Smarter Travel Award. You don’t have to have the biggest budgets, the sexiest product or th

The Scottish Government is awaiting the findings of DfT research into the effects of raising the speed limit for lorries in England and Wales before deciding whether to follow suit. In April 2015 the speed limits for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes were increased in England and Wales from 40 to 50mph on single carriageways and from 50 to 60mph on dual carriageways.  The limits in Scotland remain 40mph and 50mph on single and dual carriageways respectively, except on the A9 between Perth and Invernes

Local authorities can undertake speed limit enforcement and prosecute drivers who break the limit using a little-known piece of legislation, according to campaign group 20’s Plenty for Us.   Although signed-only 20mph limits have been implemented across a huge number of the nation’s residential streets, few limits are enforced, with many police forces not regarding it as a high priority. 20’s Plenty said this week that  existing legislation may provide the scope for

A project designed to reduce the dominance of the car on a shopping street in Newcastle has won support from a retailer who was among its harshest critics. Steve Robson (pictured) and other traders had opposed Newcastle City Council’s plans to remove parking bays on Acorn Road, in the suburb of Jesmond, and feared the changes would drive away customers. Three years ago the council implemented the £350,000 project, funded by the government’s Cycle City Ambition Fund, making th

The government must start to lay the foundations now for the altered streetscape of 2050 when all cars and vans will be electric as well as mostly autonomous, argues the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in a new report. The first National Infrastructure Assessment, published this week, sets out a long-term strategy for the UK’s economic infrastructure from 2020 to 2050. Electric vehicles will soon have the same range and be cheaper to buy and maintain than fossil fuel vehicles, t

A once notorious gyratory road system has been transformed into Aldgate Square, one of the largest public spaces in the City of London, featuring safer routes for cyclists and pedestrians. The six-year, £23m project is now complete, with the square being opened by Charles Bowman, the Lord Mayor of the City of London. The square, which is near Aldgate Underground station, has undergone a host of changes. The one-way gyratory system has been replaced with two-way traffic. Also, new cycling

The government has stated its aim of making all cars and vans on the UK’s roads zero emission by 2050. The sale of all new petrol and diesel cars and vans will end by 2040, as set out in the government’s Air quality plan. “By then, we expect the majority of new cars and vans sold to be 100% zero. By 2050 we want almost every car and van to be zero emission,” says the Road to Zero strategy. The government previously stated in its

Nearly half of cyclists often experience ‘close pass’ incidents when out on their bikes, according to a survey by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC). The online survey, which received more than 3,000 responses from LCC members and supporters, reveals that being passed closely by a motor vehicle happens to 23% every time they cycle while 45% said it was a frequent occurrence. Among the other key findings, 50% said they now cycled in the centre of the lane as much as possible, 32% had

Former London cycling commissioner Andrew Gilligan has recommended a huge investment in cycling facilities in Oxford, Cambridge and Milton Keynes in a report for the Government’s National Infrastructure Commission.  Gilligan was commissioned to write a report on cycling provision in the three cities as part of the NIC’s wider work on the growth prospects and infrastructure needs of the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge arc. His report is highly critical of  provision for cyc

The national speed limit on single carriageway roads should be cut from 60mph, consultants have told the Government. The recommendation features in a road safety management capacity review commissioned by the DfT from consultant SYSTRA. The review was a pledge of the DfT’s British Road Safety Statement of 2015, which endorsed a ‘safe system’ approach to preventing deaths and injuries in collisions. This “aims for a more forgiving road system that takes human fallibility

Fleet operation provides an essential pillar for a modern economy, not only in the supply of goods in such key sectors as construction, but in the provision of delivery services generally, and in sectors such as public transport. The modern trend towards internet shopping has only increased the demand for vehicle operation, but the increased emphasis on fleet work has also heightened public and political pressure to improve standards of efficiency, safety and environmental protection. In general

Plans for a cycling and walking network across Greater Manchester, made up of more than 1,000 miles of routes, was unveiled at Cycle City Active City last week. The ‘Beelines’ network will include 75 miles of segregated bike lanes as well as 1,400 safer road crossings on most routes and 25 ‘filtered neighbourhoods’ where priority will be given to people over motorised traffic. Beelines was launched at Cycle City Active City by Chris Boardman, Greater Manchester’s c

The government will encourage police forces to tackle ‘close pass’ driving, the transport minister Jesse Norman has announced. Speaking at the Cycle City Active City conference in Manchester last week, the minister praised the work of West Midlands Police, which was the first force in the UK to carry out ‘close pass’ operations.   Norman visited police officers Steve Hudson (pictured above) and Mark Hodson, who pioneered the West Midlands operation. “It has be

A road junction with one of the poorest safety records in London is being upgraded by Transport for London (TfL), the Mayor of London and Islington Council. Reconstruction of the Highbury Corner junction begins on the 28 June. The works will transform the see the 1960s roundabout removed and replaced with two-way roads and segregated cycle lanes on all three remaining sides of the roundabout.  There will also be a new public space created for residents and visitors. The improvements to t

Few motorists appear to be aware of the penalties they can incur when misusing a mobile phone while drivers, research by the RAC has revealed. Nearly two-thirds of drivers (64%) remain unaware what the consequences of breaking the law, which as introduced 15 years ago. Tougher penalties for using a handheld mobile phone at the wheel were introduced in March. The new penalty was set at six points on the driver’ license and a £200 fine. However, the RAC found that over a quarter of

London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to transform Oxford Street could be doomed after Westminster City Council’s decision to withdraw support.   In a statement that apparently took the mayor and Transport for London by surprise, Nickie Aiken, the Conservative council leader of Westminster, said earlier this month that the council had “taken the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street off the table for good”.  Making the street more pedestrian-friendly is one of the mayor

Councils wanting to reduce pollution from toxic gases such as nitrogen dioxide from traffic on our roads must consider how compliance can be cost-effectively achieved for Clean Air Zones (CAZ) and Low Emission Zones (LEZ). There are several practical steps that can be taken by extracting greater value from limited resources by utilising existing assets more effectively. CCTV enforcement and traffic management systems are now routinely deployed by councils to capture civil traffic contraventions

Like most ‘crashes’, the council report on Hampshire’s 20mph limits is both predictable and preventable (‘No safety benefits from signed 20mph limits, says Hampshire’ LTT 08 Jun).  From experience to date on many 20mph implementations across the country we know that there are several factors that will affect the speed reductions gained from implementing 20mph limits. These are shown in the accompanying table. What we also know is that in places such as Calder

A mass cycle ride took place on the streets of Portsmouth yesterday to mark the start of Refugee Week. The event was organised by The British Red Cross and charity Cycling UK to highlight how giving refugees and asylum seekers access to bikes can help change their lives. The event is part of Cycling UK's Big Bike Revival project, which seeks to refurbish unused bikes along with maintenance advice and training events to get people cycling again or for the first time. Am

Schemes requiring companies to apply for permits to carry out road works are reducing the length of disruption by more than three days, according to a new report. Fewer road works over-run as a result of permit schemes, states the report, carried out for the Department for Transport by economic research and consulting firm Ecorys. Around 65% of councils now operate permit schemes while the remaining 35% are being asked to introduce them, says the report. Permit schemes cover works on all loca

Anna Delveccio, who started her transport engineering career as a teenager, has received the top honour at the 2018 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards.  Launched 11 years ago, the awards programme celebrates women transforming transport and logistics in the UK. The winners included women working for transport organisations including Heathrow Airport, Royal Mail, Merseytravel and Transport for London.  The Woman of the Year Award was presented to Anna Delvecchio, Comme

Measures to improve road safety outside a girls’ school in east London have been drawn up by an all-female team. Tower Hamlets council brought in consultant Project Centre to work on the project with students from Central Foundation Girls’ School (CFGS).  Supported by female managers from Project Centre, students went on a site visit, collected survey data and assessed the needs of all road users. This helped shape the proposed measures, which are now out for public consultatio

Stockholm’s congestion charge scheme has proved remarkably effective at suppressing traffic levels and encouraging a shift to other modes of transport in the 20 plus years since its launch. After initially facing widespread public opposition, it now has majority support, even among those who regularly pay the charge. One of the scheme’s architects, Director of the Stockholm City Transport Administration Jonas Eliasson, vividly recalls the uproar around its launch in 2006: “It w

Westminster City Council has withdrawn its support for the Mayor of London’s proposals to pedestrianise the western section of Oxford Street. Mayor Sadiq Khan wanted to see the section from Oxford Circus to Orchard Street, near the flagship Selfridges store, pedestrianised.  This would have coincided with the opening of the Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) between Paddington and Abbey Wood next year, with improved pedestrian access at Bond Street station. However, the council has now stat

Signed-only 20mph speed limits have had no beneficial effect on road safety in Hampshire, according to monitoring by the county council.  Hampshire has installed 20mph speed limits in 14 residential areas since 2012 and monitored their effects on vehicle speeds and casualties.  In a report summarising the results, Stuart Jarvis, Hampshire’s director of economy, transport and environment, said: “In terms of accident and injury data, the impact of the pilot schemes upon roa

More than 50% of would-be cyclists are put off getting in the saddle because of overtaking cars, potholes and having to share the road with HGVs. These were among the key concerns raised by adults across England, Wales and Scotland who took part in a survey conducted for the charity Cycling UK by YouGov. In the online poll, involving 2,024 respondents, 57% said they are deterred from cycling by lorries and other large vehicles while 56% cited drivers overtaking too closely and 56% highlighted p

A virtual reality tool to promote safer interaction between drivers and cyclists has been launched by Ford Motor Company. The ‘Wheelswap’ tool will help bring about behaviour change, making urban areas safer and helping to reduce pollution and congestion, said Ford. The tool is designed to show motorists and cyclists how inconsiderate driving and riding can be potentially fatal. Initial studies show that after undergoing the experience, nearly all participants said they would chang

A major overhaul of the National Cycle Network (NCN) is set to begin next year, with the widening and re-surfacing of paths, new signage and wayfinding, and moving some sections off-road, says Sustrans. The active travel charity is leading a review of the 16,000-mile network in partnership with the four UK governments, local authorities and other landowners including Network Rail, the Highways Agency, National Trust, Forestry Commission and the Canal & River Trust.  All the stakeholder

Funding is being offered to schools and local authorities in Scotland to help them create safe, traffic-free routes. The Safer Routes to School scheme is being funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by the charity Sustrans. Sustrans hopes that creating safe zones around schools will encourage children and their parents or guardians to travel to school on foot, by bike or scooter. As well as helping schools develop traffic-free zones, Sustrans plans to target further education colleges

The key findings of a European research project into the impact of transport policy on congestion have been published in a new report. The project – called CREATE (Congestion Reduction in Europe: Advancing Transport Efficiency) – examined congestion reduction policies in five western European capitals: Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Paris and Vienna. The report charts how policy priorities in the cities have shifted over the past 50-60 years: from road building, parking, lower density

The government is being urged to ban cars from the immediate vicinity of school gates during drop-off and pick-up times by Living Streets. The walking and sustainable transport charity has produced a report, Swap the school run for a school walk, in which it sets out 21 recommendations designed to enable more children to walk to and from school.  The charity delivered the report to the transport minister Jesse Norman at the start of Walk to School Week. More than 2,000 primary schools in

Transport for London taxi and private hire (TPH) compliance officers have been granted new powers by the Metropolitan Police to carry out road stops without the need for a police presence.  The new powers will enable more enforcement against illegal and non-compliant activity to be carried out, thus improving the safety of taxi and private hire passengers while freeing up police resources. Some 109 TfL’s TPH compliance officers are being trained with powers to stop any TPH vehicle f

Disabled pedestrians and people living in low-income households are much more likely than non-disabled and richer people to be injured by a motor vehicle, suggests a new study. The study, titled ‘Road injuries in the National Travel Survey: under-reporting and inequalities in injury risk’, was conducted by Dr Rachel Aldred, reader in transport at the University of Westminster.  The study highlights that for every mile walked, a low-income pedestrian is three times more likely

The 36 finalists in the 2018 FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards have been announced. Now in its eleventh year, the awards programme celebrates the achievements of women in the UK’s transport and logistics industry.  This year’s finalists include women working for transport organisations including Heathrow Express, Merseytravel, Network Rail, Transport for London and West Midlands Trains. The UK transport and logistics industry employs around 2.4 million people.

Calderdale council has reported a 30 per cent drop in road accident casualties in 20mph areas.  The West Yorkshire authority completed a signed-only 20mph roll-out programme in December, which has seen the lower limit applied to 328 miles of road.    Councillors have now been presented with data comparing casualties three years before and after implementation of the lower limits in seven areas.  Reported casualties fell from 171 to 120. Vehicle occupant injuries were down

Work to build Cycle Superhighway 11 (CS11) at Swiss Cottage is to start in mid-July, Transport for London (TfL) has announced. The current gyratory system will be removed and a two-way system introduced on Finchley Road and Adelaide Road. Avenue Road, which is between College Crescent and Adelaide Road, will become bus and cycle only, with a stepped cycle track, creating a new public space. Changes to Swiss Cottage are due to be finished in September. The reconfigured route will improve safety

A virtual reality app designed to raise driver awareness of blind spots on motorways and ‘A’ roads is being offered by Highways England.  The free app can be tried on a smartphone attached to a pair of cardboard goggles to allow drivers to experience blind spot scenarios. The scenarios include: mirror adjustment; identifying vehicles in blind spots; joining a motorway from a slip road; overtaking; and tailgating. John Walford, commercial vehicle incident prevention team leade

Derbyshire County Council has installed vehicle activated signs (VAS) to improve safety at a notorious junction. The system installed on the A619 Chesterfield Road at its junction with Troughbrook Road and Inkersall Green Road, comprises two VAS with above- ground virtual loop detection.  Thermal imaging cameras detect the heat signature of vehicles waiting to cross the main road. Once a vehicle occupies a pre-set detection zone for a defined period, the warning message is displayed to al

The Welsh Government will reduce the speed limit on five sections of trunk road, including the M4, from 70mph to 50mph in the next two months to reduce local air pollution.  Welsh environment minister Hannah Blythyn said ministers had accepted their previous plan to tackle air pollution had not satisfied legislative requirements, as exposed by the recent judicial review, and that a final, compliant plan would be published by 31 July in accordance with a court undertaking. She said this was

Nearly 400 guided walks are to take place across Greater Manchester in May as part of a festival to encourage people to make journeys on foot and explore the region. The event, organised by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), will offers free guided walks exploring local towns, cities, countryside, canals, riversides and parks across the conurbation. The festival has the support of several local walking groups and charities. Walks cater for all abilities and interests, including a family

Over two-fifths of children are worried about air pollution near their school, a new UK-wide survey reveals. Some 43% of children living in urban areas are concerned about the levels of air pollution near their school. The YouGov poll, carried out for walking and cycling charity Sustrans, surveyed over 1,000 children aged six to 15 years old last month about their attitudes towards air pollution and the actions they think should be taken to help clean up the air.  More than one in three (

A new partnership has been formed between Highways England staff and Firefighters Cheshire and Lancashire to help reduce deaths, injuries and incident-related congestion on the region’s roads. In a national project being piloted in the North West, Highways England is working with fire and rescue services to offer free tyre safety checks and advice alongside a programme of fire station charity car washes.  As part of the trial, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, Lancashire Fire and Re

Extra police patrols and increased CCTV is being deployed in Greater Manchester in response to a spate of crimes on the Rochdale via Oldham Metrolink line. Mayor for Policing and Crime Bev Hughes, said: “The Greater Manchester Travelsafe Partnership (TSP) is bolstering its team including police community support officers (PCSOs), TravelSafe officers, inspectors and sergeants.

The phrase cycle superhighways sends out the wrong message to new cyclists and should be abandoned, the London Assembly’s transport committee said this week. The committee’s report on London’s cycling infrastructure also expresses concern about the slow pace of delivery of some cycle schemes and says the “jury is still out” on the effectiveness of the Quietways programme of routes for cyclists who lack the confidence to use main roads.  Cycle superhighways we

A public realm and road safety project involving the closure of one side of a roundabout in North London will make journey times slower for almost all road users, traffic modelling by Transport for London suggests.  The Highbury Corner scheme will see the western arm of the roundabout closed to create a  public space of about 2,600 square metres extending to the Highbury & Islington station forecourt.   Two-way traffic flow and segregated cycle lanes will be introduced on th

Jon Orcutt, director of communications and advocacy at Transit Center, NYC, talks to Transport Xtra about the need for NYC's proposed congestion charging policy and why Uber and Lyft are currently a menace to the city. Jon talked with Andy Salkeld, Leicester City Council Transit Center is a national Foundation dedicated to improving public transit. We are based in New York City, specifically in Lower Manhattan, and were closely involved with the major positive changes that took place under th

The rising demand for cycle parking across the capital is not being met, with Network Rail particularly culpable in its failure to provide enough cycle racks at train stations, says the London Assembly in a report published today. Transport for London (TfL) should set out “clear steps” on how the rising demand for cycle parking will be met, which partners will be involved and how the infrastructure will be funded, says the assembly’s transport committee. Network Rail was sing

Proposals for a 5km cycleway have been announced by Manchester City Council. The mostly segregated route would link the city centre with Chorlton Park to the south. The Department for Transport has awarded £3.9m for the project while Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, Chris Boardman, are seeking to raise a further £5m. A Manchester City Council spokesman said: “This would pay for the

Scottish local authority association COSLA looks likely to offer provisional backing for a Bill that would make 20mph the default speed limit on most roads in built-up areas.  The Restricted Roads (20mph Limit) (Scotland) Bill, being promoted by Green party MSP Mark Ruskell, would see the speed limit for “restricted roads” in built-up areas cut from 30mph to 20mph (LTT15 & 29 Sep 17). Restricted roads are defined as C class or unclassified roads that are lit by street light

The Department for Transport (DfT) has said that since the introduction of harsher penalties for motorists’ caught using a mobile phone last year has seen more than 26,000 caught offending. Among these were 500 novice drivers who had their licenses revoked for using their mobile phone behind the wheel in their first 2 years of driving. On 1 March 2017, the penalties for this offence doubled from £100 and 3 penalty points to £200 and 6 points. A further 1,997 motorists were ha

Gender inequality remains a big issue when it comes to active travel in the UK, says Sustrans. The charity has published a new report, ‘Are We Not There Yet?, revealing that women’s journeys around cities are typically shorter than men’s, use different modes of transport and are more likely to involve ‘trip-chaining’ (multi-stop journeys) which tend to be for a balance of child care, work and household responsibilities. While women are motivated to tr

The London Borough of Richmond is to consult on a borough-wide roll-out of signed-only 20mph limits to residential streets.  Conservative-controlled Richmond says that, since 2014, it has received 15 petitions from residents calling for 20mph limits in their areas. Under the current 20mph limit policy,  51% of households must agree to the lower limit.  Peter Buckwell, Richmond’s cabinet member for highways and streetscene,?said the requirement to review petitions took up c

Plans for a West London Orbital rail line - connecting Hounslow, Hendon and Cricklewood - feature in the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy. Mayor Sadiq Khan’s transport vision for the next 25 years was presented today to the London Assembly ahead of its final publication next month. The proposed West London Orbital Line, linking up London Overground services, would run via Brent Cross, Old Oak

The Campaign for Better Transport has announced it is looking to appoint a new chief executive office to replace Stephen Joseph, who will be stepping down at the end of Autumn. Joseph was appointed executive director of Transport 2000 in 1988, the same year Michael Palin was appointed President, and received an OBE in 1996 for services to transport and the environment. Transport 2000 changed its name to Campaign for Better Transport in 2007. During his 30-year tenure with the charity, Joseph

Cycling UK is to run its Big Bike Revival across England for the fourth consecutive year having secured £500,000 funding from the Department for Transport (DfT). The campaign will offer free cycle checks, maintenance advice and tips on how to get cycling. The project seeks to help people get their unused bikes back on the road along with training events to get people cycling again or for the first time. Last year’s event encouraged more than 6,000 people to become regular cyclists

TRANSPORT SECRETARY Chris Grayling was under the media cosh once again in early February. One of his strongest critics was one of his predecessors, Lord Andrew Adonis. Writing in The Guardian on 7 February, Adonis said: “It’s time government stopped pandering to the super-rich. Chris Grayling’s bailout of Sir Richard Branson and Sir Brian Souter is so crass you may think him plain stupid. But that would be to mistake the ideology behind his shameless rewarding of the billionair

Bristol City Council is to conduct a review of the city’s 20mph speed limits, which a new report says are having a bigger impact on speed reduction than experience elsewhere.  Under the leadership of former mayor George Ferguson, the council introduced 20mph limits across the city in six phases commencing in January 2014, with work completed in September 2015.  Bristol’s current Labour mayor Marvin Rees criticised the 20mph programme during the election campaign in 2016 (

A plan to restrict motor vehicle access to Regent’s Park, making the roads more pleasant for cycling, looks likely to go ahead after months of delay and uncertainty.  Closing four of the eight gates into the park to vehicular traffic for 20 hours a day (except 11am-3pm) was part of then London mayor Boris Johnson’s proposed cycle superhighway 11 plan linking Swiss Cottageto the West End.  The four gates, one in the north and three in the south, give access to the outer ci

Researchers at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) found reduced speed limits have led to a reduction in the number of fatal, serious and slight injuries from road traffic collisions - including statistically significant reductions in average traffic speeds of 2.7mph. - equating to estimated cost savings of over £15 million per year. Walking and cycling across Bristol has increased, both among children travelling to school and adults travelling to work. The introduction of

An artificial intelligence system designed to help clear the best route for ambulances is set to have its first live trial in Oxford this year. Computer modelling in Liverpool indicates that the AI could reduce response times by 40%, but the Oxford trial will be the first live test on the road. It is due to start by the end of the spring and is expected to last a year. Ambulance services across the UK are required to meet 75% of life-threatening cases within 8 minutes to guarantee NHS funding an

Highways England is to procure a new free-flow road charging system that is initially likely to see use on the Dartford crossings but must be capable of deployment elsewhere.   The ‘scalable free flow charging system’ will go into service between 2021 and 2024. As well seeing use on the Dartford-Thurrock river crossing, HE says the system will “be a potential enabler to realising any longer term aspiration of interoperability between charging schemes,” that will del

Sustrans is inviting cities and local authorities to take part in a project to collect cycling data relating to infrastructure, travel habits, public attitudes and air quality. As an extension of its Bike Life initiative, the charity says the project will help participating cities build the case for cycling and inform planning at a local level while shaping the political and funding landscape for active travel across the UK. For example, Greater Manchester’s cycling commissioner Chr

The achievements of women working in the transport and logistics centre will be recognised by the FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards. Currently in its eleventh year, the awards are designed to showcase the role women play in the future of transport and logistics. Maxine Benson

The Netherlands is in pole position to make the transition to automated transport, reveals a new report from professional service company KPMG. It found that the Netherlands came top in a cross-section of 20 countries planning for self-driving vehicles. Using an Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI), KPMG scored each nation on four ‘pillars’: policy & legislation; technology & innovation; infrastructure; and consumer acceptance. Behind the Netherlands the other top rank

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation could have far-reaching consequences for companies and public authorities of all sizes, from central government all the way down to sole traders. Any entity that collects, holds or uses personal data must comply with stricter governance policies and provide information about data on request. Data breaches will be punishable by substantial fines. For the past two decades, the UK’s main legislation in this area has been the Data Protection A

Buses could be removed from some of Oxford city centre’s busiest streets under proposals to make the centre more pedestrian and cycle-friendly. Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council have invited comments on options suggested in a movement and public realm study by consultants Phil Jones Associates and ITP. Their work is intended to inform the city council’s next local plan and the county council’s update to the Oxford transport strategy. The consultants have revi

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is to delegate some of its transport functions to Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council. The change comes as the combined authority (CA) admits that the current administrative landscape for transport is confusing. In a report to the combined authority board, officers said there was currently a “complex environment with a variety of bodies with different powers and responsibilities promoting, developing and delive

Look at the headlines and it’s tempting to think everything is rosy for cycling in the capital: soaring volumes of trips, record numbers of hires on the Santander cycle scheme, and mayor Sadiq Khan has just pledged a 28% increase in funding for  borough cycling schemes over the next five years (LTT05 Jan). Yet Andrew Gilligan, who served as cycling commissioner to Khan’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, says the picture is a lot bleaker if you scratch below the surface. ‘He wou

Councils should have the power to give pedestrians priority over vehicular traffic in designated streets, according to the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT).  The recommendation features in a new report on street design, which also recommends an end to the use of the phrase ‘shared space’. The CIHT says the phrase is “vague and tends to be associated with several preconceived ideas”. Practitioners should instead talk about three different d

Pupils at Langstone Infant School and Langstone Junior School are the first to take part in this year's Portsmouth City Council Pompey Monster Walk to School Challenge. The seven week walk to school challenge starts next week and ends in March. In the launch assembly in January pupils heard about the scheme, and even met the Pompey Monster mascot - Stomper!  Pupils are required to walk to school at least three times a week to pass the weekly challenge. In return they will receive a sp

A bicycle training and servicing enterprise has launched an initiative to give refugees refurbished bikes and bike maintenance training. Pro Bike Service CIC is seeking financial donations, bikes and bike parts to support refugee families in east London. This will enable refugees to access amenities and services, education and employment while also providing a means of healthy transport.  Pro Bike works within the gift economy, where services or goods are given without any explicit agreeme

CIHT has finally launched its review of the issue of shared space and how it is being designed, implemented and installed across England. ‘Creating better streets: Inclusive and accessible places’ provides a series of recommendations to Government and industry on how this complex issue can be further improved and developed. The review’s recommendations are aimed at Government, local authorities and those professionals who are working to make our highways inclusive, safer and a

Highways England has published a set of design principles, which, it says, will encourage the building of roads that are environmentally sustainable, “nurture wellbeing” and allow “dignified and equal use by all”.  The document – The Road to Good Design – sets out 10 principles that act as “prompts” rather than instructions on how to create “better, more beautiful roads”. The principles, published today, state that good de

Fears over safety is the main reason why parents and carers will not allow their children to actively travel to school in Scotland, reveals new research. The findings come from the School Travel Survey for Parents, released by Sustrans Scotland and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC). It found that 42.4% of parents cited a range of concerns over active travel to school. These included unsafe walking and cycling routes, a lack of or inadequate pavements, ineffective or lack of crossings

A new safer route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, connecting the villages of Okeford Fitzpaine and Shillingstone in north Dorset, has officially opened to the public. The route, known as the Little Lane Trailway, had been largely impassable for the last 30 years. The project was wholly funded by the EU’s LEADER Rural Development Programme through the Northern Dorset Local Action Group (LAG). The Little Lane Link Project secured an award of £44,200, due to

An accident investigation unit should be set up to help reduce the number of road accident fatalities and injuries, the RAC Foundation has told the Government. Foundation director Steve Gooding says the road sector should have a body similar to the accident investigation units that exist for aviation, maritime and rail. Their purpose is not to apportion blame for accidents but instead to identify their cause and recommend steps to avoid repeat incidents. “Unless something different is do

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is reviewing the future of the Exhibition Road single surface scheme, but has voiced caution about the idea of full pedestrianisation.  The single surface scheme on Exhibition Road, completed in 2012 at a cost of £29m, has won a number of design awards. But the directors of the three museums on the road – Victoria & Albert, Natural History, and Science – wrote to the council last summer calling for the section of the road ou

Argyll & Bute Council wants Transport Scotland to explore the feasibility of building tunnels to remove a trunk road from a notorious landslip area, and to improve connections with Scotland’s central belt. The council’s policy and resources committee considered a report last month outlining a range of options for new east-west tunnels or bridges to connect the south of the area with the central belt.  The Cowal Fixed Link Working Group is championing the idea of better tra

The use of remote control systems to park cars would become legal in the UK under proposals outlined by the government. The consultation started today and will run for six weeks. Remote control parking is a type of advanced driver assistance system that allows the driver to carry out a parking manoeuvre from either inside or outside the vehicle by using an external device. The device may either be one supplied with the veh

Construction work to transform Waterloo into a people-friendly area will start in early 2020, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Lambeth Council have announced. Waterloo roundabout will be removed to create a new public space, with better routes for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. Earlier this year Waterloo Roundabout was identified in TfL’s Safer Junctions programme as one of 73 junctions in the capital with the worst safety record for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclist

Electric, connected and autonomous vehicles will “revolutionise” the road network, leading to a new era of safer, easier and less polluting travel, predicts Highways England in a report published today. The report outlines Highways England’s proposals for the strategic road network (SRN), with an interface between roads and connected vehicles to “communicate in a more useful way with those driving on our roads”.  Technology has a pivotal role in improving mai

The City of London Corporation has reported positive early results from the daytime ban on general traffic through Bank Junction, with accidents down and faster bus journeys. The experimental traffic ban   was introduced on 22 May. It applies to cars, vans, HGVs and taxis, and operates from 7am to 7pm Monday-Friday. The City has compared reported average road accident casualties for the period 22 May to end of September for the five years before implementation (2012-2016) with the figures

Construction work has started on Glasgow’s South City Way (SCW), a 1.8 mile segregated cycle and pedestrian route on the city’s Southside from Queen’s Park and the city centre.  The project was Glasgow City Council’s winning bid in the 2016 Community Links PLUS (CLPLUS) competition, funded by the Scottish Government and run by sustainable transport charity Sustrans. A £3.25m was awarded, with match funding from the city council. The first phase of works

Islington Council is seeking design ideas to create an “iconic gateway” at Old Street roundabout. The London borough is seeking proposals incorporating public art and embracing the spirit of “Tech City” - the technological, economic and cultural powerhouse around Old Street. Applications are being sought from a range of disciplines including architecture, urban planning, transport, art, Smart Cities and technology. The 1960s roundabout will undergo a major transformation

New road safety resources have been released by the Department for Transport to help teachers and schools highlight the dangers of the road. The road safety campaign is designed to help cut child fatalities. A recent survey revealed that 67% of children get fewer than two hours of road safety education in their whole time at school and the new THINK! campaign will help schools and teachers highlight the dangers of the road and encourage best practice for children. The government&rsqu

A survey of seven UK cities has revealed that 75% of residents want to see more investment in cycling. Cycling and walking charity Sustrans carried out research in the cities - Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Greater Manchester and Newcastle – two years after an initial survey.  The new reports showed a rise in the number of segregated cycle lanes and bike parking spaces in the past two years, but also a rise in concerns about safety. Only 30% of respondents think c

Idealised visions of ‘The City of the Future’ are often presented as a symbol of progress. Whilst specific visions differ, the common element is the notion that in the future, the world’s most concentrated populations will occupy city environments where a digital blanket of sensors, devices and cloud-connected data are brought together to enhance the living experience for all. Smart concepts encompass key elements of what enable effective city ecosystems – from traffic c

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has set out criteria for what drivers should expect from vehicles described as ‘automated’ and will task Thatcham Research with assessing any car marketed as ‘automated’ or ‘driverless’ against its 10 new criteria. The ABI’s announcement comes in reaction to the Automated and Electric Vehicle Bill, which is currently being considered by Parliament. Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research, said:

A consultation has opened on a new safety permit for goods vehicles as part of the Mayor’s Direct Vision Standard. Londoners and stakeholders have been invited to give their feedback on a proposed safety standard permit scheme for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). The proposed HGV Safety Permit scheme would require all HGVs over 12 tonnes to hold a permit to operate in London from 2020. Transport for London (TfL) said the specifics of the permit will be developed next year, following th

Transport for London (TfL) has marked the two-year anniversary of the London Freight Enforcement Partnership (LFEP) that works to make London's roads safer by raising compliance standards across the freight industry. The LFEP is a joint partnership between TfL, City of London Police, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the Metropolitan Police Service that targets dangerously non-compliant drivers, vehicles and operators on London’s roads. The partnership works towards fou

Transport for London is consulting on plans to ban all end-to-end vehicular traffic – including bicycles – from a section of Oxford Street, central London’s main shopping street.  The proposals cover Oxford Street West (OSW) – the section of the street from Orchard Streetto Oxford Circus – and surrounding streets.  Currently, only buses, taxis, and delivery vehicles can use Oxford Street between 07.00 and 19.00, Monday to Saturday. Under the plans, all

How can we separate the way we live our lives, the way we think, the way we move, and what we demand from our cities? All of these are intrinsically linked so it’s almost impossible to see which one is the driver of change. We are clearly in the midst of a seismic shift in respect of our demands for mobility and how we express them. This begs several questions: Is user demand driving change? Or technology? Or are we part of a master plan that seeks to define the way we use transport and ou

Nissan has demonstrated a prototype of its most advanced autonomous driving technology, planned for real-world use from 2020, on public roads in Tokyo. Nissan Motor Corporatti tested its next-generation ProPILOT technology on a modified Infinit Q50 sports sedan. The technology is designed to enables the vehicle to operate autonomously on urban roads and motorways. The prototype’s artificial intelligence uses input from 12 sonars, 12 cameras, 9mm-wave radars, six laser scanners and a high

The Open University and the University of Sussex’s findings that driving while using a hands-free phone can be as dangerous as drink-driving or using a handheld phone is of concern for all advocates of road safety (LTT 13 Oct). As shown by the Government’s latest THINK! campaign [pictured above] urging people to “put your phone away”, the focus is on handheld devices but more public awareness campaigns are needed to address the dangers of all distractions at the wheel. A

Lucy Saunders, public heath specialist at Transport for London, has certainly made a significant impact on transport policy in London, with her healthy streets approach being embedded in Mayor Sadiq Khan's draft transport strategy.  But a side-effect is that it now seems almost compulsory for any presentation to include the ‘healthy streets wheel’ [pictured above], showing ten indicators of a healthy street.  At last month’s Healthy Streets conference in Walthamstow

Roads policing in the UK is undergoing a transformation. There have been no announcements of setting up a new unit or recruiting specialist officers to new roles. Nor has there been an announcement of funding for new equipment. Quite the opposite, because this transformation stems from members of the public investing their own money and time in capturing and submitting evidence of poor driving or riding. There are now 30% fewer traffic police than in 2007, and 24% fewer than in 2012, according

Transport minister Jesse Norman scoped out his take on Government involvement in transport in his address to the Smarter Travel LIVE! event at Milton Keynes last week by suggesting it believed in focusing on the “three Rs” - Risk, Regulation and Research. He said that the Government recognised that risk was involved in innovation and it wanted to support those ready to invest and explore new solutiions; he acknowledged that the regulatory framework must change and facilitate technol

The UK Government has revealed that it has taken no enforcement action against bus operators for failure to comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR). The Department for Transport gives the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency £100,000 a year specifically to enforce the PSVAR, but the DVSA claims it has found no evidence of non-compliance. Compliance has been mandatory since 1 January 2015 for buses up to 7.5 tonnes, January 2016 for larger single deckers an

A road safety film featuring numerous pink kittens highlights how much drivers miss if they are distracted by looking at their phones. The THINK! road safety film is aimed at younger drivers in particular. The video was directed We Are From LA, the directors behind the video for Pharrell Williams’ hit song Happy. It has been shot in the style of a music video with a soundtrack from musician Aphex Twin. The music video style of the film marks a change from previous THINK! campaigns. THIN

A new set of road use rules devised specifically for London is among the ideas proposed by an independent commission studying ways of making the capital’s highways work more efficiently. A ‘Movement Code’ is one of a series of policies proposed by the Commission on the Future of London’s Roads and Streets, convened by the Centre for London think-tank with the aim of developing new thinking on what can be done to manage the conflicting pressures on the capital's surface t

Carmaker Ford has partnered with Google and virtual reality (VR) studio Happy Finish to create an app that will bring to life the potentially fatal consequences of driving while distracted. The Ford Reality Check app is specifically aimed at young people who have grown up surrounded by social media.  The training experience uses Google Daydream VR to cast participants as a distracted driver picking up friends on the way to a party. Instant messages, phone calls and chatty passengers all c

Driverless cars could create a highway to confusion unless training and coaching catches up with the fast pace of change and helps drivers cope with a whole new set of demands. This was conclusion reached by a panel industry experts at a conference organised by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, the RAC Foundation and tyre-manufacturer Pirelli. The Driver Ahead conference in London looked how the next generation of autonomous cars will record much more information than ever before. This da

The University of Southampton has become the first recipient a £50,000 award to fund PhD research into the training implications for drivers as vehicles become more and more automated. The Human Factors Research Award was created by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart and presented during its Driver Ahead conference.

The MOVE_UK consortium has completed the first phase in its three-year fully autonomous vehicles research programme, which is intended accelerate the development of automated driving systems and make them intelligent and safe enough for the UK’s roads. Taking place in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, the project has enabled the MOVE_UK consortium to develop a new validation method. It is anticipated that the validation method will reduce introduction time of highly autom

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart is suggesting a drink-drive rehabilitation course should be made compulsory for those convicted of the crime, as opposed to it being voluntary. The suggestion was made as the UK’s drink-drive laws turned 50. The charity said driver training would complement more visible policing and a cut to the drink-drive limit in delivering a significant reduction in the numbers killed and seriously injured on the UK’s roads. Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart’s di

The Department for Transport will be launching a new THINK! drink-drive campaign at the end of November, marking the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the maximum legal drink drive limit was 50 years ago. The Road Safety Act 1967 made it an offence to drive a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of over 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood – a limit which remains in place to this day. Since official statistics first began in 1979, the number of drink drive deaths per year has f

Smarter Travel LIVE! 2017 offers an expertly-crafted overview of need-to know people, initiatives, products and services – all in one place Resources are squeezed, time is precious and expectations upon local authorities and transport professionals increase.  The travelling public assumes that everything about their travel experience can, and should be, improved through the smart (and positive) implementation of technological innovation.  But is it really that easy? The t

Dockless bike sharing start-up oBike has launched in Oxford, providing cyclists and cyclists-to-be with a cost effective, convenient and sustainable way of travelling around the city.   Following substantial liaison with the local authorities, oBike will roll out its dockless bike sharing scheme across the city on an indefinite trial basis. Haroon Khan, Business Development Lead for oBike Uk, said: 'We are extremely excited to launch oBike in Oxford. Building on from our successes in

The Department for Transport has this week published its Summary Report on the Impacts of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), which indicates that the Fund successfully supported projects that reduced car use, increased walking and cycling levels, boosted bus patronage, supported local economies and cut carbon emissions. Published figures suggest that LSTF investments 'achieved high value for money', says the report. In 2011, the Department launched the £540 million LSTF to i

More than 300 delegates attended Healthy Streets at Walthamstow Assembly Hall last week to explore the connections between public health and transport strategies. The event, organised by Landor LINKS and hosted by Waltham Forest Council, brought together council officers, urban designers, public health specialists, transport planners, consultants, academics, equipment developers, innovators and campaigners. The programme encompassed health-led street design, re-allocation of road space, behavio

Detailed plans for two segregated Cycle Superhighways stretching out to the west and south-east of the capital have been unveiled by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The 6km CS9 would link Kensington Olympia to Brentford while the 4km CS4 would run from Tower Bridge to Greenwich.  Transport for London (TfL) estimate that CS9 would cost around £70m, which would include extending the route to Hounslow, while CS4 would cost up to £55m and, subject to the results of consultations, construc

A coalition of road safety and motor industry bodies is encouraging private and fleet car buyers to insist on autonomous emergency braking (AEB) when they buy their next new car. AEB systems apply the brakes to avoid an impending crash with another vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist. It is estimated that pedestrian and cyclist sensing AEB systems could potentially save 1,100 lives and 122,860 casualties in the UK over the next ten years.  Thatcham Research has calculated that if more car buye

The winners of the inaugural Healthy Streets Awards were announced at Walthamstow Assembly Hall last night, with a host of inspiring entries gaining recognition. The trophies were presented following the Healthy Streets conference and exhibition, hosted by the London Borough of Waltham Forest and organised by Landor LINKS. Among those receiving trophies was Caroline Russell, London Assembly member and Green Party councillor at the London Borough of Islington, who was named Healthy Streets Champ

Dumfries and Galloway Council has criticised some of the evidence underpinning a plan to make 20mph the default speed limit on most of Scotland’s local roads.    Green MSP Mark Ruskell’s Restricted Roads (20mph limit) Scotland Bill would make 20mph, rather than 30mph, the default limit on ‘restricted roads’ – non A and B roads within urban areas. A consultation on the proposal has just ended. John Howell, Dumfries and Galloway’s service manager for

A minority motorists admit to habitually flouting the law by using their handheld phones while driving, despite penalties for the offence being doubled on 1 March, RAC research has found. The government has increased the penalty for using handheld devices to six points and a £200 fine in a bid to stamp out the dangerous habit. However, research carried out with 1,727 motorists for the RAC’s Report on Motoring 2017 shows the move has not stopped as many as 9.2m drivers breaking the l

The government has initiated an “urgent review” to consider whether a new offence equivalent to causing death by careless or dangerous driving should be introduced for cyclists. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced the review into cycle safety following a series of high profile incidents involving cyclists. The highest profile involved the death of mother-of-two Kim Briggs after she was struck by cyclist Charlie Alliston, who has received a custodial sentence after bein

A consultation has been launched for a new segregated cycle superhighway that will bring safer cycling to west London. Cycle Superhighway 9 (CS9) will add nearly 6km of new segregated track to the capital’s roads linking Kensington Olympia to Brentford. CS9 will also feature five new traffic light crossings and improvements to 20 pedestrian crossings. The superhighway is part of the Mayor of London’s work to encourage more Londoners to walk and cycle as he makes the capital’s

Jesse Norman MP, appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Transport in June 2017, will be giving a keynote speech and taking questions at Smarter Travel LIVE! on 19 October. As Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Roads, Local Transport and Devolution, the minister is responsible for buses cycling and walking policy, Highways England and strategic roads, local roads policy and funding, road safety, transport and the environment and transport technology (incl

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released new federal guidance for the transition to autonomous vehicles.  Automated Driving Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0 is designed to encourage state and local governments to draft laws for autonomous driving and help manufacturers to build self-driving cars that have contingencies for event of system failures. Click here to view

Five active travel schemes have been awarded funding totalling £22.5m by the Scottish government. The shortlisted projects, to be delivered by charity Sustrans, will receive 50% of the total costs. Two of the schemes are in Edinburgh while the others are in Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness. Work on each project is due to begin in the next two months, with Inverness City Active Travel Network (Highland Council) set for completion by summer 2020. Meanwhile, Walk, Cycle, Live (Stirling Counci

Police in Greater Manchester deleted a tweet about a crackdown on “inconsiderate” cycling after protests from cyclists over the image that accompanied the tweet. On 15 September, police from Denton and Droylsden Division said “due to increased reports of inconsiderate cycling” they would be “challenging/fining” cyclists who do not follow “good practice”. The accompanying image showed a cyclist wearing a helmet with reflective material on it, but

Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has awarded Siemens a new contract to maintain traffic management equipment. The four-year deal covers traffic signaling equipment at more than 1,200 sites. The systems include 950 Safer Routes to School signs as well as a network of ANPR cameras, vehicle activated signs and rising bollards.

Some drivers treat the driving seat as an extension of the bathroom mirror, engaging a wide range of personal grooming activities while behind the wheel. This dangerous behaviour was revealed in an online study conducted by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart. Over 2,300 driv

A research consortium has unveiled three of the six self-driving cars that will feature in tests on public roads in Oxfordshire and between Oxford and London.  The DRIVEN project led by Oxbotica will test Level 4 automation, enabling the vehicle to drive itself most of the time without any human input. The project will culminate in multiple end-to-end journeys between Oxford and London in 2019.  Testing is underway at RACE’s autonomous vehicle test facility at the Culham Scienc

Step-entrance minibuses are still being used on scheduled public services in some parts of England, more than two years after the deadline for phasing out such vehicles.  To get round the rules some operators have simply reclassified the vehicles as “coaches”, which are currently exempt from the accessibility regulations, by declaring that standing passengers are not permitted on board. The Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) apply to vehicles with a

Last year saw the publication of the Department for Transport’s eagerly anticipated Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. This has since been accompanied by guidance to local authorities on how they can help double cycling activity by 2025.  While the availability of government funding for delivering walking and cycling network improvements remains a topic for debate, the guidance to councils appears sound. The guidance was developed by an expert advisory team, drawing on interna

The arrival of Will Norman as London’s first Cycling & Walking Commissioner in February heralded a new approach to reducing car use in the capital. The former global partnerships director at Nike is seeking to develop a comprehensive network of ‘corridors’ that link main roads with Quietways, as set out in mayor Sadiq Khan’s draft Transport Strategy.  Alternatives to superhighways Norman moved to the Mayor’s office on the understanding that his remit woul

Mobike dockless cycle sharing is now available to residents in the London Borough of Ealing. This follows the UK launch of the Chinese app-based system in Greater Manchester in July, and the London launch in Ealing in September. There will be 750 Mobikes available in Ealing after an initial trial in Acton – with residents able to sign up to the scheme for a discounted deposit of £29. Users will be charged 50p per half hour.  Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council, said: “

Euro NCAP is calling on car manufacturers to implement autonomous technology in new vehicles in a bid to boost road safety. The independent body for car safety has outlined targets for manufacturers to introduce certain levels of autonomous technology into their vehicles in its new Road Map 2025, published to mark its 20th anniversary. The Road Map 2025 challenges vehicle manufacturers to offer the best possible technology as standard in all market segments and countries, protecting not only ca

The arrival of Will Norman as London’s first Cycling & Walking Commissioner in February heralded a new approach to reducing car use in the capital. The former global partnerships director at Nike is seeking to develop a comprehensive network of ‘corridors’ that link main roads with Quietways, as set out in mayor Sadiq Khan’s draft Transport Strategy.  Alternatives to superhighways Norman moved to the Mayor’s office on the understanding tha

Technology to automatically prevent distracting alerts while driving, the coalition warns, is urgently needed to tackle deaths and serious injuries caused by drivers using handheld mobile phones behind the wheel, says a coalition of road charities and organisations. The coalition has written to Android, Microsoft and the GSMA (Groupe Spéciale Mobile Association) urging them to include an ‘opt out’ driving mode as standard across mobile handsets. The letter comes ahead

A cycling charity has called for wider awareness to be made about the dangers of ‘car-dooring’ and how to prevent it through a public awareness campaign. Car dooring incidents involve drivers or their passengers opening car doors without checking for the presence of cyclists. Cycling UK is also advocating that people open car doors with their far hand, rather than the near as a way of preventing avoidable collisions. This method is sometimes called ‘the Dutch Reach' as it is c

Start-up businesses with innovative solutions to transport challenges such as congestion, overcrowding, emissions and road safety are being encouraged to apply for a new accelerator programme. The Intelligent Mobility (IM) Accelerator programme focusses on IM areas such as connected and autonomous vehicles, connected infrastructure, customer experience, and transport data and analysis. The programme is a partnership between Transport Systems Catapult and Wayra UK, a start-up accelerator that i

The Healthy Streets conference, exhibition and awards will take place on Thursday 28 September at The Assembly Hall in Walthamstow, London. Anyone involved in the planning and provision of Healthy Streets should not miss out on this major industry event where the leading influencers, policy-makers and budget holders will meet, network and discuss the implications of the Mayor's draft Transport Strategy (MTS).   Healthy Streets is at the top of the policy agenda and will have implications

Free guided walks are being offered by Transport for London (TfL) to encourage people to explore the capital on foot and to highlight the benefits of walking for health and wellbeing.  The Mayor’s draft Transport Strategy aims to increase the proportion of people walking, cycling and taking public transport to 80% by 2041, compared with 64% now. “To make this commitment a reality, a wide range of improvements to London’s streets, junctions and public spaces are underway,

The DfT and Highways England have appointed a research team led by TRL to oversee trials of lorry platooning on UK roads.  The project will see up to three lorries travelling in convoy with acceleration and braking controlled by the lead vehicle. All lorries will have a driver ready to take control at any time. On-road trials are expected by the end of 2018. Their location  has still to be determined. A DfT spokeswoman told LTT: “This will be decided as part of the research. It

Four out of ten adults aged 40-60 walk less than ten minutes continuously each month at a brisk pace, according to Public Health England (PHE).  In a new report extolling the health benefits of walking, PHE notes that walking levels have declined over recent decades.  “Although the evidence for ten minute bouts of walking is limited, it is clear that 70-90 minutes per week of brisk walking [more than 3mph] can improve fitness,” it says. Jason Torrance, England policy dir

The case of a cyclist convicted of ‘wanton and furious driving’, but acquitted of manslaughter, after running over and killing a pedestrian in London, generated much media coverage last week. On 26 August The Times devoted a page to an interview with the pedestrian’s widower in which it was acknowledged that the tragedy had “led to a trial that made legal history” because “for the first time a cyclist was charged with manslaughter”. “He [Matt Bri

New drug-driving laws are taking a dangerous drivers off UK roads, with conviction rates running at 98%, says the Department for Transport. A new law introduced in 2015 makes it illegal to drive with certain drugs in the body above specified limits. The law covers eight illegal drugs and nine prescription drugs. If caught, drivers can lose their licence for at least a year, be fined up to £5,000 or even end up in prison. In 2015 some 1,442 motorists were convicted for offences inclu

The concept of enabling convoys of lorries to be wirelessly linked on motorways to enable accelerating, braking and steering in sync is to be tested on UK roads, the government has confirmed. The Department for Transport (DfT) and Highways England has commissioned Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to lead an £8.1m trial of platooning vehicles, initially on a track but eventually on motorways in real traffic. The announcement follows a government-funded feasibility study that recommende

A cycle lane in Paris championed by the French capital’s mayor has been criticised by the city’s chef of police as being a safety risk. Mayor Anne Hidalgo and police commissioner Michel Delpuech have been embroiled in a war of words on the proposal. The Le Monde newspaper has dubbed it “The battle of the bicycle”. The two-way cycle route between the Place de la Bastille in the east of the city to the Place de la Concorde in the west would run parallel to the River Siene

A cyclist who knocked over and killed a 44-year-old woman in London last year has been cleared of her manslaughter. However, he has been found guilty of causing bodily harm by “wanton or furious driving”.  Charlie Alliston, 20, was riding a fixed gear bike with no front brakes when he hit Kim Briggs, 44, as she was crossing Old Street in Shoreditch, east London, in February 2016. The HR consultant and mother-of-two suffered serious head injuries and died a week later in ho

Road safety outside schools has become an all too frequent cause for concern across the UK. In an effort to tackle the problem, a range of measures are being deployed including school-led awareness campaigns, CCTV enforcement and parents volunteering as parking patrol officers. Meanwhile, a project in south London has taken a different approach, re-configuring the street layout to bring about behaviour change. The layout on New Park Road, off Brixton Hill, was designed by the charity Sustrans i

Scottish Government statistics on children’s physical activity reveals almost 9 out 10 of children do not meet the government’s physical activity guidelines. Only 11% of children surveyed by the ‘Growing Up in Scotland’ study met the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day. Meanwhile, the latest ‘Hands Up Scotland&r

The Automobile Association (AA) has produced a version of the Highway Code specifically for cyclists. A recent AA-Populus Survey revealed that 21% of AA members cycle, with one-in-ten saying they cycle between one and five miles each week.

The evolution of technology has opened up the transport industry to endless possibilities. As this grows, so too does the need to address customer choice and empowerment. But is industry doing enough to understand the people who use and rely on transport services?  Understanding the customer experience is arguably more important now than ever. A web of conflicting interests need to be addressed, from traditional engineering and safety considerations to the new and future digital landscape,

With roads close to saturation point and trains becoming overcrowded, transport providers and innovators must work together to develop new solutions, believes Stephen Hart at Innovate UK. “Congestion is getting worse, with growing frustration leading to more road rage,” he says. “There’s no longer a rush hour, there’s a rush five hours.” Current systems used to manage roads and rail services need to be better integrated to be effective, says Hart, head of co

In 2011 the DfT instructed speed camera organisations to publish their data, explicitly so that members of the public could judge the effects of cameras for themselves. Hampshire Police finally published data in 2016, though for only 30 fixed cameras.  Earlier this year, having realised that the data was at last available, I obtained and analysed it and was so horrified by what I found that I emailed the chief constable to point out that her cameras clearly cause more accidents than they p

Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) are seen by the DfT as critical to the success of the Government’s first Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). The DfT wishes to encourage as many local authorities as possible to publish soundly-based LCWIPs, which will set out a long-term network plan for cycling and walking across a defined area, and a series of short, medium and long-term improvement schemes. Ministers believe that LCWIPs are the best means of putting i

Britain’s community transport sector faces a huge shake-up following the DfT’s announcement that operators must hold a public service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licence if bidding for work from local authorities. The decision affects the issue and use of Section 19 and Section 22 (of the Transport Act 1985) permits. Section 19 permits are issued to organisations that operate vehicles to transport their members, or people whom the organisation exists to help. Section 22 permits c

Sustrans has launched three spreadsheet models intended to help local authorities make the case for walking and cycling schemes.  The Excel spreadsheet models are part of a wider active travel ‘toolbox’ put together by Sustrans with the help of Living Streets, the TAS Partnership, and Adrian Davis. The infrastructure impact tool estimates how different types of cycling infrastructure investment could affect cycle and car use. The calculations are based on experience from a ran

Reported sexual offences on trains have more than doubled in the past five years, according to British Transport Police (BTP) figures obtained by the BBC. The police statistics show 1,448 offences were reported in 2016-17, up from 650 in 2012-2013. The majority of the incidents were sexual assaults on f

Two drivers in the West Midlands have become the first to be taken to court for overtaking cyclists too closely.  The driver of an HGV was fined £1,038 and given five points on his licence while a transit van driver received a £1,033 fine and four points. In both cases the evidence to convict the drivers was supplied from a member of the public out cycling with a helmet camera. The drivers were shown the video evidence but pleaded not guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court. Bot

The UK’s fledgling dockless bike hire industry was this week urged to work with public authorities – or risk having their bikes removed from the streets. The warning from London’s walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham came after thousands of bikes were delivered to the capital’s streets by Singapore firm oBike.  Hammersmith and Fulham Council used Highways Act 1980 powers to slap obstruction notices on some of

Best Behaviour Change Initiative Award Big Commuting Challenge – Travelwest North West Leading the Way with Active Travel – Derry City & Strabane District Council Vehicle Idling Action project – Green Gumption on behalf of the Idling Action Partnership Destination Walking & Cycling Project – Visit Isle of Wight Ltd Build A Bike – Southwark Council Heathrow Commuter Goes Mobile –Landing in your term

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has placed the Healthy Streets Approach at the heart of his 25-year Transport Strategy. This will require all transport decisions and investments to benefit health by improving the 10 Healthy Street Indicators (shown right). Making public health the driving force behind a transport strategy may seem a bold a step for a city to take, but a brief look at the circumstances in London show that this people-centred approach to transport planning is long overdue.  The l

Transport strategies that turn vehicle-dominated streets into ‘people places’ will do much to tackle the health and social challenges that we face, believes Lucy Saunders Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has placed the Healthy Streets Approach at the heart of his 25-year Transport Strategy. This will require all transport decisions and investments to benefit health by improving the 10 Healthy Street Indicators (right). Making public health the driving force behind a transport strategy may

The driver of an HGV has been fined more than £1,000 after being found guilty of dangerously overtaking a cyclist in the West Midlands. This is the first conviction in an operation launched by West Midlands Police last year to tackle ‘close pass’ offences. Evidence of the offence was recorded on the cyclist’s helmet camera. The lorry driver from Birmingham was convicted of driving without due care and attention having squeezed past the cyclist last November.  He de

A guide offering organisations in the Square Mile practical advice on how to get employees to switch to active travel is out now. 'Safer in the City' – Best Practice Guide 2017 has been developed by the City of London Corporation in partnership with the Active City Network – a forum created to promote safe active travel. The guide is full of case studies and interviews highlighting initiatives in a number of organisations across the City of London including the Bank of England, Nomu

Plans have been published to reconfigure the busy Fiveways junction in Croydon, south London, with the aim of making it safer for all road users.  Transport for London (TfL) and Croydon Council say the proposed improvements would help to reduce delays and congestion. They point out that the Fiveways area is often busy, with motorists and bus users experiencing congestion at peak times, especially on weekends when large numbers of visitors go to and from the retail parks along Purley Way.

Actions to cut vehicular traffic must feature prominently in the next local implementation plans (LIPs) prepared by London boroughs, says draft guidance just issued by Transport for London. The LIPs must support London mayor Sadiq Khan’s draft transport strategy, the central objective of which is to reduce the share of passenger trips by car/taxi/private hire vehicle in the capital from 36% today to just 20% in 2041, with the share by foot, cycle and public transport rising from 64 to 80%

Leeds City Council is to install an automated system to control vehicular access to the city centre’s pedestrianised core, amid heightened concern about the risk of terrorist attacks.  Traffic Regulation Orders restrict vehicular access into the streets between the hours of 10.30 to 19.00. But Leeds’ director of city development Martin Farrington told councillors the TROs had had only “limited success”. “Without regular police enforcement a substantial number

A complete ban on traffic travelling along Oxford Street will deliver far greater public realm benefits than partial traffic removal, according to Transport for London. London mayor Sadiq Khan has made improving the street’s public realm a priority for his mayoral term. Before the election he pledged to pedestrianise the street but this is now regarded as impossible to deliver, partly because of a need to maintain north-south vehicular movement across the east-west street.  TfL and

New software designed to reduce congestion, encourage active travel, improve the passenger experience and help transport operators run more efficient services is being showcased by a programme to support startups. The programme was developed by Nitrous - a company that encourages collaboration between startups and the public sector to help create smart cities - and supported by Transport for London (TfL).   Several hundred applications were received and these were whittled down to a short

I would respond to the letter from Francis King (LTT 23 Jun) with several points: The only truly safe 85th percentile vehicle speed for pedestrians and cyclists is zero mph in areas with no moving vehicles, but that is not realistic for commerce in many areas. Having 20mph speed limiters in vehicles requires a significant and expensive infrastructure for both vehicles and the 20mph zones, to ensure that vehicles have 20mph actual maximum speeds in those, and only those, zones. If we started

People-friendly streets planned for Waterloo and Lambeth Bridge Plans to make Lambeth Bridge and Waterloo roundabout more people-friendly have been published today by Transport for London (TfL).  The new layouts will improve conditions for walking, cycling and public transport, says TfL. Waterloo roundabout and Lambeth Bridge northern roundabout were identified by TfL as among the 73 junctions in the capital with the worst safety record for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. Change

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the licensing system for taxi and private hire vehicles (PHVs). As LTT reported last month, the Government proposes a single tier regime to deal with taxis and PHVs in the same way. It says the distinction between taxis and PHVs is perhaps more understood in London than elsewhere. The Law Commission’s 2014 report on taxi and PHV licensing in England and Wales considered the case for treating taxis and PHVs under the

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is exploring designating its Key Route Network (KRN) of roads as red routes, on which no stopping is permitted, except in designated bays.  The Liverpool City Region devolution agreement of November 2015 included a statement that a KRN of local roads would be managed by the combined authority on behalf of the Liverpool City Region mayor, with a single asset management plan.   The agreed network covers about 560km (10%) of the Liverpool Cit

Transport for London is  to install two new safety devices on Tramlink in Croydon in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the fatal derailment in 2016 when a tram travelled too fast round a curve and overturned. The tramway currently operates using signals that advise the driver to proceed or stop. The trams also feature a device that is similar to a ‘dead man’s handle’ on a train.  TfL has now approached the market for the supply of an automatic vehicle speed monitori

In these turbulent times, it’s nice to have some things you can rely on. Wimbledon in July, a bank holiday in August, bonfires on the 5th November: annual rituals like these bring stability and rhythm to our lives. For every one of my 15 years working with road safety data, the annual release of the DfT’s road casualty statistics has come to feel like one of these things: main results in June, full report in September, and all’s right with the world. No more. Last Thursday (16

I read Mr Walker’s letter about Bath’s 20mph speed limits with interest (LTT 9 Jun). I think he is correct about the importance of setting the speed limit at the 85th percentile speed, or close to it. However, his position that the 85th percentile speed is comfortable and safe for motorists does not take into account that the 85th percentile speed is neither safe nor comfortable for more vulnerable road users, in particular cyclists. He suggests that a 20mph speed limit would requir

A new Quietway for cyclists that links Wanstead Flats and Barkingside in east London has been completed. The 14km route, funded by Transport for London (TfL) in partnership with the London Borough of Redbridge and sustainable transport charity Sustrans, makes full use of the newly-built bridge in Ilford’s Valentines Park, before heading through Wanstead Flats and across east London.  The Redbridge Quietway 6 gives riders a low-traffic, leafy cycle route, which is one of seven such Qu

The road safety benefits of the 20mph speed limit in Edinburgh and Belfast are to be assessed by a three-year study. The study is to be conducted by the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy. The research will study casualties and traffic accident rates and will also assess rates of cycling and walking and its impact on transport use. The project – the largest of its type in the UK – will also look at wider effects on residents

The Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) has announced that Paul Campion has been appointed as chief executive officer.  Campion joins the TSC from his position leading IBM’s Global Financing in the UK and Ireland. IBM Global Financing is an IT financing house that helps IBM’s clients and partners optimise the financial cases for their IT transformations. He has previously worked in a variety of technical, marketing and sales operational leadership roles for IBM, both in the UK an

The Metropolitan Police has installed barriers to prevent vehicles mounting the pavement on three bridges in central London following the recent terrorist attacks on Westminster Bridge and London Bridge. The protective barriers have been installed on Westminster Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Lambeth Bridge. Concrete blocks have also been installed across the pavement at the bridge ends. “The barriers are intended to increase security on what are some of London’s busiest bridges,&rdqu

A major overhaul of road safety policy is needed to bring road accident casualty numbers down, according to a paper by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).  The safer roads paper is one of three released by PACTS, the other two covering safer vehicles (see below), and road users. The roads paper is authored by PACTS director and trustee Tony Ciaburro (Northamptonshire County Council’s corporate director for place commissioning until May), and John Spencer,

Over the last two decades, cities in the Middle East have witnessed significant growth in economic development, resulting in population growth and higher levels of employment which, in turn, resulted in increased daily trips on limited transport infrastructure.  To cope with the fast pace of development, the concerned authorities accelerated transport infrastructure expansion, but its pace has not matched the pace of development growth, mainly due to the time required to plan and implement

Some of Network Rail’s plans to close level crossings in Essex will put walkers in danger by diverting them onto unsafe roads, according to Essex County Council.  In March Network Rail made three Transport and Works Act Order applications to close, or downgrade to use by non-motorised users only, more than 100 crossings in the Anglia area (excluding Norfolk). Most are closures. The applications follow a public consultation and affect 24 crossings in Suffolk; 30 in Cambridgeshire; an

The City of York Council is to trial the light segregation of a cycle lane to protect it from motorists encroaching it as they pass over speed cushions.  Triple speed cushions have been installed across a carriageway at two sites close to a school on the Haxby Road. The council normally only installs two cushions but the width of the road justifies a third.  Drivers were expected to cross briefly into the advisory cycle lanes as they drove over the cushions but the practice has cause

A major change to traffic flow in the City of London came into effect this week with only buses and cycles being allowed to pass through Bank Junction outside Bank Tube station between 7am and 7pm Monday to Fridays. The restriction could be the precursor to a complete re-design of the junction by 2021 that would see the removal of all motorised traffic. Until this week the six-arm junction handled about 1,600 motor vehicles every hour of the day on weekdays. In the AM peak hour (08.00-09.00) th

Some of those attending this year’s Cycle City Active City arrived in style, riding into Bradford on the Cycle Superhighway from Leeds. Not surprisingly, several local delegates referred to the route with pride during the two-day event.  The fully segregrated 23km cycleway, completed last year, forms the centerpiece of a range of infrastructure projects being implemented in West Yorkshire. Phase 2 of the CityConnect project is now focusing on improving cycling infrastructure in Hudde

There is an urgent need for improved cycling infrastructure at junctions in Scotland, says Sustrans. Research carried out by the sustainable transport charity shows that roundabouts and T-junctions are the main cycle accident hotspots in Scotland. The findings, published by Sustrans’ Scottish Research Programme, were presented at the Scottish Transport Applications and Research (STAR) Conference in Glasgow yesterday. The research entitled ‘Cycling Safety in Scotland, Cycle Collisio

A traffic ban at Bank Junction in the City of London comes into force today. Only buses and cycles will be allowed to use the junction from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday under the experimental traffic order imposed by the City of London Corporation. This marks the first phase of plans to totally re-design the junction by 2021, which could result in the removal of all motorised traffic. The 18-month trial will cut the number of casualties and improve air quality, without impacting on traffic flow

Welsh road casualty reduction partnership Go Safe’s claim of reductions in killed and serious injuries (KSIs) at their average speed camera sites on the A465 in South Wales ignore regression to mean and falling trend, and that the numbers are too small to be statistically significant (‘KSIs fall on average speed camera road in South Wales’ LTT 28 Apr). About two years ago Go Safe issued incomplete collision and casualty data for several hundred fixed, mobile and red light came

Stepped cycle tracks should be the default provision for cyclists on busy streets, according to design guidance prepared by Oxfordshire County Council. Presenting the guidance to councillors, Susan Halliwell, Oxfordshire’s director for planning and place, said stepped  cycle tracks (see image) were safer for cyclists than on-road cycle lanes.  “This style of cycle lane provides cyclists with their own space and helps ensure motor vehicles stay out of the cycle lane by rai

Persuading Londoners to walk and cycle more is an important part of mayor Sadiq Khan’s policy agenda. The person entrusted with the day-to-day delivery job is Will Norman, the mayor’s recently appointed walking and cycling commissioner. Appearing before the London Assembly’s transport committee last month, Norman explained that he’d spent six years working on ways to increase the population’s physical activity, the last three as director of global partnerships for s

Gwynedd Council has gone back to the drawing board in its quest for a safer way to accommodate cyclists and steam trains on a section of road.  The narrow-gauge Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) runs on rails set into the carriageway surface on the Britannia Bridge in Porthmadog. The track runs parallel to the kerb in the westbound traffic lane before crossing the eastbound lane. The entire section of road is treated as an elongated level crossing, with signals halting road vehicles at each end

Cycling UK is once more running its Big Bike Revival across England thanks to a further £1m funding from the Department for Transport (DfT). The six-week campaign, launched today, will offer free cycle checks, maintenance advice and tips on how to get cycling. Bike and accessory supplier, Halfords, community groups and bike recycling centres across the country are also partners in the campaign. The project seeks to encourage and inspire people to get on their bikes again, or cycle for the

Motoring organisation the AA is calling on highway authorities to stop switching off streetlights at night, saying the practice is unsafe.  The AA has identified 11 road accident fatalities on A roads and motorways between 2009 and 2014 in which the coroner or investigating police officer identified streetlight switch-offs as a contributory factor. Many of the casualties were pedestrians, who drivers had failed to see until it was too late. Said AA president Edmund King: “There is a

The Leeds to Bradford Cycle Superhighway is changing driver behaviour for the better and opening up cycling to “ordinary people”, believes Pete Zanzottera, a member of the CityConnect advisory group that helped shape the 23km route. The CityConnect project is funded by the Department for Transport’s Cycle City Ambition Grant, which awarded £60m to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and local authority partners for two phases of improvements, which are due to be comple

Recently there has been a paradigm shift in approaches to active travel within the transport and urban planning industry. Just five years ago, cycling was still seen as a niche pursuit, often accommodated by paint on tarmac and the liberal sprinkling of ‘Cyclists Dismount’ signs across the nation, while walking was considered something one did from the door to the car.  With growing awareness of active travel’s myriad benefits for air quality, public health, reducing cong

A £1.2bn plan to make cycling and walking mainstream modes of travel for shorter journeys has been published today by the government.  The Department for Transport (DfT) has pledged to double cycling, reduce bike-related accidents and increase the proportion of 5 to 10 year-olds walking to school to 55% by 2025. Funding will be allocated to a wide range of projects designed to create safer cycling routes, new cycle links between city centres, provide more cycle proficiency and safet

Transport for London (TfL) is offering more open data about cycle routes in the capital in a bid to encourage app developers to improve their products. TfL has added mapping information for eight Cycle Superhighways and one Quietway to their open data portal, allowing developers to make it easier for Londoners to find and use the best cycle routes.  The additional information will enable developers to accurately map out the existing network, says TfL. This can be combined with previously

Camden Council has signed up to a construction industry standard that aims to improve road safety. The London borough has joined some 400 construction industry members of CLOCS (Construction Logistics and Community Safety). While the construction industry has signed up in numbers, councils have been far slower on the uptake. Camden Council is one of just two London two local authorities, along with the City of London, to join the scheme so far. The focus on work related road risk is a new devel

There has been plenty of debate across West Yorkshire and beyond about the Leeds to Bradford Cycle Superhighway, which was completed last summer. The 23km route – the flagship of the CityConnect project – is the largest scheme of its kind outside of London. Questions have been raised about the route’s impact on traffic levels, the safety of bus stop bypasses for passengers and whether it will encourage people who have never cycled before to get in the saddle for everyday journ

Transport for London is inviting suppliers of safety equipment to explain how their products could be used to improve 11 features of bus safety.  TfL plans to implement a bus safety standard for new vehicles entering service at the end of 2018. To inform the standard, a  contractor will soon be appointed to test selected measures put forward by equipment suppliers.  Eleven features have been identified for inclusion in a first phase of the standard, drawing on  TRL analysis

I was excited when accessibility planning was introduced as part of the local transport plan process in England. But I wasn’t surprised when little appeared to change. A major reason for this is the sheer complexity of accessibility measurement. Nonetheless, the underlying project – doing something to reduce transport inequality – remains valid. I set out here a new and more straightforward way of approaching the issue. Accessibility measures, though well-intentioned, are cumb

In the early 1990s, German cities began to reconsider their basic principles for urban transportation. The key idea was that traffic should no longer dominate the city, which  should instead aim to become a livable, healthy and attractive place for people rather than cars. But these matters were, at the time, exclusively discussed amongst Germany’s major capitals and key university towns. Cities like Hamm in Westfalia, an unremarkable place hidden on the fringe of the Ruhr industrial

The 100th Bikehangar has been installed in the London borough of Waltham Forest, with another 30 to be added over the summer. The first units were installed in 2015 as part of the council’s Mini Holland programme to make the borough more cyclist and pedestrian-friendly. Additional funding for the secure storage units has come from the Mayor of London’s Borough Cycling Programme. Each Bikehangar, which can store six cycles, is 2.5 metres in length, taking up half a car parking s

Plans for a 366-mile cycling network linking all the major towns, workplaces and transport hubs across Oxfordshire has been submitted to the county council by a cycling campaign group. The Oxfordshire Cycling Network (OCN) calculates that the new route would cost £120m to build, and would improve safety levels and encourage cycling among people of all abilities. This would increase cycling from the current 3% of all journeys to 10%, resulting in £112m worth of savings a year, 80% of

Elevated cycleways and automated underground bike storage feature in concept designs proposed for Waterloo in London and Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens. The designs have been created by cycle manufacturer Ribble Cycles and a panel of transport planning consultants, university lecturers and regional directors. Based on existing examples from around the world, these future urban landscapes are designed to stimulate the debate surrounding urban cycling and inner city planning. Ribble Cycle

Work to make Westminster Bridge more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly is due to start at the end of March. The 155-year-old structure will become the fourth bridge in central London to have segregated cycle lanes, with the south-side junction re-modeled to make it easier to cross for pedestrians. The re-worked layout will improve pedestrian access with three upgraded pedestrian crossings and new pedestria

Transport for London is exploring how autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology can be applied to buses in a way that ensures bus passengers aren’t injured by the vehicle coming to an abrupt halt. AEB technology can prevent crashes occurring by automatically applying the brake to the vehicle if the driver fails to respond to a hazard situation. AEB systems use lasers for low speed (city) driving and cameras/radars for higher speed (interurban) conditions.  Jane Lupson, TfL&rsquo

The Government’s interest in autonomous vehicles is too focused on cars at the expense of wider applications such as in public transport, freight, and agriculture, according to a new report from a House of Lords committee.  “The Government must not allow hype and media attention around driverless cars to cause it to lose sight of the many potential benefits that CAV [connected and autonomous vehicles] can provide in areas outside the roads sector and within the roads sector for

Manchester City Council has abandoned a proposed citywide roll-out of signed-only 20mph speed limits on residential streets, saying the accident results from the first phase have failed to live up to expectations.  In 2013 the council allocated £500,000 of public health funds to deliver phase one of the 20mph speed limit policy, which was completed in August 2014. Officers said at the time that the lower limits were likely to reduce accidents, encourage walking and cycling, and impro

New Cycle Superhighways may well initially increase journey times locally for those driving, but this would disappear in time, while the benefits would be an overall reduction of motor traffic and pollution across the whole road network, Cycling UK has told the House of Commons Transport Committee. The charity's policy director Roger Geffen said that localised journey times by motor vehicles may increase, as has happened on London’s East–West Cycle Super Highway. But this would

The London Borough of Redbridge has been through a period of self-scrutiny, renewal and reinvention over the past 12 months. Since the arrival of new chief executive Andy Donald a year ago there have been big changes, with a new structure put in place.  Transport matters sit within the civic pride section of the place directorate. Mirsad Bakalovic, the head of civic pride, was previously head of parking, mobility and transport services at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and, before tha

Hull has one of the greatest potentials for cycle commuting of any English city, according to research using the DfT’s Propensity to Cycle software. Using 2011 Census data about main mode of journey to work, the software tool estimates which journeys could be easily switched to cycling, based on journey distance and topography.  Researchers tested two scenarios. In Go Dutch, they applied Dutch rates for cycle commuting to England, adjusting for distance and hilliness. In the Ebikes

Penalties for using a phone at the wheel of a car double from 1 March to six points and a £200 fine. These form part of a range of tougher sanctions designed to reduce driver distraction. Drivers caught using a phone within two years of passing their test will have their licence revoked under new rules in England, Scotland and Wales. New drivers who get six points or more must retake their practical and theory. More experienced drivers can be banned if they get 12 points in three years.

Costly car repairs could be prevented with the help of a crow-sourced virtual pothole map to be tested by Ford later this year. The map would show drivers, in real-time, on in-car displays, where potholes are, how bad they are and suggest alternative routes. Cold, ice and snow all cause roads to freeze, thaw and ultimately break apart, a situation compounded by heavy spring rain that fills the holes. Bad road surfaces contribute to more than a third of all accidents every year. In th

These days we hear a lot about the importance of data in the transport sector, and it is my contention that the advent of the digital age, driven by data, will come to be regarded as the fourth industrial revolution. Why? Because operating transport in a highly connected, inter-operable world that is data-driven is likely to be viewed as a revolution. The first industrial revolution was brought about through mechanisation, the second through mass-production and the third through computerisation

The City and County of Swansea Council plans to remodel a major city centre street after the previous remodelling, ten years ago, was judged a failure.  The remodelling of the east-west Kingsway in 2006 was part of a larger £11m project to prepare Swansea for the introduction in 2009 of the ‘Metro’ cross-city bus service operated by FirstGroup using its ‘ftr’ articulated buses.  Two-way bus lanes were installed on the southern carriageway, leaving the no

The City of Cardiff Council is to remove recently installed  signage on a shared pedestrian/cycle path that sees the cycle route end at every bus stop.  The authority installed the signs in Birchgrove last year as part of its remodelling of Caerphilly Road to include bus lanes. On the approach to each bus stop an ‘End of Route’ sign appears for cyclists, followed by a shared space sign a few metres beyond. In one erroneous arrangement, northbound cyclists encounter ‘

Next time you’ve got the chance to go away for a few days, leave the arrangements to someone else. I recommend it. Left to myself, there’s no chance I’d have chosen to rent a house in Pateley Bridge, in North Yorkshire, in February. But ‘er indoors did; and, despite the weather being cold, often overcast, and occasionally wet, we’ve just had a very enjoyable time in Nidderdale, with the small town we stayed in being a large part of the reason why. Before the holid

Not so long ago, the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) was being championed as the way to increase developer contributions to transport and other infrastructure. Introduced in England via the 2008 Planning Act, the levy was designed to collect contributions towards the cumulative impacts of development across an area. In places where CIL was adopted, the previous, often cumbersome, practice of councils negotiating Section 106 developer contributions would be restricted to site-specific issues

Two apprentices have been appointed by Sustrans to help restore a cycling and walking route in Cumbria. The sustainable transport charity Sustrans has appointed Todd Dixon from Whitehaven and Connor O’Neill from Maryport, who are both 18, to work on the new project, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. They will work on the Track of the Ironmasters path, which is on the Sea to Sea cycle and walking route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth. The apprentices will be attached to Sustra

Councils are using humour to raise awareness of road safety issues among children and parents. They are handing out booklets, by creative agency Serious Comedy, which feature amusing scenarios to shed light on dangerous parking and driving as well as offering children advice on how to cycle safely to school. One of the guides - ‘Should You Sack Your Chauffeur?’ - shows parents committing offences such as using a mobile phone while driving, to the chagrin and dismay of their child pa

The ambitious targets range from doubling cycling, reversing the decline in walking activity, reducing cyclist fatalities or serious injuries and increasing the number of children (aged 5-10 years) walking to school. The benefits are far-reaching, from encouraging local economic growth, to positively impacting health and well-being and promoting sustainable transport modes. However local authorities must recognise the true value the strategy can bring, and commit to developing bespoke plans for

Plans that would make ‘direct vision’ cabs compulsory on HGVs in the capital have been published by Transport for London (TfL). This follows research for TfL proving that having direct vision from the cab of a lorry rather than relying on mirrors and monitors has a substantial impact on improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. TfL has published a consultation into the use of its world-first ‘zero to five star’ Direct Vision Standard for HGVs operating in the L

Almost 8,000 drivers were caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel during a week-long campaign by police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is illegal to use a handheld phone while driving, with drivers caught breaking the rules facing penalty points and a fine.  Officers handed out 7,966 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for the offence in November. The number of FPNs issued, equivalent to a rate of 47 an hour, is the highest yet for a week of enforcement on “distraction dri

Two words define a good UK motorway: speed and safety. Speed in that it gets you from A to B faster, and safety because per mile driven motorways are our safest roads. It should be a contradiction but isn’t, arguably because of the separation afforded by the hard shoulder and the central reservation, as well as the lack of pedestrians. Ever since the 1970s when I cruised up the country to Newcastle University in a Citroen Dyane with Tom Robinson’s 2-4-6-8 Motorway blasting away, mot

In the early days of 2017 it seemed, according to media reports at least, as if senior Conservative Party figures really had it in for Britain’s cyclists. On 6 January, for example, The BBC reported that Tory party grandee Lord Michael Heseltine had been fined £5,000 for knocking a cyclist off his bike whilst driving. “Heseltine pulled out of a lane and into the path of the cyclist,” The BBC reported. “The cyclist had multiple injuries, including a broken arm and sh

Connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will deliver little benefit to traffic flow on inter-urban roads until they form the majority of the vehicle fleet, research commissioned by the DfT suggests. But they may  bring benefits more quickly to urban traffic conditions. The DfT commissioned consultants Atkins and White Willow Consulting to explore the impacts of CAVs at different levels of market penetration. A connected car is one capable of connecting to external networks, whether it be

Work has started on extending a cycle route in Salford, Greater Manchester, to boost access to job opportunities, leisure facilities and green spaces. The development of the Port Salford Greenway will see the existing £1m, one-mile route in Winton extended by a further mile to the Bridgewater Canal in Worsley, to provide a cycling route that avoids the busy Barton and Worsley Roads. The new route, which is being delivered by Salford City Council, is part of the Cycle City programme led b

Car-makers and smartphone manufacturers will meet transport ministers to discuss technological solutions that could reduce the problem of people being distrated by handheld devices while driving. It is anticipated that the meeting, which is due to take place in Whitehall, will see Department for Transport ministers and officials tell the mobile phone companies that “drive safe” modes, similar to the now common airline mode, must be included in basic phone software. Drive safe w

Average speed cameras are to be installed at accident hotspots on eight routes across Lancashire in a bid to prevent all serious road accidents and deaths. Jenoptik SPECS3 Vector cameras will cover sections of eight roads, ranging from 0.5 to 8.5 miles in length. Over the past six years there have 265 collisions on the routes, resulting in 406 casualties, with 13 fatalities and 62 people suffering serious or life changing injuries. Lancashire Road Safety Partnership said that average speed cam

Two roads that had gained notoriety for being treacherous received Prince Michael Road Safety Awards at a ceremony last week. Accidents on the two routes have dropped significantly since average speed cameras have been installed, the judging panel noted. The A537 Cat & Fiddle route in the Peak District and the A9 in Scotland were both infamous for killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties. The A357 had been given a black (high risk) rating by the European Road Assessment Programme (Euro

Volkswagen has created a traffic sign recognition system that provides drivers with information on the most important warning and prohibition signs along the route they are taking in real time. The VW Dynamic Road Sign Display system records the relevant road signs via a camera. Signs that the system has been set to regard as important are then displayed them either in the car’s multifunction display, the display of the radio and navigation system and/or a head-up display, depending on th

Driving after a big night out, such as the office Christmas party, can be as dangerous as drink driving, even if no longer over the limit. In Europe, research shows alcohol is a factor in one in six road accident fatalities, while in the UK one in 10 drink driving arrests take place between 6am and 8am. The way in which over-indulging can affect a person can be experienced by donning a specially designed ‘Hangover Suit’ simulates a throbbing head and the esperience of feeling tired

The City of London Corporation this week approved plans to ban all but buses and cyclists from one of the Square Mile’s busiest junctions between 0700 and 1900 Mondays-Fridays.  The six-arm Bank junction outside Bank Tube station handles about 1,600 motor vehicles every hour of the day on weekdays. In the AM peak hour (08.00-09.00) cycling accounts for 50% of all vehicles and there are about 18,000 pedestrian crossing movements. In the five years ending November 2014 the junction had

Bridgend County Borough Council in South Wales is to return traffic to three pedestrianised streets in Bridgend town centre. The council says the  change is justified because of reduced pedestrian footfall brought about by changing shopping habits. Consultant Capita was commissioned to review the risks of increasing vehicular access to the streets. It concluded that doing nothing was the safest option if road safety was the only consideration.  But Mark Shephard, Bridgend’s cor

The capital’s new East-West and North-South cycle superhighways have attracted huge numbers of cyclists but led to heavier delays for motor vehicles, with some journeys across central London taking up to 15 minutes longer. A report on the impacts of the superhighways programme was presented to Transport for London’s programmes and investment committee by Ben Plowden, TfL’s director of strategy and planning, and Alan Bristow, director of road space management. In the five mont

The 20mph speed limit in Edinburgh is being extended in the north and south of the Scottish capital. This follows the introduction of slower speeds in the city centre and rural west Edinburgh as part of Phase 1 at the end of July 2016. The second stage of the city-wide scheme consists of Zone 2 (North) and Zone 3 (South Central East). Signs and lines advertising the new 20mph limits will be installed over the next few months, ahead of the slower speed limit coming into force from 28 February 20

The widespread use of “risk averse” autonomous vehicles could make roads safer for pedestrians, resulting in people-friendly neighbourhoods, according to a new study from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Self-driving cars will “slow down and yield” to pedestrians and cyclists, said author Adam Millard-Ball, assistant professor at the university’s environmental studies department. “Autonomous vehicles could empower cyclists to ‘take the lane&rs

The disruptive triangle of electrification, autonomous drive (AD) vehicles and connectivity technology is forcing the global auto industry to rethink how cars will operate in the future and how we will use them. If we get it right, the technology being developed and tested today will eventually create an environment where people are able to move about more efficiently, more safely and more cleanly, at lower cost and in different ways. It could improve the quality of daily life for billions of p

Getting people to change how they drive, installing more cycle lanes and clean air zones plus the introduction of congestion charging will help combat air pollution, states a draft consultation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Charge points for electric vehicles should be installed in residential areas and commercial developments, says the organisation, which provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care.  Councils should draw up t

A new traffic management tool is being developed by Transport for London (TfL) to ease congestion and improve air quality.  The Real Time Origin Destination Tool (RODAT) is designed to identify incidents on the road network quickly and take necessary action to avert gridlock, said Glynn Barton, TfL’s head of outcomes delivery, road space management. “RODAT provides a detailed understanding of the traffic flows entering central London, which is used in real time to identify the

Funding for cycling projects in the capital is set to nearly double, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan pledging £154m a year over the next five years. The investment will form part of Transport for London’s (TfL) five-year draft Business Plans. During his second term as London mayor, Boris Johnson spent £79m a year on cycling, said TfL. Khan, who was elected Mayor of London in May, had pledged in his manifesto to increase the proportion of TfL’s budget spent on cycling. Unde

On 3 November The Daily Mail continued what has become a vociferous campaign against motorists using mobile phones whilst driving, reserving most of their anger for truck drivers and, in particular, foreign truck drivers. “The failure of police chiefs to crack down on drivers using mobiles at the wheel was laid bare yesterday,” the paper said. “It emerged that almost 10,000 motorists had been caught driving while distracted at least twice in the past four years – but fewe

Real-time information about disruption caused by roadworks is now available to traffic managers, contractors and the public through a collaboration between two road data specialists.  Vehicle navigation system provider TomTom is working with Elgin, the creator of the roadworks.org, which provides a national database of road works information for England and Wales.  Anders Truelsen, managing director of TomTom’s licensing business unit, said: “TomTom receives a detailed pi

Councillors in Cambridgeshire have approved plans to remodel a roundabout in the city into a ‘Dutch-style’ that will improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. Vanessa Kelly from the council’s cycling projects team said the Fendon Road/Queen Edith’s Way roundabout had a poor safety record and was a major barrier to increased walking and cycling.  “There have been 15 accidents at the roundabout over the past five years, 14 of which involved a car and a bi

Using plainclothes police to track ‘close pass’ incidents is making drivers show more consideration to cyclists, says West Midlands Police. Deniz Huseyin reports West Midlands Police is pioneering a new approach to tackling motorists who fail to leave a safe distance when passing cyclists. Plainclothes officers on bikes are recording ‘close pass’ offences, with colleagues stopping offending drivers and giving them anything from on-the-spot education to prosecution. 

 “Alstom is a French multinational company operating worldwide in rail transport markets,” the company’s Wikipedia entry says. So imagine our surprise when we stumbled across an article in The Guardian advocating significant investment to expand the rail network in Scotland that was quite blatantly sponsored by… Alstom. The company name and its logo were displayed highly prominently at the start of the article. Is no one at The Guardian familiar with the phrase &lsq

Blaenau gwent Council has voiced disappointment at the level of anti-social behaviour recorded on the recently opened mechanical link in Ebbw Vale, which connects a regeneration area – including Ebbw Vale Town railway station – with the town centre above.  The £2.3m cableway system was opened last June and has carried an estimated 210,000 people in the first 16 months. But Jessica Norris, an engineer in Blaenau Gwent’s technical services department, said the operati

One of the key challenges for the future of automated driving will be determining where liability rests in the event of an accident with an automated car. A central part of making sure claims are settled fairly will be to understand who was in control of the vehicle at the time – the driver or the car? Cars of the future will thus need to collect data that will help insurers can determine whether the driver or the car was in control of the vehicle at the time. This is the message coming f

Over half of people think road laws will have to be change when driverless cars take to the roads, says a survey of UK drivers. The survey, from Venson Automotive Solutions, looked into people’s attitudes to driverless cars and road safety. It reveals that 55% of respondents called for a review of road traffic laws in line with the rise of automated vehicles. When asked who should be liable, in the event of an accident by a driverless car, 22% said the remote vehicle operator, with o

Plans for the UK’s first Dutch-style roundabout have been approved by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Economy & Environment Committee. The Fendon Road/Queen Edith’s Way roundabout in Cambridge will be designed to provide better walking and cycling access. The improvements are vital as more housing and employment is planned for the area, said Vanessa Kelly from the council’s Cycling Projects Team. “We are anticipating over 10,000 new jobs by 2026 at nearby Addenb

Transport for London is trialling ‘virtual’ speed bumps in a 20mph speed limit scheme in Southwark. Markings have been painted on the carriageway to give the effect of a 3D hump.  London transport commissioner Mike Brown said this week: “An initial study found that these road markings, which create an optical illusion, were very effective and show a reduction of up to 3mph. They are a cost-effective alternative to the traditional hump and are quick to install. We will co

More than 200 delegates attended Transforming London Streets at Southwark Cathedral to explore the ways in which public spaces and cycling and walking infrastructure in the capital are changing. The event, organised by Landor LINKS and hosted by Southwark Council, brought together experts from local government, government agencies, consultancies, academia, equipment and service providers and campaign groups. The programme encompassed placemaking, regeneration, behaviour change, technology, comm

A scheme that sees Croydon Council close a residential road so families can play safely outdoors has been voted the best in London. Croydon introduced Play Streets by making it easier for residents to apply for temporary road closures. More than 50 children and their parents from Love Lane in the Woodside area held their first Play Street event in September 2015. The event enabled residents to enjoy games in the sunshine while road was temporarily closed.  Love Lane’s Play Street ha

Ford is developing technology to help drivers maximise their chances of reaching a traffic light on a green.  The company is trialling a Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory system, which uses information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit to display to the driver the best speed to travel at to get a green light.  “There’s not much worse after a long day than to hit one red light after another on the drive home, and be forced to stop and start again at every junc

A new course designed to educate drink drivers of the dangers of drug driving is being piloted by the Department for Transport. During the pilot, drug driving education will be added the existing rehabilitation courses in England and Wales for people convicted of driving while over the alcohol limit.  About 1,000 offenders will attend the combined courses, which have been introduced after figures show a fifth of convicted drug

Road safety charities, medical bodies, police forces and motoring bodies are calling for MPs to reduce the UK’s high drink driving limit. Organisations as the Insitute of Alcohol Studies, Brake, Pacts, the AA and British Medical Journal point out that there has been no reduction in the number of drink driving deaths since 2010. Every year drink driving causes 240 deaths and more than 8,000 casualties in the UK. This costs an estimated £800m a year. Some 60% of those who are killed

People who find driving stressful but who are confident about technology are, on average, more comfortable with the prospect of autonomous vehicles on our roads, a survey of UK motorists suggests. The finding is part of a research project by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Goodyear to investigate how drivers feel about interacting with autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the road. Building on a 2015 joint research project that explored how drivers carry out and experien

And next, is the latest idea from those hyper-efficient Japanese – a desk that means you don’t even have to get off your bike before you can start work. What will they think of next? Most pedestrians seek eye contact with the driver when they cross the street, but this will no longer be possible with self-driving cars. Could the answer be to give the cars a human face? Swedish technology company Semcon has developed ‘The Smiling Car’ where the self-driving car communicat

Road deaths and injuries are sudden, traumatic and violent, often having long-lasting consequences for the bereaved and injured. Unfortunately, the severity of these collisions is rarely reflected in the sentences of the drivers found responsible. In 2015, three in five drivers convicted of causing ‘death by dangerous driving’ and ‘death by careless driving’ received prison sentences1; with an average sentence length of four years2. This impression of leniency and confusi

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is planning to introduce the Central London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) a year ahead of schedule. Under the proposals, a London-wide Euro VI requirement for lorries could be introduced in 2019. The mayor also wants to extend the ULEZ to the North and South Circular in 2019. The Mayor has started the formal consultation necessary to introduce the Emissions Surcharge

The DfT is “blatantly ignoring” concerns over the risks of converting motorway hard shoulders into extra lanes, the Transport Select Committee has stated. Ministers appear determined to press ahead with plans for All Lane Running schemes despite the reservations of MPs and motoring organisations, says the committee.  In a report published in June, the committee argued that the permanent conversion of the hard shoulder into a running lane is a radical change to the nature of mo

On 17 September Guardian columnist Deborah Or  took aim at people who use their mobile phones whilst driving. “What killed Lee Martin [a recent victim of a texting motorist] was the arrogance, stupidity, irresponsibility, lies and casual defiance of 30-year-old Christopher Gard [the motorist in question],” she said. “Gard… didn’t consider that he needed to focus and concentrate while driving a van at 65 miles an hour and this was not because Gard hadn&rsq

Many bridges have been built in recent years to provide routes for cyclists and pedestrians. However, with distressing frequency, these bridges have proved not fit for purpose.  In July a cyclist was seriously injured after he fell off his bike on the new Twin Sails Bridge in Poole. The cyclist, Andrew Gay, fell against barriers and seriously gashed his arm, which resulted in him needing 40 stitches.  There have been other incidents relating to this bridge, but nothing seems to have

The revised Traffic Signals Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) could serve as a major boost for those developing new systems. Among the driving forces behind the changes were cutting the number of road signs, making them easier to understand and removing some of the red tape around their specification, said senior Department for Transport engineer Sally Gibbons.  These changes are designed to help ease the process of designing and specifying road signs and signals, said Gibbons at

The use of average speed cameras cuts the number of crashes resulting in death or serious injury by more than a third, according to a new report from the RAC Foundation. Figures from research firm Road Safety Analysis found that, on average, allowing for natural variation and overall trends, the number of fatal and serious collisions decreases by 36% after average speed cameras are introduced,   The average reduction in personal injury collisions of all severities was found to be 16%, it

Most pedestrians seek eye contact with the driver when they cross the street, but this will no be longer possible with self-driving cars. Could the answer be to give the cars a human face? Semcon, a Swedish technology company believes so and has developed The Smiling Car concept where the self-driving car communicates by smiling at other road users. An internatio

Police forces from across Europe working together to reduce road fatalities have launched the first ‘European Day Without a Road Death’, otherwise known as Project EDWARD. The project is supported by the 30 members of TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network, and will highlight all the work being done by organisations to try and halve the number of road deaths in the European Union by 2020. It is hoped that Project EDWARD will encourage all road users to reflect on their behaviou

The illegal use of handheld mobile phones is at “epidemic proportions”, with an estimated 11 million motorists admitting to making or receiving a call while driving in the last 12 months, says the RAC. The motoring organisation is concerned that that for some attitudes towards handheld mobile use have become worryingly relaxed over the last two years. Research for the RAC Report on Motoring 2016 indicates that the proportion of people who feel it is acceptable to take a quick call

Motorists who use their mobile phones while driving will face much tougher penalties, transport secretary Chris Grayling has promised. He indicated he would be announcing new sanctions against the illegal use of handheld mobile phones while driving and in coming weeks. “We are developing a hard-hitting THINK! campaign to tackle this issue, to make it socially unacceptable like drink driving or not wearing a seatbelt,” he said. Mobile phone use while driving was a contributory facto

West Midlands Police has become the first force in the UK to target ‘close pass’ drivers who endanger cyclists. Plainclothes officers will patrol some of the region’s busiest routes on bikes looking out for motorists who put cyclists at risk. Rules of the road stipulate motorists should give cyclists at least the same space as vehicles when overtaking. Anyone encroaching inside that safe passing distance − widely considered to be a minimum of 1.5 metres − runs the

Councils in the north of Scotland are preparing to establish a joint committee to oversee road collaboration activities.  The Northern Roads Collaboration Joint Committee will comprise eight councils: Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, Angus, Argyll & Bute, Highland, Moray, Orkney Islands, and the Western Isles.  Four initial areas of collaborative working have been identified: • Workforce: sharing the workforce where one roads authority has the capacity or skills shortfall that can

Richard Allsop says that society accepts deaths and injuries on UK roads as the trade-off for the benefits of road transport (LTT 19 Aug). Unfortunately this is a very harsh reality. Drivers of road vehicles are a quirky bunch to say the least, and a very biased bunch too, something that is irresponsibly fed by headline-seeking journalism, and deliberately avoided by politicians. If there is an air crash, it will be headline news for several days, and reporters like nothing more than to dig out

A research programme is seeking to identify the key components needed to develop community wellbeing. Place and space are essential elements in developing a feeling of community wellbeing. This was among the initial findings of a programme carried out by The What Works Centre for Wellbeing, a consortium of four universities and five civic organisations. The team, which is carrying out a Community Wellbeing Evidence Programme, contacted an “extensive national mailing list of stakeholders&

Volvo Cars has unveiled the first vehicle that will take part in its Drive Me project, a public autonomous driving experiment in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. The autonomous Volvo XC90 SUV was fitted out at Volvo Cars’ special manufacturing facility in Torslanda. It is the first in a series of autonomous cars that will eventually be handed to real families in Gothenburg to be driven on public roads. The Swedish car company believes that the introduction of autonomous driving (AD) techno

Plans for a safer and simpler gyratory system around King’s Cross have received the backing of the majority of people living, working or passing through the area who responded to a consultation. The plans, developed by Transport for London (TfL) and Islington and Camden councils, include new road layouts and better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, which were supported by 70% of those who responded to the consultation held earlier this year. TfL says the next step is to consider a

A couple of episodes back, I wrote about various elements of the ‘Connecting Leicester’ programme which, together, had won the Urban Transport Design Award for 2016. What I chose not to mention at that time was that, this year, there were in fact joint winners of the award. The second winning scheme (and, yes, it’s a single scheme, not a package of them) is Castleford’s new bus station, built by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) in partnership with Wakefield Co

Plans for a North-South Cycle Superhighway linking King’s Cross and Elephant & Castle have been approved by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The 5km route, also known as Cycle Superhighway 6 (CS6), will be either fully separated from traffic, or on quiet back streets. At its northern end, the route will connect both with the planned Quietway 2, and Central London Grid routes. This will allow cyclists to travel safely to Hackney, Walthamstow, Camden and Swiss Cottag

Modest improvements at street level can be more effective and satisfying than expensive, highly designed interventions, believes Hank Dittmar  It seems like London is awash with grand transport projects. These range from CrossRail to HS2 to the Cycle Superhighways and the Garden Bridge, and they all promise to transform this world city through big money, big engineering and big design. In all the focus on big projects, I fear we are ignoring the impact that many small actions can have in t

The RAC Foundation has called for a ‘drive-safe’ mode to be introduced for smartphones to overcome the problem of driver distraction. Around 70 fatal accidents a year on Britain’s roads have ‘distraction in vehicle’ as a contributory factor and that ‘Driver using mobile phone’ is a factor in some 20 fatal accidents a year. This death toll has prompted the RAC Foundation to work with TRL to understand how car makers, phone manufacturers and telecoms comp

In recent years there has been widespread talk of eliminating death and lasting injury from road use. But this risks distracting us from a more imminent challenge to our efforts to keep on reducing them. As motorisation grew in higher-income countries such as Britain after 1950, the annual number of road deaths at first increased (peaking here in 1966 at 7,985), and then decreased as reduction in risk per vehicle-km outpaced the growth in vehicle-km driven. This experience is coming to be share

Nearly eight out of ten people support plans to improve cyclist safety at the notorious Hammersmith gyratory. A Transport for London (TfL) consultation found that 79% of respondents backed plans for dedicated cycling crossings, improved pedestrian facilities and a new bus lane. The kerb-segregated two-way route for cyclists will remove the need to cycle around the gyratory, mixing with fast-moving traffic, and will break a key barrier to cycling in west London, says TfL. The changes are n

Plans to remove part of the roundabout at Highbury Corner and replace it with a new public space has been supported by the majority of residents, according to Transport for London (TfL), writes Patrick McDonnell. TfL has published the results of a joint consultation with Islington Council on improving cycle and pedestrian facilities at Highbury Corner.  Under the proposals, changes to Highbury Corner would include: • Closing the western side of the roundabout to create two linked pu

Trials are underway in the capital to display live traffic information on the back of buses. A number of buses on route 344, between Clapham Junction and Liverpool Street, are displaying real-time traffic information using digital information boards. This is the first time anywhere in the world that the innovations is being trialled, says Transport for London (TfL).  This technology provides London's drivers with a new source of information to help avoid congestion and improve their journe

 made the decision last year that her stepdaughter Lani would become a fully-fledged motorist. Lani turned 17 during the year. At the time of writing, she’s preparing for her driving test, after which she’ll have her stepmother’s old car for herself. If Summers-Rees had a stepson instead of a stepdaughter, he wouldn’t be having driving lessons. “I probably would be more happy for him to come back home on the train and bus late at night,” she says, express

A key way of boosting levels of wellbeing in cities is to make cycling the preferred mode of transport, believes Linda Thiel The world's most liveable cities are well-connected with good walking and cycling routes, resulting in a healthier and happier population, according to recent surveys by respected publications the Economist and Monocle. The surveys found these cities are more attractive to newcomers, which in turn attracts business and boosts the economy. When we talk about a city’

More than 15,000 fines have been issued to motorists who have flouted a traffic ban on a route in Waltham Forest over the past year. The Orford Road scheme in the Walthamstow Village area is part of the Mini-Holland programme funded by former London Mayor Boris Johnson to make routes safer for cyclists and pedestrians.  Orford Road has been designated a traffic-free route between 10am and 10pm with the exception of the W12 bus service.   A fixed camera captures contraventions, which

Take a holistic view when implementing air quality measures, Lucy Saunders will urge transport planners at Transforming London’s Streets Adopting the right measures and policies when improving air quality can result in a host of connected health benefits at street level. This involves taking a holistic approach where you consider the whole street from building line to building line and all the activity that happens within it. The ‘Healthy Streets’ appr

Collaboration and emotional engagement in urban regeneration can deliver far reaching social and commercial benefits, believes Project Centre’s Sam Neal, who is speaking at Transforming London’s Streets Human beings are creatures with feelings and emotions in everything we do and everywhere we are. It’s odd, therefore, that areas at the heart of our everyday lives

Safety must be the most important element of road design, superseding traffic flow and capacity, writes Peter Siemensma, senior transport planner at Arcadis With the number of people cycling in the UK steadily increasing, there has also been a rise in fatal collisions. In the UK, 100 cyclists have died this year, as well as 409 pedestrians. This is an issue that cannot go on and vulnerable road users must be protected by providing safe infrastructure. In the past, infrastructure in the UK was

There is a clear correlation between the growth of protected cycle lanes, bike share schemes and improved safety for cyclists, according to a new study of seven cities in the USA by NACTO.  The study - Equitable Bike Share Means Building Better Places for People to Ride - analysed cycling-related data in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Portland and Washington DC. NACTO (the National Association of City Transportation Officials) - a coalition of city transporta

Fleet operators are displaying incorrect signage for cyclists on their vehicles. Cycling campaign groups have brought the matter to the attention of the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS), a voluntary accreditation scheme encompassing all aspects of safety, fuel efficiency, vehicle emissions and improved operations Following complaints, waste removal firm A Better Service Ltd has been instructed by FORS to remove illuminated warning signs on the back left of its vehicles that instruct cyc

The UK Smart Mobility Lab in Greenwich has been presented with an award by Intelligent Systems (UK). The lab has been set up by TRL to provide a real world test bed for testing connected and automated vehicle technologies. It has been created with the support of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, CCAV, Innovate UK and DfT. Key partners include RSA, Direct Line, Telefonica, Shell, Sony, Jaguar Land Rover and Oxbotica. ITS (UK) is a not-for-profit public/private sector association that provides a

Drivers heading to Europe via Dover experienced long delays across the weekend of 22-24 July after increased security checks were introduced at Calais in the wake of the terrorist incident in Nice. Kent Police warn that the disruption could last for weeks due to the convergence of large volumes of summer holiday traffic and the increased thoroughness of French border checks. At its worst motorists queued for 14 hours through Kent to get to the Port of Dover, with many holidaymakers having to sp

The Sussex Safer Roads Partnership has adopted Siemens’ SafeZone average speed detection solution by improving safety and speed compliance in two key locations in Brighton and Hastings. The Home Office type-approved solution will be fully integrated to the back- office penalty notice processing facility run by Sussex Safer Roads Partnership. Mark Trimmer, operations manager for the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership, said: ‘The aim of the SafeZone cameras is to reduce the speed vehicle

NEARLY TWO months after the fact, it has become known that in May what appears to be the first fatality in a highly-automated car occurred. A Tesla Model S operating in ‘Autopilot’ mode struck the trailer of an articulated lorry, killing the driver of the Model S. Neither the Autopilot system nor the driver (who was meant to be attentive to road conditions at all times, as per Autopilot’s user agreement) recognised the hazard. This incident – and Tesla’s management

THE DFT has rejected calls from MPs to halt the roll-out of all-lane running on England’s motorway network on safety grounds. The House of Commons transport committee inquiry into all-lane running (ALR) heard criticisms of the schemes, including from motoring organisations and the police.  Four ALRschemes are already operating:  • M25 J5-6/7 – 12.4 miles • M25 J23-27 – 16 miles • M1 J39-42 – 6.7 miles • M6 J10a-13 – 9.6 miles The

There was a 10% drop in fatal and serious injuries (KSIs) to cyclists on London’s roads in 2015, according to new figures from Transport for London (TfL). There were four fewer cyclist fatalities compared with 2014 (nine fatalities down from 13), says the report. This represents a drop of 42% compared with the 2005-09 baseline for which road safety progress is measured. However, despite the overall trends of improved road safety for most road user groups, 2015 saw an increase in the numb