Zoe Banks Gross

Despite what you hear from fossil fuel-funded politicians, the U.K has just generated a record amount of clean, domestic wind energy.

Enough to power 23 million homes!

U.K decarbonisation policy is a recipe for energy security.

If seeing your planet burning and flooding is more tolerable than seeing a bike lane in your city, you might want to revisit your priorities.

Active travel groups call for clear targets on walking and cycling in England Exclusive: Groups including British Cycling call for active travel strategy to be put on equal footing with road and rail

Exclusive: More than 50 groups connected to transport and public health have urged the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, to set specific targets for levels of walking and cycling in England, warning that plans as they stand are too vague.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

December, balancing it all out. Pleased with my German baking as well as progress in the gym.

We have published a new paper and it's one I'm really happy with. A collaboration with Janina Welsch of ILS Dortmund. rdcu.be/eS96s

We look at the relationship between migration background / ethnicity and travel behaviour, using UK data.

THREAD on the findings

Two women - one older; one elderly - cycling on a segregated cycle lane in the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, where the Dutch invest in safe cycling, the over-65s cycle around a quarter of their journeys, while the over-80s cycle around 10% of theirs.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and cycle lanes don't 'restrict freedom', they expand it.

A map showing a new cycle route in yellow dotted line, redirecting part of NCN2 in Devon onto traffic-free paths, with the title Cycleways to nowhere

I FOI'd English councils whether they use legal land purchase powers to create traffic-free paths. Just 1% said they have successfully.

Why is something that's so common for roads almost never done for cycle routes? And what does it mean for cycling?
lauralaker.substack.com/p/cycleways-...

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81 Star of The Harder They Come had hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want and I Can See Clearly Now

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81

So glad to #getoutside for a #walk today.

A white car with crash damage including a missing offside fron wheel abandoned on a footway and cycle track at a bus stop, alongside a wide carriagway. There are verges to both sides of the vehicle.

Crashed and abandoned, left obstucting the footway and cycletrack for at least nine days now.

Remind me where pedestrians and cyclists are in the heirarchy of road users.

Great piece!

> I argue that skateboarding, too, is a pedagogical instrument…

> The playfulness skating allows is not about turning cities into playgrounds but turning individuals into people who can find playgrounds in cities.

As nations KEEP FAILING on #ClimateAction, cities must DOUBLE their efforts & actions on #ClimateChange mitigation though the SIGNIFICANT power of land-use and transportation decisions, which are within the power of cities and are TRANSFORMATIVE in addressing the #ClimateCrisis.

Further & faster.

The latest National Travel Survey clearly questions that old myth about "Active travel is just for the middle classes, what about working people who have to drive?"

Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.

Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople

Lkw erfasst Scooter-Fahrer im Hamburger Hafen Im Hamburger Hafen (Kleiner Grasbrook) ist es am Dienstagmittag zu einem schlimmen Verkehrsunfall gekommen. Ein Lkw hatte einen Scooter-Fahrer erfasst.

Der LKW-Fahrer bog links ab, dabei übersah er den Scooter-Fahrer. Dann ist das Verb erfassen falsch gewählt, liebe #mopo. Er überfuhr den Menschen!
Am Windhukkai ist ein in beide Richtungen benutzungspflichtiger Fuß- und Radweg. LKW-Fahrer nehmen dort idR keine Rücksicht beim Abbiegen

I enjoy the cycle rides with my kiddo to sports activities, good for catching up.

As winter flooding looms, it's worth noting that a young street tree in an asphalt surface can prevent 60% of the rain that falls on it from reaching the ground, even when not in leaf.

Increasing the low levels of urban tree cover should be a strategic national priority.

Reducing traffic with “carrots”: A review of the evidence Reducing traffic volumes is one way to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector. Since increasing driving costs is often met with public resi…

Yet another evidence review argues very strongly that simply providing alternatives to driving doesn't reduce driving

This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Very dull, cold and damp. Brought my own dopamine for my #utilitycycling journey to the gym and shops. #getoutside #wintercycling

A grey day, very glad I was able to #getoutside for a #walk.

Pretty wet out there, but I still needed to go to the shops. My #walking journey featured a lot of puddles as well as #pavementparking which added unnecessary challenges.

Another lovely #utilitycycling journey on a mild day. So glad to make short, urban trips on foot or cycle. Meant I got a little bit of sunshine too!

Before and after, street filled with cars to a street for people including kids

It’s not just about what you remove (cars, noise, dirty air). It’s about what you add (people walking, a lot of bike parking, trees, outdoor dining, and room for kids to play safely). Amsterdam: 1986 and today.

Streets for people.

HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after

"Not TV or illegal drugs but the automobile has been the chief destroyer of...communities." ― Jane Jacobs

Spiral montage of photos of the moon in different hues against a black background

Marcella Giulia Pace, Italian astrophotographer who took ten years to capture 48 colours of the moon #WomensArt (via Amazing Physics) #FullMoon

A bit of autumnal #walking and my journey home, before 5 pm, required lights! #wintercycling #everydayactivetravel

17 C is quite warm for November. Made for a nice #cyclecommute though.

Reeves considers cut to green levies in effort to reduce cost of energy bills Exclusive: Chancellor hopes to save up to £170 from average bill but industry insiders say move would be ‘disastrous’

To be clear, what is being proposed here is to axe the main mechanism for getting Britain’s homes insulated - which is by FAR the best way to reduce household energy bills in the long term 🤦‍♂️

…and also, just incidentally, an absolute non-negotiable requirement for meeting UK climate targets 😬🥵☠️

Low-income areas in England and Wales face worst air pollution, analysis finds Exclusive: Experts say impact on people of colour and those who do not drive is ‘grave environmental injustice’

Analysis from @friends-earth.bsky.social provides new insight on environmental injustice in the UK:

“… people of colour, those on low incomes and non-drivers are now disproportionately overrepresented in the 5% of neighbourhoods still exposed to the most extreme air pollution.”