Laura Laker

Has Google Maps failed in London? And when a 'bike-friendly street' is no such thing

My latest Substack post. Two years after looking into this for Bloomberg's CityLab, has enough changed?
open.substack.com/pub/lauralak...

///mull.caring.cycle This is the what3words address for a 3 metre square location near Hackney, London.

Roughly here, Hackney Marshes: w3w.co/mull.caring....

Got a puncture at one of my favourite spots yesterday. A fix with a view. Am now at F1 speed puncture repair levels - in my mind.

Oh lovely - thanks Kim for giving it a go and I hope you enjoy it!!

Hammersmith Bridge would cost £250m to reopen — but should it? Campaigners want the west London crossing kept car-free, but MPs and residents say the closure is harming families and the local economy

Good morning, nearly everyone!

“You have a car lobby who are hiding behind buses and ambulances. It’s an easy thing to hide behind but what’s behind the ambulance? It’s a Range Rover.”

Where this article fails is in reporting Fleur’s fictitious claims about ‘impacts on Putney’ unchallenged

Just picking up 10 litres of paint from my local DIY shop at the weekend. Pink ebike rules!

Got something you'd like to ask Ned, Adam and Laura for a future podcast? They would love to (try to) answer them! Post said questions below, or you can email them to streetsahead@fusion-media.co.uk. Get in touch!

Thank you Emily

Thank you Mark!

Excellent deep dive into the hard work of a local Councillor changing streets in their own north London community - and the cost they faced.
@lauralaker.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/laur...

We're back for 2026 folks!

Nice thread here on the situation with the #WestHamParkLTN, which in another survey had satisfied 59% of residents and has had positive outcomes for congestion, safety, and air quality—but is still being sent back for reconsideration.

We naturally hope the decision makers won’t change their mind.

Relentless pressure, threats, and apologies Four years inside Haringey's street transformation

“I had to go in and face my colleagues who were saying, ‘Mike, what have you done?’”

A glimpse inside Haringey's street space transformation, featuring @mikehakata.bsky.social and @carlafrancome.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/lauralak...

Amazes me how often this happens in London! And thanks for the intel :)

It does look great - and will make such a difference connecting to Stratford from the north and Cycleway 6. It's just a shame they've 'closed' C6 for the last month or two, on Leyton Road, during roadworks. I've had to 'bunny hop' that kerb, and navigate parked vans, more than I'd like 🙌

Clever dog!

Tributes pour in as Birmingham councillor Waseem Zaffar dies The Labour councillor for Lozells is remembered for his passion for the community and the environment.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The West Midlands | Streets Ahead

So sad to hear about the death of Waseem Zaffar. He joined us on the podcast's ninth episode and was a breath of fresh air, literally, campaigning for cleaner air for Birmingham residents. One of the good guys, with a steely resolve to help people; a real loss shows.acast.com/streets-ahea...

This is who runs this account

NCN1 this week, Hackney Marshes, looking east

I didn't know that was a thing. Like a lot around motoring, regulation and compliance is very lax. Additional work/requirements for MOT centres, I understand, is avoided due to cost to businesses, but the result is this. And we all probably hear of centres that routinely overlook important stuff

YouTube video by MasterplanHD "Nessun dorma" Roberto Alagna HD720

Hopefully Alagna is on the mend - what a phenomenal voice and an amazing production (even from the cheap standing seats!). My friends and I had to make do with YouTube instead www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHyY...

Drama at the opera as Royal Opera chief steps in for sick tenor Richard Hetherington forced to play Prince Calàf in Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot after French tenor Roberto Alagna taken ill

In another dramatic turn this week I was at the Royal Opera House on Tuesday when this happened during a performance of Turandot... no Nessun Dorma, sadly, after the tenor fell ill before the final act, leading to a surprising substitution www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...

'Hundreds of thousands' of illegal window tints sailing through MOTs per year Dark tints impact driver visibility and increase risk but enforcement at MOT centres is currently discretionary

Exactly - and why there's general concern in the road safety world about the hundreds of thousands of these modifications passing drivers' MOTs each year. At night you drivers can barely see out, including side windows lauralaker.substack.com/p/hundreds-o...

*accelerator bash* is the policy equivalent of *hulk smash*?

I.e. an accelerator could maybe "unlock" a door if it hit it hard enough...

Xavier Brice steps down after 10 years heading Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) - Cycling Industry News Xavier Brice is leaving Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, the walking, wheeling and cycling charity, this spring after a successful 10 years as CEO. Brice joined Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, which was previously kno...

End of an era! @walkwheelcyclet.bsky.social
cyclingindustry.news/xavier-brice...

I'd guess, upon reflection, that because the driver was turning left, they probably looked right only before pulling out. Which would partly explain why they only stopped when I hit their wing mirror: classic "failed to look".

'Hundreds of thousands' of illegal window tints sailing through MOTs per year Dark tints impact driver visibility and increase risk but enforcement at MOT centres is currently discretionary

Awful. I did a Substack post on this topic a while back lauralaker.substack.com/p/hundreds-o...

I'm proud to announce that the London Borough of Newham is a finalist at the Decarbonising Transport Awards 2026 for our work on the West Ham Park People Friendly Streets (LTN8). 🌱

🏆 Awards where Newham is a finalist: