Adam Tranter

Five things UK Cities could learn from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo - micromobilitybiz By Adam Tranter, CEO, Fusion Media Last week, I had the chance to listen in on a conversation betwee

Last week, I had the chance to listen in on a conversation between @who.int and the Mayor of Paris, @annehidalgo.bsky.social.

Here are five things other cities could learn (with a bonus bit on the increasing powers of UK Mayors):

micromobilitybiz.com/five-things-...

Helsinki records zero traffic deaths for full year Helsinki has completed 12 months without a single traffic fatality, a milestone credited to lower speed limits, safer infrastructure, and years of consistent planning, officials say.

Not a single person died on Helsinki’s roads in the last year.

An impressive achievement which shows cities across the world that road traffic deaths are not inevitable.

www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finl... Helsinki records zero traffic deaths for full year - Helsinki Times

Millions of drivers support national pavement parking ban as motorists warned of £100 penalties Motorists have shown support towards a nationwide pavement parking ban

More than two in three drivers have shown support for a nationwide pavement parking ban, according to a new poll, reports GB News.

www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/ca...

Ex-Wigan Athletic youth player jailed for mowing down pensioner Margaret Scaldwell, 70, says her life was ruined when she was struck by the motorbike in 2023.

The updated article (with use of the word motorbike, not e-bike): www.bbc.com/news/article...

The success of @walkridegm.org.uk shows the importance of pushing back.

Call it what it is. Reckless riding of a powerful, unlicensed electric motorbike is not cycling. It’s dangerous driving, and there are already penalties for that. Kian Monks, 21, is rightly in jail.

Legal e-bikes are capped at 15.5mph and require pedalling to activate the motor. They are transforming cities, helping people travel further and switch from cars.

Lumping them in with illegal motorbikes undermines progress on clean and healthy transport.

This change matters. There are already laws in place to deal with dangerous driving, riding without a licence or insurance, and the use of illegal vehicles.

Using incidents like this to call for new cycling legislation, and tarnish the reputation of e-bikes, is disingenuous.

BBC article with correction

The BBC updated the article, replacing the term "e-bike" with "electric motorbike".

Even the Government’s quote was revised. The original wording about dangerous cycling no longer appeared in the updated version.

Campaigners from @walkridegm.org.uk contacted the BBC to raise the issue. They pointed out that the original report mislabelled the vehicle and risked spreading confusion and fear about legal e-bike use.

Their intervention worked.

As you can see from this news clip (including with audio where the 999 caller describes it as a motorbike) - this very clearly is not a bicycle. There are no pedals.

But the vehicle involved wasn't an e-bike. It was a throttle-operated electric motorbike being used without a licence or insurance.

These vehicles fall under existing motor vehicle laws and should not be treated as bicycles in any context.

Article with inaccurate mentions highlighted.

The original article used phrases like "illegal e-bikers" and "reckless e-bike riders". It suggested a lack of deterrent was letting people cause havoc.

A Government spokesperson even used the case to justify new penalties for dangerous cycling.

Former Wigan Athletic youth player jailed for mowing down pensioner

Media coverage is fuelling a backlash against e-bikes. But often, the stories aren't even about e-bikes at all.

Last week, the BBC reported that an "e-bike" was involved in a serious incident. But it was actually a high-powered electric motorbike.

Here's how it got changed...🧵

Women Changing Cities | Streets Ahead Streets Ahead talks to Melissa Bruntlett, of Melissa and Chris Bruntlett, about women in urban leadership and their new book

NEW EPISODE! 🚨 @lauralaker.bsky.social speaks with Melissa Bruntlett @modacitylife.com about the topics in her upcoming book: "Women Changing Cities: Global Stories of Urban Transformation."

Listen here - or wherever you get your podcasts.

shows.acast.com/streets-ahea...

Victorian Water Fountain in London

Victorian Water Fountain in London

Water fountain installed in 1875, Lisbon

Water fountain installed in 2019, London

In roughly what year did cities forget how to design public amenities?

Left: Installed 1875, Lisbon
Right: Installed 2019, London

With this version the video of the driver is displayed for everyone on the call (they will be conscious about their appearance and posture, rather than driving). They are also "improving" voice commands to summarise emails etc.

Drivers found it easier to drive drunk than to drive while using a phone, even when it was Hands-free.

Source: Transport Research Laboratory www.trl.co.uk/uploads/trl/...

Mercedes-Benz will let you use an in-car camera in Microsoft Teams while driving The all-new CLA gets this first

Talking on a mobile phone while driving, even hands-free, gives you similar reaction times as a drunk driver.

So it seems quite insane to take it one step further and integrate Microsoft Teams video calling into a car's in-built system.

www.theverge.com/news/708481/...

The Telegraph’s editorial stance consistently rallies against any measures to reduce car dependency.

Their readers have now voted for their favourite European cities. The top 3: Seville, Copenhagen and Venice are well-known for not being filled with cars…

From memory £16bn is the figure when you do outside of cities (£8bn if you focus on reaching the targets via the lowest hanging fruit).

You can read the full report from the APPG for Cycling & Walking here:
🔗 appgcw.org/resources/in...

Ask your MP to support action to hold delivery platforms to account.

Illegal and dangerous e-bikes are creating risks for the public and riders alike. Meanwhile, responsible riders and the benefits of e-bikes for transport and climate are being undermined.

All e-bikes risk being tarnished with the same brush.

The solution: Delivery apps could ask riders for real-time photographic evidence that the bike they are using matches the one they signed up with.

Each rider has to have their bike or e-bike approved by the platform before they can deliver (see sign up screen)

Delivery platforms will fight tooth and nail to avoid having to employ their riders and give them the benefits associated with that, including minimum wage and vehicle safety.

This is disappointing, but there is a simple solution to the e-bike issue:

Nationwide clampdown on delivery riders working illegally Ramp-up of arrests and visits set to take place across the UK targeting migrants working illegally in the gig economy

The Government says it is introducing rules requiring all companies, including gig economy platforms, to check the legal right to work. That is welcome (and amazing it hasn't been the case), but it will not stop the use of dangerous, illegal e-bikes.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

The @appgcw.bsky.social has made clear recommendations that would stop this practice and make our streets and homes safer.

But delivery platforms continue to turn a blind eye.

Shocking to see multi-billion pound delivery platforms taking no responsibility for how their riders operate.

Riders are incentivised to break rules to make ends meet. It puts themselves and others in danger.

Well done to @lauralaker.bsky.social for holding them to account on BBC Breakfast 🧵

I don’t think it needs to be either/or. The @appgcw.bsky.social also did an inquiry on road justice.