News Archives - Environment

Close pass: Incompetence or malice?

Close passes by motorists are as much a part of cycling on British roads as potholes, but there can be only two possible explanations for why a motorist overtakes dangerously close to a cyclist – incompetence or malice. In the absence of widespread and good quality infrastructure to protect cyclists from motorised traffic, The Safer Roads Partnership and operational policing…

Why no hierarchy of controls on our roads?

When you next hear someone referring to the wearing helmets and high-vis or the delivery of enhanced driver training as guiding principles of road safety, refer them to the hierarchy of hazard control. The system is used across industry to minimise or eliminate exposure to hazards and it has as much relevance to road danger reduction as it does to reducing…

Death by design

A 14-year-old boy who was cycling home from school in Weymouth yesterday was killed by the driver of an articulated lorry. It’s far too early to establish the precise circumstances of the collision, but of two things we can be certain: Not only will the boy’s family and friends be suffering unimaginable grief, but nothing will happen to mitigate the…

Every diesel car in London costs over £1,000 per year in health costs

If people swapped driving for walking or cycling for a quarter of trips, the NHS and wider society would save over £1bn every year in health costs from local air pollution, according to new research by the universities of Oxford and Bath. Air pollution from cars and vans costs Britain almost £6bn every year in health bills with the impact…

Nobe electric: Small on wheels, but big on style

According to the Estonian start-up, Nobe, a lightweight, comfortable and compact electric car doesn’t have to be expensive or look generic. And while there’s no word on the final price of this battery powered three-wheeler, there’s no doubting that its lines evoke the glamour of a 1960s Alfa Romeo. Alongside a predicted range of 137 miles and a top speed…