https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfZ-S63AsPQ This is a very entertaining, albeit sobering video from Francis Cade. Here he tests a variety of locks, from the cable locks I keep asking you not to use, to the Sold Secure Gold rated alternatives. Most locks will be defeated with time, but a good lock just buys you more of it. Whilst... Continue Reading →
Car Dependency – Urban planning and the cost of living
Just as night follows day, you can guarantee that whenever someone puts forward the idea of increasing costs for drivers, an army of concerned motorists will suddenly leap to the defence of those on lower incomes. We know that motoring is expensive, but what if you've been left with no choice but to drive? Is... Continue Reading →
A social dilemma
I've reached that point in the year where I'm starting to think about what I'm going to focus on next year. I've spent an unseasonably warm December afternoon re-watching the Social Dilemma on Netflix and right now I'm trying to figure out whether the problems we face as humans on this planet are going to... Continue Reading →
Something to watch: Trails on Trial – A film by Manon Carpenter and Dwaco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGFR2tYVWBg A very good video this, featuring our local pro mountain biker Manon Carpenter. You'll also no doubt recognise a lot of the locations --the Garth, Graig-y-Allt; Barry Sidings Cafe and many more. It talks about the growth in mountain biking around here, as well as the growing conflict around the informal trails that have... Continue Reading →
Something to watch: Alternatives to sprawl – Case studies in building better suburbs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sA2LeHTIUI If we are serious about moving away from cars, we really need to stop building for them. As we talked about in our LDP post, a new way of looking at urban development needs to be found. We need to move away from US-style suburbs that require a car to get around and arguably... Continue Reading →
Cycle lane congestion myths
I've been actively trying to avoid reacting to the usual churnalism that tries to drive a wedge between people in the name of clicks, but today our twitter feed was alive with reports of data produced by Inrix, which is part-owned by Porsche and produces data for the auto industry. However, whilst the press have... Continue Reading →
What a sustainable life may look like…
This started out as a light hearted piece about the fascinating story of Ken Smith, who has lived as a hermit for nearly 40 years. But then, as I was writing it, things got really quite dark. When we think about what living sustainably would look like, we are probably not going to find it... Continue Reading →
Balancing Safety with Biodiversity
We all want to feel safe when out and about, whether we are cycling or walking. We may ask for routes to be created to facilitate that, but we need to be mindful of not just where they are and where they go, but also how they work with the biodiversity of the areas they... Continue Reading →
Something to watch: How our streets got stolen from us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrfsTNNCbP0 Another excellent video from youtuber Adam Something.
Road Pricing – Motoring and your personal finances…
Whilst I'm trying to avoid writing articles that focus on current affairs and will age badly, at the time of writing discussions around road pricing have come up again. It's an issue that crops up periodically and it is probably something we should discuss. The why... Whilst drivers will bleat about "the war on the... Continue Reading →