Why 20mph School Safety Zones can have minimum impact on child road safety and will encourage inactive travel to school.
On the face of it, having a 20mph speed limits around a school entrance seems an sensible idea.
However, a closer inspection may lead us to a very different conclusion
First some background and key facts –
* Only a small minority of child road casualties occur on the way to or from school (Just 20%).
* Very few casualties occur outside the school itself.
* The mean radius of school safety zones is just 300m, yet the mean distance travelled to school is 1.8km.
. Hence the school safety zones apply to only 17% of the journey.2
* At exit gateways to school safety zones drivers are reminded of an increase in speed limit to 30mph.
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Read more: https://www.8-80cities.org/images/res-streets-articles/how-school-safety-zones-are-not-a-priority.pdf
Cut speed limits to get millions more cyclists on the road, urge MPs
By NIGEL MORRIS, The Independent
The speed limit in towns should be cut to 20mph and more dangerous drivers jailed in an effort to persuade millions more people to take up cycling, MPs of all parties say in a report today.
They are also calling for a ban on heavy lorries using city centre streets at the busiest times, along with more bike parking at stations and the construction of cycling lanes with their own traffic lights.
Politicians are urged to take immediate action – including a vast increase in spending on cycling – with the aim of achieving a 10-fold increase in bicycle journeys.
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cut-speed-limits-to-get-millions-more-cyclists-on-the-road-urge-mps-8585277.html
The Ideal Cyclist
Ha, this is great. You know, now that I think about it maybe it’s not a good idea to push for cyclists to behave in an ideal fashion. 😉
https://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/18671/the-ideal-cyclist/
Getting Ready For A Century
Good advice from Riding with the GPS.
https://blog.ridewithgps.com/blog/2013/03/12/Getting-Ready-For-A-Century/
The Growing Trend That Should Terrify Walmarts Everywhere
[B’ Spokes: Just look how much gas has increased!]
Via Upworthy
Continue reading “The Growing Trend That Should Terrify Walmarts Everywhere”
Why There’s No War Between Drivers and Cyclists in the Netherlands
By SARAH GOODYEAR, The Atlantic Cities
Bicycling is such an integral part of life in the Netherlands, you might think that Dutch people are born knowing how to cycle.
They aren’t, of course. What’s kind of wonderful is the way that they learn.
It’s not just a matter of going to the park with a parent, getting a push, and falling down a bunch of times until you can pedal on your own. Dutch children are expected to learn and follow the rules of the road, because starting in secondary school – at age 12 – they are expected to be able to ride their bikes on their own to school, sometimes as far as nine or 10 miles.
Because this independent travel for children is valued in Dutch society, education about traffic safety is something that every Dutch child receives. There’s even a bicycle road test that Dutch children are required to take at age 12 in order to prove that they are responsible cycling citizens.
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https://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/05/why-theres-no-war-between-drivers-and-cyclists-netherlands/1955/
I am
Instead of tickets, turn lights red for speeders
[B’ Spokes: An interesting idea but I still like the speed camera lottery better (Ref: https://www.baltimorespokes.org/article.php?story=20101223194142460 )]
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by Ben Ross, Greater Greater Washington
Opponents of speed cameras often insist that they don’t want drivers to speed—what they object to is the revenue-raising function of the cameras and their invasion of privacy. There may be a way to give these critics what they say they want, at least on some roads, while curbing excess speed more effectively.
How about wiring radars to turn the next traffic light red whenever a speeder passes? Instead of getting a ticket in the mail, a speeder would just get a red light. With the right settings, this would slow down all speeders—including those who speed by less than 12 mph.
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https://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/18476/instead-of-tickets-turn-lights-red-for-speeders/
Walking May Help Prevent Dementia In Seniors, If Only They Could Do It Safely
By SARAH GOODYEAR, The Atlantic Cities
Getting regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, may be one of the best ways to stave off dementia, a finding recently reconfirmed by yet another study.
But older Americans are the most at risk for being killed when they go out on foot in their communities, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control.
It’s just another illustration of the inherently ridiculous situation faced by a huge proportion of the American public. Even as we recognize that regular exercise is good for people of all ages – including and especially kids and senior citizens – we continue to build communities that make it especially hazardous for those very same people to go for a simple walk to the store.
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https://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/04/walking-may-help-prevent-dementia-seniors-if-only-they-could-do-it-safely/5359/