LAST Monday I set out to demonstrate to my kids the adage that there is no such thing as bad weather which should dissuade physical activity, merely unsuitable clothing. Full article: Irish Examiner
Monthly Archives: October 2010
Cycling while pregnant: the verdict
When I said I was open-minded about cycling right until labour, I hadn’t really imagined that I would do it
Back in May I wrote about my experience of cycling while seven months pregnant and now, as three-month old Herbie kips in the next room (perhaps dreaming of his first bike?), I thought you might like to know how it all went.
Sam Haddad with her husband and baby Herbie. Photograph: Matt Felwick
Number of children walking or cycling to school rises
THE NUMBER of children walking or cycling to and from school has risen considerably since 2004, according to a major survey which shows many pupils are not getting enough exercise.
According to the research, 31 per cent of primary school students and 40 per cent of post-primary students now walk or cycle to school, up by 5 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. Continue reading Number of children walking or cycling to school rises
Cycling surges in the land of the automobile
America is known for its enduring love affair with the automobile. But in the last few years cities across the US have reported a surge in bicycle use, as people search for greener, healthier – and cheaper – transport options. The BBC’s Daniel Nasaw looks at what Washington DC is doing to push two-wheeled travel. Full article
Cycle schemes ‘need evaluation’, say researchers
Brief comments and excerpts from 2009 Pucher et al paper on effective pro-cycling measures
Ray Ryan, Chairperson, Skerries Cycling Initiative, 1st Oct 2010
John Pucher, Jennifer Dill, Susan Handy; Infrastructure, programs, and policies to increase bicycling: An international review, Preventive Medicine 50 (2010) S106–S125.
Pucher et al’s review addresses a tough question : what measures are effective in getting more people to cycle? Continue reading Brief comments and excerpts from 2009 Pucher et al paper on effective pro-cycling measures
Coming to terms with city cycling
Share your fraught – or otherwise – experiences of cycling on main roads with heavy traffic
One of the pleasing aspects of the success of London’s bike hire scheme has been how it has encouraged many people on to the capital’s roads who had never considered cycling before. Last week the Charlton blogger Darryl wrote of catching the bike bug in the wake of his cycle hire experience, and is exploring local roads and sights. He doesn’t dare venture further than this, he says, because of his “aversion to main roads and heavy traffic”.
London bike hire scheme on road to be only public transport system in profit
TfL expect the project will cover operating costs within three years and will then go on to meet implementation costs
Boris Johnson tries out a bike at the launch of London’s cycle hire scheme, which is on course to make an operating profit. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP
London’s bike hire scheme is on course to become the only Transport for London (TfL) system to make an operating profit, just 10 weeks after its launch.
Subsidies not the electric answer
ELECTRIC CARS: Taxpayers’ money needs to be used fairly for energy-saving initiatives. The best way to do this is to scrap the subsidies for electric cars and introduce a nation-wide car share scheme which will benefit us all, writes JAMES NIX
THE GOVERNMENT seems hell-bent on offering a subsidy of €5,000 to buyers of electric cars. Exclude the subsidy and a saloon-sized electric vehicle would cost in the region of €35,000. So, under the draft scheme, taxpayers stump up €5,000 for each electric vehicle but, unlike public transport, ordinary taxpayers have no opportunity to use these vehicles, unless, of course, they are among the small number of purchasers. Full article – Irish Times
