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.
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
Belfast Cycle Budget Cut 98%, roads increase 51%. Mass Cycle Protest, City Hall Wed 13th 1.10 sharp. Cuts have just been announced for this year reducing the cycle budget in Belfast by 98% from £450,000 down to £8,000, whilst at the same time spending on new “strategic” roads increased by 51% from £149m to £225m. This is an insult to cyclists. It is time to express your anger. Come with your bicycle and anything
to make noise, bicycle bells, whistles, etc. Continue reading Belfast Cycle Budget Cut 98%, roads increase 51%. Mass Cycle Protest
Convenient and secure cycle parking will encourage more people to commute on two wheels. Now you can help decide where it’s needed. Full article – Guardian.co.uk
NRA get toll figures wrong by 20 to 30% – but it’s taxpayers that will pay
The NRA’s expectation that traffic would grow rapidly has proved hopelessly inaccurate. Continue reading Double hit for taxpayers as NRA needs €100m bailout on toll roads
A CONTROVERSIAL speed limit in the capital is to be lifted from parts of the city.
Councillors last night voted to remove parts of the quays from a 30kmh traffic-calming scheme in Dublin city centre. The speed limits have been the subject of complaints from drivers since their introduction at the end of January. Continue reading Controversial speed limit in the capital to be lifted
There were participants from across the planet – South Africa, India, Australia, the US, Spain, Denmark, Ireland and Italy – as well as from across the UK. And they came from many walks of life – activists, students and academics, transport planners, cycle trainers and bike co-op members. What united us was a passion for cycling, and a belief that cycling can change the world. Full report
Getting people out of cars and onto bicycles, a much more sustainable form of transportation, has long vexed environmentally conscious city planners. Although bike lanes painted on streets and automobile-free “greenways” have increased ridership over the past few years, the share of people relying on bikes for transportation is still less than 2 percent, based on various studies. An emerging body of research suggests that a superior strategy to increase pedal pushing could be had by asking the perennial question: What do women want? Full article.
