Only some cars are polluting, and only some cars are loud. EVs are emission free and silent.
And as I mentioned earlier, the number of road fatalities has dropped significantly in the last 20 years because car design is getting safer (larger crumple zones, no more bull bars etc).
Cars are only dangerous when driven dangerously.
To attack all drivers for the sins of the few is a bigoted and crude position.
Chris yes obviously all your conditions need to be met and that’s still a significant proportion of all journeys. The point is about making it safer for people who are afraid to cycle to give them the opportunity to do so safely without breathing in as much diesel exhaust.
The point is to change people’s behaviour not to make things inconvenient for motorists. The government want to turn those who are able to cycle into people who will cycle because it’s safe and healthy to do so. I support the government on this.
That’s good and I’m glad you are cycling. But not everyone can, and not everyone wants to. People have legitimate reasons for favouring vehicles. Councils have a legal responsibility to make policy inclusive to all residents. And hurting motorists is not inclusive, for a number of reasons:
According to the timetable it takes 22 mins from FH to shoreditch high street.
For me I would need to add the 12 min walk to the station which make it 34 mins if I time it perfectly.
I reckon I can beat that on my bike!
Ban diesel cars. That’s what I’d do. And have Volkswagen and co compensate those vehicle owners for cheating them into buying polluting vehicles under the pretence of “clean diesel”
Don’t hurt my fellow electric car drivers with crude anti-motorist policies that lump all motorists together.
We paid a premium so we wouldn’t hurt others with noise or air pollution.
I don’t pay council tax so the council can coercively “change my behaviour” by inconveniencing me and the services I rely on.
From a master of the art, praise indeed.
Pop over to Herne Hill velodrome on a Wednesday morning… the ‘Silver Cyclist’ lot are ‘over 40’ and most of the 70 year olds who’ve been cycling for years will leave you in the dust. I don’t buy the ‘ageist’ thing. Those 70+ lot epitomise what the policy is about. As for ‘classist’ what does that even mean? Bikes are way cheaper than cars.
Yes I agree ‘not everyone can walk or ride a bike’ but that’s missing the point. Most people can, they just choose to drive instead. The government is trying to change attitudes with this new policy.
You’ll note I criticised your comment, not you personally. Please don’t drag this conversation into the ad hominem gutter.
It’s evident from the choice of roads that the councillors are blocking more upmarket roads (property owners love a cul-de-sac to inflate their house value).
I don’t cycle around here as dont feel can do it safely (and right now not fit enough for some hills) but certainly support any nudging to change my behaviour. I find there are an awful lot of people who could do without their cars or using them less. But say neighbour in flat next to me pops into their car and comes back with a take away.
I remember similarly when high Street was pedestrianised where my grandparents lived out in Felixstowe. They were fuming, ruined high street! Etc etc. Actually in the end they could drive and park outside shops as had blue badge (albeit HE couldn’t zoom down the road, had to slow down!) and it made a massive positive impact on the high street. Shops were being used more. I walked there to avoid parking issues but more relaxed shopping experience. As the poster says change is difficult to start with but we also can’t spend years discussing proposals till everyone is satisfied cos we will have bigger problems then.
Chris, I am not able to back any of my points up with facts or studies. Just my opinion, so know likely not worth much.
Actually a disabled member of my family (stroke) cannot walk, and relies on an adapted vehicle. Without her car she’d be housebound and completely reliant on visiting carers (who come by car).
That’s not what the broad policy is about. Nobody is suggesting people who are not able should get on their bike
They most certainly are not. The do not produce exhaust at the point of delivery but there are still emissions associated with production, the energy used to recharge them and of course they still produce particulates form brakes and tyres. The latter can be more for EVs as they can be heavier and is completely unregulated.
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Air pollution is a very localised phenomenon.
Provided car factories operate in sparsely populated areas and filter their emissions, it is far better for densely populated urban communities to have EVs on the road than diesel vehicles.
My brake pads and discs will last more than 150,000 miles because my car has regenerative braking and barely uses the mechanical brakes at all.
Tyre particulate pollution may be significant by mass (more so than exhaust emissions), but this doesn’t mean tyre particulate pollution is more damaging to health:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10807039.2019.1674633
This study helps explain why tyre pollution is currently unregulated.
By contrast, exhaust gasses are carcinogenic (benzene), contribute to smog (NO2) and are highly toxic to humans (CO).
This demonstration caught my eye lately:
https://twitter.com/chilligrower28/status/1286283615240892419?s=21
EV aren’t emission free or sound free - you still need to generate the electricity - but the UK is getting better at renewables. But calling people that don’t drive EV cars ‘the few’ is elitist - literally the 1%.
Cars are 1 ton vehicles travelling at 20mph - they are inherently dangerous.
Calling be a bigot because I don’t drive an electic car - like literally 99% of drivers just shows the lack of strength of your thoughts
That’s not what I said.
By “the few” I was talking about dangerous drivers.
“bigoted” was aimed at those comments that generalise and demonise all drivers, and has nothing to do with EVs.
I think you have misunderstood my comments. Apologies if they were unclear.
A recent email communiqué from Lewisham council linked to the following update about the ‘Low Traffic Areas’:
That page includes a statement that a full consultation will take place to determine if the schemes should be made permanent:
It does however still direct people to the common place site and there is no date mentioned, but still a good indication none the less.
There is also passing mention of the plans for school streets, but no further update:
Previous information on the school streets can be found here: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/roads-and-transport/closing-roads-to-traffic-at-school-drop-off-and-pick-up-time-school-streets
Does anyone know what bus stops ate closing during this road works
