Our last episode, an interview with Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh MP, caused a bit of a storm and went viral. Laura's interview was picked up by a host of UK national media including BBC News, The Sun, GB News, The Times and more.

We discuss how the story happened, what it means for active travel - and why the wider media picked up on it so extensively. Helping us navigate this is Henry Zeffman, the BBC's Chief Political Correspondent and contributor to BBC Newscast.

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Louise Haigh MP, the Secretary of State for Transport, joins Laura Laker on Streets Ahead for an insightful discussion on the future of active travel in the UK. From her own cycling experiences to the role of walking and cycling in tackling public health and climate challenges, Haigh outlines her vision for a national integrated transport strategy that prioritises active travel and discusses "unprecedented funding", as well as her support for councils implementing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Ned, Adam and Laura discuss the interview and what it means for the direction of travel for cycling, walking and wheeling in the UK.

By the way, if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers! 

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Welcome to this special episode, in which it’s just Laura, her suitcase and one amazing guest, sat on a bench in the middle of one of the city’s famous Superblocks.

There’s also some extra bonus content on our new Patreon. That’s right - if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers! 

In late 2023 Laura travelled to Barcelona by train from London. She was curious about the superblocks programme which involved some of the city’s streets being pedestrianised, leaving others as thoroughfares for motor traffic, and introducing things like greenspace and seating to the inner roads. Starting in 2022, streets in the Eixample district were transformed for walking and cycling, with a focus on cutting air pollution, overheating in summer and improving accessibility.

On those streets, people can still drive in and out, but through traffic is discouraged. While I was there I met Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, a researcher and professor in urban and transport planning, environment and health, and Director of the Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative, and Head of the Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Mark has quantified, in his research, the toll poor urban and transport planning has on the environment and health - and some of it is pretty scary. Mark was a delight to interview and I’m excited to share this episode with you.

You can find some of Mark Nieuwenhuijsen’s research here:

Street pedestrianization in urban districts: Economic impacts in Spanish cities https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026427512100367X  

Superblocks’ impact on health, local climate and economy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019315223?via%3Dihub 

PASTA research https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e009924

Mark's current research can be found here https://ubdpolicy.eu/

About the current Superblocks https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/es/content/asi-seran-las-nuevas-plaza-y-ejes-verdes-eixample 

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And we have reached the end of 2023! What a year that was: we had highs, we had lows, we had some culture wars, we did a podcast in a pub. How was 2023 for you? Ned, Laura and Adam give their perspective.

>> Oh, and we're on Patreon! If you'd like to support Streets Ahead, get ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes content AND receive wonderful stickers, please head to:

https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast <<

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For this episode, Ned, Adam and Laura navigated east London's cycle lanes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods to speak in-person, in front of a live pub audience, to Councillor Clyde Loakes, at the Wanstead Tap in Waltham Forest.

For the past decade Cllr Loakes has led his borough's transformation for walking and cycling. Waltham Forest is very much no longer a forest, in North-East London, but has become world famous for its Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, people-friendly high streets and for pioneering high-quality cycle lanes and transforming massive car-dominated junctions in outer London for active travel.

During the podcast we talk about political courage, and what the borough has achieved since Clyde's team won an unprecedented £27m from Transport for London back in 2013 for its 'Mini Holland' programme. We discuss how ultimately this kind of transformation, while hard, is possible - even in the most car-centric of places. We discuss the role of a range of players, from campaigners on the outside, to the political and officer support within the council - and the importance of listening to genuine concerns from the public.

In a speech in 2018, Cllr Loakes said: ‘I spent years talking about encouraging a shift to bikes and walking without actually doing the things that make a difference. If I am honest - I was tinkering with parking schemes and pandering to car owners. I was not delivering for our community. Then I got a chance to do something extraordinary. We won our Better Waltham Forest mini-Holland bid with low traffic neighbourhoods and protected bike lanes . We had signed up to deliver a huge public health implementation at pace.’ He added: ‘For too long we, in fact I, as a councillor had been focused on maintaining a status quo that did nothing for anyone. But now we have done something extraordinary, a radical intervention that puts people first.’

Thank you to Dan at the Wanstead Tap, to everyone who turned out on a rainy Monday night in December, to join us live, and to Pedal Me who cycled our equipment across London.

The Healthy Streets Scorecard, which ranks London boroughs based on people-friendly measures, can be found here: https://www.healthystreetsscorecard.london/

*That* coffin picture is here: https://twitter.com/mthrel/status/1402221590167838722

Clyde Loakes is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Labourstone

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In the second of a two-part mini-series on online disinformation Laura, Ned and Adam talk to Shayoni Lynn, whose company specialises in the behavioural science of mis- and disinformation, and how to tackle it. After ministers admitted this autumn making decisions based on ‘online discussions’ that veered towards fringe conspiracy theories, around things like 15-minute cities, and as the climate conference COP28 approaches, our guest has some timely insight into the world of disinformation. 

Shayoni Lynn is founder of Lynn Group, a ‘communications consultancy, powered by behavioural science’. They specialise in helping organisations avoid their work being the subject of disinformation, including those involved in vaccine rollout and mental health services. She authored an article on why sometimes, engaging with disinformation online is the last thing we should be doing, and explains to Streets Ahead other ways of ensuring measures to improve our health and reduce our impact on the environment, aren't foundered by falsehoods.

Lynn Global has worked with the Welsh government on the rollout of default 20mph speed limits in built-up areas, the biggest policy the Senedd has enacted so far, and one not without its share of disinformation. Shayoni Lynn explains how our very nature as humans make us susceptible to misinformation and what we can do about it as individuals, as organisations and as nations.

This blog discusses why sometimes, engaging with disinformation online is the last thing you want to do: https://lynn.global/the-dangers-of-debating-misinformation/

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This time Ned, Laura and Adam meet Polly Herbert, a solicitor who represents the loved ones of those killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions.

Working for the law firm Hugh James, Polly represented the family of Frankie Jules-Hough, a pregnant mother-of-two who was killed by a speeding driver who filmed himself driving in excess of 100mph, in May.

In 2022 judges were given the power to hand greater sentences to those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving. With the powers coming into effect in summer 2023, Frankie’s tragic death was widely seen as a test. 

Despite Adil Iqbal’s driving being described by the judge as "the worst case of bad driving any of us can recall", Iqbal initially received a 12 year sentence. This was overturned at the court of appeal in October, as unduly lenient, following a campaign by the family, and extended to 15 years. 

Ms Jules-Hough’s partner, Calvin Buckley, asked how bad driving would need to be to warrant the full sentence. Iqbal had been driving at 123mph, while filming himself undertaking and swerving along the M66 in Bury in May. Ms Jules-Hough had broken down and was waiting in the vehicle with her two children and a nephew when Iqbal lost control while undertaking a motorbike rider, and hit her at more than 90mph.

The news of Iqbal's sentencing, and the appeal, were covered nationally, including here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-67099209. Calvin Buckley continues to bravely speak up for a culture change among young people, to foster respect on the roads.

In September the All Party Parliamentary Walking and Cycling Group released a Road Justice Report, with ten recommendations, including an end to exceptional hardship, removal of tolerances in speeding cases that allow drivers to exceed the limit without penalty, treating road crash victims as victims of crime, and appointing a commissioner for road danger reduction. You can read the report here: https://allpartycycling.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/APPGCW-Road-Justice-Report-2023.pdf

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Disinformation is seeping from social media into public debate, and even politicians are being sucked in - with real-world consequences for democracy. From 15-minute cities, to ULEZ, active travel has found itself on the frontline of the battle for truth - but what is actually happening, and how does it affect us?

In the first of a two-part miniseries on the topic, Adam, Ned and Laura talk to Amil Khan, founder of Valent, a company that “deals with disinformation by understanding who is behind it, what methods they use and who they seek to manipulate”. 

Amil Khan was a Reuters and BBC journalist who first encountered disinformation campaigns around the Arab Spring in the 2010s. He began investigating the topic for Chatham House and the government and, in 2020, with a government COVID loan, he founded his own company, Valent. There, he and his team investigates the mechanics of disinformation, including on social media platforms.

Amil says the company is ‘content agnostic’ - but as well as paid projects it investigates topics of interest to staff… which led to an investigation into anti-ULEZ sentiment online. What it found was one of the most advanced manipulation efforts they have seen in nearly four years of examining such activity in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. An estimated £168,000 had been spent, via ‘spreader accounts’ amplifying genuine anti-ULEZ voices. While against social media company rules, this automated manipulation happens, thanks to a number of companies selling such services under vaguely concealed euphemisms.

Amil talks us through the mechanics of dis- and misinformation online, how it happens, how to tackle it, and the consequences for active travel, and indeed democracy.

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Safe Streets Now was born out of growing concerns over what campaigners have called an epidemic of speeding and red light jumping in Birmingham. Better Streets for Birmingham saw residents collect data on speeding and red light jumping in the city earlier this year, a citizen science project that attracted attention with the scale of the significant problem it revealed on the roads. Then, over the summer, a tragic string of hit and run collisions galvanised those concerns. Children were, tragically, among those killed, and residents across Birmingham have decided enough is enough. More voices have now joined the call for action nationwide, and on 30 September protests are planned in towns and cities across England to call for ‘Peace, Space and Justice’ on the roads. This co-ordinated outcry over the loss of children's freedoms and safety is, perhaps, the closest thing the UK has had to the Dutch 'Stop de Kindermoord' moment that pushed for a reversal of car dominance in the 1970s Netherlands. Could this be the start of an equally powerful movement here?

Joining Streets Ahead to discuss the issue is Mat MacDonald, who founded Better Streets for Birmingham earlier this year, and is also the coordinator of Safe Streets Now, and Sarah Chaundler, a video journalist who interviews fellow parents concerned about dangerous driving on Birmingham streets. 

There are 15 actions in 13 towns and cities at the time of writing. To find out more about the protests, and to see if there's one near you, visit: https://safestreetsnow.co.uk/

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This time Ned, Adam and Laura are talking about roads. Are they good, are they bad, and do we really need to take sides? In a week where the Prime Minister claimed there’s a ‘side’ where driving is concerned, we look to Wales, where they're taking perhaps a more balanced approach to transport. 

Lee Waters is Wales’ Deputy Minister for Climate Change. He works in a department that brings together society's most polluting sectors and seeks to reduce their carbon emissions, not least for the sake of future generations.

In February 2023, following a Roads Review, the Welsh Senedd announced it wouldn’t be investing in new roads unless they contribute to a modal shift towards public transport and/or active travel. While this announcement was spun as a 'ban' on all new roads, it in fact simply raised the bar for roadbuilding. Lee Waters talks to Streets Ahead about the thinking behind the move, the challenges, and why giving people clean transport options - and genuine alternatives to driving - is not a party political issue.

You can read more about Wales' roads review, and the report on the future of Welsh roadbuilding, here: https://www.gov.wales/future-road-investment-wales. As the chair of the roads review panel, Lyn Sloman, put it: "The challenge of our time is to achieve a prosperous economy and a fairer society whilst protecting and enhancing the environment, for our own well-being and that of future generations."

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This time Laura and Adam are Ned-less because there is still a bicycle race happening over in France

All cyclists start somewhere - whether it’s wobbling along with stabilisers, or without. In the UK, because we often end up sharing the roads with motor traffic, many of us will also have received training from a professional at some point - under the Bikeability standard, or Cycling Proficiency as it was once known. 

In recent years cycle instructors have increasingly voiced concerns over pay stagnation and working conditions and this summer London instructors are striking for the first time ever, after what they describe as a 14-year pay freeze. The freeze, they say, amounts to a 50% real-terms pay cut. Each week, on average, one cycling instructor quits - and numbers have halved since the pandemic. Nationwide we need 1000 more instructors to meet government targets to train every child to the Bikeability standard, but recruitment is proving tough.

With the most common reason for not cycling being 'fear of riding with traffic', cycle instructors are a pivotal part of the transition to green transport - we can't build all the safe cycle routes we need immediately, so confidence riding on the roads is key to helping people cycle for more journeys. It's also the kind of green job politicians say we need for the future.

Our two guests are instructors from the Independent Workers union of Great Britain (IWGB): Suami Rocha (Hosha), chair of the Cycling Instructors Branch of the IWGB, and Ben House, its co-secretary. With them Laura and Adam discuss what it's like to do a skilled job where people assume you're a volunteer, the complexities of the cause and what would help stem the tide of cycle instructor loss.

You can read more about the strike here: https://iwgb.org.uk/en/post/cycling-instructors-set-for-first-ever-strike-after-14-year-pay-freeze/

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Ned and Laura go exploring on foot with Alderman Alison Gowman around the City of London's mid-century raised walkways. Known as Pedways, when they were conceived and built in the 1960s, their architects believed they would be the future of the urban pedestrian experience... except they didn't quite work. More than half a century later, many of them are slightly bleak and under-used spaces, because they failed to meet the needs of pedestrians who, it turns out, will stubbornly take the easiest route.

Streets Ahead wanders around the remains of the City of London's Roman walls to find out why a quirk of 1960's public realm design became a dead-end in pedestrian provision...almost. Come along for a journey through the good, the bad and the ugly of the intermittent trend of "getting people out of the way of cars" - and a new, improved addition to the Pedways that nods to the future.

Alderman Alison Gowman is the elected official for the City of London's Dowgate Ward. She is the chair of the London Road Safety Council and author of a book The City of London: Who, What, Why? https://shop.cityoflondon.gov.uk/products/the-city-of-london-who-what-why

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In this episode Laura travels to Paris, to meet one of the campaigners behind a successful push to put cycling at the heart of the city's transport plans for the 2024 Olympics. Paris en Selle is one of a cohort of campaign groups who staged an 'Olympic relay' protest that inspired Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to roll out cycleways linking every one of the city's 35 Games venues. This would mean visitors and staff could get to events in a healthy, sustainable way without overwhelming the existing transport network.

What followed, within two years, was the rollout of an impressive 34 miles of routes that met, campaigners say, 90% of the brief given to city officials. Even previously reluctant boroughs, they say, were persuaded to do their part. In addition, 20,000 new cycle parking spaces, many but not all temporary, were introduced. Some cycleways are shared bus lanes, but for the most part what's been built is dedicated cycle lanes.

We would like to thank Paris en Selle's Corentin Roudaut, who used his lunch break from his day job to give Streets Ahead listeners a tour of the rapid transformation over the last two years.

Find out more about Paris en Selle's advocacy work: https://parisenselle.fr. The campaign group even produced their own guide to help Games visitors get around during the Olympics https://parisenselle.fr/2024/07/17/cycle-around-paris-during-the-olympics/

Read Laura's CityLab piece about Paris' Olympic cycling transformation: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-24/paris-summer-olympics-2024-cycling-at-the-games-bike-lanes-parking-sharing

By the way, if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers! 

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For this special episode Laura Laker chairs a live podcast recording from the annual London Walking and Cycling Conference.

The London Walking and cycling conference, for those of you who don’t know, is an annual get-together where London gets to be smug and show off a bit. It started life as the Hackney walking and cycling conference in 2017 and has gone from strength to strength, attracting speakers from all over the world.

This year’s theme is: ‘taking walking and cycling to the next level: the path to climate neutrality’. We all know active travel has a huge role to play in cutting carbon emissions, for shorter trips as well as potentially part of longer journeys along with public transport. 

According to Transport for London active travel is up 40% on pre-pandemic levels, against an 11% rise across the rest of the UK - of course the whole of the UK is a diverse place and there are pockets of higher growth, but we’re here to ask, what is London doing right, and what can the rest of the UK learn from it?

By law the UK needs to cut its emissions by 2050. Transport is 27% of emissions, and electric vehicles aren’t going to get us there. In short, we aren’t going fast enough. What do we need to do to reach climate neutrality?

With her to discuss the topic 'what can the rest of the UK learn from London' are:

Councillor Mete Coban, in charge of energy, waste, transport, and the environment for Hackney Council - so you get emails about dog poo, parking and bins - the full trifecta 

Liz Clements - Birmingham Council’s cabinet member for transport 

Phil Jones - technical advisor to the Walking and Cycling commissioner for the West Midlands, Adam Tranter

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A pre-budget announcement on HS2 last week revealed a £380m cut to cycling and walking funding. This represents a two-thirds reduction of funding in England, and leaves just £100m for active travel in the current financial year. 

Cycling and walking contributed £36.5bn to the UK economy in 2021, according to Sustrans. 

Ned, Laura and Adam convene to discuss what's happening and the impact it'll have.

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In this episode, we have a special feature in which Ned travels to his spiritual home in Lewisham Shopping Centre to meet the folks at XO Bikes. Founder, Stef Jones, was mentoring in prison and noticed the same people kept coming back - not that they wanted to. These people were lacking opportunities; prison is 'full of entrepreneurs, shifting the wrong product,' he says.

Stef left his ad agency to set up XO bikes, to train, employ and inspire people and support them to change their lives, become bike mechanics, and it’s a gateway to the cycling industry. They take donated bikes, and donations. Police give thousands of bikes, which they refurbish and sell.

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We speak to Mums For Lungs founder Jemima Hartshorn to chat ULEZ, campaigning and the worrying and urgent need to clean up our dirty air.

Almost exactly ten years ago, nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah died following an asthma attack, later becoming the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death. Ella lived near the South Circular Road in Lewisham. 

In 2017 Jemima and a group of fellow mums, on parental leave in south London, decided to act after noticing how poor the air quality was as they walked with their babies. Research suggests kids experience 60% of their pollution exposure on their journey to, and in school. Early exposure to air pollution increases the risk of asthma and lung infections and can be fatal.

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Image courtesy AirQualityNews.com

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What is it really like being a Councillor, especially one who has implemented LTNs? Ned, Laura and Adam speak with Ian Barnes, formerly of Enfield Low Traffic Neighbourhood fame. As Deputy Leader of Labour-run Enfield council until 2022, Ian was among those responsible for delivering Low Traffic Neighbourhoods both before and during the pandemic.

We discuss: listening to resident concerns, Mini Hollands, road pricing, the abuse some Councillors face and more.

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In this special episode Laura goes to the seaside. It may be pouring with rain but Brighton and Shoreham-by-Sea offer a warm welcome, showing us the good stuff happening for cycling in Brighton, and the latest (largely bad stuff) on the short-lived cycle lane on Upper Shoreham road. This ill-fated cycle lane in West Sussex was removed after a few short weeks, despite huge support and a tripling of cycle trips during its existence. What's next for the frankly terrifying road it once sat on, and for the many children and their families that navigate it every day? And what's the least likely transport combination you can think of?

All this and more, in this special episode of Streets Ahead.

Thanks to Adam Bronkhorst at campaign group Shoreham-by-Cycle, and to Mark Strong, of transport consultancy Transport Initiatives, for taking the time to show Laura round and sharing their considerable expertise.

Here's some background to the Upper Shoreham Road story, which road.cc covered from the start: https://road.cc/show/tags/upper-shoreham-road/189511

And more recently, the Argus:

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/19877352.council-acted-illegally-removing-upper-shoreham-road-cycle-lane/

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/20293658.upper-shoreham-road-cycle-lane-not-ruled-out/

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Ned, Laura and Adam discuss active travel and the economy. We know that cycling and walking are great for our health and the environment, but is the economic case sold strongly enough?

This episode was recorded before the UK Government Autumn Statement on 17/11/22 but talks generally about active travel's impact on the economy and the importance of cheap transport during a cost of living crisis.

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The cost of living crisis is forefront in many people's minds at the moment, but while the pressure has ramped up since the war in Ukraine, for some people transport poverty has plagued their lives for far longer.

Our guest Professor Sarah Marie Hall is a geographer with a focus on geographical feminist political economy. She describes this as "understanding how socio-economic processes are shaped by gender relations, lived experience and social difference". Sarah Marie tells us how the impact of transport cuts adds to other growing pressures on people's lives - but the solutions have huge benefits too, both for broad topics such as sustainability, to intimate ones like our personal relationships.

You can find out more about Professor Hall's work here: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/sarah.m.hall.html

You can read Laura's recent article on the cost of living crisis and access to transport, featuring Professor Hall, here (login to read, it's free): https://www.smarttransport.org.uk/insight-and-policy/finance-and-funding/transport-poverty-is-poor-reflection-on-british-society

If you happen to be in Manchester on Tuesday 8 November 2022, Professor Hall and her colleague, Professor Karen Lucas, will discuss transport poverty at the local level, at the Mechanics Institute. Book your place here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transport-poverty-and-economic-austerity-an-open-discussion-tickets-431559073807

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Ned, Laura and Adam hang out in a dilapidated old petrol station for an impromptu pod on World Car Free Day to discuss how we use public space, parklets, and how cycling is diversifying.

You can check out the Possible Parklet Plotter here: https://wearepossible.github.io/parklet-plotter/

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Episode edited by Clare Mansell.

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Ned, Laura and Adam head to Oxford to ask: Why is the city so popular for cycling?

Is it something to do with the university, or is it an ingrained cycling culture? Is it because for decades they’ve filtered through traffic on minor roads? Is it because it costs £35 to park a car for 24 hours? 

In this episode, we'll be exploring Oxford’s new Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and how they have struck a nerve - but we’ll also look at older filters that are the staple of Oxford’s cycling network, and often go unnoticed. 

We’ll also confront the slightly awkward truth that Oxford doesn’t have very good cycle lanes (and shows that perhaps they’re not always needed if you filter through traffic).

We’ll talk to Councillor Emily Kerr (Green Party), who will take us on a short tour of the city's new LTNs.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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This time we're talking with our guest about life across the Pond. If early US cities were inherently walkable, what on earth happened? Is an active travel revolution possible in such a car-centric nation? Why are there parking minimums in new developments? And what on Earth is Euclidian zoning?!

John Simmerman, of the Active Towns podcast and YouTube channel, joins Adam and Laura at the start of a two month European odyssey, to talk about his work promoting active lives in the US.

John spent the first 15 years of his career promoting healthy living among employees in the corporate world, before shifting his focus to the built environment and its impact on health. In the USA, roads and motor traffic dominate public space, and interstate freeways divide and segregate communities, often along racial and socioeconomic lines. John's videos and podcast promote the benefits of walkable, bikeable costs both in terms of health and beyond, to quality of life and community vibrancy.

Links:

You can find out more about Active Towns, and John's work, here: https://www.activetowns.org; and his YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/activetowns

Euclid, it turns out, is a US village where zoning powers were first established by a local government.

And Adam shared that Simpsons clip on Twitter a while back: https://twitter.com/i/status/1347530929816932353

By the way, if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers! 

We’re also on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: https://twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Episode edited by Clare Mansell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode Adam, Ned and Laura meet in person in the grass beside Herne Hill Velodrome. Adam also takes us on an audio journey through South London using a Beeline routing widget to avoid the main roads and discover some quiet gems - and some strange cycleway nomenclature - along the way.

As well as pondering the many uses of bollards, not least in creating quiet routes, the Streets Ahead trio discuss the challenges, and solutions, of finding your way by bike, away from the main roads, from paint to decent signage - and the role of private companies in helping create modal shift.

Tom Putnam, the cofounder of Beeline, joins Streets Ahead to discuss these issues, and explain how Beeline works to provide quiet routes for people cycling. Beeline's routing is based on Open Street Map, with user feedback helping to constantly improve information around which streets work for cycling, and which ones don't, using simple plus and minus buttons on the routing app or widget. Lighting, low traffic volumes, hilliness and cycle lanes are among the things the algorithm uses to define 'good' routes.

The Beeline Velo 2 is the latest widget iteration, and the Beeline routing software is also available via a phone app. You can find out more here: https://global.beeline.co/

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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A special edition of Streets Ahead, in which Laura travels to the Isle of Wight to meet Detective Superintendent Andy Cox for day one of his nationwide challenge to cycle and run 30 miles a day for a week, raising awareness of road danger, and money for charity RoadPeace.

Andy is on a mission to drive a culture change around roads policing and road danger, having this week revealed, via the Times, a major shakeup in how police record contributory factors in road collisions, which revealed speeding as the number one cause of crashes, contributing to three times more collisions in Manchester and London where a pilot took place. He's pushing data-led policing, taken from his time investigating murders, having targeted the most dangerous roads and drivers in his time as head of Vision Zero in London's Metropolitan Police, and is having a huge impact in his goal of tackling what he insists we call road crime.

Andy's challenge is all about raising funds for a charity that does a huge amount of good with not a lot of funding. He's hoping to raise double - or more - than last year, at least £100,000, and police forces around the country are taking part in their own challenges to help the charity help even more people whose lives are changed by road crime.

From a clifftop near Lands End, having just fallen waist deep into a nettle-covered rock crevice with a half-eaten cheese sandwich, Laura introduces us to Andy's challenge - while Ned's somewhere in Italy covering the Giro d'Italia, and Adam's working away on the West Midlands' cycling and walking transformation.

You can donate money to Andy's challenge here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/andycoxchallenge2022

You can read about his shakeup of how contributory factors are recorded, in the Times (paywall) here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8959cbb4-d3a3-11ec-b39a-dd0cbc8c6f6d

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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For Streets Ahead's second birthday, Adam, Ned and Laura go rogue - or at least go outdoors - sitting together on the banks of the River Thames to shoot the breeze. We are, for this episode, a pod without portfolio - drifting beside the Thames like an empty crisp packet and seeing where the current takes us.

The Streets Ahead trio reveals the topic, if not the title, of Laura's forthcoming book, and a street that's being named after her late dad, as well as discussing e-scooters, e-bikes, the strop that got Ned his own bike racks at City Airport (sort of) and how Adam's dad once broke his arm doing a flying leap and yelling 'who's the daddy'. There is also some minor aircraft trivia, Ned's new book about football, a real-life trip to Paris to see just how many people are velo-ing on its new cycle lanes - and nobody falls in the river.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Cities around the world used quick, cheap materials to transform streets for people during the pandemic, but tactical urbanism can, in theory, be initiated by communities and individuals to transform a bare patch of their neighbourhoods at any time. Laura, Ned and Adam talk about their greening efforts, and Laura shares recordings from her giant planters project, during two weeks of construction and two community planting days. Adam also talks about £254m of funds recently awarded for active travel in the West Midlands.

Some links:

http://tacticalurbanismguide.com/

Adam's van made the news https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-57569344 

Possible's campaign to enable more community parklets nationwide https://www.wearepossible.org/actions-blog/get-parklets-on-your-streets

London Parklets Campaign: https://londonparkletscampaign.wordpress.com/people-parking-day/ 

The story of Brenda Puech's People Parking Bay: https://www.peopleparkingbay.com/

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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Ned and Laura chat with Dame Sarah Storey, not only Britain's most successful Paralympian, but the new Cycling & Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester, having previously held the role for three years in South Yorkshire.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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This time we’re talking all about mapping walking routes. Back in the Autumn, Emma Griffin from the Footways project joined Laura for a stroll around Bow in East London. Footways is a network of quiet and interesting streets for walking in London, with the aim of getting people out on the pavements and walking for transport.

Their aim is to make the pedestrian network the top priority when it’s often the lowest.

View Footways’ Google map layer: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1djPyfTHyWyHfqVNNIqStpRbvXZ7yabk0&ll=51.51235318211866%2C-0.13645850981252927&z=14 

Read Laura’s CityLab article on Footways: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-27/mapping-london-s-best-walking-streets 

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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There's a new Highway Code! Rules for all types of road users have been updated in The Highway Code to improve the safety of people walking and cycling.

Naturally, some people have taken the news very badly with strange headlines and talk radio stations going into overdrive.

What do the changes mean and what difference will they make?

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

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2021: it happened, that we can say for sure. Ned, Laura and Adam go through their highlights and lowlights of the year - and look back at some of the big stories in active travel.

Plus: Adam has a new job. Ned and Laura quiz him on being the new West Midlands Cycling & Walking Commissioner.

Thank you for your support this year and we look forward to bringing you new episodes in 2022!

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

CORRECTION: In this episode, we stated that the Cowley LTN in Oxford had been made permanent. In fact, Oxfordshire County Council agreed to an ETRO of 3 further LTNs in East Oxford. This is on top of the 3 Cowley LTNs which have been in place for nearly a year. The decision as to whether the Cowley LTNs will be made permanent will be made in February.

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In this episode, sponsored by Superpedestrian, Ned, Laura and Adam visit Nottingham, a city bustling with integrated transport. We try the city's new Link e-scooters, by Superpedestrian, visit the tram, ride bikes and hire cars. It's a true smorgasbord of sensible and sustainable transport options - delivered in part by the city's Workplace Parking Levy.

We also follow in the footsteps of the Prime Minister, 18 months on from his Gear Change announcement - visiting the bike shop he launched the strategy in - to see how things are going.

Thanks also to Scootfit for their help in keeping us safe on scooters and pointing out Adam has weird knees.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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We’re talking about the power of behaviour change - why, perhaps, soft measures deserve hard cash. While much of the focus in active travel is around the need for dedicated infrastructure, quietly, around the country - organisations are implementing softer measures that can have a significant impact. A few weeks ago Laura visited the Chrisp Street Community Cycles, a ‘cycle hub’ in an empty high street shop in Tower Hamlets, East London.

Want to support the hub? The fundraiser is here (until 23 November): https://www.spacehive.com/continue-chrisp-street-community-cycles

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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Adam's left his job, Ned's won an award, Laura's touring the country, oh, and there's a general election in the UK. It's been quite a hectic few weeks at Streets Ahead.

By the way, if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers! 

We’re also on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: https://twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Episode edited by Clare Mansell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Adam chats with Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director General at DG MOVE, part of the European Commission. Baldwin works on sustainable mobility, including how to protect vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists in the coming era of connected, automated and autonomous mobility.

Ahead of COP26, it’s an interesting look to active travel’s importance on the world stage - and how we can work together as a global community to communicate best practices to reduce emissions and improve health. 

In the episode, Baldwin says: "Somehow we've allowed the bike to be seen as an agent of the liberal metropolitan elite. How can that be that we seem to be losing that argument? When in the town I live in, 50% of the households don't have access to a car - and spoiler alert - it's not the richer 50%!"

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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A year ago we explored e-scooters as the UK began its official trials of rental scooters. How's it gone since? How are other countries dealing with e-scooters in cities? Are we just scared of new stuff?

In this episode, sponsored by Superpedestrian, Adam heads to Lisbon to try out their Link scooters and we put some tricky questions to the company's Policy Director for the UK & Ireland, Jean Andrews.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are (probably) coming. In this episode, Laura is taken for a spin on public roads in one - going on a journey through Greenwich, London, with nothing other than a robot car for company (if you ignore the two safety drivers ready to step in at any moment).

Are Driverless Cars, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, or AVs, a solution to a problem, or are they just tech for tech’s sake?

The UK is betting big on AVs. The Government wants to make the UK a hub for this technology and has invested £200m into Research and Development already. 

Our thanks to this episode's interviewees: Balazs Csuvar - Head of Delivery at DG Cities; Stephen Kyberd, Field Engineering Lead at Oxbotica; Niranjan Thiyagarajan, Management consultant advising the car industry on AVs; Krishnan Jayaraj Menon, Project Manager at Oxbotica - and last but not least our driver, Tristan, and co-driver, Dan.

You can watch a video of the car in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZNIE_ABGf0&t=26s; and see their vision for the future here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUCSnrWUBc0 you can even order your own VR headset from the Endeavour Project here, to experience the vids in 3D: https://www.projectendeavour.uk/vr-registration

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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July saw the publishing of the UK Government's Transport Decarbonisation plan, followed by the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, which didn't make for pretty reading.

In the UK surface transport is the single largest contributor of greenhouse gases, producing 23% of our emissions, and we’ve made no significant in-roads to cutting that contribution, in a decade. So what needs to change, and are we (and our policymakers) capable of doing it?

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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Ned rode a cargo bike and he liked it. Streets Ahead have a partial real-life reunion which culminates in Ned riding a cargo bike.

Thanks to Raleigh for having us at the launch of their new Stride cargo bike range at the Olympic Park in London.

Are we on the cusp of a cargo bike boom in the UK? What do we need to consider to take cargo bikes to the masses?

For the record, Amazon are trialling cargo bike deliveries in London.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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We're talking with Dr Gemma Briggs, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, about distracted driving.

Dr Gemma Briggs’ research found mobile phone conversations, as opposed to conversations with a passenger, encourage a driver to create mental images - using the same cognitive resources we need for accurate visual perception of the driving environment. This means competition in drivers’ brains for limited resources.

It’s not just the responsibility of individual drivers to change, argues Gemma, it’s about changing public acceptability of mobile phone use. She says mobile phone legislation has been inadequate from its inception, despite the evidence that hands-free is as dangerous as handheld phone use. This, she says, is partly due to pressure from fleet operators to keep drivers available by phone, and motor vehicle manufacturers aren’t helping matters with in-car entertainment and interactivity.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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Alexei Sayle is an English stand-up comedian, actor, television presenter, author and former recording artist. He is also a cyclist with a surprising interest in active travel.

Ned pops for a coffee with Alexei to talk about his cycling history, his return to bike riding in the capital and - of course - Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

You can listen to Alexei Sayle's new podcast here: https://audioboom.com/channels/5038428 - and his YouTube videos here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDNNsx1x7YDiV8JEysO3DmA

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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There are elections up and down the country this Thursday 6th May 2021, but how do you vote for better active travel provision? There are a plethora of political positions up for grabs - from Metro Mayors to Police & Crime Commissioners, but who does what when it comes to cycling and walking?

We're not going to review the candidates' ambitions - you can get that elsewhere and should read the Manifestos of the candidates where you live - but we will explain how it all works and some of the big battles taking place.

Update: Ned managed to get a proxy vote after all - hooray! Find out where to vote here: https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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Advertising is everywhere and while most people think it doesn’t affect them, research shows it undoubtedly impacts the decisions we make. Tobacco advertising has been banned - will car advertising be the new smoking?

This week we have Leo Murray from climate action charity Possible. Leo is one of the people behind Badvertising, a campaign to put a stop to the promotion of highly polluting Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs).

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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The rapid changes in our towns and cities are providing new access to active travel for some people, but are they excluding some disabled people in the process? That's the topic we're discussing with Katie Pennick, Campaigns Lead at Transport For All.

Why are disabled people seemingly ignored when it comes to some consultations? What needs to change? Is that status quo a better option? These are all questions you'll get the answers to in our latest episode.

You can read Transport For All's report, Pave The Way, here.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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Laura's got a book out and we're here to plug it, 1) because it's brilliant and 2) because it'd be awkward if we didn't.

Potholes and Pavements: A Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network is the story of the UK's fitful, sometimes painful transformation from a car-dependent nation of villages, towns and cities into a connected, bikeable network of communities.

It's out on 9th May at all good bookstores. Go and get a copy!

Buy: https://linktr.ee/lauralakerpotholesandpavements

For in-person events, head to laura-laker.com/book.

-

By the way, if you want ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes and bonus content and to help support the podcast - head to (https://www.patreon.com/StreetsAheadPodcast). We’ll even send you some stickers! 

We’re also on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: https://twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Episode edited by Clare Mansell.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For episode 23, Ned, Adam and Laura chew the fat with London's Walking & Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, on the capital's active travel revolution. Four years ago, Laura wrote In The Guardian: "Is London's new cycling tsar too nice to face down the bike-haters?"

It turns out being nice can be effective. London has built nearly 100 miles of protected cycle lanes in the last year alone with 4% of Londoners also now living within a Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

But it hasn't all been plain sailing. We chat to Will about bikelash, the importance of consultation, e-scooters and, of course, the Kensington High Street debacle. Adam also humblebrags about the time he cycled up Holland Park Avenue at "up to 9mph".

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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The pace of change in some of our towns and cities has been designed to prevent a car-based recovery from COVID-19, but it hasn't all been positive. As Councils moved quickly to make changes under national government guidance, many of them neglected the basics of engagement and impact assessments. On this subject, we talk to Isabelle Clement, director of Wheels for Wellbeing, a charity that helps everyone enjoy cycling regardless of disability, health or age.

Laura's interview with Isabelle explores the importance of cycling for all and some of the barriers society puts in the way that prevents access for many disabled people.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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It's our 21st episode! How did that happen? Ned, Laura & Adam are discussing the government's £27 billion road building plan and its recent legal challenge. What are the merits of road building? How does active travel fit in? Is it compatible with the necessities of protecting our climate (Spoiler: probably not)? We'll discuss all this and more (including a new feature, er, LTN News).

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

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For Episode 20, we team up with Doug Gordon, co-host of The War on Cars podcast and one of the USA's foremost cycling advocates. Our very special virtual guest speaks to us all the way from New York City, a city adapting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We compare how our two nations are faring in terms of active travel. Who is better at failing, or succeeding, when it comes to cycling and walking? Is the grass always greener on the other side?

We hope you enjoy this episode of Streets Ahead, a podcast dedicated to the world of active travel, liveable streets and people-focused urban design.

We’re on Twitter and welcome your feedback on our episode: http://www.twitter.com/podstreetsahead

If you're reading this, please can you take 1 minute to give us a rating and write a review? It helps us more than you probably think.

Thanks for listening!

PS: You should definitely go and listen to The War on Cars podcast if you haven't already.

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