This page contains blog posts and articles, in chronological order, relating to urban design + transport
Category Archives: Transport+Urban Design
Transport Will
UK health system gets heavy
2014, November 8 – 10:03
An Irish newspaper cites the consideration of new policies in parts of the UK health system which may require (rather than recommend) obese patients to lose weight before some procedures.
A Clinical Commissioning Group in Devon, UK, has reportedly warned in a letter of late October that overweight patients “are a greater surgical risk” and have worse results. Patients who are morbidly obese “will not be funded”’ for certain procedures, according to the letter’s author, the Commissioning Group’s Managing Director, John Finn. These allegedly include the very common hip and knee operations.
Current* UK government policy requires a cut of UK£20 billion in its National Health Service spending.
More disquieting evidence that the costs of sedentary lifestyles and car-dependent urban planning cannot be sustained.
*2014- November
Excellent article by Kent Lundberg
2014, October 23 – 15:17
Posted on Auckland Transport Blog, October 2014, it looks at the strange relationship between politically conservative and suburban sprawl. Link here.
Headed, ‘Want Lower Rates? Cut Back on Urban Sprawl’, it makes some good points about the affordability for local authorities of the infrastructure for low-density development.
NZ Cycling Safety Panel Draft Report is Great!
2014, September 30 – 21:49
NZ Cycle Safety Panel -Draft Report for Consultation
The New Zealand Transport Agency have convened a high-level panel of experts, chaired by Richard Legget of Bike NZ and NZ Post, who have in September 2014 released their draft report on cycle safety. Here are a few thoughts which I am submitting to them for consideration.
Key points
- Significant increases in cycling and walking -as distinct from safe cycling among existing cyclists- is extremely urgent for Kiwis’ health.
- The Report is highly commendable in its thinking and recommendations.
- It doesn’t have the mandate to recommend all the necessary promotional measures -legal, educational, infrastructural, etc.- to get more Kiwis on bikes.
- Its most useful recommendation is that high-level leadership is needed -but that should be for the promotion of increased cycling generally, not just for safety of existing cyclists.
- A higher-level body than the NZTA should be responsible for this promotion, ideally an inter-departmental body, implementing a considered and detailed national policy with adequate funding and realistic timelines.
- The detailed recommendations of the Report relating to road safety are generally excellent. Legislation for safe overtaking clearances and lower speed limits would be very welcome for New Zealand cyclists.
Please see the PDF for the full submission
Ghost Horse Bicycle
2014, July 13 – 20:43
HorseBike-1
I snapped this beautiful installation last night at the Light Nelson Festival
Polar Opposites- National Cycling Policies in Ireland and New Zealand
2014, June 10 – 16:17
Presentation given to VéloCity Global Conference, Adelaide, 2014.
A ‘sketch’, comparing New Zealand and Ireland, on the implementation of policies to promote cycling uptake.
Click on image for PDF (1.0 Mb)
Impressions from Vélo-City 2014
2014, June 10 – 12:34
Every year there’s a global get-together for all those interested in the promotion of cycling. Transportation experts, mayors, town councillors, consultants for ‘liveable cities’, documentary film-makers -and of course cycling advocates- attend the Vélo-city Global Conference. The European Cycling Federation organises the event, and this year it was held in Adelaide, South Australia. Nearly 600 delegates attended.
[print_gllr id=4729] read more
Steven Fleming ‘Cycle Space’ Graphic- Real Transport Costs
2014, March 9 – 10:51
This fantastic graphic says it all, really-
Information on Steven Fleming’s book ‘Cycle Space’ is at http://cycle-space.com/
Cycling Law in Ireland- Summary Overview
2014, January 21 – 15:00
Fast cars, Fat Kids
2013, November 30 – 17:43
Five children a year are killed on New Zealand driveways, according to this article in the Nelson Mail. What’s the current government’s response? Slow cars down? Encourage householders to leave cars on the road, to encourage walking all the way up your driveway? Yeah… nah, let’s fence the kids in! That’ll teach them. To the tune of $30 million, Nick Smith follows his National-Party petrolhead conventions and slops out taxpayer’s money to keep obesity fat and prevalent in New Zealand.
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