Newslink January 2022

For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com
Get your pupils ‘cycle savvy’
Are your learner drivers ‘cycle savvy’?
Whatever mode of transport we
choose, we all share the road with
others, including vulnerable road users,
so the Department for Transport wants
ADIs to build cycle awareness skills into
learners as part of their lessons.
A new ‘Cycle Savvy Driving’ course
has been launched by the DfT to help
you and your pupils develop
understanding and co-operation
between drivers and cyclists.
It’s free, takes just two hours and you
can access it either online or opt for a
practical training session.
£100 Amazon vouchers can be won
by participants.
Read more about Cycle Savvy Driving
and register today at
https://www.cyclesavvydriving.co.uk
Congestion not caused by cycle lanes
Cyclists have criticised claims that bike
lanes are responsible for increased levels
of congestion in London.
The average driver in London spent
148 hours in traffic jams in 2021
– twice the national average – and
anti-cycle lane groups claimed that this
had been caused by an increase in cycle
lanes. However, cyclists pointed out that
congestion during 2021 was the same
as in 2019, before the pandemic.
They said: “Cycle lanes do – obviously
– reduce the amount of space available
for cars but evidence from other cities
highlights that offering alternative ways
to move around cities cuts traffic levels
eventually. The goal of cycle lanes is to
reduce the share of trips by car. This is
what has happened in London after a
major investment in public transport,
which rose from 27 per cent of all
journeys in 2000 to 36 per cent in
2019, while private transport use fell
from 48 per cent to 37 per cent.
Investing in cycle lanes is crucial if we
are reduce our reliance on private cars.”
Coventry scrappage
scheme takes diesels
off the city’s roads
A revolutionary scrappage scheme in
Coventry has recruited 71
participants who, in exchange for
mobility credits worth £3,000, have
agreed to let their old polluting cars
be crushed. More than half of
participants are scrapping diesel cars.
The money can only be spent on
alternative travel arrangements such
as public transport, taxis, hire cars or
car club services.
The trial is part of the West
Midlands Future Transport Zone, a
£22m programme that aims to
investigate how new technologies can
be used to support people moving
around the region in a more
sustainable way – reducing
congestion, improving air quality and
tackling climate change.
Government officials are said to be
monitoring the success of the
Coventry scheme closely with a view
to rolling-out a similar programme
nationwide.
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