RDRF supporters may have noticed that there has been an absence of blog posts here (leaving aside a book review and details of our conference) for two years. That doesn’t mean we haven’t been active – far from it. The main reason for no posts is that my activity in monitoring and responding to transport issues formed during the COVID-19 crisis has been through the weekly webinar for Active Travel professionals and campaigners www.ideaswithbeers.co.uk  (more of which below).

And our other RDRF Committee members have been busy with:

Brenda Puech: Continuing work as a disabilities/inclusive access consultant and carrying on her pioneering work on Street Parklets with London Living Streets.

Lucy Marstrand-Taussig: Lucy has been working as a consultant for Active Travel England, specialising in work with women and children.

Ken Spence: With the Transport Initiatives team Ken has been working on Local Authority Local Cycling and Walking Implementation Plans (LCWIPs).

Colin McKenzie: The team at LB Ealing he works in has implemented wand-protected (light segregation) cycle lanes on main roads, and despite a pull back on LTNs, some with key cycle route links in Ealing have been retained.

Ideas With Beers

While working in Manchester, Brian Deegan (long term highway engineer working on creating cycling and walking friendly environments) had an informal discussion session for engineers and other colleagues after work. When the first lockdown hit and the transport world was buzzing with measures taken worldwide to re-allocate road space, this shifted to an online weekly webinar.  The name chosen, as the first real world meetings were held over a post-work drink, was “Ideas With Beers” – but we make it clear that drinking is neither encouraged nor typical by attendees! Each session starts with yours truly providing a weekly news update on developments.

This has essentially been a series of updates from news presented in posts like https://rdrf.org.uk/2020/04/11/transport-in-the-time-of-the-coronavirus-crisis-what-we-need-to-do-now/ and June 3rd 2020 – Crunch time for Active/Sustainable Travel in the UK | Road Danger Reduction Forum (rdrf.org.uk) . Along with my news updates, including links to numerous reports published during this time, we have had a number of speakers presenting on what has happened with regard to provision for Active Travel. Videos of the sessions and the slide presentations are archived on the IWB web site.

Indeed, the last two years has been a time of great hopes – and not a few disappointments – for those pursuing the Road Danger Reduction, Active Travel and Sustainable Transport agenda. The declared aim from central Government of re-allocating road space to walking and cycling that came in May 2020 with Gear Change https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold-vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf   (backed up a year after with https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1007815/gear-change-one-year-on.pdf ) is the most radical Governmental change to a transport policy agenda based simply on providing for more and more cars.

That led to the kind of enthusiasm from transport professionals and campaigners that has formed in a community that meets at Ideas With Beers (as well as in gatherings like the Landor Conferences Walking and Cycling conferences, Transport Planning Society etc.) So do join in by getting details from www.ideaswithbeers.co.uk and if you can’t make Tuesdays at 5 pm, check out the videos and slides from previous issues.

Onwards!

RDRF is also involved in providing training sessions in Road Danger Reduction – what it is and how it differs from traditional “road safety”. There is a lot of interest out there, and some positive moves such as the (ongoing) formation of Active Travel England, the setting of a default 20 mph limit by the Welsh Senedd, and positive noises from the devolved government in Scotland. But then we have also had the disappointments of COP 26 and the continuing commitment to road building in the UK through RIS2 and probably RIS3…

So, it’s all to play for. RDRF is as committed as ever and we hope you’ll be with us for the journey!

Dr Robert Davis, Chair RDRF, 10^th August 2022