The British government should banish cars from urban roads and instead aspire to the Netherlands’ cyclist-friendly cities, according to the chief executive of the Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s largest public transport companies.

Christian Schreyer, who took over the reins at the Newcastle-based bus firm in November last year, has argued that cycling and public transport should be prioritised if the UK is to effectively tackle the climate crisis and clean the air in its cities.

The Telegraph reports (link is external) that Schreyer also suggested that the British government should adopt policies used in European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands where, he says, travelling by bike or bus is regarded as the norm.

Schreyer pointed out that in the Netherlands, “all buses downtown are fully electric”, quiet and reliable.

He continued: “Next to the bus you have your bicycle lane and then you have pedestrians. No one complains anymore.

“For me, there's no alternative if you want to, on the one hand, achieve the climate targets and on the other hand, you want to make cities attractive again.”

The bus chief also emphasised that in order to prioritise public transport and active travel in cities, motor traffic needs to be drastically reduced. He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers.

“The question is: is the road dedicated mainly to cars?” he asked. “Or is it dedicated to bicycles, and public transport and buses?

“If the UK wants to achieve its targets, if we want to have cities where we have a high standard of living where people like to live, we need to reduce the noise, we need to reduce emissions and we need to reduce car usage.”

Earlier today we reported that leading cycling campaigners have called on the government and local councils to provide proper, sustained backing for cycling infrastructure, after figures emerged that showed that cycling levels have fallen in England to pre-pandemic levels.

“During the pandemic, when there were fewer cars on the road, the public took to their bikes,” said Sally Copley, the executive director of external affairs at active travel charity Sustrans.

“It’s sad to see this return to expensive and pollutant car-use, especially as the urgency for alternatives has only increased, alongside the cost of living.”

Cycling UK’s chief executive Sarah Mitchell blamed the drop in cycling numbers on the “short-sighted” decisions of local councils to remove temporary cycle lanes installed during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mitchell called on local authorities and Westminster to “learn last year’s lessons and focus on the new crisis: cost of living. More people are turning to cycling for shorter journeys to help make ends meet, but they need the safety that dedicated cycle lanes bring.”

https://road.cc/content/news/bus-chief-banish-cars-and-make-cities-cycling-friendly-295685

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> The British government should banish cars from urban roads and instead
> aspire to the Netherlands’ cyclist-friendly cities, according to the
> chief executive of the Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s largest public transport companies.

> Christian Schreyer, who took over the reins at the Newcastle-based bus
> firm in November last year, has argued that cycling and public transport
> should be prioritised if the UK is to effectively tackle the climate
> crisis and clean the air in its cities.

> https://road.cc/content/news/bus-chief-banish-cars-and-make-cities-cycling-friendly-295685
If the Netherlands is such a wonderful place…

…GO AND LIVE THERE!

--
Spike

Great idea if only we had a progressive government that took the climate more seriously than making a quick profit.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Great idea if only we had a progressive government that took the climate
> more seriously than making a quick profit.

‘The Climate’ is taken seriously, as it is all about making profits, and
currently they are fabulous. All at the taxpayers expense.

--
Spike

Hear hear!

75% of my route to work used to be a dual carriageway with a bus lane until they got rid of it. It was glorious passing miles of stationary traffic every time the M6 was closed and if I followed an express bus I didn't even have to stop at some of the red lights as the bus had a priority lane which turned green while all the others went to red.

No expensive seperate infra, made rush hour bus travel a real alternative to personal vehicles and I can't remember a single close pass in all the years it was in operation.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hear hear!

> 75% of my route to work used to be a dual carriageway with a bus lane
> until they got rid of it. It was glorious passing miles of stationary
> traffic every time the M6 was closed and if I followed an express bus I
> didn't even have to stop at some of the red lights as the bus had a
> priority lane which turned green while all the others went to red.

> No expensive seperate infra, made rush hour bus travel a real alternative
> to personal vehicles and I can't remember a single close pass in all the
> years it was in operation.

I’ll bet that no bicycles passed you on your recent car trip to London…

--
Spike

Hands up who enjoys driving on a daily basis?

Most drivers don't seem that interested in driving, yet they defend their "right" to do it instead of having a pleasant alternative.

Having toured Germany extensively, the typical task on arriving in a city is getting a local travel card, sticking 8t in your wallet, then go where you please by train team bus or foot. I can't think of a German city which didn't have an integrated transport system, and travelling to local cities via DB was always reliable (even though some Germans don't think it's what it used to be).

On 02/09/2022 06:52 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> The British government should banish cars from urban roads and instead aspire to the Netherlands’ cyclist-friendly cities, according to the chief executive of the Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s largest public transport companies.

:-) Haha!

Taxi-drivers, if polled, would probably say much the same and for the
same real reason!

> Christian Schreyer, who took over the reins at the Newcastle-based bus firm in November last year, has argued that cycling and public transport should be prioritised if the UK is to effectively tackle the climate crisis and clean the air in its cities.
> The Telegraph reports (link is external) that Schreyer also suggested that the British government should adopt policies used in European countries such as Germany and the Netherlands where, he says, travelling by bike or bus is regarded as the norm.
> Schreyer pointed out that in the Netherlands, “all buses downtown are fully electric”, quiet and reliable.
> He continued: “Next to the bus you have your bicycle lane and then you have pedestrians. No one complains anymore.
> “For me, there's no alternative if you want to, on the one hand, achieve the climate targets and on the other hand, you want to make cities attractive again.”
> The bus chief also emphasised that in order to prioritise public transport and active travel in cities, motor traffic needs to be drastically reduced. He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers.
> “The question is: is the road dedicated mainly to cars?” he asked. “Or is it dedicated to bicycles, and public transport and buses?
> “If the UK wants to achieve its targets, if we want to have cities where we have a high standard of living where people like to live, we need to reduce the noise, we need to reduce emissions and we need to reduce car usage.”

A "high standard of living" automatically implies a relatively high
level of private car use and a relatively low use (probably zero use) of
disease-vectoring public transport.

Private motorised transport is the mode that normal people naturally
aspire to and no sane person sees travelling by bus as a "high standard
of living". Travelling by bus is what my grandparents did because their
living standards were *low*, you idiot(s).

> Earlier today we reported that leading cycling campaigners have called on the government and local councils to provide proper, sustained backing for cycling infrastructure, after figures emerged that showed that cycling levels have fallen in England to pre-pandemic levels.
>
> “During the pandemic, when there were fewer cars on the road, the public took to their bikes,” said Sally Copley, the executive director of external affairs at active travel charity Sustrans.

A blatant and quite *evil* LIE!

> “It’s sad to see this return to expensive and pollutant car-use, especially as the urgency for alternatives has only increased, alongside the cost of living.”
> Cycling UK’s chief executive Sarah Mitchell blamed the drop in cycling numbers on the “short-sighted” decisions of local councils to remove temporary cycle lanes installed during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
> Mitchell called on local authorities and Westminster to “learn last year’s lessons and focus on the new crisis: cost of living. More people are turning to cycling for shorter journeys to help make ends meet, but they need the safety that dedicated cycle lanes bring.”

> https://road.cc/content/news/bus-chief-banish-cars-and-make-cities-cycling-friendly-295685

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hands up who enjoys driving on a daily basis?

> Most drivers don't seem that interested in driving, yet they defend their
> "right" to do it instead of having a pleasant alternative.

> Having toured Germany extensively, the typical task on arriving in a city
> is getting a local travel card, sticking 8t in your wallet, then go where
> you please by train team bus or foot. I can't think of a German city
> which didn't have an integrated transport system, and travelling to local
> cities via DB was always reliable (even though some Germans don't think
> it's what it used to be).

Whenever I flew in to a city, I always used taxis to get about.

--
Spike

Hands up who enjoys driving on a daily basis?

Most drivers don't seem that interested in driving, yet they defend their "right" to do it instead of having a pleasant alternative.

Having toured Germany extensively, the typical task on arriving in a city is getting a local travel card, sticking 8t in your wallet, then go where you please by train team bus or foot. I can't think of a German city which didn't have an integrated transport system, and travelling to local cities via DB was always reliable (even though some Germans don't think it's what it used to be).

Rich_cb | 2963 posts | 11 hours ago
1 like
Man who runs bus company thinks more people should travel by bus.

JNugent <jennings&co@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> On 02/09/2022 06:52 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

>> The British government should banish cars from urban roads and instead
>> aspire to the Netherlands’ cyclist-friendly cities, according to the
>> chief executive of the Go-Ahead Group, one of the UK’s largest public transport companies.

>> “During the pandemic, when there were fewer cars on the road, the public
>> took to their bikes,” said Sally Copley, the executive director of
>> external affairs at active travel charity Sustrans.

> A blatant and quite *evil* LIE!

That isn’t even a Sleight of Hand, as - very carefully indeed - not one
single number is mentioned to support the assertion.

And people still fall for it! 🙄

>> https://road.cc/content/news/bus-chief-banish-cars-and-make-cities-cycling-friendly-295685

--
Spike

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hands up who enjoys driving on a daily basis?

> Most drivers don't seem that interested in driving, yet they defend their
> "right" to do it instead of having a pleasant alternative.

UNFOUNDED ASSERTION ALERT! 🙄

--
Spike

True that - but I thought you'd appreciate the mention of electric buses.

At least until autonomous taxis are everywhere *, we are out-competed by our information systems or cock up and revert to a lower technology level I think the "bike to a bus" - or cycle [broad sense] to public transport - will be the way.

* I appreciate your interest in this idea and indeed it does exist now (link is external). I'm still unsure how it will be a "game-changer" given human-driven taxis already exist and yet most people have cars. Still, if the idea of the private motorcar / commuting / regular driving in general changes the landscape will be different.

On 03/09/2022 08:07 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Rich_cb | 2963 posts | 11 hours ago

> 1 like

> Man who runs bus company thinks more people should travel by bus.

Quite!

And in other news:

Man who owns restaurant thinks more people should eat out

Man who owns brewery thinks people should drink more beer

Taxi-driver thinks more people should travel by cab

Butcher thinks people should eat more meat

Dairyman thinks people should drinks pinta milka day, if not two

Distillers think people should drink more whisk(e)y and rum

and

Man who runs fairy-bike shop "thinks" more people should buy fairy-bikes.

QUOTE: He continued: “Next to the bus you have your bicycle lane and then you have pedestrians. No one complains anymore. ENDS

Not even angry Mr Toads?

Simon Mason <swldxer2022@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE:

He continued: “Next to the bus you have your bicycle lane and then you have
pedestrians. No one complains anymore. ENDS

> Not even angry Mr Toads?

I’m not sure what fantasy world is being referred to here.

--
Spike

QUOTE: He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers. ENDS

WIN - WIN as we say.

On 03/09/2022 02:00 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> QUOTE: He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers. ENDS
>
> WIN - WIN as we say.

How would you drive around with no windscreen wipers if there were no cars?

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a
> train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more
> bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers. ENDS

> WIN - WIN as we say.

MRDA…

--
Spike

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> QUOTE: He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a
> train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more
> bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers. ENDS

> WIN - WIN as we say.

Beware of owners of bus companies and their friends telling you about the
alleged benefits of bus travel.

--
Spike

On 03/09/2022 04:43 pm, Spike wrote:

> swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

>> QUOTE: He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a
>> train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more
>> bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers. ENDS

>> WIN - WIN as we say.

> Beware of owners of bus companies and their friends telling you about the
> alleged benefits of bus travel.

....especially when they say things like... "It doesn't matter how early
you have to be in town for work or a hospital appointment, we'll get you
there".

Related to this a tweet from Mark Hodson

https://twitter.com/markandcharlie/status/1565690303847321603 (link is external)
Quick walk to the Co Op to post some parcels , 1 mile round trip mostly along the High Street, just the 31 driving offences spotted , 8 of which were phones.
One driver did stop to give way to me at a junction as per the HC rule change back in Jan, which was nice.
He is a police officer so more used to spotting offences.
If people are not going to be deterred from driving poorly then we end up stopping them driving in certain areas.

JNugent <jennings&co@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> On 03/09/2022 04:43 pm, Spike wrote:
>
>> swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> QUOTE: He noted that a bus can replace between 40 and 50 cars while a
>>> train can replace 400, while a reduction in car usage would enable more
>>> bus routes and therefore lower fares for passengers. ENDS
>
>>> WIN - WIN as we say.

>> Beware of owners of bus companies and their friends telling you about the
>> alleged benefits of bus travel.

> ...especially when they say things like... "It doesn't matter how early
> you have to be in town for work or a hospital appointment, we'll get you
> there".

😄

--
Spike

Looks like Truss is the front-runner and it looks like she'll be promoting safety and protecting our climate by ***checks notes*** removing motorway speed limits?