A tipping point in human history   Throughout history, humans (and transport planners!) have focused much of our energy on creating cities, and now that most of humanity lives in cities, cities are shaping our future prospects as a species. To quote research from Yale University “the conversion of Earth’s land surface to urban uses is one of the most irreversible human impacts on the global biosphere” [1]. Taking back redundant street and parking space is a great opportunity. 

The UK parliament recently declared a climate emergency, with prime minister Theresa May stating that the country will have net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The government has chosen its wording carefully: the term “net zero” opens the door to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offsetting.

Now in its 17th year, The Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM) is the annual meeting place for all transport planners, modellers, highway engineers, placemakers and urban transport designers. Organised by PTRC Education and Research Services, a company within CILT(UK), the conference the conference offers a fantastic opportunity for practitioners to discuss, debate, share best practice and network with their peers. TPM is returning to Oxford 10 – 11 July 2019!

May is National Walking Month – the annual celebration of walking and streets organised by Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking.  As the charity marks its 90th anniversary, it has a campaign to make streets fitter for walking for everyone, whether they are aged nine or 90. I am a Trustee of Living Streets and I am passionate about the many benefits that arise from making places more walkable.

A new Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is being introduced in London, to reduce harmful emissions from traffic and improve air quality. Those who drive polluting vehicles into the city centre will face a daily charge – £12.50 for cars, motorcycles and vans, and £100 for lorries, buses and coaches – on top of the existing congestion charge. By October 2021, the scheme will expand to cover an area 18 times larger.

Cities around the world are changing to become more “walkable”. As more and more people move to cities, the benefits of encouraging people to walk are clear. Aside from making the urban environment more pleasant, safer and less polluted, improving a city’s walkability can also ease traffic congestion and improve public health.

We all know that getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day will have an incredible impact on our health and wellbeing. But how do you fit that half an hour in when you’ve got commitments at home and a busy work schedule? The team at Beryl are big advocates of active commuting; finding your way to the office by bike, scooter, skateboard, or simply on two feet, be it walking or running. Claire Rampen, Head of Growth and E-commerce, shares why she loves swapping the bike for a commute on two feet.

The UK Government launched its Clean Air Strategy last week claiming that it wants to halve the number of people living in areas with particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) above guideline limits set by the World Health Organisation.

Happy Holidays from PTRC

I think we can all agree that 2018 has been a whirlwind of a year. Can you believe the Olympics were in this calendar year? It blows my mind. Can you also believe that we were talking about football coming home only 150 days ago? From crazy weather to an even crazier news cycle, 2018 was definitely something to write home about.

The 17th Annual Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM) will take place on the 10th – 11th of July 2019 in historic Oxford. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 25 January 2019. TPM is the annual meeting place for all transport planners, placemakers, highway engineers and urban transport designers. TPM brings the wider transport and built environment community together for two days of world class networking, idea sharing and lively debate.