A New Zealander living in Scotland who loves cargo bikes
As regular readers of my blog will know, one of my pet peeves is when people sit in their cars with the engine running. This happens a lot outside primary … Continue reading Engine idling and nobody in London needs an SUV
As we were walking to school this morning we saw a motorist run over a cat. The motorist didn’t stop and the cat was screaming in agony in the middle … Continue reading Motorist hits cat and doesn’t stop
Last week Prince Philip was involved in a car crash after pulling out of the Sandringham estate in his Land Rover and onto the A149. He’s received a lot of … Continue reading Prince Philip is setting a bad example
A friend recently pointed out this 1973 essay on cars – The social ideology of the motorcar. It’s a little bit socialist but if you ignore those bits, the points … Continue reading We need cars to escape the destruction caused by cars
I want to demonstrate a similarity I’ve noticed between racism and bias against cyclists. Have you ever noticed our unconscious bias towards minority groups like Black British people or African … Continue reading Killing machines
Air pollution from motor vehicles is harmful to humans but especially harmful to children. We know it can damage the growth of their lungs, raise the risk of asthma and … Continue reading Pollution from cars is harmful to children
Why do people feel the need to tell me this? It’s not my job to defend cyclists who go through red lights just as it’s not my job to defend … Continue reading But I once saw a cyclist go through a red light …
I’ve heard designers say the customer is not always right because if Henry Ford had asked his customers what they wanted they’d have replied with, “A faster horse.” I disagree. … Continue reading Worst invention ever
I want to write about shared spaces. These are road spaces that everyone shares – pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, buses, and taxis. Rather than segregating users into their own space, all … Continue reading Shared spaces
It has been three years since we dispensed with the family car and I don’t regret it, not even a little bit. Car ownership is governed by the same law … Continue reading Living without a family car
Yesterday I did everything in my power to kill myself accidentally. It’s fortunate I survived because today is my birthday and I’m now the meaning of life, 42. I’m a … Continue reading Goodbye goody two-shoes
Things didn’t go quite according to plan today. We booked the nearest car-club car this morning but it had a flat battery. We’ve been members of the car club for two … Continue reading Haddo House and Country Park
I copied the following factsheet from George Monbiot’s blog, Car Sick. He is encouraging people to share it: I've written a simple factsheet for schools and parents on what traffic pollution … Continue reading What Traffic Fumes Do to Our Children
I have just read the most extraordinary articles and need to have another rant to calm myself down. A friend of mine in Christchurch hinted that there had been some … Continue reading A rant … feeling better already
I got completely drenched cycling the kids to school this morning. But as I was peddling along and struggling to see through the curtain of rain battering my face the glass half full … Continue reading Cycling in the rain: BRING IT ON!
An article appeared in the Guardian on boxing day which I somehow missed and just read this morning. The author recounts a recent event where she was crossing the road … Continue reading Evil cyclists
I just read that a wealthy Aberdeen oil tycoon and his wife have donated £10 million to the hospital in Aberdeen for a new car park. Apparently the wife went … Continue reading Another rant
We took the kids to see Star Wars today. On the cycle ride home I had to dash across four lanes of traffic to get across a bridge that has … Continue reading Star Wars and cycling
Yesterday I went into town because it’s Elizabeth’s birthday on New Year’s Eve and I had to get her a present. She wants a skipping rope which was easy and … Continue reading The Bullitt Cargo Bike
A friend sent me this article about a Scottish councillor who was recently fined for urinating in public. What was particularly ironic about it is that this councillor was responsible for … Continue reading Pissing in the streets and self-driving cars
