Are we ready to ditch our cars? BBC Today programme asks... (but little mention of cycling); Tom Pidcock gets a telling off from fans for launching himself off moving boat; Old but gold — bike lane-blocking edition + more on the live blog

BBC radio's Today Debate yesterday centred on car ownership, the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, electric cars, reducing emissions, implications for car ownership, and more...

On the panel was former Top Gear host (and now a member of the cycling community) James May, Conservative MP for Lincoln Karl McCartney, professor Julia King chair of the Carbon Trust, former Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer (fresh from his recent live blog appearance), and Graeme Potts of Eden Motors.

Host Mishal Husain began the debate by stating "the shift demanded by climate and clean air objectives is not however all about drivers swapping to electric cars. It is also about the need for us to drive less or, perhaps, not at all in the future — less car ownership, less private vehicle traffic, leading to better air and lower emissions".

However, the following 25 minutes seemed to largely bypass talk of alternatives to driving, instead discussing electric cars' range, growth of the charging point network, the 2030 target, the price of electric cars, cost of electric car batteries, before Husain asked May about the need to walk and cycle more...

May replied: "I do cycle a lot, I'm not just saying that to be sanctimonious, I've actually noticed recently that even Google Maps has recognised that at certain times of day it's quicker to go across London on a bicycle if you're doing the sort of journey I do, between four and eight miles.

"The car is, like everything else in society, under more scrutiny than it has ever been — how it's used, how it's made, how it's disposed of, where it's left, what speeds it does. I think that's a good thing because questioning stuff is great. And I am starting to think that in some places cars aren't very appropriate."

In reply to an earlier question, MP McCartney had said: "The prime minister and those around him see that we need to be realistic, when you get outside of London and you get further north, over 80 per cent of people use a car to get to work. That's a phenomenal amount, there's not going to be any replacement of those figures."

Graeme Potts from Eden Motors also added: "Motorists are showing over and over again that they are not ready for this alternative because it is unaffordable. They have already demonstrated over many many years, and I have been in this industry for 42 years, that modal shift as it's called is not an option for many customers. Karl [McCartney] makes a very very good point, the average person in Britain travels 18 miles to work, but the travel to work requirement for independent personal transport is as nothing compared with the lifestyle demands mum and dad as taxi drivers, or us going to our lifestyle or leisure activities.

"But if investment in public transport was different you could imagine the landscape where that starts to feel different?" host Husain suggested.

Potts' reply: "As a proportion of travel to work journeys [rail travel] is actually still very low. I don't want to be overly political, but the unreliability of the public sector means there is less likelihood of modal shift, in my view."

Here's the link to the full episode if you wish to listen, mainly to save me transcribing any more of the 45-minute-long segment...

Sadiq Khan's deputy mayor for transport Seb Dance has reacted to the news that the number of journeys made using London's Santander Cycles hire scheme has dropped to its lowest level for 10 years, with bad weather and soaring costs blamed.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, Dance said it wasn't all bad news however, and pointed to the growth of rival services, such as Lime and HumanForest bikes, suggesting that overall cycling levels matter more than the success of one scheme.

"Obviously I want to see many more people use [TfL] Cycle Hire, it's a fantastic scheme. It’s enormously boosted active travel rates across the city," he said. "But what we're also seeing is a number of competitors on the market.

"Ordinarily, you might think that I'd be slightly concerned about that, but what we're also seeing is an overall increase in the numbers of people cycling. So all in all, this is a good thing. It's contributing towards our 80 per cent [of all journeys made in London] target for active and public transport by 2041 — this the mayor's objective, which he set out in 2018 and which we're working every day towards.

"Although, yes obviously I would love more and more people to use the [TfL] cycle hire scheme, the fact that there are competitors out there providing an alternative is actually a good thing."

Have seen worse parallel parking. pic.twitter.com/xd2CWFKlHF

— Tommy (@Wombletom) August 22, 2023

Tommy tells us this was back in 2020 in Balham, perfectly within the lines... 

Peter Walker of the Guardian has penned a piece highlighting the concerns that quiet residential streets and housing estates risk being opened up as rat runs for drivers under the government's review of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).

The Department for Transport (DfT) is yet to say who will carry out the review, or when it will happen, but it was touted as part of Rishi Sunak's attack on "anti-motorist" policies.

> Transport Secretary calls for LTN review, blames "controversial" schemes for setting "people against each other" 

But, Walker notes, the working definition for the review is any scheme where through-motor traffic is prevented by cameras or physical barriers, crucially, with no date of installation relevant, meaning some so-called 'LTNs' that have been in place for decades may also be up for being scrapped too.

"LTNs is just a shiny new name for a very long-established idea," Simon Munk, the head of campaigns for London Cycling Campaign said. "We've seen modal filtering since the advent of the motorcar. Pretty much every housing estate since the war was built on the principle of not allowing through traffic. Is there a cut-off date for any of this?

> "Huge cost": Repair bill tops £850,000 for councils fixing vandalised low-traffic neighbourhoods

"It's a culture war wedge issue, fomented by politicians who seemingly want to distract attention from bigger woes."

Tim Burns from Sustrans also asked for the government to show "greater understanding" that schemes have been around for years, many without contention, and have become an accepted part of communities.

So, we might as well make this official...

Former champion @WoutvanAert will return to the Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 next month!#TourOfBritain🔴🔵⚪

— The Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 (@TourofBritain) August 22, 2023

People of Altrincham, Manchester, Wrexham, Goole, Beverley, Sherwood Forest, Newark-on-Trent, Felixstowe, Southend-on-Sea, Harlow, Tewkesbury, Gloucester, Margam Country Park and Caerphilly (and every location that made the route between!)... you're in luck.