Friday 30 April 2010

Car efficiency and usage

How many cars contain one person traveling?

29=one occupant/driver
21=more than one occupant

Time 1045
Place Southsea
Journey 2 miles
Date 30 April 2010

50 cars. More efficient usage could have taken this down to about 29 cars. For example by cycling, walking, carrying passengers/sharing the car, or by using public transport.

Benefits to:
Other car drivers (and other road users) (less congestion)
Health benefit to former drivers if using cycling, walking, and possibly public transport
Cost saving to former drivers
Safety benefit as most RTAs involve (if not necessarily caused by) a motor vehicle

Methodology:
Count (1) private cars with one occupant and (2) cars with more than one occupant, when this is visible
Do not count commercial/working vehicles (vans, taxis, cars with stuff written on them)

Tuesday 27 April 2010

Seafront Cycle Lane


...is getting a lot of stick at the moment. An accident involving two cyclists apparently knocked off by an opening car door was reported in the Evening News, and Mike Hancock (a decent MP but not terribly cycling friendly) reportedly said he thought the cycle lane 'needed looking at'. Flik Drummond, the cycling tory candidate didn't say much, I suppose she was up against the very anti-cycling stance of the local Tory party. Alas much of the News's coverage seems to be reporting those who always thought that cycling on the prom was the best solution (it probably was), and of course if the seafront cycling lane fails, they will once again become the enemy, with the usual letter writing campaigns against shared space solutions...

Car efficiency and usage

How many cars contain one person traveling?

29=one occupant/driver
18=more than one occupant

Time 1300
Place Southsea
Journey 2 miles
Date 27 April 2010

47 cars. More efficient usage could have taken this down to about 25 cars. For example by cycling, walking, carrying passengers/sharing the car, or by using public transport.

Benefits to:
Other car drivers (and other road users) (less congestion)
Health benefit to former drivers if using cycling, walking, and possibly public transport
Cost saving to former drivers
Safety benefit as most RTAs involve (if not necessarily caused by) a motor vehicle

Methodology:
Count (1) private cars with one occupant and (2) cars with more than one occupant, when this is visible
Do not count commercial/working vehicles (vans, taxis, cars with stuff written on them)