While searching for articles about 20mph zones, I came across a Northern Echo article about a car exclusion zone set up a five minute walk from a school in Durham – Pupils launch car-exclusion zone.
It’s not clear from the article whether it is all cars which are excluded from the zone, or if it’s just a voluntary/suggested zone for parents dropping their children off at the school. I’d guess it’s the latter.
I wonder what difference this would make to Darlington’s traffic patterns if it were implemented across all schools in the town?
Could this be the same Northern Echo that only last week published
Darlington – save for the ever-present danger of being wiped out by a half-wit on a bicycle – is these days an entirely pleasant place.
(Gadfly)
A pattern is emerging in both many politicians’ noises about cycling in Darlington, and the mindless press-release culture that is much of today’s local journalism.
The former bask in the glow of “good news” press releases about how wonderful various initiatives are (Darlo Cycling Demo Town, greenest town in UK, kids encouraged to cycle to school, etc etc) – often attracting extra cash from gvt or grant-giving bodies. Our local hacks diligently publish said press releases.
Meanwhile both said politicians and hacks – few of which actually cycle regularly – share the same bigoted view about cyclists, refuse to look at objective evidence about cyclist behaviour (which the Cycling Campaign has been doing in the Ped Heart) as this contradicts said view, and will in the near future, if they have their way, ban us all from the Town Centre.
Their only conundrum – far from considering the fact that pre-Ped Heart cyclists could cycle through the town centre, post a ban we’ll be forced on to the dangerous ring road – is how to sell such a state of affairs, in a town that is receiving £1.5m for cycling, without looking like hypocritical rats.
No doubt the half-wit Gadflies of this world will come to their rescue.