Green transport latest news

Fiat 500L goes large

The Fiat 500, a city car now ubiquitous in towns and cities the world over, will soon to be available in a five-door ‘large’ version. The details released by Fiat about the 500L are scant, but its measurements are 414cm by 178cm by 166cm high.

Bicycles that grow with your kids

Spanish bicycle makers Orbea have launched a range of bicycles that can be adjusted in size as a child grows

Save our cyclists, from fear

The Times this week dedicated two front covers and a further four full pages inside the newspaper to its campaign to improve road conditions for urban cyclists. The campaign by The Times to improve road safety is laudable and has the potential to improve conditions for anyone who lives in, or passes through, a town or city, but alarmist headlines risk exacerbating the problem that, where cycling is concerned, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Cold weather muffs for your bicycle handlebars

Cycling in the winter is a joy, but extremities need to be kept warm if it’s not to become a chore. Cyclists prepared to compromise their aerodynamic profile and perhaps a little style, can plump for a BarBra; a waterproof, handlebar-mounted guard to shield the rider’s hands from cold air and rain.

Road rage survival guide for cyclists

A print-out-and-keep guide for cyclists on how to deal with abuse from motorists suggests forgoing verbal or physical retaliation in favour of psychological warfare. According to the guide:

Don’t scrap your car, build a house with it

The 2m cars disposed of each year in Britain seems high but is dwarfed by the 14m scrapped by American drivers in 2009. A significant amount of steel is recycled during this process, but environmental awareness is encouraging ever-more creative ways to re-use the materials from scrapped cars.

High-tech cycling jackets hall of fame

Most of us plump for a cycling jacket that simply keeps out the wind and rain, but it doesn’t stop designers devising increasingly complex features. Speedometers, lasers, indicator lights, even air bags…our high-tech cycling jackets hall of fame has them all.

DIY heads-up speedo for £1.49

The heads-up display (HUD) technology originally developed for pilots and eventually offered as an expensive optional extra by luxury car makers is now available as an app for iPhones or Pocket PC/Windows Mobile devices.

Don’ts for women on bicycles…in 1895

The women’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony may have said that the bicycle did “more to emancipate women than anything else in the world”, but the road along which it travelled was bumpy. On 21st June 1895, the Newark Sunday Advocate ran the following article: The Unique Cycling club of Chicago is all that its name implies. One of its laws is that on all runs bloomers and knickerbockers shall be worn, and two members who disobeyed this rule recently met with a punishment that they will not forget soon. Union park was the rendezvous for the last run, and 50 members turned out. The president, Miss Bunker, observed two women wearing short skirts over their bloomers…

Bicycles cost £2,000 per kg saved

Cyclists who buy lightweight mountain bikes are paying over £2,000 to save a kilogram.

Syndicate content