News

The concept of 'earthship architecture' took shape in the 1970s soon after the birth of the modern environmental movement. Michael Reynolds pioneered earthship houses by applying first principles to the architecture of domestic dwellings. Homes needed to do three things: first, they needed to use sustainable architecture, and building...

Electric bicycles have the potential to change the world for the better. For while an electrically assisted cycle may not be as environmentally benign as a conventional pedal powered bike, they offer the very real prospect of luring drivers from their cars. It's an argument that is lost on those who have yet to experience an EPAC (electric...

Drivers with poor eyesight this month face having their licences revoked on the spot if they are unable to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres. The crackdown by police forces in Thames Valley, Hampshire and the West Midlands and results will be used to estimate the proportion of drivers with poor vision. At present, learner...

Update 5 September 2018 According to Adam Coffman at the APPCG (All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group): "Last night during the Second Reading of the Civil Liability Bill in the Commons the government confirmed that it is planning on exempting vulnerable road users (including those who cycle but also pedestrians and horse riders) from the...

If you’ve ever battled with tent poles, searched in vain for missing pegs or cursed at uneven or wet ground, then the GT Roof might be for you. The GT ROOF is the world's first inflatable roof tent and with a weight of only 25 kg, it’s the lightest too. The clever design fixes to your car via a sturdy square aluminium frame mounted to the...

Piaggio has announced that, from next month, it begin building electric scooters. Customers in Europe who places orders in September should receive their Electtica battery powered Vespa this autumn. Ever since its launch in 1946, the Vespa has become the scooter of choice for style conscious city commuters the world over. The Vespa might...

In 1887 Karl Kron published Thousand Miles on a Bicycle thanks to book pledges made by fellow cyclists as he pedalled his penny farthing around America. In 2013, Carlton Reid used crowdfunding website Kickstarter to fund the writing of Roads Were Not Built For Cars - a fascinating account of how cyclists were the first to push for good...

German cities are seeking to reduce car dependency and deadly air pollution by slashing public transport fares. The cost of an annual travel pass in Vienna has already been reduced to 365 euros – the equivalent of 90 pence per day – and now German cities want to follow suit. The mayors of Bonn, Essen, Herrenberg, Mannheim and Reutlingen...

The air we breathe is literally killing us. It's estimated that 92 per cent of the world's population is exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution. In Britain alone, over 40,000 people die prematurely every year as a result of our poisoned air. Given an adult takes in around 20,000 litres of air every day, it's startling most of us care so...

Of all the challenges that test we cyclists, surely the close pass is the worst. When we asked 800 riders to share their top gripes, being overtaken too close by a motorist was far and away the least popular aspect of life on two wheels. And it's hardly surprising given this dangerous practice by drivers is at best frightening and at worst...