ETSC slams proposed safety exemptions for new small car category Responding to a draft proposal leaked to the Financial Times, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has warned that plans to grant a ten-year exemption from updating essential safety…

Responding to a draft proposal leaked to the Financial Times, ETSC has warned that plans to grant a 10-year exemption from updating essential safety regulations for a new class of small electric cars will put pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle occupants at risk.

etsc.eu/etsc-slams-p...

Keep these Stupid American Trucks out of Europe YouTube video by Not Just Bikes

Excellent vid www.youtube.com/watch?v=--83... explaining why EU should not submit to allowing equivalency with US vehicle regs. @ecf.com also co-signed a letter to the EU with orgs and cities, to not allow these vehicles access to the EU without good safety regs www.ecf.com/en/news/acce...

Leading medical publication the British Medical Journal recognises SUVs as a danger to public health in a new editorial co-authored by T&E’s James Nix: bit.ly/4hVDlBC

Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.

It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.

Highlights For marginalised street users mode separation is the key to human-scale movement. Streets conducive to walking and cycling have functional, safe and accessible design. Professionals must approach street design, regulation and user behaviour holistically. Combinations of influencing factors persuade people to either use or avoid a street. There are no easy fixes to the public realm that will work for all non-drivers.

"The single most important behaviour, design or regulation for creating streets conducive to walking and cycling, was physical separation between the modes"

We've got a new study out, learning from a broad mixture of street users, planners and designers

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

European Commission reneges on road safety promises: New trade deal “Framework” could open door to dangerous US pick-up trucks European Commission reneges on road safety promises: New trade deal “Framework” could open door to dangerous US pick-up trucks

L’EU et les États-Unis ont signé un accord commercial prévoyant une «reconnaissance mutuelle» de leurs normes automobiles. Problème : les véhicules américains et leurs imposants pick-up ne respectent pas les règles européennes de protection piétons et cyclistes @ecf.com www.ecf.com/en/news/euro...

Evaluating the safety and speed impacts of the 20mph speed limit in the UK: Evidence and insights Studies on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limits in the UK vary due to differences in context, methods, data, environments, and schemes. Many of the…

More evidence on the positive impact of 30km/h (20mph) speed reduction policies. Review of UK studies on impact of speed limit reduction "...20mph (32 km/h) speed limits reduced traffic crashes by an average of 26.45%....Casualties decreased by 22.92%" www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Trade Deal With US Will Cost Lives On Europe’s Roads, Safety Groups Say European safety groups raise concerns that a recent transatlantic trade and investment agreement between the US and EU will expose EU citizens to higher road risks.

US/EU Trade deal framework will have disastrous consequences for cycling/pedestrian safety if EU follows through on its intention to "mutually recognise" vehicle regulations www.forbes.com/sites/tanyam... In the US large pick-up trucks with minimal safety measures onboard are the norm.

EU–US trade agreement moves forward as safety groups urge vigilance on vehicle standards A tentative trade deal between the European Union and the United States was reached over the weekend, reportedly averting threatened 30% tariffs and agreeing instead to duties of around 15%

EU–US trade agreement moves forward as safety groups urge vigilance on vehicle standards

etsc.eu/eu-us-trade-...

Helsinki goes a full year without a traffic death A city traffic engineer credits the success to lower speed limits and smarter design.

"#VisionZero is just an aspirational #roadsafety target to keep us motivated to do better, it's not really achievable."

@hel.fi "Hold my Pint!!"

yle.fi/a/74-20174831

.@transenv.bsky.social‬ report on increased bonnet height tinyurl.com/2p6awvkc, and previous report tinyurl.com/5n8u5evc on increased vehicle width, along with the clear danger of larger vehicles tinyurl.com/3r3hj38z regulators must act to put the brakes on this forward march of larger vehicle size

Marco to Brommelstroet wearing black button down shirt with arms folded standing on street. Trees are in background.

New!

We received a lot of requests to release our bonus with Marco te Brömmelstroet, aka “The Fietsprofessor," about a study he co-authored with @ianwalker.bsky.social on where motornomativity comes from... so here it is!

Plus, better language for better streets.

thewaroncars.org/2025/05/06/e...

Where Does 'Motonormativity' Come From — And Which Country Has It Worst?  — Streetsblog USA A new study explores how "motonormativity" shows up in the US, UK, and (yes) even in the Netherlands.

Really pleased with the new @usa.streetsblog.org podcast from @keawilson.bsky.social. It's a really nice half-hour interview with me and my co-author Marco te Brömmelstroet on our most recent motonormativity work - one for the drive to work today 😉
usa.streetsblog.org/2025/05/06/w...

Vehicle safety standards must stay out of the EU-US trade disputes - POLIS Network Ten European organisations sent the European Commission a letter urging to reject US vehicle standards in trade negotiations.

The EU must not lower vehicle safety standards🛑

@etsc.eu, POLIS, @eurocities.bsky.social, @cleancitiescampaign.org @ifpedestrians.bsky.social @ecf.com and other European organisations urge @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to reject US-EU #VehicleEquivalence in any negotiation❗🚗

More ➡️ buff.ly/ZyVi2QD

ECF co-sign letter to Commission President von der Leyen to reject US vehicle standards in trade negotiations ECF co-sign letter to Commission President von der Leyen to reject US vehicle standards in trade negotiations

We @ecf.com co-sign a letter to EU Commission president @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu with 9 other EU organisations, calling on EU to reject US vehicle standards or "regulatory equivalence" in automotive trade negotiations www.ecf.com/en/news/ecf-...

Any graphic designers out there who are into mobility and transport issues? I’m in an EU-funded project that needs a logo. The project is about converting recyclable stuff like tires into bike lanes and e-bike charging points. Check it out 👇
www.smile-city.eu

Why Europe is going ‘car free’ At a time when NYC and the Trump administration are battling over a congestion pricing program, Europe is dramatically scaling back its relationship with cars.

Here at ecf.com, we work to encourage more people cycling more often in Europe.

While this doesn't mean entirely 'car-free,' every car removed from our cities and replaced with someone walking or cycling a blessing. So many great cities are leading the way!

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...

Dutch public and parliament back reintroduction of alcohol interlocks for drink-driving offenders A significant majority in the Netherlands supports stricter measures to combat drink-driving, with both the public and a majority in the Dutch Parliament favouring the reintroduction of alcohol…

Dutch public and parliament back reintroduction of alcohol interlocks for drink-driving offenders

I wrote this several years ago but it never got published. I would probably change a lot now, but if you are interested in protected junctions for cycling, you may find it interesting: drive.google.com/file/d/1BRFs...

Opinion: From Brussels to Bologna…some good news for road safety ETSC’s Executive Director Antonio Avenoso looks at how city-wide 30 km/h speed limits are bringing big benefits to cities across Europe.

From Brussels to Bologna…some good news for road safety

ETSC’s Executive Director Antonio Avenoso looks at how city-wide 30 km/h speed limits are bringing big benefits to cities across Europe.

Cover sheet of a journal article: "Why do cars get a free ride? The social-ecological roots of motonormativity" by Ian Walker and Marco te Brömmelstroet

HOT RESEARCH NEWS!

Motonormativity ("car brain") is a bias that stops people making rational judgements about driving en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonor...

Our new study shows where this bias comes from AND how it makes people think they're odd for supporting changes to the transport system 🧵

Research from US www.iihs.org/topics/bibli... adds to increasing concern about high bonnets of pick-up truck and SUVs in crashes with pedestrians and cyclists. Belgium’s VIAS institute similar results last year www.vias.be/fr/newsroom/...

The lifetime cost of driving a car The car is one of the most expensive household consumer goods, yet there is a limited understanding of its private (internal) and social (external) co…

The share of this born by society is €4674 per year for an Opel Corsa, and €5273 for a Mercedes GLC. Findings suggest that for low-income groups, private car ownership can represent a cost equal to housing.

What if carless people received the money every year?

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

UK’s 20mph speed limits ‘are cutting car insurance costs’ Controversial safety policy has helped drive down premiums to 18-month low, says Confused.com

In the UK, auto insurance prices dropped 16% in a year.

A big reason: Lower urban speed limits

Industry analyst: "Areas where 20mph zones have been introduced result in lower levels of claim frequency – a key factor in the cost of car insurance."

Tickets Tickets

Early bird tickets for ECF Velo-city conference in Gdansk in June now available www.velo-city-conference.com/en/tickets-i... (until 14 February).

Irish Cycling Campaign Urges Immediate Action Amid Rising Road Fatalities Irish Cycling Campaign delivered the press release below on Wednesday 01 January 2025 following yet another grim year of road traffic collisions and casualties.Irish Cycling Campaign Urges Immediat…

Irish Cycling Campaign delivered the press release below on Wednesday 01 January 2025 following yet another grim year of road traffic collisions and casualties.

#VisionZero @news.rte.ie
@nuachttg4.bsky.social

cyclist.ie/2025/01/iris...

Map showing which countries rank highest in walking or cycling 30 minutes per day.

Many health experts recommend people walk or cycle at least 30 minutes every day.

With 44.0% of Dutch adults walking or cycling at least 30 minutes every day, it has by far the highest percentage of any country in Europe.

landgeist.com/2023/1...

Effectiveness of 30 km/h speed limit – A literature review Introduction: Road crashes are a major social problem, resulting in 1.19 million fatalities and over 50 million injuries annually. Speeding is the pri…

Research from @georgeyannis.bsky.social and Eva Michelaraki at Nat Tech University of Athens on effectiveness of 30 kph limits www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... "...can save over 40% of lives, significant positive effect on environment, ... public health, ..., increased walking and cycling"

If you bike to work, you live longer, new study confirms If you’re looking for an affordable and accessible way to live longer, skip the pricey wellness retreats and quirky biohacks—just bike to work.

If you bike to work, you live longer, new study confirms.
momentummag.com/if-you-bike-...

Detroit killed the sedan. We may all live to regret it GM ending production of the Chevy Malibu underscores that the Big Three are done with sedans. But consumers may not flock to expensive SUVs in response.

Car bloat is a disease – and it’s spreading.

Here are a few of the stories I wrote in 2024 about dangerously huge vehicles. 🧵

This year GM killed the Chevy Malibu, the last sedan available to Americans from the Big Three. 4/5 new US cars are SUVs or pickups.

www.fastcompany.com/91123174/det...

18-Year Study Of 82,297 Adults Finds Cycle Commuting Halves Chance Of Early Death Billionaires famously want to live longer. They should jump on bicycles, not spacecraft.

STUDY of 82K+ Scottish adults: “compared with sedentary commuting, commuting to work or study by bike was associated with lower all-cause mortality risk, lower risk of any hospitalization, lower risk of cardiovascular disease, lower risk of cancer mortality & better mental health.”— @carltonreid.com