Cyclists on the sea front enjoying Hastings’ only dedicated cycle path (photo: Russell Jacobs).

New Year listening for active travellers

Enthusiastic cyclist and active travel proponent Anna Sabin gives her New year list of podcasts, columnists and series for news and ideas on car-free/car-lite towns and cities.

The standout eye opener on this subject is The War on Cars podcast. It’s never dull and its three presenters see the world as I do – from the pavement (sidewalk – they’re based in New York) or from a bike saddle. They marvel at the dysfunction of urban streets filled with cars and talk to all sorts of movers and shakers trying to change the situation in the US and all around the world.

From the UK, three equally entertaining journalists and practitioners present Streets Ahead. They talk to people all over Britain who, with varying levels of difficulty and struggle, leaps and bounds, are freeing streets and transport from messy car entanglement.

Like Councillor Clyde Loakes in Waltham Forest, who has spent the past decade, and a lot of TfL money, transforming his borough for walking and cycling…and planting greenery. Or investigators working out how extreme conspiracy theories spring out of councillors’ efforts to bring the good life to their residents – like the 15-minute city one from Oxford.

They talk to the man who discovered how disinformation was spread about ULEZ legislation in London last year – £168,000 or so was spent multiplying anti-ULEZ voices – a worthwhile investment to a few, though not so good for the rest of us.

Carlton Reid writes for Forbes and the Guardian and is good on cycling on his The Spokesmen podcast, which is sometimes about races and gravel biking but other times about urban everyday cycling – pick your episodes according to interest. Try this one  about the Japanese attitude to ‘the freedom to walk’ or, best of all for an admirer like me, this one with Chris Boardman, Cycling and Walking Commissioner for Greater Manchester among other Tour de France and Olympian things.

Peter Walker writes a dedicated bike blog for the Guardian, tweets (Xes?), as do the rest of them, and is author of The Miracle Pill…which is obviously about doing our everyday journeys under our own steam for inescapable everyday exercise.

Simon Kuper, journalist, always writes with guru-like knowing about good judgements society could be making . He lives in Paris where the car is in retreat and street life is is growing back into the freed space.

There you are – my starter pack for planet and hope listening, possibly while out walking and cycling. Enjoy!

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