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By viv, 14 September, 2011 8:00 am

Have you heard about liftshare week?  It’s being organised by liftshare, one the winners of our ‘How can we improve transport in Britain?’ GeoVation Challenge. Find out more about it and also what’s happening with myPTP below:

The countdown is now on to liftshare Week 2011 (3^rd – 7^th October 2011). liftshare Week is the UK-wide event which aims to encourage more people to discover the benefits of car-sharing.  Awareness of car-sharing is at its height during liftshare week and more people than ever are registering to share their journeys, so there is no better time to give it a try.    This year we’re incentivising individuals to give car-sharing a try, by reminding them that drivers in the 1980’s will only have been paying 37 pence per litre for petrol!!  The only way you can get yourself such a great price on petrol these days is by splitting your petrol costs with other people.  Share your commute with just one other person, and you will be leaving your car at home 2 weeks out of every four – typically saving yourself about £800 a year.  A persuasive argument we hope you’ll agree!  Individuals can register for free at www.liftshare.com and why not tell your friends and family members too?  The more car-sharers we’ve got, the better chance everyone’s got of finding their ideal matches.

For Businesses and Communities who have their own car-share schemes, there is no better time to do some promotion and capitalise on the heightened awareness. We’re expecting more car-sharers to join in this year than ever before, so taking part will do wonders for your travel plan targets.   Organisations already working with liftshare should already be well under way with their preparation and lots of promotional materials have already been made available.  If  you don’t have your own car-share scheme you can take a look at http://www.liftshare.com/business/liftshareweek.asp#chap3 where you can downloads lots of freebies to get your staff car-sharing.  Alternatively visit www.liftshare.com/business or give us a call on 01953 451166 to find out how you can get involved.

In other news…… myPTP is also in full swing and our developers have been working hard.  We’ve been talking to lots of organisations to ensure we’ve got a spot-on understanding of what their Travel Survey requirements are, which has proved really useful in helping us to hone our ideas into an exciting new tool.  More on this to come…

Louise Boom

liftshare

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By viv, 13 September, 2011 8:00 am

Interest in the London Cycle Map Campaign, one of our GeoVation Challenge winners,  is growing;   Ben Irvine tells us more, below.   Have you signed the petition to support it yet?

I’m delighted to say that 1,000 people have now signed the London Cycle Map Campaign petition which is being run by Cycle Lifestyle magazine .

Fittingly, the 1,000th signature was accompanied by a comment which really says it all:
“Love this idea, great for tourists and locals.”

Public interest in the London Cycle Map Campaign is intensifying as the 2012 London Olympics approaches. With millions of visitors and hundreds of millions of viewers around the world rolling up for the ‘greenest Olympics ever’, the capital is calling out for a better system of cycle routes and mapping.

In step with this mood, political interest in the idea of unifying and improving London’s cycling infrastructure has been growing too. In 2010 Labour Baroness Oona King was championing the idea of a ‘Tube map’ for cyclists, and more recently Green Party mayoral candidate Jenny Jones has promised ‘a safe cycling network for the whole of London, not just blue paint and hire bikes in zone 1’.

The London Cycle Map Campaign is calling on politicians and cycling campaigners alike to ensure that the London Cycle Map idea becomes a stated electoral issue in the run up to both the 2012 mayoral elections and subsequent Olympics.

We believe Simon Parker’s ‘compass colour’ mapping system is genuinely groundbreaking and would offer an economy of navigation unparalleled by proposed or existing cycle networks anywhere in the world. His map is also – importantly – beautiful, iconic and inspiring, and would really send a statement to cyclists and non-cyclists in London and the world over.

Let’s make it happen. Here’s to the next 1,000 signatures…

Ben Irvine
Cycle Lifestyle Editor and London Cycle Map Campaign

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By viv, 19 August, 2011 8:00 am

Mission:Explore, one of our GeoVation Challenge winners, have been busy planning missions to encourage children and families to use the National Cycle Network and lots of other exciting stuff too.  Below, Daniel from Mission:Explore tells us more about it.

Things are moving along quickly here at Mission:Explore and we are very excited about the coming year. Winning the support of GeoVation, Ideas in Transit and the University of West England means a brand new Mission:Explore website with lots of beautiful and new functionality.

We won GeoVation funding to improve transport in Britain and specifically the National Cycle Network. Working closely with Sustrans and Arla we are creating challenges and activities that we call ‘missions’ along parts of the cycle network. When people discover these missions (online or through stickers in the landscape) they will be able to win points and earn badges. We will be experimenting to see how this kind of ‘gamification’ can create new uses and users of this important piece of infrastructure. We are very pleased to have Charles Musselwhite, a social psychologist from the University of West England, researching our work and helping us to make this project a success.

Unlike the current Mission:Explore, on the new platform users will have accounts, explorer blogs, leader boards and many other enhanced features.
Mission:Explore will be relaunched as www.MissionExplore.Net this September. We are delighted that National Geographic Education are using the platform to encourage another kind of behaviour change. The US based organisation are using MissionExplore.Net as their central campaigning tool for Geography Awareness Week . The site will be launching with 20 missions (take a look here ) which encourage children, teachers and families to explore their local communities and earn online Mapping, Storytelling, Photography and Take Action! badges. Taking place in November Geography Awareness Week aims to draw attention to the importance of ’geo-literacy, ensuring that people make well reasoned decisions about our nation’s economic competitiveness, national security, environmental sustainability, and the livability of our communities in the 21st century’. We are recently back from the National Conference for Geographic Education in Portland (Oregon) where we trained Geography Awareness Week coordinators in making the best use of Mission:Explore.

Moving forward we will be announcing a new pricing plan in which third sector organisations can create and manage their own ‘channel’ and missions on MissionExplore.Net from just £25 for 1 mission. They can also purchase a ‘white label’ version of the platform for their own use. Any charity or public sector organisation that places an order before the launch of MissionExplore.Net in September will enjoy a 15% discount on any selected plan.

For further details contact Daniel at daniel@thegeographycollective.co.uk.

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By viv, 16 August, 2011 8:00 am

As you know, at GeoVation we like to run challenges and in June we told you about our colleague Andy’s cycling challenge from Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG). Find out how he got on below….

Eight of us set off from Lands End at 8.30 on Monday 11 July looking to complete the LEJOG challenge in seven days, averaging near 130 miles per day. We started from Lands End as there are supposed to be prevailing winds,….however this was not the case! We encountered five days of head/cross winds and only one day where a tail wind helped us.  I had planned the route using Bike hike, an application which has been developed using the OS OpenSpace API. We planned to stop and meet our support crew for refreshments every 30 miles or so, and they did not let us down on any occasion. We had a great array of, sarnies, pasties, pasta, rice and other goodies.

Day 1 Still and sunny conditions, ideal! We aimed to cross Dartmoor as part of our journey and this was a great experience, overcast conditions meant that the climb onto the moor was easier than anticipated. What did dampen our spirits was the 16% climb after 125 miles of cycling nearing Exeter.

Day 2 started a bit wet, but soon cleared up. Unfortunately a stiff northerly wind battered us all day into Hereford. The Severn crossing was the highlight as we felt we were really making progress as we made our way into Wales and up the Wye Valley.

Day 3, and the sun came out….but the northerly wind still blew, we agreed to keep off the infamous A49 until we reached Whitchurch. All the guys were very focused and got their heads down, not much banter was heard. Due to the wind, we arrived into Wigan after the rush hour traffic had subsided, which was a bonus.

Day 4. We had to navigate through the northwest during morning rush hour. This was to be our shortest day at 118 miles, but an unannounced closed road north of Garstang changed that. The 15 km climb out of Kendal on the A6 was a real treat, but the descent was harder work than it should have been due the wind. A missed turn out of Carlisle to Gretna meant a few unnecessary miles were added to our day.

Day 5 At last, a tail wind! We rode parallel to the M74 until Moffat, a gradual climb the whole way, but were averaging 18mph. The 11 km Devil’s Beef Tub climb awaited us at Moffat but spun up there nice and easy. We encountered our first set of mosquitoes and soon discovered that they are unable to keep up with you above 17 mph. We tore into Edinburgh touching 25 mph and got blown across the Forth Road Bridge. Looking back, this was the highlight of the trip for us all. Mentally some of thought we were nearly there….but Scotland is a big place!

Day 6 Wet, wet, wet….and windy! We used the General Wade’s Military Road along the A9 and for 11 miles the cycle path was in a desperate state, but we only suffered one puncture. It rained so hard that we had to take shelter under a petrol station canopy for half an hour. A few miles out of Aviemore we were metres behind a head on collision involving two cars on wet roads. Evasive action was required on our parts and we all bailed out down a grass bank to avoid flying debris. We were delayed for about an hour whilst all the emergency services arrived.

Day 7 Again the rain came down in stair rods…horizontal stair rods. We crossed the Cromarty Firth and saw our first sign for John o’Groats….only 85 miles to go! Lance Armstrong was in the area staying at Skibo Castle. We tweeted him to see if he would like to join us but got no luck. The rain cleared but remained cold as we entered Wick, only 17 miles to go. We organised a peloton, where the front man stayed in front for twenty pedal revolutions before moving the back. The adrenalin of nearly finishing meant we were able to barrel along at 20 mph. We arrived at John O’Groats just on 7 pm all relieved the challenge was finished. We got the photos taken, bikes in the van and back to Wick for a curry and beer(s).  We had cycled 899.25 miles in seven days, had three near misses with cars, 5 punctures, a broken spoke, creaked wheel bearing, a shredded rear tyre, 5 days of head wind and two days of rain. In hindsight, we should have started in John O’Groats and gone south, after all, it is downhill…..and yes, one of the guys cycled round the car park until he had reached 900 miles!
Andrew Hanley

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By viv, 30 June, 2011 8:00 am

Wondering what our ‘How can we improve transport in Britain? GeoVation Challenge winners have been up to since May?  Neil Taylor from Integrated Transport Planning tells us more about what has been happening with AccessAdvisr over the last month:

Since learning that AccessAdvisr had received funding through the GeoVation competition we have been putting the foundations in place to enable our delivery of a proof of concept product in Nottingham over the next 6 months.  This chiefly involved pulling together a tightly focused expenditure and deliverable plan so that both we, and our sponsors, have a common understanding of what we are delivering in return for the funding.

We have spent a lot of time talking to interesting contacts at Nottingham City Council, Loughborough and Nottingham Universities, the RNIB and local mobility impairment groups.  The result is a fantastic series of offers of help and support for the proof of concept product we will be developing.  Our recent chat with RNIB’s innovation team has given us the confidence that we can make AccessAdvisr as visually accessible as possible for people with sight and reading impairments – clearly an important feature for a website and smartphone app that intends to improve the quality and richness of information about accessible transport networks.  Our growing network of contacts here in Nottingham (and elsewhere in the UK) means we are already looking forward to engaging with potential service users through a live trial of AccessAdvisr later in the autumn.

We have also spent a good portion of time in month 1 re-analysing some of our own previous user-needs research.  Blowing the dust off focus group and depth-interview reports produced over the last 10 years has given us the opportunity to revisit what people have previously told us about barriers that prevent them from getting around.  We will be combining this information with practical research undertaken through major research projects such as AuntSue to define the types of information that would make independent travel easier, and exploring how AccessAdvisr can address some of these issues.

Over the course of the next month we will be developing the technical and functional specification for AccessAdvisr.  We will also be appointing an app developer (we are in the process of finding out where they hang out, what they eat/drink, etc!) to work as part of our team to help us bring the proof of concept version of AccessAdvisr to life.  We’ll keep you posted on how things go through the GeoVation Blog.

Neil Taylor (left) and Jon Parker (right) of ITP receive the award

In the meantime if you want to learn more about AccessAdvisr, then please contact Neil Taylor at ITP on 0115 9886903, or email: taylor@itpworld.netNeil Taylor, Integrated Transport Planning Ltd.

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By viv, 21 June, 2011 8:30 am

Simon Parker of London Cycle Map Campaign is one of our ‘How can we improve transport in Britain?’ GeoVation Challenge winners. Below he shares his thoughts on why we need transport alternatives to the car to keep our cities moving:

If you were to look at maps of London as often and for as long as I do, you might find that your imagination wanders on occasion. In my case, I have created a little fantasy. By an as yet undetermined means, I travel back in time to the period just before the railways were developed. Then, with a carte blanche in front of me, I set about recreating London, imagining how the metropolitan area might look with the benefit of hindsight. If only we knew then what we know now!

Anyone who saw these maps would fairly conclude that I am not anti-car. But, like many people––including, I might add, a former CEO of Volvo: ‘Private cars are not a suitable mode of transport in town’––I recognise that large numbers of petrol-driven vehicles driving about the place diminishes the quality of city life. Thus it is that I spend many a fanciful hour considering how to mitigate the car’s less attractive features.

If we were able somehow to start afresh, it is almost impossible to believe that the capital would look much the same as it does now. Don’t get me wrong. I love the randomness of London’s road network, and personally I wouldn’t change that aspect even if I could. But if, as I say, we had ourselves another chance, then surely more emphasis would be placed on alternatives to the car the second time around, including, of course, the bicycle.

It might surprise those of you unfamiliar with the history of the bike to learn that in 1949, 37% of all journeys in London were made by bike (20% nation-wide). The main reason that this enviable position changed was that the bicycle came to be regarded as a poor man’s form of transport. People were looking to move on from the austerity of the post-war years, and with the increasing availability of mass-produced cars, four wheels became more desirable than two.

The car, of course, is more than just about getting from A to B; it’s about status as well. But even though we cannot turn back the clock, we can still wind it up from time to time. Let me conclude with some choice words from Andrew Marr in his programme on Megacities:

If we’re all going to live in the megacity––and it rather looks like most of us will––are we all condemned to a future of choking jams and sweat-packed tube trains? No, I think that maybe, we don’t want to turn our backs on our low-tech past. Maybe Dakha and its half-a-million cycle rickshaws does have something to teach us. Across the globe, and London is gearing up for a three-speed revolution.

To get real change in the city, you need two things: you need pent-up demand on the streets, and you need proper leadership. When the two come together, change can happen very, very fast. A good example would be the London bicycle [hire] scheme. When this got going, a lot of people said, ‘Well, it’s not going to work.’ And within the first ten weeks there were a million journeys made.

There’s no single magic bullet that’s going to solve the megacity transport crisis. We have to snaffle ideas from all over the place, taking smaller, smarter solutions which, when you take them together, can have an impact. London’s first large-scale public bike hire scheme is part of that potential mix.

In the economy of the great cities, they’re always learning and copying and stealing from each other. And it’s not from just the high-tech cities, so Dakha in Bangladesh may be a nightmare, but it’s a nightmare run on pedal-power, and that’s something that modern cities are re-learning. And so to have a transport system that really works, you need everything. You need the taxis, and the cars, and the buses. You need the trains. And you need bicycles, and of course, decent places to be able to walk safely as well. It’s a bit like fusion food, you know, that we eat all the time. You bring in all sorts of lessons, all sorts of flavours, and you mix them up, and with a bit of luck and leadership, you get a city that’s moving again.’

Simon Parker

See Simon’s London Cycle Map

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By viv, 20 June, 2011 8:00 am

Andrew Hanley, one of our colleagues here at Ordnance Survey is part of a group embarking on a cycling challenge from Land’s End to John O’Groats.  Below, he tells us more about why he’s doing it and how he mapped the route.  He’s going to give us an update along the way as well.  Good Luck, Andrew!

In July a group of 7 cyclists (6 fire fighters and me!) are leaving Lands End and heading for John O’Groats. Our aim is to arrive in John O’Groats in 7 days, averaging 125 miles per day.

A year ago firefighters James Shears and Alan Bannon lost their lives fighting a fire at Shirley Towers in Southampton. We are undertaking this challenge to raise money for the Fire fighters Charity.  The Fire Fighters Charity exists for all fire service personnel during their times of need, and assists thousands of individuals every year, by providing pioneering treatment and support services. The charity is completely reliant upon donations from the general public and fire community.

We are leaving Lands End on 11 July, heading to Exeter and some 900 or so miles later we should arrive in John O’Groats early evening on 17 July. We aim to stay in Fire Stations en route in Exeter, Hereford, Wigan, Gretna, Perth and Inverness, and hope that there are no call outs when we are there!

As I work at Ordnance Survey, a rather dangerous assumption was made by the team that I would know all the roads in Great Britain. Therefore I would sort out the route and expect to be punished, when, not if, we get lost! Bike hike is an application which has been developed using the OS OpenSpace API, and has been a great resource for planning the route (and avoiding getting lost).  Using Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 mapping was a great help in deciding the best route as it really provides a good representation of the “real world”, as well as having designated cycle routes visible on the mapping. I have been able to download the route into a Garmin unit which will be on my bike. I have also contacted numerous cycling clubs en route for local knowledge on the roads; Preston Wheelers have even offered us an escort!

If you would like to find out more please visit the Fire Fighter Cycle Challenge website. To sponsor us click on the charity/donate tab and visit our Just Giving page.  You can also follow us on Facebook/ Lejog fire cycle challenge). Look out for a further update on our progress on the GeoVation blog in July.

Andrew

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By viv, 21 January, 2011 10:09 am

In the third blog for GeoVation Ivana Gazibara of Forum for the Future discusses solutions we can act on for a more sustainable future for urban transport.  We’d really like to know if these blogs have inspired you to think of ideas and enter the GeoVation Challenge, so please let us know what you think.

In Megacities on the Move – a scenario-planning initiative examining the future of urban mobility, we explored a number of critical questions.

How will people travel in cities in the future?  How will billions of city dwellers access what they need without putting intolerable strains on the planet?  How can we plan now for more sustainable ways of life in a radically different world?

As the famous science fiction writer, William Gibson, once said: “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.” Our scenarios presented a number of areas of action for today, which we believe will critically determine the answers to these questions. We blogged about these ‘six solutions’ in our first entry, and now we would like to focus the debate on them once again – because we think they point to a better, more sustainable future for urban mobility, but also because they are all solutions we can act on today. The solutions framework we’ve created came out of extensive horizon scanning research and interviews with experts, all of which flagged a number of innovations already playing out, whether on the ground, in large research centres, backyard laboratories or global debates. They will hopefully provide some food for thought for you as you mull over ideas for the GeoVation Challenge.

1. integrate, integrate, integrate: Transport, urban planning, business, public services, energy and food supply can no longer be considered in isolation. We need to create truly integrated systems where people have choice, flexibility and seamless connectivity. When people travel, they should be able to connect much more smoothly and quickly between different modes of transport. Increasingly, there will also be a need to supplement this physical connectivity with online connectivity: the ability to check information before, and during, travel will allow people to optimise their journeys, and perhaps even substitute a degree of physical movement with virtual access to lifestyle needs.

MIT City Car

A stackable, electric two-seater car designed to be used as part of a mobility on-demand system – similar to a bike-hire scheme such as Vélib, where stacks of vehicles are available for instant short-term hire at key transport hubs such as train stations and multiple other points around the city. Three or four CityCars can fit in a standard parking space. Future iterations could be integrated with the urban energy supply system – stacks of parked cars act as batteries that could ‘smooth’ electricity demand in a city with lots of microgeneration such as solar roofs or small-scale wind turbines. http://cities.media.mit.edu/

London Garden

An award-winning concept for car-free mobility in central London that integrates bicycle, scooter and bus modes. A specially designed semi-electric bicycle is available for hire and can be ridden as either a bicycle or an electric scooter. When ridden in bicycle mode it generates and stores energy for the scooter mode. It can also be folded up and used as a bus seat – in this case the energy you generated and stored in your bike is credited to you and used as a currency to subsidise the cost of your journey. When not in use the bikes are stored on overhead racks at bus stops where they generate further energy via solar cells in their solid, hub less wheels.

http://martenwallgren.blogspot.com/2009/06/winner-seymourpowell-award-for.html

2. make the poor a priority: Mobility systems must work for rich and poor alike, to ensure no-one is shut off from goods, services and employment opportunities. There are currently 4 billion people around the globe on low incomes.[1] Cities in particular have many low-income communities – this trend will increase as much of the world’s future population growth plays out in cities. Everyone in the mobility sector will have to design tailored mobility solutions that meet these people’s needs.

Chop’N Drop Worldbike

Worldbike is an international network of professionals in the bicycle industry, who work on creating affordable bike transportation and income-generating opportunities for the poor. The Chop‘N Drop bike is an open-source design, which is shipped to small-scale manufacturing facilities or skilled individuals in the developing world, who then construct the bike locally. http://worldbike.org/

Medellin Metrocable

Metrocable is an urban electric cable car system in Medellin, Colombia, that was installed as a complementary transit system to the Metro. It links poor hillside barrios directly to the city and the metro system, vastly improving access as conventional public transport could not negotiate the steep hillsides. It has eased the commutes of most of the inhabitants of the barrios and has also revitalised some of the areas that it passes through.

http://www.medellininfo.com/metro/metrocable.html

http://thecityfix.com/up-up-and-away-in-a-cable-car/

3. go beyond the car: The current growth rates of personal vehicle ownership are simply unsustainable in the future: there are already 1 billion cars in the world, a figure which is expected to grow to 2 billion within a few decades.[2] To avoid cities becoming further congested and car-dependent, it is critical that we design now for people, not cars. Architects and urban planners need to create mixed-use urban neighbourhoods with the infrastructure to serve local communities, dense developments in cities that prevent further sprawl, and a high degree of accessibility and walkability. These changes to the urban form would almost certainly alter the daily commute for many residents, encouraging less reliance on cars. Cities should further encourage a shift away from cars by promoting alternative modes of transport and creating alternatives to car ownership like flexible car renting.

Vancouver’s downtown travel plan: integrated travel planning and walkability

This is an example of a broad approach to accessibility and mobility, recognising that most journeys involve multiple modes of transport. The system was treated as a whole and multiple design improvements included simple but systemically effective actions such as: the widening of pedestrian crossings, new cycle lanes on major roads and the provision of cycle racks on buses, as well as the implementation of technological improvements such as the Sky Train (an automated light mass rapid transit system).

http://www.driversofchange.com/slimcity/

So Bi – Social Bicycle

This is an example of a system using geolocation and wireless networks for seamless travel and access rather than ownership. It uses ICT to enable a flexible, lower cost and distributed version of a bike-share scheme: “SoBi will be the first public bike share system with the authorisation, tracking, and security systems attached to the bicycle itself. SoBi uses GPS, mobile communications, and a secure lock that can attach to almost any bicycle and lock to any regular bike rack. The system does not require separate infrastructure and can be deployed at approximately one-third the cost of existing systems. Administrators will be given powerful tools to manage demand and map patterns of use. Users will enjoy door-to-door transportation and an interactive cycling experience that can track miles travelled, calories burned, CO2 emissions offset, and connections to other Social Cyclists.” http://socialbicycles.com/

4. switch on to IT networks: There are two key ways that IT networks need to be used to improve mobility systems: by substituting physical movement with ICT-based solutions, and by better connecting and integrating transport systems. People are becoming increasingly comfortable accessing services, information and social networks online. Mobility providers will need to introduce IT connectivity throughout urban mobility systems and develop sophisticated, user-centred online platforms so urban dwellers can access everything they need to maintain and improve their daily quality of life. In addition, transport systems will need to use technology to lessen traffic congestion and accident risks, for example interstate highways that feature lanes for cars and trucks controlled by computers. Cars will change too: leading companies are incorporating ICT into vehicles, and over the next thirty years this trend is likely to become much more mainstream.  

Nissan Eporo Robot Car

Nissan has designed a collision-free, zero carbon robot concept car. The design is biomimetic – the Eporo travels in a group of like-vehicles, mimicking the behavioural patterns of a school of fish in avoiding obstacles without colliding with each other. The technologies developed for Eporo are not just useful for collision avoidance but also aim to improve the migration efficiency of a group of vehicles and contribute to an environmentally friendly and traffic jam-free driving environment.

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2009/_STORY/091001-01-e.html

U-City Seoul

Seoul’s city-management is piloting a project called Ubiquitous Seoul, or U-City Seoul which offers real-time, location based services from multiple sensors around the city. Residents can use smart-phones to check air quality, get traffic information or reserve sports pitches at local parks. People with asthma can get pollution alerts. For mobility, there is a personal travel assistant app available that gives real-time transport information (such as when the next bus/train will arrive), and also provides a travel planner, carbon calculator, and real-time router to enable “seamless travel”.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1916302,00.html

5. ‘refuel’ our vehicles: We need to shift the way we power our vehicles from petrol to renewable, low-carbon fuel sources. Oil is one of the most threatened, and increasingly difficult to access, resources in the world. Even though we cannot say with certainty that we will run out in the next thirty years, extracting and delivering the remaining oil to market is becoming increasingly difficult.[3] Moreover, shortages and disruptions could occur for a number of other reasons, from policy to terrorism, warfare and natural disasters. The uncertainty over future energy supplies is, of course, compounded by rising awareness of climate change and the increasing possibility or regulation that will shift the way we power the global economy. As oil becomes more scarce, expensive and a security risk, we need implement greater energy efficiency measures, and shift the way we power our vehicles from petrol to renewable, low carbon fuel sources. Most vehicle technology experts agree that the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous. At the same time, the market for low-carbon energy could treble to US$2.2 trillion by 2020.[4] We need significant investment in battery and fuel technology to take alternative energy-powered vehicles to scale over the next few decades.

Better Place – battery subscription

Better Place has been set up to counter the two main obstacles to mass adoption of electric vehicles (i.e. cars that solely use batteries, as opposed to hybrids). Better Place stations allow you to switch a used battery in your car for a fully charged one in a few minutes, avoiding the need for hours of recharging during a long journey. Better Place also allows you to subscribe to a battery service. This means that drivers don’t have to pay to own the battery – which is usually the most expensive component of a fully electric vehicle. Better Place is due to launch commercially in 2011 in Denmark and Israel, in partnership with Renault which has designed a switchable-battery electric vehicle. http://www.betterplace.com/

Biofuels from waste

First-generation biofuels from food crops are unsustainable and are unlikely to have a significant long-term future. However, second-generation biofuels from waste are in development, such as cellulosic ethanol. This can be distilled from plant waste headed for landfill such as corn stalks, timber chippings, even low-grade paper. It is estimated that cellulosic ethanol from these sources could provide a third of the USA’s transport fuel requirements; there is also potential for effective deployment in the developing world, where most plant waste is currently burned. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article. cfm?id=trash-based-biofuels

6. change people’s behaviour

Although planning and technology can do a lot to improve mobility, many of our future challenges are shaped by people’s values, behaviour and preferences. As well as switching from cars to more low-carbon vehicles, cities need to think about ways in which mass behaviour and social norms can be influenced to get people to think beyond their current patterns of travel and ways of living.

In fact, because of increasing urbanisation, cities need to be the key players in promoting low-carbon, healthier lifestyles. The most effective governments and businesses will engage in early planning to influence lifestyles rather than simply relying on additional road infrastructure and modes of transport.

No-driving days in Seoul

No-driving days are used in many cities around the world to check congestion. The system in Seoul is particularly notable as it is voluntary and popular: residents are incentivised to sign up to it by benefits such as insurance discounts, reduced–price parking and tax-breaks. Participants agree not to drive on one business day per week, and compliance is monitored via RFID tags attached to windscreens. The city benefits from having approximately 10,000 fewer vehicles on the road every day.

http://www.c40cities.org/bestpractices/transport/seoul_driving.jsp

Whip car – peer-to-peer car rental

Whip car is the world’s first peer-to-peer car rental service. Car owners can rent out their own cars when they aren’t using them. Users can search for and hire cars in their neighbourhoods. This is a distributed and flexible system that uses existing cars, mediated by a trusted website with a ratings system, and requires no additional physical infrastructure. http://www.whipcar.com/

[2] Daniel Sperling and Deborah Gordon, Two Billion Cars, Oxford University Press, New York, 2009.

[3] Richard Heinberg, The Party’s Over, Peak Everything.

[4] James Murray, HSBC predicts low-carbon energy market will treble to $2.2. tn by 2020, GreenBiz.com, 6 Sept 2010, http://www.businessgreen. com/business-green/news/2269279/hsbc-predicts-low-carbon-energy.

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By viv, 16 November, 2010 10:42 am

A massive well done to Nat who, on 5 November, completed his huge challenge – a continuous walk around the coast of Britain, starting and finishing in Portsmouth.  The mega-trek took 10 months – here he tells us how he felt during the final stage:

So I have finished. On 5 November, just after 4:30 pm, I walked up to South Parade pier in some pretty miserable weather to be welcomed by a group of friends and family. I had been dreading the return slightly. Not because I wasn’t ready to stop, I was looking forward to being able to do something other than walk every day but I was not looking forward to the attention being on me. Luckily after an awkward 5 minutes, stood, having people photograph me, I was able to enjoy seeing the people that had come out and chat to them in a more relaxed way. Moving on to the pub helped that.

The last 10 days of my journey took in some interesting places, not least Dungeness which is one of the strangest places I walked through all year. I don’t know whether the weather compounded the feeling but the place was very bleak with its power plant and dark flat surrounding landscape.  Getting closer to home meant that, just as with the first week, there were people to stay with most nights. My last ever camp spot of the walk was near Bracklesham but was disappointing in that it was definitely not one of the better spots. I think the increasingly urban landscape and contact with more familiar people as I neared home has meant that the transition back to normal life has been easier than I anticipated. I haven’t yet been home for even a week yet though so we shall see if it holds true.   As this is my last entry, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the people who have helped and supported me along the way. I have been lucky enough to not only have the support of my immediate family, but also of friends, acquaintances and strangers alike and without all these people it could have been a very different adventure. Thank you also to all those that have sponsored me through one of my 3 chosen charities, the donation pages are still open via my website for anyone still wishing to donate.

Lastly, thank you to GeoVation for your massive contribution to the walk.

Nat

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By viv, 4 November, 2010 9:54 am

What are the most innovative apps around, either in their usefulness, popularity or novel approach?

The MediaGuardian Innovation Awards (Megas) are looking for developers to step forward now and tell them about their app of the year!   MirrorMe was last year’s winner, with an app showing how unhealthy habits could influence your future appearance. Now that our phones are more powerful than the average desktop PC or Mac was five years ago, which apps are creating a new world of on-the-go content? The awards are looking for smartphone apps only in this category.  The Mobile App category is one of the new categories in the awards whose emphasis is on digital communications and technology innovations. Along with large companies who are funding and driving innovation in this area, they also want to see entries from independent developers. It is the innovative concept that will be judged and not the big budget behind it, so this is a real opportunity for the Davids to challenge the Goliaths.

In recognition of this, there is a reduced entry fee of £50 for independent developers.  Plus there’s the early bird discounted entry fee which ends this Friday 5th November For  information on the awards and how to submit your work go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/megas