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Laura Laker

@lauralaker.bsky.social
4.9K followers 531 following 949 posts

Journalist, author of Potholes and Pavements, cohost of @podstreetsahead.bsky.social lauralaker.substack.com Muted live on Julia Hartley-Brewer's Talk show

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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 6h
Sounds like a chap who needs a hobby
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 7h
And a lot of the bikes are of a very similar design!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Also - I now have 80 paid subscribers. Thank you to everyone who supports the Substack - I couldn't do it without you!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
‘Ohh wow. They look like designated cycle lanes separate to the roads?’ Notes from Utrecht. lauralaker.substack.com/p/on-the-bik...
lauralaker.substack.com
On the bike path in Utrecht
Separate roads, for different ways of travelling
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
And here's a nice aerial view of the city's busiest bike lane, which I'm told carries 20,000-30,000 cycling trips a day
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I was in Utrecht for the annual Velo City conference last week and got to cycle slowly around the world's largest bike parking garage beneath the Centraal station. Room for 12,500 bikes and the first 24h of parking is free
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🚨New Streets Ahead Episode! A day in the life of the City of London cycling cops, out on the streets catching illegal e-motorbikes: shows.acast.com/streets-ahea...
shows.acast.com
Catching illegal e-motos with the City of London Police | Streets Ahead
Out on the street with the City's Cycling Team
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
While I understand hesitancy, I've yet to hear of convincing risks to reporters from the Guidelines. The Guardian has said 'driver hit' in relation to a medical episode. Journos usually say 'cyclist hits' -it doesn't signify intent/control- and if worried around cars, they can say 'vehicle driven'.
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Mark Sutton @marksuttonbike.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Hats off to @lauralaker.bsky.social for continuing to dig beneath the surface of the gig economy exploitation model. Here @antislavery.org and @britishretail.bsky.social call for a higher-grade mandatory 'human rights due diligence' from the #gigeconomy. www.cyclingelectric.com/news/anti-sl...
cyclingelectric.com
Anti Slavery NGO & retail org say: Gig supply chain must do ‘Human rights due diligence’
Delivery app firms like Deliveroo, Just Eats and Uber Eats, along with major UK supermarkets, are ‘getting off scot-free’ around
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Now updated with Cycle to Work Alliance comments, saying Cycle to Work providers have safeguards in place to ensure supplied e-bikes are legal and meet required safety standards. Also from Cyclescheme: While it is not illegal for retailers to supply illegal e-motos, they aren't eligible under C2W
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Yes - I'd imagine the cost of living is tipping the balance for some people, in favour of cheap products
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Pure joy. Your dad's zeal for life is 👌
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
👏 Social media means some forget that you can disagree, and even debate, without resorting to hateful speech. I'm sorry you experienced this - it is genuinely unsettling to be on the receiving end of any online attack, let alone a pile on, no matter how we rationalise it away. Handled with dignity.
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
News that people are buying illegal e-motos for commuting; some without realising they aren't road legal and allegedly even via Cycle to Work. The new E-Bike Positive Trust Mark will help, but plenty of public confusion still. My latest for Cycling Industry News cyclingindustry.news/commuters-in...
cyclingindustry.news
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
100% - the relationship side is not easy, or quick, to build. And, as you suggest, because a charity lacks the powers or authority of a government department or council it's all about persuading people cycling is the right thing to do... if you can't do that you're stuck!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Yes - I also had this thought. It was only 18 months ago they lost a fifth of staff to funding cuts ... this expertise doesn't re-materialise overnight www.transportxtra.com/publications...
transportxtra.com
A fifth of Sustrans staff to lose jobs due to drop in fundin
Sustrans has reported that 20% of its workforce will be made redundant by the end of this financial year due to a drop in funding. The charity, which works to i
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Update - I'm told because this is not the only investment in the NCN it can't be divided up by the mileage pledge, which will also be funded through other means. This one is for projects delivered directly by the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Update - I'm told because this is not the only investment in the NCN it can't be divided up by the mileage pledge, which will also be funded through other means. This one is for projects delivered directly by the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Indeed.. some of this will be upgrades, which can be as simple/ cheap as barrier removal, which is really impactful, as illustrated by Laura's story in Lancashire www.cyclinguk.org/route-forwar.... but a lot of it will be bigger stuff
cyclinguk.org
The Route Forward
The people and places being transformed by cycling
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And here's what else you get for £25m, which National Highways' route manager describes as "not a lot of money for this type of engineering" - though it does have a 'segregated footway/cycleway' on one corner www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/2614939...
salisburyjournal.co.uk
National Highways unveils £25m plan to improve key A36 route
Major upgrades have been proposed for a key stretch of the A36.
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
While the email press release went out this morning, it doesn't seem to be on the DfT's website yet... but it is mentioned on Facebook www.facebook.com/watch/?v=134...
facebook.com
4 comments | Record £104m investment to transform the National Cycle Network (NCN) across England @activetravelengland 🚶🧑‍🦽‍➡️🚲 Working with local authorities, the funding will help maintain and expand over 12,000 miles of routes in the NCN, repair bridges, improve signage and develop new routes to create safer, more accessible journeys for communities travelling to work, school and leisure. We are delivering lasting benefits for communities by improving access to opportunities, supporting healthier lifestyles and making active travel a realistic choice for more people. | Department for Transport
Record £104m investment to transform the National Cycle Network (NCN) across England @activetravelengland 🚶🧑‍🦽‍➡️🚲 Working with local authorities, the funding will help maintain and expand over...
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I'm not convinced this is the first long-term funding ever for the NCN... I've certainly heard this phrase before. There was long-term announced in the early 2020s, under Boris Johnson's government, but subsequent years were then slashed, which I guess counts that one out
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thank you Martin - and enjoy the honeymoon. Congratulations!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
While long-term funding is key to the National Cycle Network's success, £104m over four years is £26m a year... the equivalent of upgrading a single A-road junction. CWIS3, the government's four-year strategy mentioned '7,000 additional or improved [NCN] miles by 2030'...so £14,857 per mile?
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
There's a new industry 'trust mark' to make clear which is which, with some handy explainers, if of interest ebikepositive.co.uk/pages/advice
ebikepositive.co.uk
Advice
E-Bike Positive Advice
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Could be tampered with or could be overpowered/ no pedalling required... those are actually electric motorbikes by law, unfortunately widely confused with legal e-bikes. I wrote a report on this last year, coincidentally! appgcw.org/resources/in...
appgcw.org
Unregulated and Unsafe: The Threat of Illegal E-Bikes - All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling & Walking
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
TfL told Croydon Council it is 'no longer confident' the south London borough can deliver on transport goals, after Croydon mayor apparently ordered cycle lane removal lauralaker.substack.com/p/croydon-co...
lauralaker.substack.com
Croydon council was told TfL ‘no longer confident’ it can deliver on transport goals
Transport for London’s letter to Croydon cites borough denied removal of cycle protection weeks before wand protection was ripped out
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London Cycling Campaign @londoncycling.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
TfL has defunded Croydon, similar to Tower Hamlets. lauralaker.substack.com/p/croydon-co... by @lauralaker.bsky.social TfL letter says it is "no longer confident" of Croydon being "supportive" of Mayor's Transport Strategy, demands £235k back from council & no funding until new plan emerges... 1/4
lauralaker.substack.com
Croydon council was told TfL ‘no longer confident’ it can deliver on transport goals
Transport for London’s letter to Croydon cites borough denied removal of cycle protection weeks before wand protection was ripped out
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I saw this. It sounds horrible. I hope she recovers well. The piece unfortunately conflates illegal e-motorbikes with legal e-bikes, which makes it hard to decipher what's happened
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The problem is really out of control, and it's going to take a lot to reel it back in
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Tricky! You can only tell if it's a ghost plate if its invisible to infra red (used by most ANPR cameras)... if your dash cam uses IR, you wouldn't be able to see the plate, and if it doesn't you might not tell it's a ghost... so it'd be hard, unless you've got 2 cameras trained on the plate!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Who you gonna call? lauralaker.substack.com/p/ghost-plat...
lauralaker.substack.com
Ghost Plate Busters*
Some welcome action on a massive problem on our roads
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Celebrating something positive (and for a piece I'm working on), what do you love about your local bike shop?
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
PS thanks for covering this in Birmingham - interesting piece! and good to have context from outside of London. Good point re: regions contributing to national mapping instead of relying on big tech... though I imagine that national mapping is a hefty piece of work.
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I think if Google really cared about cycle routing they would improve it... and they haven't materially improved it. We probably just need to find other cycle navigation tools
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Reposted by Laura Laker
Jon Owen @anotherjon.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If you're interested to hear, from the horse's mouth, how you get a traffic-free greenway built where you live, this is well worth a listen.
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Indeed - apparently we still need a law change for this! www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Calls for urgent law change as UK’s largest water reuse system cannot be switched on
Recycling system in Cambridgeshire development ready since 2021 is deemed not in line with drinking water rules
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
And thanks for spotting the typo... they are very big indeed!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
What is a dipping tank? Sounds fun
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Yes I do!
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Also, last week I visited a friend and her allotment, where, on a neighbouring plot, two IBCs were filled over late winter/ early spring by this tiny shed roof. These are 100l *each*. Food for thought for future dry summers° °looks for other downpipes
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I know you're dying to know... yes the 210l water butt is almost full again after a little rain here in London. Going to give the garden a good soaking before the next rainfall, coming soon
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I'm not sure why I can't just do holidays ... lauralaker.substack.com/p/an-e-bike-...
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
And finally, for this batch at least, is John Grimshaw, one of the founders of the National Cycle Network and Sustrans, who's still delivering routes in his 82nd year lauralaker.substack.com/p/community-...
lauralaker.substack.com
Community path building legend, John Grimshaw, on 40 years of DIY routes
Part of the audio accompaniment to my Rural Path Campaigner Toolkit
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
We talk to Richard Ackroyd (from my book) about Frome's 20-year campaign to connect just three miles of route that will link to a traffic-free path going all the way to Bath. After a new mile last year, on the pictured stretch, there's just one mile to go lauralaker.substack.com/p/fromes-mis...
lauralaker.substack.com
Frome's Missing Links
Part of the audio accompaniment to my Rural Path Campaigner Toolkit
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Next up, in Kent, Sheppey residents and businesses, after waiting decades for council action to revive a disused railway line for a traffic-free path, and with nowhere safe to cycle and walk across the island, get out the loppers themselves lauralaker.substack.com/p/clearing-b...
lauralaker.substack.com
Clearing brambles with Sheppey Light Rail Greenway
Part of the audio accompaniment to my Rural Path Campaigner Toolkit
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
First up, path pioneer Caroline Levett, pictured, on 20 years of building traffic-free routes, with volunteers lauralaker.substack.com/p/path-pione...
lauralaker.substack.com
Path pioneer, Caroline Levett, on a decade of building traffic-free routes with volunteers
Part of the audio accompaniment to my Rural Path Campaigner Toolkit
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I spammed my Substack followers with four audio interviews from my rural path campaigners' toolkit. Hear from the horses' mouths how you get a traffic-free greenway built where you live! More will follow, after a respectful interval...
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I took a large ebike out for a test ride last week, and it was glorious. The tent, I fear, has tented its last, but has done a solid 15 years' service
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Laura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Brilliant to see recognition of this community-led path, which fully deserves the accolade Somerset's Strawberry Line voted nation's favourite walking path www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Somerset's Strawberry Line named Britain's favourite walking path
The traffic-free route has been maintained by volunteers since the railway closed in the late 1960s.
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