1 . Tracks Through Time: Four Stunning UK Train Journeys

The United Kingdom is rightly celebrated as the birthplace of the railway. And there’s no better way to see it than sitting by the window in a train.

Glasgow to Mallaig

Considered by some to be the most scenic railway line in the world, this line takes passengers from the bustling city of Glasgow through Scotland’s wild western highlands to the remote port of Mallaig. Immerse yourself in unforgettable scenery on this journey, and don’t forget to look out for Ben Nevis!

The Caledonian Sleeper

Passengers can enjoy falling asleep to the rhythm of the train on leaving London, then waking up to the serene beauty of the Highlands at dawn right outside your window. Take a trip back in time with all the modern amenities you could want with this iconic train journey!

The Cambrian Line

Wales, with its dramatic landscapes, historic sites and inspiring vistas, offers some magical train journeys to be found in the UK. And perhaps the jewel in the Welsh crown is the Cambrian Line, which weaves its way through Mid Wales to the coast. The route begins in Shrewsbury in England and is famed for its scenery.

The Settle-Carlisle Line

No article on iconic United Kingdom train journeys would be complete without this incredible train line. Opened in 1876, the 73-mile long route takes the traveller from Settle Junction in North Yorkshire to Carlisle in Cumbria. Threatened with closure in the 1980s, the line was saved thanks to the efforts of rail lovers, and passenger numbers have gone from strength to strength.

2 . Choose the bike that suits you!

Do you want to tour Amsterdam by bike? Here are some bikes that you can choose to use.

3 . How to charge an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the biggest concerns people have when working out whether going electric is right for them.

It is true that sometimes gaining access to reliable charging can seem a bit tricky.     1    

First, download an app with a comprehensive map of the public charging points showing their locations, how powerful they are, and whether they’re working. All this is vital information because, even if you have public charging points nearby, you will need alternatives in case they’re in use.    2    

A growing number of property owners are renting out their charging points and drive ways to other local EV drivers when they’re not using them.    3     Thus, your car gets charged, the owners make money, and emissions are reduced.

    4       For example, when your car is running out of juice, you’d just pull up to a battery-change station from your car brand and sit in the car while a fully charged unit is changed in. The Chinese EV brand Nio does this, but isn’t available in the UK as yet.

For now, if charging access remains difficult for you, it’s still possible to go electric-in part.    5     Many hybrid (混合) cars are now good for 50 miles of electric running before you need to use the engine. So, if most of your driving is local, you might only need to find a charger once or twice a week, while you have the backup of a fuel engine for long journeys.

4 . Pity the poor traffic policeman. He’s the last guy you want to see when you’re speeding down the highway. But according to a major research by scientists in Canada and California, that policeman just might be saving your life or the life of someone else.

The researchers have found that a traffic ticket reduces a driver’s chance of being involved in a disastrous accident greatly. The effect doesn’t last long, however. Within months, the lead foot is back on the pedal and the risk of killing yourself or someone else is back up to where it was before that policeman stared you in the eye and wrote out that expensive ticket. It is back to business as usual for most motorists.

Traffic tickets save thousands of lives every year. Yet traffic laws are applied infrequently, almost as if by whim (心血来潮), partly because people just don’t like traffic policemen, and there are lots of other things for the government to spend money on than applying highway safety laws.

Researches looked at the month prior to a disastrous accident, and the number of traffic convictions (定罪), and then the same month in the year before. They found there were fewer tickets in the month before a disastrous accident than there were a year before, which suggests there’s a protective effect of having a ticket.

The scientists also turned up some surprising results. “Most of the crashes did not involve alcohol,” they reported. “The relative risk reduction associated with traffic convictions was remarkably consistent among women and men, regardless of age, prior driving record, and other personal data. Men, however, were involved in far more disastrous accidents than women and the most accident-prone (有倾向的) age was between 30 and 50.”

They also pointed out that most crashes could have been prevented by a small difference in driver behavior. So the next time you see that policeman in your rear-view mirror, give him or her a broad smile.

6 . Lanrick Jr. Bennett holds a unique title in Toronto: bicycle mayor. He led a Halloween Kidical Mass ride recently, which I attended with my daughter, son-in-law, their two dogs, and my granddaughter. He is working towards making cycling mainstream and safe for all residents in the city. I did not know that Toronto had a bicycle mayor; I surely would have voted for him in an election.

The bicycle mayor program is run by BYCS, an Amsterdam-based global NGO that believes “bicycles transform cities and cities transform the world”. Standing in the strange but wonderful Bentway, a park built under an elevated expressway, Bennett says, “BYCS has 150 bicycle mayors across the world. And through a few friends putting in some really nice letters of encouragement, BYCS offered me a two-year term as an advocate here in the city of Toronto, becoming the first bicycle mayor of the city.”

Bennett says he is boosting the work being done to make cycling more mainstream in Toronto. “I am giving a bit more exposure to the great work that has allowed me to be able to ride a bike throughout the city. It’s getting better, we’re seeing more infrastructure (基础设施), and we’re seeing more people not wanting to depend on cars as their primary piece. I’m happy that I have been part of a fantastic group thus far,” says Bennett.

Since there’s still a lot of work to do, Lanrick Jr. Bennett has been working hard to improve cycling conditions in Toronto, and his efforts have been recognized by the community. He has been advocating for more bike lanes (车道), better lighting, and other safety measures to make cycling a practical option for commuters (通勤者). It’s great to see people like Lanrick.

Jr. Bennett working towards making cycling safe and accessible for all residents.

9 . School Bus Safety in the United States

Each school day, millions of children ride school buses. Do you know that the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road? Less than 1% of all traffic deaths involve children on school transportation vehicles. However, children are more at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus. It’s important for you to understand school bus safety.

Stop for School Buses

When you see a school bus slowing down or stopping, it’s not just the bus that you need to have your eyes on — but the surrounding area, too. Children wait at least several feet away from a bus and often cross the street when they’re boarding or getting off the bus. This is why you must stop for school buses, and don’t attempt to pass.

Illegal School Bus Passing

Illegal school bus passing poses a significant threat to children and others on the road. In every state, it is illegal for you to pass a school bus while the stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing.

Understanding School Bus Lights

Learn the school bus laws in your state and always follow them, as well as the flashing lights that school bus drivers use to warn you.

Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. You should slow down and prepare to stop your vehicle.

Red flashing lights and extended stop-arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. You must stop your car and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving, before you can start driving again.

10 . In a small, rough shipyard on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, a small team is building what they say will be the world’s largest ocean-going clean cargo ship.

Ceiba is the first ship built by Sailcargo, a company trying to prove that zero-carbon shipping is possible, and commercially available. Made largely of wood, Ceiba combines both very old and very new technology: sailing masts stand alongside solar panels, a uniquely designed electric engine and batteries. Once on the water, she will be capable of crossing oceans entirely without the use of fossil fuels, which sets her apart.

“The thing that is striking is the fact that she’ll have one of the largest marine electric engines of her kind in the world,” Danielle Doggett said. The system also has the means to capture energy from underwater propellers (螺旋桨) as well as solar power, so electricity will be available for the engine when needed. “Really, the only limit on how long she can stay at sea is water and food on board for the crew.”

Despite some hold-ups due to the global disaster, the team hopes to get her on the water by the end of 2024 and operating by 2025, when she will begin transporting cargo between Costa Rica and Canada.

“There are actually loads of innovations happening that could transform shipping emissions, but few companies are willing to apply them to building ships like Ceiba.” says Lucy Gilliam. “So it’s not that we don’t have great ideas. The problem that we have is that fossil fuels are still too cheap. And we don’t have the rules to force people to take up the new technology.”

When it comes to promoting this kind of boat, it has to be said that Ceiba is small for a cargo ship — tiny in fact. She will carry around nine standard shipping containers. She is also relatively slow. Being a world-first, there are some aspects of Ceiba’s design that have yet to be proven at sea.