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Budget leaves retail sector disappointed with support offered by the Chancellor

16 Mar 2023

Industry experts and trade associations in the retail sector have been expressing their disappointment at the support offered to retailers in the Chancellor’s Budget.
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UK home entertainment market enjoys its tenth consecutive year of growth.

15 Mar 2023

The UK home entertainment market enjoyed its tenth consecutive year of growth in 2022 to reach a record, according to figures published by the Entertainment Retailers Association.
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Retailers face up to £1m fines for underage knife sales under new sentencing guidelines

14 Mar 2023

Retailers caught selling knives to children in England and Wales could face a £1m fine when new sentencing guidelines come into effect on 1 April.
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80% of British public want card payment fees slashed as the cost-of-living crisis hits businesses

14 Mar 2023

New data shows that a majority of the UK public oppose the rising and unregulated costs British businesses face for simply accepting payments. With the cost of doing business at record levels,... Read more…

How independents can become more sustainable

13 Mar 2023

From saving energy and lighting costs, to using biodegradable packaging and prolonging a product’s lifespan, Drapers Magazine has been looking at how independent retailers can improve... Read more…

Over 160,000 SMEs without mandatory employers’ liability insurance risk fines and prosecution

3 Mar 2023

More than 160,000 small businesses in the UK with between one and nine employees will not have employer’s liability insurance by the end of the year, according to new research from Smart... Read more…

Bakers showing resilience despite cost pressures

3 Mar 2023

Britain’s bakers are showing great resilience despite continued cost and operational pressures, according to industry groups.
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New research shows local high streets & shopping centres more resilient than major shopping hubs in cost-of-living crisis

3 Mar 2023

New data from commercial property specialist Colliers shows that in the face of the UK’s cost of living crisis, minor retail destinations such as local high streets and shopping centres... Read more…

Value of contactless payments grew 50% last year.

27 Feb 2023

Barclays, which oversees nearly half of the UK’s card spending, has reported that the total value of contactless payments made using Barclays cards in the UK increased by 49.7% year on... Read more…

UK bike sales hit 20-year low but long-term outlook remains positive

22 Feb 2023

The Annual Market Data Report for 2022 from The Bicycle Association (BA) reports annual cycle sales in the UK fell to 1.88 million units in 2022, a 20-year low, 27% below pre-COVID levels in... Read more…

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Majority of drivers unaware of Highway Code changes intended to protect cyclists & pedestrians.

Posted on in Cycles News

A new YouGov survey has found that 60% of drivers remain unfamiliar with last year’s Highway Code updates, which were intended to improve the safety of vulnerable road users in the UK.

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The changes introduced a “Hierarchy of Road Users”, giving pedestrians, as the most vulnerable, followed, by cyclists, priority over motorists.

YouGov poll surveyed 2,168 adults on behalf of charity Cycling UK. 60% of respondents said they knew either “not very much” or “nothing at all” about the Highway Code updates. Of those who were aware, only 28% correctly responded to the question “how much space should a driver leave when overtaking people cycling at speeds of up to 30mph?”

This comes at a time when a separate survey found that only a fraction of cyclists believe that road conditions have improved in the year since the Highway Code changes were introduced. Just 18% of UK cyclists believe they have made a positive difference to road safety. Around one in 10 said that junctions have felt more dangerous, while a further 70% said they hadn’t noticed a difference at all.

Cyclists received fresh guidance to ride in the centre of a lane on quieter roads, in slower-moving traffic and at the approach to junctions to make themselves as clearly visible as possible. They were also reminded they can ride two abreast, as has always been the case and which can be safer in large groups or with children. However, they must be aware of drivers behind them and allow them to overtake if it is safe to do so.

Just one-fifth of the cyclists polled by Cycleplan said they feel safe cycling on UK roads, while 32% have had, or nearly had, an accident in the last 12 months.

When asked whether they feel that cycling safety is taken seriously enough by legislative bodies, just one in 10 agreed that the UK Government makes this a priority. A further 12% agreed that their local council takes cycling safety seriously.

This could have an impact on the Government’s 2025 cycling targets with  just 14% of UK cyclists saying they would be happy for a family member to commute to work or school by bike and would prefer to use a car instead.

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