1st Session

(Small Talk)

1. Please introduce yourself to members.

2. It’s been a long time since we met, what did you do?

3. Do you have a car license?

4. Do you drive often?

UK Could Have Self-Driving Cars in 2026

Self-driving cars could be used on some roads in the UK by 2026, according to the British Transport

Secretary.

Mark Harper said people in the UK could be moving around in vehicles that are totally autonomous in

2026.

He said the vehicles could improve safety on the roads and allow more people with disabilities to use cars

independently.

At the moment, self-driving cars are used in some parts of some countries, including the US and China,

but they have been linked to a number of accidents in recent years.

Two American companies ― Cruise and Tesla ― had problems with their self-driving cars in 2023. They

both had to make changes to their vehicles during the year for safety reasons.

But Harper said that with the right technology, self-driving vehicles could make the roads safer for drivers,

passengers and other road users.

He said he had seen the cars being used in California and believed that people in the UK could soon be

writing emails while in the driver's seat.

The UK still needs to make some new laws to allow these vehicles to be used, however.

But Harper added that these vehicles would mean people with disabilities that stopped them from driving

cars would be able to do so.

However, not everyone likes the idea of self-driving cars.

In a YouGov survey done in March 2023, 42% of people across the world said they were worried about

these vehicles ― although 47% said they were not.

However, some say the price of self-driving cars will mean that only a small number of people will be able

to buy them.

- What are your thoughts on self-driving cars? Are they used in your country yet?

- Do you think self-driving cars will make the roads safer?

- Would you like to own a self-driving car someday?

2nd Session

(Small Talk)

1. Please introduce yourself to members.

2. When did you learn to ride a bicycle?

3. How often do you ride?

4. Does your city have good roads for bicycles?

Bicycles Now More Popular than Cars in Central Paris

Once, it seemed the only time when Paris was full of bicycles was when the Tour de France cycle race

went down the Champs-?lys?es in the middle of summer.

Not anymore ― bicycle use is increasing in the French capital, and more people now travel by bicycle

than by car in the center of the city.

That's according to a report from the Institut Paris Region (IPR).

The report found that Parisians use bicycles for 11% of trips in the center of the city, and use cars for only

4% of trips in the same area.

In 2010, just 3% of trips were made by bicycle.

To find out about residents' travel habits, the IPR gave more than 3,000 people ― aged between 16 and

80 ― a GPS unit and asked them to complete travel diaries.

Walking and traveling by public transport are still the most common ways to move around the city center,

but bicycles have become more popular.

For a number of years, the city has been encouraging its residents to spend more time on bicycles and

less time in cars.

Millions of dollars have been spent making the city easier to travel around by bicycle, and the French

capital now has more than 1,000 kilometers of safe cycle paths.

The measures seem to be working. The French newspaper Le Monde said at the end of last year that, in

some areas, double the number of bicycles were counted in October 2023 compared to the number seen

a year earlier.

However, the IPR report found that in the city's suburbs more than half of all trips were made by car,

although people tended to use public transport when traveling from the suburbs to the city center.

- How bad does traffic get where you live?

- Has your town or city done anything to discourage driving?

- What are the fastest ways to travel to your daily destination? (School, Work)