Speaking a fair amount of cloud in the skies as well. Around double figures in the south of the country but at this stage the weather is quickly deteriorating in the north west of the uk as storm bella approaches. The thinking is during the course of the evening on boxing day the weather will go downhill first in the north west of the uk and then quickly the bad weather will spread from the north west towards the south east. We think particularly along this cold front we will see some nasty conditions across wales and also england, and thats where the worst of the wind will be. The met office has issued an amber warning. This is certainly for southern parts of wales and along the English Channel. Damaging winds, up to 80 mph are possible. Also across england there will be Gale Force Winds causing problems so storm bella is likely to bring some flooding, particularly across parts of wales and the south west of the country and those damaging winds as well. As we go through the course of sunday morning that cold front sweeps out into the north sea and near continent. Then the wind will dramatically die down and as far as sunday is concerned it is a mixture of sunny spells, chilly conditions and just about cold enough for some wintry weather here as well. We will find ourselves in the centre of that storm. We are still in the middle of the low pressure on monday and there is just the possibility of some light sleet or snow almost anywhere across the uk, even in the south of the country. Goodbye. This is bbc news. The headlines. Queen elizabeth has been reflecting on the hardships of the coronavirus pandemic in her Christmas Speech as she and Prince Philip break tradition by staying in windsor. People have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year and i am so proud and moved by this quiet, indomitable spirit. European Union Ambassadors get details of a post brexit trade deal in a Christmas Day briefing led by michel barnier. Thousands of lorry drivers are spending Christmas Day in their vehicles near dover as 800 military personnel continue to test stranded hauliers. The government says more than 10,000 tests have been done. Police in the us city of nashville in tennessee say a huge explosion in the city centre was a deliberate act. At least three people have been injured. Now one of the highlights of the year from now one of the highlights of the yearfrom our world. Anna travels gcioss yearfrom our world. Anna travels across europe to see how people get around on their bikes and asks if a surge in cycling is the start of a much bigger change in the way we travel. From the bubonic plague to tuberculosis, pandemics have historically changed the way our cities are designed, and the coronavirus has been no different. Coronavirus is a moment in which every policymaker can make a u turn. Lockdown made our capitals quieter, greener, and weve seen wildlife blossoming like never before. Its like a paradise for me now. You can see maybe tens of thousands of bicycles everywhere. We are travelling around europe, meeting the people who are trying to implement the biggest changes in cities weve seen in decades. Three months ago, here, you had a lot of cars in this path, 0k . Now its for bicycles. But this rapid shift towards pedal power has created a problem. I just went there and it was empty, you know. There were no bikes. Could the pandemic see a shift to more environmentally friendly modes of transport . Or will we simply return to the way we were . Dutch bike lanes are the envy of the world. Its so much part of us. It is as if we are all born with a bike. Like you take a shopping bag, you take your bike. But it wasnt always this way. Maatje van putten was a dutch politician. This is me and my son, 1976. The netherlands traffic is in europe the most dangerous for children. Maatje was a key player in the movement that transformed dutch cities in the 1960s and 70s. The start was there in the 70s when people got alarmed about the figures of children on the way to school. The accidents the numbers were so high that we had to do something, and thats how it begun. Here, the action groups and this is us we want a car free sunday at least once a month that was in the oil crisis. In 1973, maartje launched a campaign called stop the child murder. We sat together and said that this cant go on. We have to do something. And so more and more actions were taken. We were blocking roads in the rush hour people on their way home drivers totally overtaken and surprised about mothers in a circle on the corner of the road, blocking it. And there you were, right at the front . Maybe, yeah. Me and this. Maartjes efforts have been immortalised as the heroine of a new childrens book. Here we went through the tunnel, under the water, here in the and then, on the other side, the police was there. The amount of space by the car traffic was so enormous that that was, well, eating up the space for cyclists and also pedestrians. The whole infrastructure of the netherlands was totally focused on on, yeah, lets say, priority of cars. Bikes was not an issue. Today, amsterdam has 767 kilometres of cycle lanes and more bikes than people. But even here, the pandemic is changing the way people get about. Because of covid 19, it didnt feel right to go by tram any more, so it was actually the right time to now get a bakfiets cargo bike. Judith and johan hartog bought an electric cargo bike at the start of lockdown. Were not really going on a on a vacation now, so, like a staycation, we stay in holland and we do a lot by bike now, so its you can put a lot of things in, you can get the bags and go out, like here in the park or maybe and were going to the beach by bike so its easy for days days off. Could you have imagined having this, being this dutch mum, six months ago . No, we would never have thought. So, yeah, its fun. Its its different and its also a bit cliched, but yeah, we like it we love it. The pandemic has been a catalyst for many people here to invest savings they wouldnt otherwise have had. Its not only mobility anymore, you know, because its also fun. Theyre singing in the bike and they have fun, youre in nature its a whole different way of going out. The netherlands already had world renowned infrastructure but the coronavirus has still significantly shifted behaviour. Cargo bike sales have gone up by 53 this year and the e bike is now the most commonly sold type of bicycle. Brussels, the capital of belgium. Since march, its built a0 kilometres of new cycle paths. Ive been here for two weeks and then, all of a sudden, the world changed, so of course i decided that i want to, you know, take all the measures that i can to stay healthy. When brussels went into lockdown, Vesselina Foteva decided cycling was the fastest, safest way to travel, and went out to buy a bike. Ijust entered the bike shop and had an image of myself, you know, buying a beautiful bike and matching with the nice helmet. But i just went there, and it was empty, you know . There were no bikes. I wanted to order one, but they said that i need to wait at least two months to get the bike. So i said, ok. No way. I cannot wait so much because, you know, the whole summer will be gone. A friend of mine, really by accident, told me that she heard about this subscription based service, where you can pay a monthly fee and get the bike at your home. So i told her that thats really cool. Commuters make up the majority of those whove subscribed to this particular scheme, swa pfiets. The Dutch Company is expanding into three new cities to capitalise on a spike in demand that came with covid. When it was already official that we are living in a global pandemic, i decided that i will avoid as much as possible public transport. So this is probably the main reason to decide to have a bike. But its notjust commuters who are switching to two wheels. Cycling traffic surged in brussels during the first week of the return to school, with a 75 increase compared to last year. Milan was one of the first cities to embrace cycling as a way to get its residents moving around again. This is one of italys most polluted cities, and its also in the heart of the region that was the epicentre of the outbreak in europe. Peppino drali is one of italys most famous bike manufacturers. Now, at 92, peppino has been building bikes for more than 80 years. And the crisis has meant an unparalleled pressure on peppino and his apprentice, alessandro. As the demand for their handmade bikes has soared. But peppino isnt convinced the boost in their sales is reflected in the number of actual cyclists on the streets. Are you hopeful that in the future, it will again be like it was when you were a boy . And there are many who hope pepino is right, that the surge in cycling is just a phase. Claudio severgnini is slipping back into his old routine. Hes been driving passengers around milan for more than two decades. Thats incredible, so you have to cross the cycle lane to go into your taxi rank here . But the roads he knows like the back of his hand are being altered and he is worried about cars being pushed out. Claudio is concerned these bike lanes through the heart of his city have appeared too fast without enough consideration for cars. No . Chuckles. Its already causing a lot of conflict. Transforming the roads, making room for cyclists, involves taking sections away from the drivers. And this side is also new . Yes, that side is correct. The parking over side. 0n the pavement . Oh, so now they park. . So not space. Wow. But there is an urgency in this part of italy, as everyone we meet has been touched by the pandemic. This time has forced reflection. For some, the changes are not going far or fast enough. Most of milans new bike routes are only temporary paintjobs. Environmentalists are using the Current Situation to push for permanent infrastructure. Coronavirus is a moment in which, you know, every policymaker can make a u turn, completely, and change their own cities. Anna gerometta is an environmentalist and activist. She believes curtailing car use and backing bikes is an investment for a healthierfuture. Climate groups have warned People Living in polluted cities are more at risk of contract and lung infections like covid 19. The failure to have the courage to change now, in a situation in which you have some time to prepare the people, can be really disastrous. This is a major concern for the people gathered here tonight. They are the Critical Mass and they are, you know, a movement that has been going on for years. They ride every thursday night and they want to show our policymakers that citizens of milan really want a different kind of city. There are a few lanes that have been built but compared to the need and the necessity of this city and the will of people and the wish of the population of milan to have a different mobility and way to go around, they are really a drop in the ocean. Its a matter of a completely different quality of life. If you have a city where you your air is so polluted that you get sick and your children get sick, that is an important topic that you, as a public, policymaker, you should be addressing. The Regional Government has so far spent 115 Million Euros to stimulate cycling, but milans urban planner told us many italians just arent ready to get on the saddle. Its absolutely not true. Probably the mentality of the politicians is too old and they are not seeing what the people really want, and their capacity of their own population and citizens to accept large changes with a very happy heart. The french capital is spending record amounts transforming the streets to try and make cycling a viable option for everyone. Its going to be so interesting to see how this massive investment in cycling is actually changing the way people are moving around the city. It is like a revolution, you know, because before, we had a city with cars, only cars, and now we have a city with bicycles, with walking, with public transportation, but it is good for ecology. I know we have some problems but it is a priority for the next month to solve this problem, and im sure we can solve this. Here, its before. Now, its a new world. 0k the most iconic change is here on the notoriously petrol filled rue de rivoli. Sections are now completely car free. David belliard is the deputy mayor of paris. Hes a green politician who has been pushing for these measures for years. Three months ago, here, you had a lot of cars in this path, 0k . Now, its for bicycles. The more you give space for bicycles, the more they use it. Yeah, build and they will come, they say. Yeah, look at that. Its like its a big traffic jam, you know . People here have been telling me how they went into lockdown and then came out to this a whole new world. These types of changes normally take decades. Because of the pandemic, there was an urgency, which meant they happened here overnight. Cycling levels after the lockdown increased by 27 compared to last year. Paris is in a big transformation, a big bang of mobility, but a big bang with public space. We will organise city to allow you to take your bicycle safely and we will change rules and we will make you more bicycle path and we need to give back some space to parisians. Its a profound Culture Shift thats taking some adjusting. We saw cyclists being pulled over for running red lights and cycling with headphones on. Its clearly not clear to everyone who has the right of way. Which means for some people, its time to go back to school. Speaks french. This isjoel sick. Hes an instructor at maison du velo cycling school. Since the coronavirus struck, the french government has invested 20 Million Euros in a push to get more parisians using bikes. These classes are now free to anyone in the city who wants to learn to ride. Its like a paradise for me now. You can see maybe tens of thousands of bicycles everywhere, so it is very becoming so popular. Remy dunoyer is a bike mechanic. His repair shop in downtown paris stayed open through lockdown. In response to the pandemic, the french government started contributing to the cost of bike repairs. We have a name for a new service which is out of the basement service. With dusty bicycles, like this one, or any other one, so we have a special service for this use in which we include help from the government they have 50 euros to help people to fix those bicycles. Sometimes they are very, very rusty and hard to fix so it is cheaper for the people to reuse this one than to buy a new one. While other businesses have been shedding staff or cutting down, remy has been hiring and Opening New Stores through the country. It was an opportunity for us to open a new city which is in strasbourg. We open a second one in bordeaux, so two shops in bordeaux, one in paris and maybe soon a second one in paris and in strasbourg too. Across europe, more than a billion euros has been spent and 2300 kilometres of bike lanes created since the pandemic began. Reduced car use has seen pollution fall by 50 in some of europes biggest cities. But whether this covid related trend continues depends on the scale of the continued investment and how many of us are committed to keep cycling, changing cities possibly forever. As promised, weather was pretty quiet on Christmas Day across most of the uk, with some sunshine, but now all eyes on the atlantic and the weather is about to turn. Storm bella is expected to bring heavy rain and severe gales on boxing day night. In the short term, the weather is actually not too bad. In the small hours of saturday morning its a case of increasing wind around coastal areas but, yes, some heavy rain already reaching parts of western scotland but for the bulk of the uk i think a fairly calm night. 0vercast in most areas, just a few showers here and there and not cold at all. Mild air is being swept in by the storm. Through the course of saturday, the weather is looking pretty decent, especially around eastern parts of england. Maybe the midlands, the English Channel coast as well. Sunny spells here but generally speaking a fair amount of cloud in the skies as well. Around double figures in the south of the country but at this stage the weather is quickly deteriorating in the north west of the uk as storm bella approaches. The thinking is during the course of the evening on boxing day the weather will go downhill first in the north west of the uk and then quickly the bad weather will spread from the north west towards the south east. We think particularly along this cold front we will see some nasty conditions across wales and also england, and thats where the worst of the wind will be. The met office has issued an amber warning. This is certainly for southern parts of wales and along the English Channel. Damaging winds, up to 80 mph are possible. Also across england there will be Gale Force Winds causing problems so storm bella is likely to bring some flooding, particularly across parts of wales and the south west of the country and those damaging winds as well. As we go through the course of sunday morning that cold front sweeps out into the north sea and near continent. Then the wind will dramatically die down and as far as sunday is concerned it is a mixture of sunny spells, chilly conditions and just about cold enough for some wintry weather here and there as well. We will find ourselves in the centre of that storm. We are still in the middle of the low pressure on monday and there is just the possibility of some light sleet or snow almost anywhere across the uk, even in the south of the country. Goodbye. This is bbc news. These are the headlines in the uk and around the world. Queen elizabeth has been reflecting on the hardships of the coronavirus pandemic in her Christmas Speech as she and Prince Philip break tradition by staying in windsor. People have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year and i am so proud and moved by this quiet, indomitable spirit. European Union Ambassadors get details of a post brexit trade deal in a Christmas Day briefing led by michel barnier. Police in the us city of nashville in tennessee say a huge explosion in the city centre was a deliberate act. At least three people have been injured. Pope francis gives his Christmas Day address urging all nations to share covid 19 vaccines and calling for peace in war torn areas