Paul Campbell

You can't argue with the data - LTNs are officially saving lives It’s a truth many struggle to accept, but in London cars have become killers.

“The efficacy of the measure can no longer be credibly questioned, so it’s time we started implementing them across London and at pace. With so many lives at stake we cannot afford not to.”
#LTNsAreGoodActually Chapter 847

Cartoon showing street scene with lots of cars, some of which are on or blocking pavements. One bike is also parked on a pavement. A couple are saying ‘Look - someone’s left a hire bike on the pavement’.

New drawing: Hire bike

Notes on this cartoon: open.substack.com/pub/diagramc...

All politicians implementing new transport schemes should pay very close attention to these words:

“Therefore, politicians, policymakers, and practitioners should anticipate a bias towards the status quo when introducing controversial transport policies.”

Expect pushback and get through it.

Councils need to stop pandering to vexatious complainants.

This is the wrong letter.

The right letter would have been to all residents explaining why an active lifestyle and freedom to play are important to children’s development and setting expectations for tolerance.

The “hill of hysteria”, whereby people increasingly freak out about a new transport policy right up to implementation, and then increasingly chill as the sky does not in fact fall in

Clever new study shows a powerful ‘status quo bias’ prevails re new transport policy. Looks at levels of public fear about this, finds exact inverse of the Goodwin Curve of public support: the “Hill of Hysteria”!

Sad to see so many choose to die on that hill

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

View of Mill Road from outside the Romsey Co-op showing people walking, wheeling a cycle and sitting on the public seating

Today it was revealed that Cambridgeshire County Council has successfully defended the latest legal challenge against the Mill Road bus gate.

Now all local authorities must work together with local stakeholders to urgently progress the improvements to the streetscape that will benefit all users.

Britons lacking good public transport more likely to feel lonely, UK study finds Research finds correlation between car dependency and loneliness, particularly in rural towns

"People who depend on cars to get around are more likely to feel lonely and disconnected than those who have access to good public transport, a UK study has found"

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

I also think that *some* of those campaigning for Disabled people have have behaved questionably and have distracted us for far wider problems with how our streets and roads are designed and managed - effectively arguing for a terrible status quo, because despite being so bad,

10/n

Ok, an update on the Bus Services (No.2) Bill, which some people and organisations were trying to use to ban the use of floating bus stops which would have ended the ability to build cycle tracks in England in many circumstances.

The committee stage has finished and in this specific area,

1/n

Bus stop bypasses being discussed again.

To be clear: you *cannot* build protected space for cycling without bus stop bypasses.

No country has a better design than the UK LTN 1/20 guidance.

“Boarders” are suboptimal but where space is tight they are unavoidable.

Thread:

These are cycle lanes used by women, children, elderly and disabled people to have a healthy active lifestyle in London.

Without protected cycle lanes they are just denied the opportunity to incorporate this activity into every day routines.

Chris Whitty decried this culture war today.

This is shocking.

A London Labour MP and Doctor (!) trying to hijack a bill designed to improve bus services outside of London into a bill that eliminates protected cycle lanes in London.

@drrosena.bsky.social

www.theyworkforyou.com/pbc/2024-25/Bus_Services_No._2_Bill/05-0_2025-07-01a.153.7

I want Labour to invite the Labour MPs who are trying to hijack this bill to come to public meetings in places like Chiswick to explain to the parents, children, elderly and disabled people using new cycle lanes every day why they think they should risk their lives mixing with buses.

Right I'm so pissed off that we've got London MPs trying to hijack the Local Buses Bill (which is supposed to be about STUFF OUTSIDE LONDON for a change) to try to ban London / all floating bus stops (utter nonsense), that I've stayed up late writing evidence for the committee. Join me! Link ⬇️

It’s very ugh when this happens

Yellow warning signs "Advance Warning Castle Baynard Street will be closed Sat 5 Jul 7am-8pm Sun 6 Jul 7am-8pm"

⚠️ Looks like cycleway #C3 #CS3 gets diverted 5+6 July into the Castle Baynard road tunnel, as CB Street will be closed each day 7am-8pm

📸 x.com/a1_bloke/sta...

🔥

@marshadecordova.bsky.social

Hi Marsha, I have reviewed with interest your proposed amendments to the Bus Services bill which are targeting Floating Bus Stops.

Have you considered that banning FBSs as you propose will have severe consequences for inclusiveness in Active Travel?

Two massive dense forest areas on either side of the square, with paths throughout, creating wonderful shaded and cool environments

Already popular the day before they officially opened

In hot cities, people seek out cool places

The two forests frame the square, which is still massive, but now has a completely different feel

Want greener, cooler cities that are a “breath of fresh air?“ Just in case you thought Paris wasn’t ambitious enough this weekend, on top of our new exhibition, they opened the new “Urban Forest” in the square at City Hall! Part of @annehidalgo.bsky.social & team’s brilliant urban greening strategy.

Danger from older drivers is a massive problem. Driving is not a human right. There should be basic mandatory re-tests at age 76 & every year from age 80. If this disqualified many people from driving that might help concentrate minds on the need for alternatives. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Grounds for a JR

Congestion charge is 'traffic filter by back door', says campaigner CAMPAIGN group Reconnecting Oxford has described the proposed congestion charge as “traffic filters by the back door”.

BUT MY CAR

You’d be genuinely mad to buy an SUV unless you need it - just look at latest climate and safety figures The new Kodiaq is efficient, but the Superb estate is a much better option

Refreshing from a car journalist: basically “don’t buy this SUV cos it kills kids and the climate, go and buy the estate instead.”

www.irishtimes.com/motors/revie...

Opposing LTNs doesn't make you a 'culture war' petrol-head. Just look at what happened in Lambeth | Joseph Harker For five years residents have complained about traffic being pushed on to other roads. Finally they’re being listened to, says Joseph Harker, the Guardian’s senior editor, diversity and development

Seen this @peterwalker99.bsky.social? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Senior @theguardian.com Editor pulls every Telegraph anti LTN bingo trope going. A long rant strong on Harker's opinions stated as if fact but very short on actual evidence. It's shameful Strawman rubbish frankly.

Triangular pennant flag with text 'Cyclox/ Celebrating Kids on Bikes/ KIDICAL MASS/ Streets are for everyone!' with a graphic of a cargo bike, a balance bike and a pedal bike. (credit Roger Close).

Rides converged at Gloucester Green. Image shows riders and many types of bikes in Gloucester Green, under some trees. (credit Roger Close)

Hundreds of people, including small children, rode through the streets of Oxford today to demand ‘Safe Streets’ in Kidical Mass- a family friendly, marshalled ride. Four feeder rides converged on Gloucester Green for a ride around the city.

Sadly breaking car dominance in cities will require political leaders to take angry drivers to court and win legal battles to make good things happen.

But the results are always more than worth it.

It’s spectacular.

A Member asked Officers what actions had been taken to respond to the correspondence that Members had received from the National Federation of the Blind UK (NFB) regarding floating bus stops. Officers responded that they would reply to the NFB to arrange a meeting with the committee once the new sub-committees had been elected in May. Officers confirmed that the Sub-Committee’s final decision on floating bus stops would not be made until it had meetings with the groups interested. The Member suggested that in the interim, Officers consider how existing floating bus stops in the City could be improved.

February minutes of the City of London's Streets & Walkways sub committee.

NFBUK refuses to discuss better designs, their position is simply to ban them.

This position will hurt people and help keep the streets objectively dangerous for their members.

democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/documents/s2...

Hi Rob. Great to hear from you. Let me know your plans for the Chiswick visit. Gonna be a scorcher this week and Cycleway 9 will be proudly showing off how many people are using it.

Since you left antis have gone very quiet too. Hard to argue with the success of the cycle lane.

We actually tried bike therapy with a local bike-hating politician. She found it too scary and ended up cycling on the pavement.

And then spent the next 8 years vigorously opposing safety for cyclists