Nigel Hughes

Man who drove 135mph jailed for 10 years after fatal M40 crash Police says CCTV footage shows Trad Almaghrabi leaving the scene on foot.

With criminality this serious ending in death, what other crime would escape national news? This was only BBC local. What more must happen for a lifetime ban? Driving is a privilege, not a right. Our culture — and sentencing — needs radical change.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Times. Fortnightly talks agreed with the EU to thrash out Brexit 'reset'. 30 January.

The Brexit 'reset' bill is essential for closer UK-EU alignment. We are glad that the Government are intensifying negotiations, and we hope discussions on other areas, such as rejoining the Single Market and Customs Union, continue to develop.

Health pledges top the list of Britons’ New Year’s resolutions for 2026

Cycling and walking could help deliver almost everything Brits say they want to achieve in 2026 — if we design streets to support them.

Getting fitter, losing weight, being healthier, saving money; enabling active travel quietly does all of it. With no gym contracts.

A road with a wide pavement. There is a small car park on the right, with an SUV poking very far out onto the pavement. The text says "Carspreading. King of the...pavement?".

Today's BBC #Carspreading article takes a good look at the issue of the rise of the SUV, with reasons and solutions, but doesn't mention #RoadDanger at all. Children are 82% more likely to suffer fatal injuries in an SUV collision than one involving a car. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The exercise at least four times more efficient than walking Cycling represents one of the most energy-efficient forms of transport ever invented

The exercise at least four times more efficient than walking | The Independent share.google/hRfxfnnYw30T...

"Walkable, dense, urban metropolitan areas are associated with
higher economic activity, with the largest 35 urban metros in the U.S. accounting for 19.1 percent of U.S. GDP despite only making up 1.2 percent of U.S. land and 6.8 percent of the total U.S. population."

Physical separation between cyclists, pedestrians and motorists key to safer streets, research shows The study also found that bad behaviour is the biggest contributing factor towards streets hostile to walking and wheeling

road.cc/content/news...

The Most Efficient Traveler Isn’t a Bird or a Fish—It’s You on a Bike A famous graphic, now updated, compares locomotion in the animal kingdom

www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...

The Welsh 20mph default reduced casualties by 25% and insurance costs by £90m. If done in England expect reductions of 15,000 casualties pa and insurance by £2bn pa. Implementation cost would be approx £0.5bn. For comparison, 1st yr depreciation on new cars registered in England in 2024 was £78bn

Nearly 900 fewer people injured since 20mph introduction in Wales Figures show a 25% reduction in the number of injuries on Wales' roads in the past 18 months.

Almost 900 fewer people have been injured on Welsh roads since the default speed limit was lowered from 30 to 20mph two years ago

Casualties on 20 to 30mph roads between July and September 2024 were the lowest for the three month-period since records began in 1979

👏 Evidence-led policy

New research finds that 1 in 5 drivers near school zones is distracted. Most were using their phones; some were fiddling with their cars' infotainment systems.

Drivers of big SUVs and pickups were more prone to be distracted.

doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

Does your elected representative know about #MyRideOurRight?

🚲 My ride: Cycling should feel liberating, not intimidating.
✊ Our right: Safe, accessible journeys for everyone.

👉 https://action.cyclinguk.org/page/172411/action/1?ea.tracking.id=BS

Safety and space at risk as SUVs reach 30% of car market in English cities, researchers warn Campaigners call for Paris-style parking charges amid fears big vehicles are taking up excessive public space

Local and national governments should act to stop the spread of these oversized cars. As Anna Goodman says:

“This has important implications for congestion, public space and road safety. The evidence is clear that SUVs increase road danger for people walking and cycling, particularly for children”

I❤️ traffic Said no one ever More people walking cycling and using transit benefits everyone.

Movement With Benefits

@thebikinglawyer.bsky.social

A policy that benefited the richest and cost the UK £100bn: it's long past time to end the fuel duty freeze | Larry Elliott Successive chancellors have steered clear of increasing taxes for motorists for 15 years, but this should be a no-brainer for cash-strapped Rachel Reeves, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott

“A policy that benefited the richest and cost the UK £100bn: it’s long past time to end the fuel duty freeze.”

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

👀 Coming this August… a new long-distance cycling route awaits!

Expect stunning views, historic trails, charming villages, well-timed stops for coffee and cake. Filming location for Midsomer Murders, Vicar of Dibley & Chitty Chitty Bang Bang… 🎬

⬇️ Can you guess where?

Dear Britain, it’s now clear: 20mph zones save lives and don’t slow traffic. Implement them | Sadiq Khan There is too much bluff and bluster on this subject. Ordinary people just want safe streets for themselves and those they love, and we can achieve that, says London mayor Sadiq Khan

This is excellent to see from Sadiq Khan.

The evidence is clear on 20mph:

“… the number of people killed or seriously injured on London borough roads reduced by 34% following the implementation of 20mph speed limits, with the number of children killed falling by 75% (from four to one).“

Data published this year shows 20mph on London borough road resulted in:
📉40% drop in fatal collisions
📉75% fall in kids being killed
📉34% fall in people being killed or seriously injured.

Great to see Enfield making their streets safer with 20mph 👍👍

#VisionZeroLDN

“There is now majority support for electoral reform among the voters of all five principal parties across the UK.”

Fantastic to host the esteemed Prof Sir John Curtice at our joint UD-MVM webinar this week.

If you missed it, you can watch it back here 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXme...

The real reason why Trump is killing the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawai'i The Keeling Curve, measured there, is irrefutable evidence of increasing CO2 emissions Column  When you don't like the message, what do you do? You shoot the messenger, of course.…

The real reason why Trump is killing the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawai'i

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article about Brussels sprouts:”Contemporary Brussels Sprouts. In the 1990s, Dutch scientist Hans van Doorn identified the chemicals that make Brussels sprouts bitter: sinigrin and progoitrin. This enabled Dutch seed companies to crossbreed archived low-bitterness varieties with modern high-yield varieties, over time producing a significant increase in the popularity of the vegetable.”

Wait you’re telling me that Brussels Sprouts LITERALLY tasted awful when I was a kid and I didn’t just magically start liking them as an adult?????

"How can you trust a system that asks you to participate once every 5 years, only to disregard most people’s votes?"

Yesterday we also spoke at the National Liberal Club, alongside @ollyglover.bsky.social

Democracy can't be taken for granted. To make it resilient, we must allow people to be heard.

We don't know who the next Prime Minister will be.

But unless we change the voting system, it's likely to be someone who the vast majority of the public doesn't want.

We could easily end up with one party winning total power on under 30% of the vote.

Would you risk it? #PRnow

Exercise ‘better than drugs’ to stop cancer returning after treatment, trial finds First clear evidence that structured exercise regime reduces risk of dying by a third, can stop tumours coming back or a new cancer developing

In the UK, physical inactivity among adults causes 1 in 6 deaths and costs the NHS over £1 billion annually.

Building more cycle lanes, enabling safe walking options, and encouraging reduced car dependency can benefit everyone.

Trickle down failing the 1%'er. Only the 0.1% can afford things now.

Here's a regular reminder that 6 in 10 people in the UK are represented by an MP they didn't vote for.

That's not counting the people who didn't feel inspired to vote at all.

Or those who voted tactically but would've preferred someone else.

We deserve better. #PRnow.

No one party, on its own, represents modern Britain.

If we keep giving all the power to parties backed by a minority - in a system that already encourages tactical voting - we'll keep getting governments that most of the country is unhappy with.

To rebuild trust, we must fix the system.

I see spending a few £100k improving the paving for pedestrians on Cowley Road was worth it

🚮 using pedestrian crossing as parking (!!!)
🚮 blocking the pavement
🚮 wrecking paving for thousands of future pedestrians

Who thinks this sort of behaviour is OK?!

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

The debunked theory that LTNs increase traffic on boundary roads and asking communities to pay the price because drivers want to save a few minutes on their journeys.

Drivers recognize that this behavior is unethical, this makes the article nonsensical.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...