The UK rail electrification story is really the perfect example of the mind bending multi decadal stupidity of treasury aversion to capital spending today on publicly owned infrastructure to achieve better outcomes at a cheaper cost tomorrow

Will you make Birmingham's roads safer? Better Streets joins with 15 organisations to make ten asks of tomorrow's politicians to address road safety.

Based on current fatality rates, 106 people will be killed in crashes on Birmingham’s roads during the 2026 to 2030 council term.

We are partnering as an unprecedented coalition of 16 national and local organisations to ask the politicians of tomorrow: Will you make Birmingham’s roads safer?

‘It’s fantastic’: How changes to Enterprise service have transformed Dublin-Belfast rail travel Passenger numbers on the Enterprise service are up by 40% in a year

‘It’s fantastic’: How changes to Enterprise service have transformed Dublin-Belfast rail travel

Railways: Firms develop new tech to electrify trains Railway operators have new options for electric trains including getting rid of locomotives altogether.

Delighted to feature in this @chrisbaraniuk.com piece for the BBC on the imminent rollout of solar to power Great British Railways 🙌

Get on board - here comes the sun! ☀️

Sign for a bus hub in Oxford Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

An important petition for Oxford better transport fans: a bus hub as part of the station redesign. Yes to more buses, no to more multi storey car parks. Do sign and share!

c.org/pqTDg8jfjM

At the National Rail Awards tonight, @lner.co.uk win the Customer Service Excellence award for their "package for a friend" offer of free period products on trains and stations. Well deserved and praised by the Women's Health Ambassador for England, Dame Professor Lesley Regan.

A woman riding a black and yellow e-bike.

The passage of the English Devolution Bill through Parliament reached a further milestone yesterday with the first committee debate.

What does the Bill mean for micromobility services, such as e-bikes? 🔋⚡️🚲

We take a look in this new blog post...

www.urbantransportgroup.org/blog/2025/09...

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

The transport select committee have just released a report into buses. Almost every bus journey starts with a walk or wheel, so improving bus journeys is vital to Sustrans' mission, and vice versa. Some thoughts:

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...

New research provides conclusive proof that 20mph in London is saving lives 🚶🚲🚌🚗

14 yrs of analysis at 150+ sites - reviewed by experts - shows:
❤️40% fewer deaths (vs 7% drop on roads where no changes were made)
❤️75% fewer children killed & 50% fewer kids hurt.

Public Transport Accessibility Level calculator (PTAL-C) | Steer

I know the Department for Transport are working on one for England. Steers have developed this for South and West Yorkshire steergroup.com/insights/new...

Before and after photo of Sint Josephlaan in Utrecht. The before photo shows a four-lane car sewage straight through a residential area. A narrow sidewalk and narrow cycle path on both sides, but there is no greenery at all. The after photo shows the new situation, in which the number of lanes has been halved and a lot of space has been added for greenery. Both on the sides and between the lanes.

In less than a year Utrecht transformed its unattractive and busy inner ring road into a livable and green city boulevard.

Less car traffic, new trees, more green, cleaner air, improved livability. A win on many levels!

Resistance to cycling infrastructure : Lessons from The Plain roundabout in Oxford Improving cycling infrastructure for safety, comfort, and experience enables cycling as a sustainable alternative to short car trips and last-mile pub…

Interesting case study on resistance to cycling infrastructure. Considers range of issues inc. material concerns, governance (inc role of traffic models) & political will.

“… institutional inertia, a legacy of motorised transport planning, and the uneven agency of stakeholders limit transformation”

Important research👇

I was one of those who experienced a moment of hope during early stages of the pandemic that transformative change in transport policy was possible. This paper explains why it didn’t happen and what that means for our ability to make the changes needed to address other crises

45% of Britons say their average travel spend has increased in 2025, as more affordable public transport and fixing potholes seen as key areas for improvement 45% of Britons report an increase in their average monthly travel spend in 2025 compared to 2024. Almost four in ten (37%) of those experiencing increased travel costs find it difficult to afford the ...

New polling on commuting in Britain by Ipsos.

Finds:

One in five (22%) find their commute stressful.

More affordable public transport (39%), fixing potholes (37%), reliable journeys (29%) and frequent public transport services (28%) are priorities for improving commutes.

Figure shows the ‘self-reinforcing cycle of car dependency’ with places designed around cars leaving people no choice but to drive, this is mistaken for demand for car travel leading to more investment in expanding road capacity.

Welcome new report on vision-led planning from Transport for Quality of Life and an array of other transport experts.

Describes the issues with current decision making and how vision-led planning *can* help us break out of a cycle of car dependency *if* it leads to the shift in approach needed

Terminus **“So if you ask me what motivates me to write about buses, it’s that so little attention is paid to the significance they have for people who have no other means of getting around. The quality of the...

Powerful writing about buses.

Covers why they matter, the good/bad of relying on them and how they’ve been pushed to the periphery of a transport system designed around cars and impact this has on some communities.

Hard pressed to find a better description of transport related social exclusion.

Suggestions for Transport for New Homes' next report: What is being built in 2026? Transport for New Homes has for some years been visiting new housing developments in person. The aim is to find out whether these are properly served by good public transport and designed for walking…

Each year we visit new housing developments to find out whether they are properly served by good public transport and designed for walking and cycling. As we plan our next round of visits, we need your help! Use the link to tell us where we should go this year:

Good piece, w/ insights from @jilliananable.bsky.social & @transform.scot

“It boils down to the fact we really do have to electrify everything. The problem is we can’t do that quickly enough”

Scot gov’s Just Transition Plan for Transport has to be more than nice words, it needs a delivery focus

Disabled people's access needs in transport decarbonisation Click on the article title to read more.

Those following the House of Lords debate on the Bus Services (No.2) Bill will know bus stop bypasses have become a particular focus, with a ban narrowly avoided & new guidance planned.

In this article from last year, @tricyclemayor.bsky.social captures perfectly what needs to happen next

Great summary of the policies the government should be prioritising to support transport decarbonisation, boost regional prosperity and increase access to decent public transport and active travel options.

Excellent work by @sophieoconnell.bsky.social in pulling this briefing together.

FlixBus turns four: Major expansion of new destinations and routes announced for anniversary with £4 tickets The travel tech brand taking the UK by storm, FlixBus, is celebrating its 4th anniversary in the UK with £4 tickets on new and expanded coach routes nationwide.

👀 travel for £4 to destinations across the UK.

Coaches are the unsung heroes of inclusive intercity & long distance travel.

Transport Secretary says there is no ‘war on motorists’ Heidi Alexander insisted ‘no serious person’ is suggesting tradespeople should ‘swap their van for a bus’.

Very welcome to hear the Transport Secretary using this line:

“Enrique Penalosa, a former mayor of Bogota (the capital of Colombia), once said: ‘An advanced city is not one where the poor have to own a car, but one where the rich choose to use public transport’.

That’s a vision I believe in.”

Planning deregulation carries serious political risks for Labour The origins of Britain’s planning system are as deeply rooted in the legacy of the great post-war Labour government as the National Health Service and welfare state.

Plans to reform environmental regulations risk irreversible harm to nature.

My amendments to the Planning Bill would prevent this.

Safeguarding nature and building homes can go hand in hand - with an empowered, well-funded planning system.

www.politicshome.com...

TRANSPORT AS A SINGLE PARENT The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. Through this survey we are keen to understand more about the ...

IPPR are looking at how transport can work better for families in the UK. As part of this we are running a survey specifically for single parents. If you are a single parent, we'd love to hear from you.

Survey closes 28th April.

Please do share with people & networks you think might be interested.

👍”Transport is the hardest sector to change because we have designed our systems around car use. Change is not easy, but we have to do it because relying on a system where everyone has to drive does not work for anyone, with the gridlock and other downsides it brings”

Also relevant to UK👇

#tldr

While this study might seem to be just about traffic, look a bit deeper…it’s really about time, or lack of it. We have a limited number of waking hours during which we can get things done.. any delay, including an unexpected traffic slowdown, can force us to make an unhealthy trade-off.

Third cycling and walking investment strategy The government will publish a third cycling and walking investment strategy setting out its long-term vision for active travel.

Gov confirming (finally) that CWIS3 will follow on from the spending review. They are required to issue this statement as the deadline for CWIS3 being consulted on and put in place (ie start of April) has been missed.

Bus operators update guidance on new housing developments - routeone The role of bus services in new housing developments has been highlighted by Stagecoach and Go-Ahead Group in a new report.

👍 “Integrating high-quality bus services into new residential developments is essential for creating sustainable and well connected communities.”

Build in the right places & at the right density to support viable bus services. These services should then be available from the day people move in.

Agree on this.

Also see these findings from a recent @cleancitiescampaign.org poll:

Seven in ten (71%) of UK car owners agree that more SUVs “will make parking more difficult” (15% disagree).

A majority of UK car owners (59%) agree that SUVs are not necessary in towns and cities (20% disagree).