Prof Charles Musselwhite

Why has the 20mph limit become such a political issue in the Welsh election? Political parties are lining up to talk about where they stand on the 20mph urban speed limit in the Welsh election campaign.

Is the 20 mph speed limit debate coming back for Wales’s Senedd election? New post by me & @charliemuss.bsky.social for @theconversationuk.bsky.social discusses the what and why.

eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Why has the 20mph limit become such a political issue in the Welsh election? Political parties are lining up to talk about where they stand on the 20mph urban speed limit in the Welsh election campaign.

New piece in The Conversation: Wales’ 20mph limit became political and still faces backlash despite collisions being down. My analysis of X also shows public mood becoming more positive over time. Evidence + sentiment both matter. 🚦
theconversation.com/why-has-the-...

Delighted to introduce today’s Climate Conversations with @agecymru.bsky.social at the National Botanic Garden of Wales 🌱 Great to hear directly from older people on housing & transport — and how these everyday issues connect to climate action. Powerful insights shaping Wales’ future.

Research Trends in Environmental Psychology: A Bibliometric Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Publications, 2004-2024 Discussions about environmental psychology’s constituent research topics and future directions have persisted over several decades. In this bibliometr…

🌍New paper: research trends in environmental psychology🌍
4,300+ articles (2004–24) analysed: growth in climate change & pro-environmental behaviour topics but less visibility for built env., ageing, migration & conflict.
Where next for env psych? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Thank you for joining us at the Senedd! We had an inspiring discussion alongside experts, including @charliemuss.bsky.social from @aberuni.bsky.social on:
💜 How to make Wales and the world healthier
💡 Living well and ageing well
Find out more about our work here: dewischoice.org.uk

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Diolch am ymuno â ni yn y Senedd! Cawsom drafodaeth ysbrydoledig ochr yn ochr ag arbenigwyr, gan gynnwys @charliemuss.bsky.social o Brifysgol Aberystwyth ynghylch:
💜 Sut mae gwneud Cymru a'r byd yn iachach
💡 Byw'n dda, heneiddio'n dda
Cewch ddarllen mwy am ein gwaith yma: dewischoice.org.uk

Likewise. You're doing great work! Let's think how we can bring it all together.

Presented today on healthy transport & ageing at the Senedd, Wales.

Great talks & discussion too, inc. Rebecca Zerk @choiceolderppl.bsky.social, Angharad Jones from healthcare ed & Luis Mur on rapid prostate cancer tests.

"Independence means being able to get out, connect & access what matters"

Don’t expect your car’s safety technology to save you What if ADAS is just for convenience?

I wrote this a couple years ago, warning that car safety tech will never be a panacea.

A big reason why: Drivers take more risks when they assume technology will protect them if something goes wrong. It's known as the Peltzman effect, and it's really bad news if you're walking or biking.

I'm at a #TRBAM session about car tech (AVs and ADAS).

@iihs-hldi.bsky.social head of research says ADAS leads people to drive more dangerously, negating its crash avoidance potential.

A reminder that safety tech can look a lot less useful when you consider human behavior changes.

One of the best write ups I’ve read on road safety claims by AVs.
We’re not comparing apples with apples human driver v AV.
And remember:
“Self-driving technology is only one of many tactics available to reduce crashes, and it is not at all clear that it offers the highest return on investment”

Towards a research agenda to better understand the role of walking for healthy ageing and wellbeing in African cities

New paper out with Carlo Luiu in Journal of Transport & Health. We call for a new research agenda that treats walking as health care and streets as spaces of care for older adults in African cities.

🚶🏾‍♀️ From walking-by-necessity to walking-by-design. 🌍

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

Nicky Campbell - What makes a good manager? Plus should older drivers take new tests? - BBC Sounds What makes a good manager? And should older drivers take new tests? Nicky takes your calls

Spoke on BBC Radio 5 & Radio Wales on older driver safety

Eyesight matters, but visual acuity alone is not linked to crash risk

Evidence supports supportive, age-friendly approaches over blunt screening

🎧
BBC 5 (1h17m): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
BBC Wales (48m): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Is laughter heritable? On the evolution of laughter, why Darwin tickled chimpanzees, giggling twins, and what might be the only trait that is completely heritable (a bit gross). You can't go wrong with Nancy Segal and Sophie Scott on the show. @aberuni.bsky.social @charliemuss.bsky.social

YouTube video by Checked Label Services Asda | A Very Merry Grinchmas ('Let It Snow')

That Asda Christmas advert is awful. From the stereotypical nonsense that the dad is (and hence, hilariously, all dads are) a grinch around Christmas to the local market being hideously expensive compared to the multinational Asda - to that horrible smug singing at the end youtu.be/Cq2MtslmFX4?...

🚌🚞🚵‍♀️ 58th Universities Transport Study Group Annual Conference is at the University of Surrey 13-15 July 2026

✨Bring your bold ideas, bright visions & transport futures to Surrey in July

Abstract submission open, deadline: 10 Feb '26 → utsg.net/annual-confe...

See you in the Guildford sunshine! ☀️

Today I spoke on phone-ins on BBC Radio 5 & BBC Radio Wales about the default 20mph limit.
🔹 Safety is improving
🔹 Public attitudes are shifting as the policy beds in
📻 BBC Radio 5 (1h42): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
📻 BBC Radio Wales (44 mins): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Great evening last night watching System 7 and Ozric Tentacles. Where prog meets dance and it works.

📝New article! ✨Working with an advisory group to share power to shape intergenerational climate debate, challenge climate stereotypes & spark creativity - collage, walking, comic futures & a workshop dice-game 🎲Huge thanks to collaborators! 🙌 #ClimateResearch www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

This is a great find. Thank you.

This is a good point. I found 88% of older people didn’t walk at the DfT required speed of 1.2m/s (no one knows where that figure comes from by the way - think it’s a 1950s MSc diss from the US) (I didn’t look at blackout period) see more www.drcharliemuss.com/crossing-the...

There was an excellent video aimed at Boris Johnson when he was mayor 3 out of 4 older people can’t cross the road. Wanting very catchy lyrics and tune … youtu.be/lpwboQxVJtg?...

Great to see Will Barnes Quartet tonight. Impressive musicianship, some amazing crazy changes in melody and timing. Prog rock and metal influences in some excellent Welsh place based jazz. Well done Aberystwyth Arts Centre - great venue and sound. More about them here ukjazznews.com/will-barnes-...

Free full paper link for 50 days here:
authors.elsevier.com/c/1m4Iq56Waj...

👥 For politicians & policymakers: early backlash to 20 mph limits is normal - but it fades.
As people see safer streets & clearer info, negativity drops and support grows.
✅ Communicate local benefits
✅ Tackle misinformation early
✅ Link 20 mph to wellbeing, not restriction
#20mph #PublicPolicy

💡 Key takeaway: even controversial policies can gain acceptance when:

The benefits become visible (e.g., fewer crashes, safer streets)

People have time to adapt

Communication is open & evidence-led

Behaviour change takes time — but it does happen.

#PublicPolicy #Transport #Wales

📊 Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) & VADER sentiment analysis, we explored how public debate evolved.

At first, the 20 mph policy was framed as “political” — but over time, talk shifted toward safety, children, and urban mobility.

People began seeing the benefits 🚸

🚗 New paper out!
We analysed 70k+ tweets about Wales’ new 20 mph speed limit
Public negativity dropped & positivity rose over 6 months — showing attitudes adapt with time 🕒
“Public perspectives on the 20 mph speed reduction in Wales”
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.js...
#20mph #RoadSafety #BehaviourChange

Loved teaching our MSc Behaviour Change students this week — great ideas on how psychology can shape more sustainable and inclusive transport! 🚴‍♀️🚌 #BehaviourChange #TransportPsychology

The Phone In - Oliver Hides takes your calls on the Caerphilly by-election, motorists' disrespect for funerals and Jess Fishlock. - BBC Sounds Caerphilly by-election, motorists' disrespect for funerals and Jess Fishlock.

A great chat on BBC Radio Wales about driving etiquette — it’s not just about rules, but norms.

We could all slow down a bit. It barely adds time to our journey, but makes driving calmer, more civil, and less stressful for all.🚗✨

1h10m in www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
#DrivingEtiquette #RoadSafety