Ian Harrison

Louise Haigh resigns as UK transport secretary Haigh tells prime minister in letter she is ‘totally committed to our political project’ but believes ‘it will be best served by my supporting you from outside government’

Be under no illusions. This conviction has been known about for years. Some very powerful and rich people/companies who stand to lose a lot of money from a people-first transport policy leaked this.

That is what we’re fighting against. They will fight dirty.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Sad news to wake up to. Haigh set out the most compelling vision for transport that we’d seen in decades and demonstrated she understood the need for big reforms to how transport works for people across the UK. Whoever comes next in the role must pick up exactly where she left off

Transport Secretary unveils her vision for integrated transport across England The Integrated National Transport Strategy will set out a 'people first approach' to getting people around the country.

This is a little disappointing.
I was expecting a plan. We have lots of evidence already.
Is this just a way of getting more fancy ticketing for public transport? More techbro shiny stuff rather than the mundane unsexy things like improving walking and cycling
www.gov.uk/government/n....

Integrated National Transport Strategy: a call for ideas A call for ideas to support the development of an Integrated National Transport Strategy for England.

Don't forget she wants our "ideas". Before Jan 25th.
www.gov.uk/government/c...

'Pedestrian purchases in Shrewsbury drive up sales' Keeping cars out of Shrewsbury town centre pushes up sales, research shows.

Unsurprisingly to folk who follow pedestrianisation:

A review of the data has shown that pedestrianisation of Shrewsbury Town Centre has increased footfall, increased the value of purchases made, and increased the profitability of businesses in pedestrian areas.

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

Teen filmed himself driving with knees before A47 Norwich crash Videos show George Taylor filming himself at the wheel while speeding and overtaking.

Jailed for 26 months and banned from driving for just 40 months.

The victim, a mother aged in her 40s, is left unable to move, speak or breathe independently following the crash.

The system is so very clearly not working.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

A lovely Icelandic term for pins and needles (tingling after your foot goes numb) is stjörnur í skónum, or “stars in your shoes.” A Yoruba version is pajapaja (“kill dog kill dog”). And the best one I’ve heard in German (uttered by a friend’s child) was mein Fuß glitzert. It means “my foot twinkles”

Really important for the chronic state of our institutions to be highlighted, it's a shame that @thetimes.com perennially lead the chorus of outrage when a government tries to increase taxes to address these issues

Keep in mind ➡️ Cycling 🚲 is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities(!)👇👇

theconversation.com/cycling-is-t...

National Cycle Network charity Sustrans braced for "substantial cuts" Sustrans braced for “substantial” cuts as CEO of National Cycle Network charity says it needs long-term public investment

Sadly this is 1 factor in my decision to leave Sustrans at the end of the year. My substantive role hasn’t been backfilled whilst I’ve been doing a secondment to cover mat leave, & I know all too well the funding situation internally, especially in our team. 1/2
cyclingindustry.news/national-cyc...

Constantly worrying about drivers: cyclists and Linux users

#bikesky

Well this has been a fun week 🦋. I'm off for the weekend but thanks for the follows and chat. For new joiners, here's three starter packs useful for people into Active Travel, Climate & Politics - do LMK who i've missed and I'll pick up next week. (1/3)

First: UK/EU AT #BikeSky

go.bsky.app/GYyLGPA

Play streets, living streets,

Great feed, but I noticed that lots of the tags to be picked up in the feed have a negative connotation such as 'no cars' rather than positive tags for what we should build instead e.g. 'active travel', 'active transport', 'walkable cities' 'towns built for people'. Could these be added

Slide with the same text as the post

Never forget, if you design a city for cars, it fails for everyone, including drivers.

If you design a multi-modal city that makes walking, biking and public transit attractive options, it works better for everyone, including drivers.

INCLUDING DRIVERS.

The “war on cars” has always been a lie.

A street with cars parked on the pavement. A line of bins further obstructs the walkway.

Today marks four years since the consultation on a #PavementParking ban in England - and we're still waiting for action. Disabled campaigner and journalist Katie Pennick says:

"In this photo you can see what happens when parking places are put on the pavement. My wheelchair does not fit!"

How Helsinki and Oslo cut pedestrian deaths to zero After years of committed action, neither city recorded a single pedestrian fatality in 2019

“They cut speed limits, changed street design, removed space for cars… Now it appears that work is paying off. #Oslo & #Helsinki are reaping the rewards of committed action on making their roads safer, reducing pedestrian fatalities to zero last year.” #VisionZero www.theguardian.com/world/2020/m...

On the streets of Liverpool, there is a humanitarian crisis

A perfect storm of problems means more and more people are finding themselves homeless & sleeping rough & it’s getting worse - it’s a situation playing out across the country

A difficult 🧵 on what I’ve found reporting on this situation

ABOUT THE FT The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy.

Some news from me. Delighted to be joining an expanded food and drink team at the Financial Times, along with @marinaoloughlin.bsky.social, @timhayward.bsky.social and of course the great Jancis Robinson. My move will happen in a couple of months.
aboutus.ft.com/press_releas...

CHAOS, CLOTH AND A JEEP: My Indonesian Election Adventure
Let me set the scene. It’s 1998, Jakarta, and the air is electric with possibility, change, and just a hint of exhaust fumes.
READ THE FULL ACCOUNT BELOW👇
#Photography #Photojournalism #Jakarta #Indonesia

Fascinating thread

Actually big old trees in Lewes, but agree that all the leaves will be down pretty soon

Rail freight scheme sees 64,000 less lorry journeys in first year - BBC News A year ago, only one container in five left Southampton docks by rail now it is almost one in three.

Good news story.

Doubly impressive in face of the fuel duty freeze & cut:

“This effectively makes the fuel for lorry travel cheaper in real terms each year, while the cost of carrying freight by rail has increased in line with inflation”

Perfect colours, probably only a few days left before they all drop