Kit Allwinter

What is an intelligent car?

I would say 2, then 3 then 1. The first just sounds to me like every paper at every conference on place. The 2nd and 3rd have a narrative in the title, showing that we're going to learn a story, a shift, a bit of history and (to pick up the other comments) a bit of optimism about the future!

I will never get tired of my favorite traffic-calming device.

"I hereby promise you 30 minutes that will transform the way you think about children, cars, streets and neighbourhoods." Tim Gill

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It's on the list. But every time I look at it I then go "oooh, what about an e-cargo bike....."

Me too. And I wish I could do it more. I think others would too, to be honest.

Although I will say that the heavy 3 speed beauty I bought for flat old Manchester is a damn sight more challenging these days in the Yorkshire Dales!

n+1 time I suppose....

Windshields isolate, while bicycles connect. When you ride, you are a neighbor, not just traffic. It removes the friction that car culture creates.

No, your artificial lawn is not a "life hack". It's another tiny nail in the planet's coffin.

The internet was great at bringing together disparate people across nations to talk about relatively specialist things: trains! urbanism! active travel! the advantages of solar! the joy of... [insert item].

We should be thankful and remember that for all it has been terrible for...[everything else]

Obviously the purpose of the gift isn't for them to think of you, but it is something that'll (presumably) bring a smile to their face on multiple occasions at least.

Assuming they like you.

I reckon marmalade. They'll either think of you every morning for a week over their toast or they'll make a splendid cake or something and thank you for it. Unless they're properly foodie, fermented garlic will be a challenge for them to use in a "memorable" way, as it were?

A picture of a sticker on a wooden surface. The sticker is black with the following text in white: Been waiting long? That's because the council thinks someone in a car, a quarter of a mile away, is more important than you*. They could make the lights change as soon as you press the button if they wanted, but they don't. Complain to them. * A car moving at 30 mph will travel a quarter of a mile in 30 seconds.

As a Scot living in England it is always a warning sign.

Union Flag? Friendly, welcoming, British, warm, oddly modern and multicultural.

St George? Insular, weird, white, 1970s.

That is obviously affected by being included in one and not the other, but still works as a rule of thumb for me

Two roads meet at a junction. In 1969 cars are parked on both roads and also on the section between the two roads close to where they meet, with long distances for pedestrians to cross. Today there are no parked cars and the space in the middle has been replaced by outdoor dining

Tweede Weteringdwarsstraat, Amsterdam in 1969 and today. Urban space is finite. When cities prioritize people over car storage, streets can support local businesses, active transport, and community life.

👣 Small, achievable changes in physical activity are linked to lower mortality risks, finds a new study in The Lancet.
Walking, cycling, occupying public spaces, exercising outdoors, moving, breathing... 💫
Get out of your cars and enjoy more life.
-
Read this:
www.thelancet.com/issue/S0140-...

Sometimes change is very hard and requires concerted effort from many people over a long time, sometimes all it takes is a small nudge to the right person at the right time.

In case you need some good news: my mom gave her small municipality a list of native trees and shrubs and they agreed to use it for all municipal plantings in the future!

Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change. Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.

“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.”

Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life.

Common sense.

Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.

But with what cause is the pie "much-aligned"? Is it supporting Burnham in his spat with Starmer? We must know more!

Netherlands 25: Loop ride from Duinrell to Scheveningen I had some spare time and the was sun shining. So I decided to head out on a ride to Scheveningen, the seaside town in Den Haag, southwest of Duinrell. This is somewhere we’ve been a few time…

With great public transport links and multiple fantastic safe cycle routes, Scheveningen shows how you can have a big seaside resort that isn't a traffic sewer.

Join me on a loop ride across the dunes and along the wonderful seafront cycle path 👇 #Netherlands25 #Bikesky

Poster with a photo of a man on a bike and text: "You are Helping by cycling when you can".

"You are helping by cycling when you can"
British WWII propaganda poster
ca. 1940

🧵

'No one cycles in rain/winter' - strangely not something usual anti-cycling suspects say in London these days. 08:52, heavy rain, C6 shot from Holborn Viaduct. More cycles than track can cope with & than motor vehicles. Yet we still are struggling to get enough capacity. @londoncycling.bsky.social

What a great video @emmanuelspv.bsky.social has created to show how Paris has greened itself. You really feel the difference on hot summer days.

Also, if you borrow an author's book from a library in the UK, that author gets more than 12 pence per loan in Public Lending Rights. Any author can earn up to £6,600 per year this way.

For context: I published my 15th book last year. The advance I received for it was considerably less than £6,600.

Someone said to me, "I'm sorry but I got your book from a library." Nobody should ever apologise for that. You read my book! That's brilliant! I grew up hanging out in libraries and the idea of a world without them fills me with dread. Without libraries, authors, like readers, will only suffer.

Wikipedia sections of an article. 1: early life and career as a pirate. 2: archbishop of York.

If you're looking for a sign to switch careers: this is the sign.

Confirmed: Non-Driving Infrastructure Creates 'Induced Demand,' Too — Streetsblog USA Widening a highway to cure congestion is like losing weight by buying bigger pants — but thanks to the same principle of "induced demand," adding bike paths and train lines to cure climate actually wo...

The phenomenon of induced demand doesn't just apply to new highway lanes, a new study confirms and if cities can pair great multimodal infrastructure with other actions that support people using it, it can be powerful force to decarbonize the transportation sector
usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/09/c...

Greenery alongside the cycle track creates a nice separation between bikes and traffic, helps rainwater retention and biodiversity, and trees help provide shade from the sun and rain

It's meeeeeeeeee

Two magnificently belligerent cows I met on the South West coast path the summer before last.

"If you reach the final two grumpy cows before the sea, you have gone too far," they said. And that was how I realised I had finally gone too far.