Adam Balkham

We can’t afford to do what every other country did years ago for our railways, but people need to drive their kids to school in a tank

Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.

Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople

Should Britain Fall Back in Love with Cars? A response to Tim Leunig's call for Britain to fall back in love with cars

An article in the Financial Times argued that Britain should “fall in love with cars again” and invest in more motorways.

Here’s why the economic argument is flawed and why we should not.

open.substack.com/pub/pinecono...

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solu...

Paris too

It’s been 416 days since Birmingham City Council declared a road safety emergency.

@bhamcitycouncil.bsky.social

The Ride-Hail Utopia That Got Stuck in Traffic Uber and Lyft said they would ease congestion. Instead they made it worse.

Don’t forget, for many years #Uber insisted loudly that it would reduce traffic in cities. Instead, Uber drivers cruise without passengers 40% of the time. Uber and Lyft no longer claim they reduce traffic. They now admit they increase congestion.

So much for “making cities better…”

Via @wsj.com

As news breaks that a serious collision on Monday has now sadly turned fatal, this means that the second year of the road safety emergency has seen 5 fatalities - or 20% of typical annual fatalities - in just one month.

Any suggestion that road safety is improving is detached from reality.

If your mayor, or some other leader, is talking about ripping out safe, protected bike-lanes, please read and share this thread.

@bhamcitycouncil.bsky.social

Wake up

Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities Active travel can help tackle the climate crisis earlier than electric vehicles – even if you swap the car for a bike for just one trip a day.

Riding bikes is 10X more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities. And that’s just the climate emissions. Doesn’t include the massive public & personal cost difference, the air & noise pollution difference, the massive space difference, etc, etc. Via @theconversation.bsky.social

UK air pollution killing more than 500 people a week, doctors say Royal College of Physicians also says poor air quality costs country more than £500m a week

My controversial opinion today is that we should stop knowingly killing 30,000 people annually and sabotaging our economy to the tune of £27bn per year.

And that we should listen to doctors when they tell us this.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

@bhamcitycouncil.bsky.social

What road safety emergency?

Ladypool is a death trap. Needs closing asap.

Ladypool Road sealed off after teenager seriously injured in collision A teenager has suffered 'potentially serious' injuries following a collision on Ladypool Road

Another kid taken out by yet another hit-and-run driver. Anyone else in birmingham tired of this happening all the time?

"Ladypool Road is currently cordoned off...." Get in some concrete barriers right now and make that permanent.

@richardparkerwm.bsky.social

What about active travel?

West Midlands' 'most successful' road safety scheme in £1.8m loss Average speed cameras have cut crashes by more than 30%, councillors hear, but come at a cost.

Speed cameras save lives but many local authorities can’t afford to operate them because 100% of fines go straight to the Treasury.

Local authorities should at least be able to retain enough of the revenue to cover the overheads of running schemes.

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

It’s been 279 days since Birmingham City Council declared a road safety emergency.

Look what can be achieved to change human behaviour. Imagine if governments put the same leadership, effort and commitment into preventing inactivity, obesity and road collisions that kill millions every year and cost the NHS and society £Billions.

☠️

It’s been 258 days since Birmingham City Council declared a road safety emergency.

Air pollution graphics for central Paris between 2007 and 2023.

Air pollution has dropped significantly in #Paris in the last 15 years as a result of a deliberate strategy. Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social’s leadership has traded car space for green space, safe bike space, kid space.. and traded pollution for people.

Good trade.

Might buy a new one then.

Spotted by Dudley Port Station which means something good exists in the West Midlands. Even the biker gang on go slow.

Reliable public transport

This is tomorrow! 🚲 🐂

👇🏼

@larry-turner.bsky.social Here’s the planned car park I’ve been on about. It would increase pressure on the fairly young bypass which has already been pushed to capacity with the adjacent shopping car park and McDonald’s. Appreciate it’s just over into @alcarns.bsky.social constituency.

Kmn