Mobility Matters Daily #174 – Equity and BSIPs

Plus what six hours without WhatsApp does to you

Good day my good friend.

For a technology that supposedly had its day 2 years ago, the QR Code is back with a bang. And it turns out, people want them so much they are being stolen!

Here are today’s links curated especially for you.

James

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As the BSIPs start to get published, the call on government is starting to mount up

Over the last week, many local authorities have started to show their hand when it comes to improving bus services. North Yorkshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Suffolk, Worcestershire, and Dorset come up from a quick Google. But as these plans become public knowledge, so does the bill. And we don’t know how Government will pay for it all.

After announcing £5bn investment in local transport to help deliver this vision (later estimated to be £2-2.5bn in actual funding for buses), government hasn’t actually told local authorities how much money they will be getting. Or how it will be split by capital and revenue. Authorities have been told to tell government what they need, and to bid for it. Which I bet has worried a lot of Section 151 Officers across the country.

Mobility Camp is taking place in Glasgow on 16th October. Be there!

Tracking equity in transit

I cannot believe I have not seen this before. This is a wonderful tool by Transit Center, that tracks transport equity between 7 US cities. It sets out the disparities really, really clearly, and with the data to prove it.

This is something we know a lot about, and not just in terms of cost. Or indeed in measures around measuring accessibility. This paper by Dr Karen Lucas is still the best summary of this whole research field that I have been able to find anywhere. You should read it.

A lady in a wheelchair is waiting to board a bus at a stop with a raised kerb

Random things

Here are some random things that I found across the Internet that you may find useful.

Under the Wire: How fence ecologists are helping Western wildlife (UnDark)
Why I’ve dumped my smartphone (MarketWatch)
Against Platform Determinism (Data and Society)
Is Climate Change Heating up Central Asia’s Border Disputes? Clues from Satellite Imagery (Bellingcat)
Biking in the Matrix (Systemic Failure)

Interesting things

Another video for you today, and a very serious one building upon the excellent work done by Transit Center. Even simple things like investment in bus stops has hidden biases in it.

If you do nothing else today, then do this…

Read this article on the BBC on six hours without WhatsApp. Then realise how critical this service has become.