Good day my good friend.

Yet again, no fluff today. Just straight to business.

If you have any suggestions for interesting news items or bits of research to include in this newsletter, you can email me.

James

Stop spacing for public transport – a matter of science and politics

This great post on stop spacing on public transport systems by Pedestrian Observations covers the science of spacing stops on a public transport network. Simply, in order to get maximum coverage shops should be spaced roughly equally to enable an efficient operation. Or as much as can feasibly be done in the circumstances.

The spacing of stops is not just a matter of service efficiency, but it also a matter of legacy and politics. In the UK, new bus stops are often requested on routes to serve major developments. Traffic levels are irregular across transport networks – affecting the operational extent of services irregularly. Plus stops can often be requested to be added, or even removed, through political processes. Good examples being seemingly non-sensical railway stations installed at the behest of landowners as railways were built. A reminder that transport is often non-sensical – if it ever was anything else.

The needs of disabled cyclist vary significantly from what we think they are

The great work of organisations like Wheels for Wellbeing make it clear that cycling can truly be for everyone. The needs of those with disabilities is often truly invisible, and I daresay may reflect a wider bias that those with disabilities are perceived to only need a car or footways to get around (which is profoundly wrong). If you don’t believe me, check out the survey results showing the barriers disabled cyclists face.

Some new research on the behaviour of cyclists with visual impairments also challenges our perceptions. They do not ride that much differently compared to other members of the population, and their needs must be taken account of when designing cycle infrastructure. As the summary so ably puts it:

No evidence was found that visually impaired cyclists compensate strategically by taking different, potentially safer routes than normally sighted cyclists when riding in their own environment. They may (unconsciously) compensate tactically for their visual function limitations by riding at a lower speed when necessary.

Random things

These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.

• The big idea: should we get rid of the scientific paper? (The Guardian)

• The Fascinating Anatomy of the Presidential motorcade (The Drive)

• Why ‘Vision Zero’ Hit a Wall (Bloomberg CityLab)

• How Indigenous-Led Conservation Brought a Caribou Herd Back From the Brink (Atlas Obscura)

• For E-Bike and E-Scooter Companies, Soaring Gas Prices Are a Double-Edged Sword (Inc)

Something interesting

Not a video to watch if you get motion sickness.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

Sign up to Jonn Elledge’s Substack on random city and transport-based geekiness. Its rather good.