Good day my good friend.

Football has finally come home. Wow. Lionesses, you were wonderful and an inspiration – every last one of you. No more need to be said than that.

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

You should also join a lot of like-minded people at Mobility Camp in Bristol in September. Get your tickets now. Sponsorship slots are also available.

James

Now or never for sustainable transport

This article by the Brookings Institute on this being the moment for EVs struck a chord with me. Not because I support EVs, but because it reflected on how I have felt for several months. With the climate crisis coming to a head, a looming energy crisis this winter, and a lack of leadership politically has left me with the feeling that this is a now or never moment when it comes to sustainable transport. Do we use this confluence of events to chart a new course, or continue on the old?

I hope that Mobility Camp in September in Bristol will help with this, and despite my skepticism there has been some good work in establishing delivery frameworks – notably Active Travel England. But the pace needs picking up. Financial and political change is needed (the latter of which is slowly creeping in), and soon, lest the path that we have followed until now be continued on. And that path will certainly lead to more of what we are currently experiencing.

Someone has finally studied how polite we are on public transport

How often do you give up your seat on public transport to others who need it? All the time, or secretly do you give your attention to your phone in cases where you are not sure if they need it? Hey, I’m not one to judge, but this new study looks at the incentives that determine whether or not we give up seats on buses or trains. Very simply, the 404 study participants are more likely to give up their seats to people with disabilities, women, and children, taking account of their characteristics, how crowded the services are, and the time spent standing.

Numerous factors affect the degree to which we are courteous to others. But the specifics of giving up your seat on public transport has not been explored. We do know that giving up your seat can influence the degree to which vulnerable people will use public transport in the future (among other factors). But nothing about what drives people to do this, which is important in creating awareness and behaviour change campaigns to drive this behaviour.

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.

• Rhine level in Germany falls again, vessels only part-loaded (Hellenic Shipping News)

• Minimum Wage and How South Korea Avoided Japanization (The Blue Roof)

• West London faces new homes ban as electricity grid hits capacity (Financial Times)

• The 1970s Weren’t What You Think (Foreign Policy)

• Hybrid Work Is Doomed (The Atlantic)

Something interesting

Leo Murray of Possible has been monitoring the new extension of Cycle Superhighway 9 in London. And the results are amazing.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

Read this article on the case for making public transport free everywhere. I must admit that I am not convinced of the equity case for it, but this puts forward the case for free public transport very well.