Good day my good friend.

Ah, Quiet Quitting. Or ‘doing your job’ as it used to be called. There is a lot of talk about it, and whether or not it is the right thing to do. Personally, I am not sure whether this has any impact on transport outside of train drivers working to rule (or ‘unofficial strikes’ that is somehow a worse term than Quiet Quitting). But for what its worth, I am a huge fan of flexibility. Give me the job and the tools to do the job, and I will work the hours that suit. Unless you need me in a meeting.

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

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) at a crossroads

There has been a lot of work on UAVs over the last few years. Both from commercial operators and people with more academic interests at heart. The recent research agenda has included looking at swarming technology and remote sensing. Despite big words being said about the commercial application of UAV technologies, the regulatory environment is not keeping up with the level of interest.

This research article provides a very good overview of the current position on UAVs and their application, and where to go next. It is not about the technology, but about trying new approaches to regulation and trying out new business models. Its another example of the technology maturing far ahead of what we want to do it. Sound familiar?

The National Travel Survey returns

Its the annual data dump that UK transport planners have all been waiting for. The results of the 2021 National Travel Survey have been published. And compared to the 2020 results, they are very interesting indeed. In a short summary, the average total trips per person is around the same, more trips by car are being made, less trips by bicycle, but about the same by walking. As well as public transport making a slight comeback in terms of personal trips.

It will take some time to digest the data, and its an interesting first step in understanding total travel patterns as the UK started to emerge from COVID-19. But some first thoughts are how the impacts of COVID-19 seem to have been largely temporary in some ways – notably that we have not given up the car for many trips and cycling is not as sticky as we had hoped. But walking seems to have made a more permanent come back. Maybe we should build a walking world.

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 Economic Case for ‘Blue Hydrogen’ Is Getting Worse. Cue the Lobbyists (DeSmog)

• 2022 U.S. Cropland Values Hit Record $5,050 Per Acre, Up 14% from 2021 (AgWeb)

• This Remote Mine Could Foretell the Future of America’s Electric Car Industry (New York Times)

• A simple paint job can save birds from wind turbines (Anthropocene)

• The Grand Race for Techo-Security Leadership (War On The Rocks)

Something interesting

Geoff Marshall was always going to do this video. Now you can discover the Secrets of the Elizabeth Line.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

The Metaverse has been in the news a lot recently. This article in The Conversation is a good exploration of how it could be good for people with disabilities. Its thought-provoking, even if you are skeptical about how the technology could be applied.