Good day my good friend.
Such is life on the UK rail network that I am writing this whilst sat on Platform 3 at Luton station due to a train fault. Fun fact: Luton station was identified as one of the worst stations in the UK in 2009. And while the station forecourt has improved with the arrival of the Busway, I can’t say that ‘platform-side’ it is much better. Oh dear.
If you have any suggestions for interesting news items or bits of research to include in this newsletter, you can email me.
For those of you coming to Mobility Camp in Bristol on 29th September, I will see you there. Tickets are sold out, but if you are still interested you can put your name on a reserve list. Or, sponsorship slots are still available.
James
High Speed Rail makes companies more socially responsible. Kind of.
In today’s version of analysis I never thought would be interesting until someone did some research on it is this paper from China, that looks at the relationship between High Speed Rail and the Corporate Social Responsibility of companies. To summarise the analysis: High Speed Rail does generally promote Corporate Social Responsibility, but only over distances of 10 kilometres between the firm and the station. Very simply, its a very strange dynamic that is weirdly interesting.
The performance of transport companies in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility is, shall we say, mixed. Partly because transport companies emit so many tonnes of CO2. But the role of transport in Corporate Social Responsibility, to me knowledge, has never been studied. Which I find quite amazing, considering the impact that transport can have on companies carbon emissions and employee wellbeing. Maybe this could be a future research agenda?
The rail network’s utter failure on accessibility is shameful
I am sat in a railway station that, while it has lifts to all platforms, is far from accessible. And while I accept that it takes time to refit old infrastructure, nearly 20 years after the Disability Discrimination Act, the continued lack of action on making public transport accessible is shameful. While 61% of stations provide step-free access (still poor), only 21% provide an accessible ticket office (53% provide at least one accessible ticket machine), and just 28% provide accessible drop off facilities.
Then you have stories like this, where plans put in place to ensure stations are accessible for passengers served by Driver Only Operated trains are not kept, and overlooked by the regulator. And when plans are revised, it is plans to phase the introduction of a trial, rather than doing what was asked. I am truly lost for words on this, I truly am. Its shameful.
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.
Nine Million in a city 170km long: will the world ever be ready for a linear metropolis? (The Guardian)
How Do Fireflies Flash in Sync? Studies Suggest a New Answer (Quanta)
Characterizing Regionalism in Asia: A Modern Global Supply Chain Perspective (Asian Development Bank)
A Minimum Income Standard for the UK in 2022 (Joseph Rowntree Foundation)
Something interesting
There is a lot of ‘othering’ when it comes to cycling. This video articulates perfectly why this is bad, and how the Dutch (who else) see it differently.
If you do nothing else today, then do this
You know you want to read the latest update to TAG, don’t you? Its actually really good, as it focusses on place-based analysis as part of transport appraisal. Because the business case isn’t just about the Benefit:Cost Ratio, you know.
Mobility Matters 