Good day my good friend.

In my time in transport planning, I have heard some rubbish when it comes to transport schemes. But to hear traffic filters being referred to as ‘Berlin Walls’ in both Oxford and Canterbury is…quite something. Plus, as good friend Dave Harrison pointed out to me yesterday, it ignores Oxford’s own history with controversial walls. Funny, that.

By the way, for the final newsletter of the year tomorrow, I will be running a fun transport quiz – it being Christmas time, and you probably being sick of Christmas Quiz questions about Christmas films. So get ready, and enjoy!

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

James

Its the culture, silly

Why do the Dutch cycle as much as they do? You are probably thinking that their amazing infrastructure has something to do with it. In fact, you may think its only because of the infrastructure. Any answer that isn’t infrastructure is wrong and must be challenged. Nobody can think differently. Ok, I jest. But surely, its not just about bike tracks, is it?

This research article that compares seasonal variations in cycling levels in Germany and the Netherlands states (without much evidence I must say) that mobility culture is a big part of the variation between the two countries. But there is research that indicates that while infrastructure does go a long way, changing culture is what makes behaviour change stick. Infrastructure is a facilitator of change. But if we rely on infrastructure to do everything, we may not get the change we need.

Is carbon offsetting equitable?

That’s a difficult question to answer. There are a lot of strong opinions on the value of carbon offsetting. Mainly ranging from “are you MENTAL?” to “we are doing this to [insert corporate buzzwords on the environment here].” I’m not here to debate this. Its an idea that, for better or for worse, is proposed as a solution to our current climate crisis. And even if we do cut substantially, perhaps offsetting the rest is no bad thing. But is it equitable?

That depends how you define it. Some recent research into the international aviation market, using market definitions of equitability and based on the polluter pays principle, says it could be a good thing so long as the scheme is stringent. Development projects from carbon offset programmes have had a mixed impact, and then there is the point of offsetting effectively sustaining consumption. It summary: it has some promise, but lets not bet the world on it.

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 Causes of and Responses to Today’s Inflation (Roosevelt Institute)

• What is a second city? (City Monitor)

• Amazon expands electric cargo bike deliveries in Manchester and London (AutomotiveEV)

• ‘It Takes a Village’ – Social Support Proves Crucial for Female and Minority Hunters (The Daily Yonder)

• More Nations Are Tightening Control of Strategic Mineral Exports (Maritime Executive)

Something interesting

I love videos like this – showing cities in the past in all their glory. It shows quite how much our cities have changed over the years, whilst also challenging the very traditional view of what the past looked like without resorting to jokes.

If you do nothing else today, then do this

This isn’t for today, but for the coming few weeks. Have a rest, take care of yourself, see loved ones, and generally have a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for all of your support over the last year. You really are the reason that I do this!