Good day my good friend.

I trust that you have had a good break over the festive period? And that you are feeling refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of the coming year? Despite not having the entire time off myself, the opportunity to take some time off and see some family (pictures are below at the end of this email) was the clearing of the head that was sorely needed.

On that, I have made some slight changes, as I have a busy year ahead. For free subscribers, things have not changed. For those with paid subscriptions, I looked at the data and the extra newsletter on Sunday’s tends to not be as popular as any other. So instead, the content for Sunday’s newsletter (a deeper dive into a specific transport issue of interest) will be incorporated into the Friday newsletter. So you get the content, and one less email!

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

James

UK Government supports flat fares

To relatively little fanfare (and to much last minute frantic phone calls in the Department, from what I hear), the UK Department for Transport formally launched the ‘Get Around for £2’ scheme, capping single fares across the UK at just £2. Whilst this scheme is voluntary and so doesn’t apply to all routes, and there are already fare caps in London, Liverpool, Manchester, and West Yorkshire, this is generally a good thing. A lower cost fare to encourage more people to use the bus, and save on their bills for a few months should be welcomed.

What is the likely impact on ridership on buses? The evidence is mixed. In the first instance, the cap will benefit riders who travel long distances most of all, with recent data from Sweden showing that longer distance commuters benefit the most. Accordingly, whether or not a scheme is equitable depends on whether those on lower incomes travel long distances for important trips. And data from the National Travel Survey shows that those on lower incomes travel further by bus (and more often), but travel less far overall. So, how equitable this will be depends on the modal shift that occurs.

MagLev vs the High Speed Train

Anyone who has lived in the UK for some time has known the debates around HS2 for a long time. And one of the debates that occasionally raises its head is about how HS2 is using an old technology (steel wheel on a steel rail), and we should go for MagLev instead. There are many good reasons why what has been chosen is ok (summary: lower cost, greater ability to integrate with existing network). But little direct comparator.

With its extensive high speed rail network, Japan offers one of the few cases where a direct comparison can be made. Especially as a “Chuo Shinkansen” MagLev is being built between Tokyo and Nagoya (and ultimately to Osaka), reducing journey times compared to the current Shinkansen (bullet train) by an hour. But it is estimated that the accessibility impact of the MagLev will be less than that of the original Skinkansen. This is due to the extensive high speed network that exists, as well as rural depopulation. What this means is that the impact of planned rail improvements depends on what is there, and the changes in population that are occurring. Remember that when someone tells you a transport solution is the solution to any problem.

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.

• A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate (MIT Technology Review)

• Fossil fuels, fairness, finance: Climate fights to watch in 2023 (Context)

• The Great Southwest Meltdown Of 2022 (Seat 31B)

• Europe’s energy sacrifices: the winter test of resolve (Financial Times)

• Cities Need to Realize the Value of Emotional Design (Wired)

Something interesting

We need more examples of inspiring things that have happened as we do our work to make cities better places to live. And this is a good one. When one of New York’s most famous streets goes car-free, its worth celebrating!

If you do nothing else today, then do this

To make change stick, you need to invest in the capability of your workforce. That is why this news on the capability fund from Active Travel England is so important, and must be read.

Holiday snaps

Over the Christmas break, I took some time to see my family in North Devon. And take some pictures of some excellent placemaking and cycle tracks while I was at it, although the weather was distinctly ‘British’ throughout.

I heartily recommend the Tarka Trail, that provides a great off-road cycle track from Barnstaple station to Instow, Bideford, Great Torrington, and Braunton. I also recommend the cream tea at the Fremington Quay Cafe!