Good day my good friend.
Welcome to the new home of Mobility Matters! I hope that you like what I’ve done with the place! 😊
For those of you unaware as to why the change of scenery has come about, my post on Substack explains it all. Needless to say when a platform essentially says “we know that Nazis are a problem, but we aren’t going to do anything about it because its the battle of ideas or something” then it doesn’t sit well with me.
So far, I have managed to upload all of the old Substack posts into the Archive, and I am going through each of them to edit them so that this makes this blog not look like a work in progress. When you have over 600 posts to go through, that will take some time. I have also added a Contact page as well.
Anyway, enough of all that. You haven’t signed up to this newsletter to get the lowdown on my new website design. So let’s get to it.
If you like this newsletter, please share it with someone else who you think will love it. The main way my audience grows is through your recommendations. I will love you forever if you do. 😍
James
🗺 Courage with a Plan
Many of my British readers may have heard of the resignation of Conservative MP, and former Energy Secretary Chris Skidmore MP. He is a man who knows about what the implications of the climate crisis are – it was literally his job to do so as Energy Secretary. His is resigning over the British Government’s plans to extract more oil and gas from the North Sea, despite having just last month committing to a global agreement containing the following text:
“Further recognizes the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhousegas emissions in line with 1.5 °C pathways and calls on Parties to contribute to the following global efforts, in a nationally determined manner, taking into account the Paris Agreement and their different national circumstances, pathways and approaches… Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.”
Outcome of the Global Stocktake – Decision Text from COP28
Climate report Bruce McKibben called it an act of real polictical courage. And reading Skidmore’s letter to the Prime Minister, its hard to think it being anything different. This includes the following:
“Decisions taken at COP28 last month also set in motion the global transition away from fossil fuels. As the exponential growth of renewable and clean power continues, as we seek to reduce our energy demand for fossil fuels through the adoption of better energy efficiency in buildings and industry, as the adoption of electricity replaces fossil fuels, them is no case to be made for increasing fossil fuel production at a time when investment should be made elsewhere, in the industries and businesses of the future, and not of the past….”
Excerpts from the resignation letter of Chris Skidmore MP, as reported in the Daily Mirror.
“…The bill that will be debated next week achieves nothing apart from to send a global signal that the UK is rowing ever further back from its climate commitments. We cannot expect other countries to phase out their fossil fuels when at the same time we continue to issue new licences or to open new oil fields. It is a tragedy that the UK has been allowed to lose its climate leadership, at a time when our businesses, industries, universities and civil society organisations are providing first class leadership and expertise to so many across the world, inspiring change for the better…”
“…But I can also no longer condone nor continue to support a government that is committed to a course of action that I know is wrong and will cause future harm. To fail to act, rather than merely speak out, is to tolerate a status quo that cannot be sustained. I am therefore resigning my party whip and instead intend to be free from any party-political allegiance…”
We often speak of the need to have political courage to make the decisions that are right in supporting active travel, public transport, and discouraging car travel. This is not just in terms of actually making the decisions in support of this, but taking principled stands against decisions that go the opposite way. You can certainly make the case that tendering a resignation is a principled position to take.
But there is a risk that is taken in doing this. Being principled needs to be aligned with purpose, and needs to be a means to an end. You may get respect and a lot of kudos for taking such a position, and a resignation is a personal decision as much as it is a political one. But if it results in those opposing progress taking more power, and making decisions contrary to a more just future – is it worth it?
This is a balancing act that all decision makers need to make. In this case, Chris Skidmore has somewhat of a luxury. It appears that there is a growing backbench rebellion against the North Sea oil and gas extraction plan, so a principled stand may be enough to spur more sign-ups to stop this plan being voted through the Commons. If so, in this case the principles have a purpose – to stop a destructive plan. Otherwise, its a principled stand without any impact.
This is not to say that you should not have principles, or you should stand for nothing. What I am saying is that in order to make a difference, you need to choose when to make a principled stand. And that is a tougher call than you might think.
What you can do: One simple thing you can do is when your local council or MP makes a decision on active travel or public transport which is favourable – i.e. supports it – then email them to say thank you. You do not know how few messages of thanks they get for doing the right thing, and every single one of them is over.
👩🎓 From academia
The clever clogs at our universities have published the following excellent research. Where you are unable to access the research, email the author – they may give you a copy of the research paper for free.
Re-claiming urban neighbourhood streets for active transport – Evidence from Vasai, Maharashtra
TL:DR – The use of the Importance Performance Analysis method for prioritising schemes confirms that prioritising walking and cycling is a good thing.
TL:DR – Global shipping networks are marginally more resilient compared to pre-COVID times, but the ports let them down.
TL:DR – Central areas of cities are more likely to conform with 15-minute city principles. The use of appropriate indicators for neighbourhoods could make things better.
Inferring trip purposes and mode substitution effect of rental e-scooters in London
TL:DR – A new method that isn’t surveys is proposed that infers trip purposes and alternative modes from National Travel Survey data. Its then applied to e-scooters in London.
✊ Awesome people doing awesome things
Transport was represented well in the New Year’s Honour’s list, rewarding people for excellent service to their respective industries and communities. Especially the OBE’s that went to Ruth Busby of Great Western Railway (for services to diversity in the rail industry), Edward Album of the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust (for services to railway heritage and communities in North of England), Kathryn Leahy of Heathrow Airport (for services to aviation and major events), and John Trayner formerly of Go-Ahead London (for services to transport, skills, and education in London), James Bullick of British Ports Association (for services to the Maritime Industry), Munir Patel (for services to rail exports). Well done to all! 👍
📺 On the (You)Tube
The legendary Tom Scott has stopped making weekly YouTube videos. I am honestly a bit gutted about this, and you can view his brilliant goodbye video here. So I thought I would share one of my favourites – one of the most dangerous paths in the UK. Other favourites of mine include The Strid, Three Strange River Crossings, and the Bay Model. We will miss you Tom.
🖼 Graphic Design
Source: Visual Capitalist
That is a lot of money going into clean energy. And if decarbonisation of transport is to live up to its potential (particularly on electric vehicles), this huge investment in clean energy is needed. Though it is still short of what is needed to meet the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
📷 Out and About
Last week, after the passing of Storm Henk much of Southern and Central England experienced another band of heavy rain that made existing flooding even worse. It was at this point that Lewes station decided to offer passengers a complimentary shower for a limited time only!
I passed on the offer, and instead I got a complimentary shower while changing trains at Gatwick Airport. ☔
📚 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.
- What was it like when life first became possible? (Big Think)
- Europe’s Silicon Valley? Cambridge says no thanks (Politico)
- The secret world of puddles (The Conversation)
- When a Labyrinth of Pneumatic Tubes Shuttled Mail Beneath the Streets of New York City (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Plans for world first subsea power hub for floating wind turbines revealed (New Civil Engineer)
📰 The bottom of the news
On 1st January, the Shipping Forecast turned 100 years old. For those of you unfamiliar with this British institution, it provides a 4 times daily forecast of conditions at sea around the British Isles on BBC Radio 4. To mariners its a critical aid, to others who listen there is something strangely comforting about it. Even if you have no idea what the below forecast means.
“Rockall. Northerly 7 to 8. Heavy snow showers. Good, becoming poor. Moderate icing.”
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Mobility Matters 
One response to “🏡 New home”
congrats on the move, James.
Figuring out my own move (thought I’ve been silent for so long) – also for Pop Transport.
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