By downloading this file, you can listen to this newsletter on the go, or as an alternative to your screen reader. And it’s in my voice! 😊
Good day my good friend.
One of the frustrating things about writing newsletters is that you have a great idea for a newsletter that week. You then spend all week writing it, and then the evening before you send it out you suddenly decide that its all a bit naff, actually, and you must write something for the next day. This week that happened, so what you will be getting for the main body of the newsletter is a few bits and pieces thrown together randomly.
It also gave the excuse to search on YouTube for one of my favourite children’s TV theme tunes from when I was young. Which is the title of this newsletter. Enjoy.
📕 I have co-authored a book on Mobility-as-a-Service, which is a comprehensive guide on this important new transport service. It is available from the Institution of Engineering and Technology and now Amazon.
💼 I am also available for freelance transport planning consultancy, through my own company Mobility Lab. You can check out what I do here.
👴 Something Old
A few weeks ago I went on my very first Hidden London tour to see the abandoned platforms of the Aldwych Branch at Holborn station. I loved every second of it.
The tour contained all sorts of fascinating details, such as the original poster from the 1930s that was uncovered when the extension was closed, and a rare example of a signal box on a platform. But what always fascinates me is understanding what roles this station played in the lives of those who used it.
We got to hear from Underground drivers who loved working “the branch” all day. Wondering around the passageways and platforms made me think about those who passed through. The rushing commuter with a bunch of flowers heading home to celebrate with his wife. The ladies staggering through the halls after a night out. Even the young couple in love. Now consigned to history.
In many respects, the stories of those who used the station are more interesting than the historical artefacts on show. At least to me. That’s what made this tour great.
If you want to see these platforms in action, the video to Turn Back Time by Aqua has some action shots. This was shot 3 years after the Aldwych branch closed in 1994.
🆕 Something New
A couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to Cardiff, and had an amazing time walking around the city with my good friend Katie Lamb. We got to walk around Cardiff Bay, and even take a trip to Cardiff Bay station, where the construction of a second platform as part of the South Wales Metro project is in full swing
People bemoan that not enough transformational infrastructure projects are happening outside of London, while completely ignoring this massive project. The scale of it is hard to fathom. Already, some of the Valley Lines have been electrified, new trains have been purchased, and a new platform is being built at Cardiff Bay. In the future, a new station will be added just to the North at Butetown, and the current proposals for the whole project will see a further eight stations in Cardiff, along with potentially a direct rail link between Cardiff Bay and the main station Cardiff Central.
This is over £1bn in investment in rail services in a major city in the UK. And its happening now. We need to do more of this kind of thing and shout about it.
📗 Something Borrowed
Last week I had to take my car to the garage in the village of Maulden in Bedfordshire, to fix an issue with the boot (namely it won’t close). Dropping it off in the morning, I then took the bus home. Where purely by chance I came upon a library in a bus stop.
The books it had was quite wide ranging, with some of the biggest names in fiction writing mixed in with self-help books, children’s novels, and plenty of non-fiction. I helped myself to England: An Elegy by Roger Scruton, while another gentlemen, who pulled up in a car and got out to check what was in stock, took three books.
Its these kinds of things which make me a fan of parish councils and localism more generally. On its own, this probably is far from an essential service. But its the kind of community-spirited thing that puts a feel good factor into local communities. Which is as important, in my mind, as filling any amount of potholes.
If you want to see this for yourself, its the bus stop opposite the Lower School on Ampthill Road. Its just lovely, it really is.
🔵 Something Blue
Water has this wonderful habit of making even the sunniest day seem ever so slightly brighter. Every Saturday, myself and my wife take my dogs to Bedford to walk along the Embankment there. Passing through the flowerbeds, grasses, and trees, all while the rhythmic paddling of the rowers on the river fills the air. Then sitting down at our favourite café, watching the ducks swim across a lake, is always incredibly relaxing.
With climate change likely to result in the UK becoming even wetter, I have thought a lot about how there is an opportunity to harvest this to improve the quality of our public realm. When reviewing development plans, I am always amused to see that ponds which are offered as “attractive water features” are actually balancing ponds for storm-water runoff, put in at the request of water companies whose infrastructure is creaking. They also tend not to tell residents that the management of these ponds is in their management fee, but that is me being cynical at what is obviously a good thing.
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems are, of course, long established practice. And are becoming increasingly popular across the UK. Part of their value may be not just in their appearance, but also in the costs saved elsewhere. In a world where water companies are becoming increasingly cash-strapped, anything that reduces demand on the drainage systems and water courses is a good thing. I can just see it now, where a Council justifies putting in reed beds along a road on the justification that it will cut your water bill by £10.
In the meantime, I am doing my bit at home. I have fitted two two hundred and fifty litre barrels and a one hundred and eighty litre barrel to the downpipe running off my roof into my garden. They all filled in a single rainy night last week. That is enough water to give me a drinking supply for 183 days if needed. Though I think the wildflower area of my garden will be a better recipient.
👩🎓 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.
Electrifying choices: How electric bicycles impact on mode choice and CO2 emissions
TL:DR – Owning an e-bike means lower carbon emissions.
The impact of electric cars on travel behaviour segments: Insights from Norway
TL:DR – Where EV ownership is high, environmental awareness is less of a factor in determining travel choices.
TL:DR – Flying cars and similar technology is likely to result in significant reductions in travel times in cities.
Pro-poor transport subsidies: More user welfare and faster travel
TL:DR – Give vouchers to the needy, and they get a lot of value from it.
😊 Positive News
Paris is getting on with pedestrianising 500 streets, because of course it is. While Camden High Street is getting the same treatment later this year. Considering the rather worrying headlines I have seen about different pedestrianisation schemes in the news, both of these developments are welcome.
Young people in Barnsley are about to get free bus travel in their area, which is a very good thing. Meanwhile, this weekend the Norwich Park and Ride will get a boost, with more frequent services, starting earlier and finishing later, and running on Sundays.
🖼 Graphic Design
The returns from Tesla compared to BYD (Source: Visual Capitalist)
Turns out that if you build decent cars and don’t have a controversial owner, that’s good for business. Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, once the butt of jokes on the likes of Top Gear, are now leading the world.
📺 On the (You)Tube
The North East Corridor is the USA’s most important railway. Some parts of it are literally falling apart. As this video by B1M explains. There is a plan in place to fix things, which is partly funded.
📚 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.
- Humans are bad at reading dogs’ emotions – but we can learn to do better (The Conversation)
- Uninsurable and unaffordable: climate change and the rising cost of housing (The Guardian)
- The Machine in the Garden (Oxford American)
- The Dangers of Shushing Constituents at Town Halls (The Daily Yonder)
- Traveling At The Speed Of The Soul (Noēma)
📰 The bottom of the news
Many cities have rather strange laws giving certain people rights to do strange things. The London Sheep Drive celebrating the rights of freemen to take their sheep to market toll free is one of them. But in Glasgow, comedian Elaine C Smith celebrated the city giving its highest honour to her, by grazing a cow on Glasgow Green.
Mobility Matters 