My week at work (still Advent edition): 🎄The law on setting parking charges and spending the income 🎄The DfT’s connectivity metrics and tools 🎄Mapping parking demand 🎄And the value of conference papers – for both the audience and the authors.

Interesting piece on the early history of railway timetable graphs: www.chartography.net/p/charts-fol...

Back at home (and thawing out) after two interesting, intensive days in Derby at the Local Transport Summit. Always good to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The conference theme was how to harness opportunities from the new strategic authorities. More on this from me soon...

My week at work (downpour edition ☔ ): Lots of work coming in. Plus: ▶️ Getting the best from controlled parking zones in one local authority ▶️ A financial model for another ▶️ Customer-service options for a third ▶️ And a visit from a cute doggie 🐕

Yesterday for me involved three different Transport Planning Society activities! Firstly, an update from one of this year's TPS Bursary recipients. I'm their mentor as part of the bursary scheme. Their research is really worthwhile and interesting. Then to London for... (1/3)

“You’re the page 3 boy”, a colleague said… That’s one way of putting it! Today’s issue of Local Transport Today includes my piece on the new road freight values of time that DfT is proposing. ▶️ What’s the problem with the existing values? ▶️ Why does it matter? ▶️ What’s the plan? (1/2)

Lots of technical updates on transport modelling + appraisal coming out of DfT recently. My application to host #Strictly might have to wait until I've read all these and responded to the mini-consultation on road freight values of time...

This👇is worth reading - but I'm biased! Delighted to have been part of the team producing this report for the Transport Planning Society. If you want to know what the 2025 Green Book Review really means for transport business cases, this is for you. tps.org.uk/tps-policy/g... (1/4)

Getting to grips with the DfT's new connectivity metric, for a forthcoming article. First task: a recap on what it does, how it does it, and what you get in the dataset. Creating a process flowchart helped to cement the method in the brain and get a handle on what it's really measuring.

New blogpost: Autonomous buses. What's the big prize? Will there still be a role for on-board staff? And what's below the tip of the tech iceberg? My latest post flags-up a thoughtful podcast that's worth listening to, and adds some perspectives of my own. grahamjames.co.uk/autonomous-b...

My week at work (Showgirl edition): ➡️ The principles behind how you set the price of parking ➡️ Planning a round of surveys ➡️ Sensors and the internet of things Met up with friends last weekend at London Bridge. Proud to have worked on the station redevelopment👇. Our work makes a difference!

Learn more about the power of public transportation research on #TCRP day! To celebrate, we're hosting a live recording of @transitunplugged.com all about emerging tech for transit customer experience! buff.ly/hZlfOhq

Happy #TCRPday! TCRP is the Transit Cooperative Research Program, a really useful resource on issues the US transit (= public transport) sector is tackling and the practical solutions that are out there. grahamjames.co.uk/happy-tcrp-d... @apta-info.bsky.social @trb.org #TCRP

The Transit Cooperative Research Program has conducted hundreds of studies and produced practical ideas to make transit better. Check out some of the latest reports, syntheses, legal digests, and more, all for free! > www.trb.org/TCRP/TCRP.aspx #TCRP @usdot.bsky.social

Quick reminder of two recent blogposts: ✍️Different purposes, different trends: what the latest National Travel Survey data tell us about post-Covid recovery in trip-making ✍️A streetcar named Desire-Line: the contemporary US streetcar concept Find these and more at grahamjames.co.uk

My week at work (Strictly's back edition): ▶️How value-for-money metrics differ when a proposal is revenue-positive ▶️Accounting for VAT in an economic appraisal ▶️and GIS hacks for creating desire-line maps 👇What user-class is the doggie? And does "eating the grass" count as a journey purpose?

New blogpost: Why has travel still not returned to pre-Covid levels? Why has the bounceback stalled on some indicators? Pre-Covid trends - and a dive into different journey purposes - offer some clues. grahamjames.co.uk/different-pu...

My week at work (on-the-ground edition): ➡️Revenue allocation and forecasting ➡️Changes to a front-line service process ➡️Balancing different users' needs for kerbspace ➡️Plus happy customer feedback from some recent project meetings Photo unconnected as usual.

This came up on an internet search. I'm not convinced the British Transport Commission (abolished 1962) is actually a popular search topic! (Notwithstanding the continuing role of s.55 BTC Act 1949, of course.) Whereas the one about “who regulates transport in the UK?” will have a looooong answer…

New resource: An at-a-glance summary of the government’s transport objectives in England. DfT recently updated its list of priorities – with little fanfare. So here's a handy one-page guide. Ideal for those tricky “policy review” texts… On my website at grahamjames.co.uk/transport-po...

New blogpost: A streetcar named Desire-Line. It’s light-rail lite, but proper planning principles still apply. Prompted by an insightful piece from Jarrett Walker, I explain the contemporary US streetcar concept – and how it illustrates some fundamentals. grahamjames.co.uk/a-streetcar-...

Have been working on my contribution to a forthcoming Transport Planning Society policy piece. Watch this space… (Old-fashioned printouts are still valuable!)

News story today about Grok chats appearing in search engine results. That gives me an idea...

Some light reading for the beach... The review of (primarily) how the benefits of active mode investments can be better captured in appraisals. By John Nellthorp for Active Travel England. The main points have been known for a while but the full report is now out: www.gov.uk/government/p... (1/2)

Interesting new report this week from the @trb.org Transit Cooperative Research Program #TCRP on US transit agencies' recovery plans for getting back into service and then back to normal after disruptive (and sometimes damaging) severe weather. Link follows... (1/3)

Interesting article for those of us who are nerdy about these things, or believe these kinds of details matter, or both! The latest changes do look good.

👇A good post. There will always be value in having a friendly, skilled person on hand. AI might do the routine tasks but it won't provide the human interaction that actually makes people feel better, deals with the special cases, and fixes things when the AI blunders...

Updated: my ready-reference chart for the #AMAT cycling infrastructure categories. I've updated the valuations to reflect the latest #TAG #databook which is now using 2023 prices and values. Find it at grahamjames.co.uk/amat/ (1/2)

My week at work (people edition): ➡️ An excellent day at the Quality Rural Bus conference. Great to chat with a lot of people. ➡️ When technical change also means business change, affecting people ➡️ And a client’s daughter joined a Teams call, showing us her lovely painting of the seaside!

I'll be at the Quality Rural Bus conference in Hatfield tomorrow (Thur 17 July). If you're there too, grab me and say hello! www.qualityruralbus.uk/conference

Coming up next week. Slides ready, train tickets booked…

Another interesting-looking #TCRP report just out from @trb.org. Note that microtransit in US language means demand-responsive transport (DRT) - not e-scooters and hire bikes which is what it means in UK language...

#TCRP reports have a lot to offer to transport planners who are interested in how things are done in North America. I'm looking forward to reading this one. I'm lucky enough to have done rail planning in both the US and Europe. Familiar challenges and interesting differences.

Lunchtime webinar on communicating transport schemes - free to attend for CIHT or BCOE members. Wed 16 July 1200-1300. Details+booking at buscentreofexcellence.org.uk/events/ciht-...

Two new research studies are now available from #TCRP. 1. Microtransit Solutions in Rural Communities 2. The Future of Commuter Rail in North America Download these reports for free > conta.cc/4k7Bg4Y @trb.org @usdot.bsky.social

Will you be at #2025TPM in Manchester, 9-10 July? I’ll be speaking on both days. ▶️Day 1: how to get the best out of the AMAT. ▶️Day 2: how to tackle carbon and net zero in transport scheme optioneering + appraisal. Full programme at transportconference.co.uk. See you there!

#Commuter rail ridership trends are shifting. Register for our June 16 #TRBwebinar to get resilience lessons from CA & FL, responses to office travel patterns, and insights on regional fare programs to improve service. buff.ly/zhu01yP

My week at work (fieldwork edition): Out and about, troubleshooting transport problems for a local authority. Four towns, all distinctly different in character. Four different sets of issues, 4 different solutions. This lovely wildflower meadow to finish the week. (1/2)

Renowned transport scholar @toddlitman.bsky.social is now on Bluesky! Follow him for great insights and analysis on how public transit, walking and cycling create a better world.

@geofftech.bsky.social and I (mostly Geoff) have been working on an #HS2 map, trying to locate all of the significant viaducts, tunnels and bridges. It's taken months of back and forth, but it's starting to come together. Show the sheer scale of the route! geofftech.co.uk/downloads/Hs...

The new May 2025 versions of the #TAG units and supporting material are now included in my "TAG at a glance" webpage. As always, there's a summary of what's new in the current version, and a direct link to the item. grahamjames.co.uk/tag-at-a-gla...

The May 2025 #TAG updated units, databook and workbooks are now out from DfT Changes include a new base year, updated appraisal parameters, and new or updated guidance on the ‘new modes’ problem and wider economic impacts. Here's my earlier round-up: grahamjames.co.uk/whats-new-in...

In case you missed it: my round-up of all the latest changes to DfT's Transport Analysis Guidance #TAG.

Of interest to traffic modellers: a new round-up of current US state-level practice in traffic simulation modelling. Free download: nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2907... From the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), run by @trb.org. (1/2)

My week at work (bank holiday edition): ➡️The mode-shift effects of a new light rail line ➡️How to set off-street parking charges ➡️Planning a parking utilisation survey ➡️And all the latest updates to DfT's Transport Assessment Guidance #TAG (Photo unrelated as usual)

New blogpost: the updated #TAG guidance on dependent development. DD is one of the wider economic impacts. It's a Brucie Bonus - but you have to play your cards right. So what's new in the guidance? How does it affect the case for a transport scheme? Find out at grahamjames.co.uk/dependent-de...

Train to the West Midlands yesterday for a client meeting. Chance to catch up on essential reading: Local Transport Today @transportxtra.bsky.social and Modern Railways @modernrailways.keypublishing.com (1/2)

My week at work (suncream edition): Multi-modal public transport planning, with a touch of behavioural economics, a dash of traffic engineering and a pinch of tax law. Plus the chance to check out some recent infrastructure enhancements. A weekend of snooker now beckons...

New blogpost: What's new in TAG for May 2025. There's a bumper set of changes to DfT's Transport Analysis Guidance: ▶️New base year ▶️Updated appraisal parameters ▶️Lots of new and updated guidance What's changing, and what does it all mean in practice? Find out at grahamjames.co.uk/whats-new-in...

My week at work (technical edition): Back in business after the Easter break. Lots of requests from clients for pieces of analysis. Plus: ▶️Range-finding for revenue forecasts ▶️The latest TAG updates ▶️And the mysterious art of berth offsets (for trains, not ships)