Stockholm's approach to getting cars out of the city www.politico.eu/article/stoc... (Politico)

I have today sent the attached open letter to Anneliese Dodds MP

the closure of a methodist chapel www.newstatesman.com/politics/rel... (New Statesman)

I had a great time today helping marshal Oxford's Kidical Mass ride. We had over 200 riders, half of them children, which was a record. oxfordclarion.uk/kids-claim-t...

Jeremy Mogford, a millionaire businessman who lives outside Oxford City, objecting to "traffic decisions taken by people who live outside Oxford" and calling on *checks notes* American and Soviet billionaires (Blavatnik, Schwartzman, Ellison) to come in and implement his policy instead. Wild.

1/ South Korean workers arrested in Georgia and subsequently deported from the US have been giving more accounts of their experiences. The deportation of over 300 workers has caused political uproar in South Korea and prompted a human rights investigation into their ordeal. ⬇️

This is a huge step, with Oxford set to join a small but select number of cities which have implemented a congestion charge.

this is interesting to me because I don’t actually think people have the right to drive where ever they want to go! You certainly have the right to not use the bus, that is true. But that does not equate to “cars get to go everywhere because I don’t want to take the bus”.

Leonard Barden's chess commentary was already an institution when I was a nine year old playing in my first tournaments www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...

It's disappointing that the government's plan to get people moving is focused around "Go for a jog" rather than, as the evidence suggests, building environments that encourage everyday incidental exercise: the ability to walk to amenities liveapp.inews.co.uk/category/388...

I’m talking about the humble wheeled shopping trolley - or as they’ve been unfortunately branded almost everywhere: the “granny trolley.”

Petition against the additional 230 parking spaces proposed for Warneford Park: actionnetwork.org/petitions/no...

In response to my rant yesterday, I was asked how we can make better parks and other public places for teenage girls? What do they want? I have answers to this, so now a positive 🧵. Starting in Sweden, where this was co-designed by teenage girls.

Adopted as citywide policy in 2018, it defines how the public realm is designed: from choice of pavers to lighting, furniture, tree species; even details like gullies and edging. The aim is streets that are functional, durable, safe, and visually consistent, without tipping into fussy “over-design”.

**New blog** - It's been a while so reposts hugely appreciated. primarycolour.home.blog/2025/08/01/t...

A Baptist minister has been arrested in Oxford for holding a placard reading ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’. Rev Grote of New Road Baptist Church said ‘I am doing this because of my faith. I’m doing this because I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, who broke the rules and created peace.’

This is pretty impressive! There are now 300 "rue aux écoles" in #Paris. (Up from 185 last year.) That means *half* of elementary schools in city have now had the streets outside closed to all car traffic. Some cool Before/After shots on the Ville de Paris website: www.paris.fr/pages/57-nou...

Oral history integrated into a compelling narrative - my review of David Van Reybrouck's _Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World_ dannyreviews.com/h/Revolusi.h...

_The Year of the Hare_ - a journalist takes a hare on a light-hearted romp through rural Finland dannyreviews.com/h/Year_Hare.... (my review)

one space or two after full-stops? www.theatlantic.com/science/arch... (Atlantic)

🚘 NEW RESEARCH | What do people in Britain really want from transport? From safer streets to better buses, the public’s priorities are clear and they’re ready for change. Read our new research with @moreincommonuk.bsky.social ippr.org/articles/everyday-concerns-what-people-want-from-transport

This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.

In late 2023, Amsterdam introduced a 30 km/h limit. A large number of arterials were lowered from 50 km/h, 4,500 signs installed, 140 lights reconfigured, and 200 km of markings adjusted. Aiming to improve safety, liveability and accessibility, 80% of the road network is now at this critical speed.🧵

Does anyone have an informative reading to suggest for understanding why the British Isles ended up rejecting articulated buses in favour of double-deckers on high-demand urban routes, unlike almost everywhere else on the planet?

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

genocide in Gaza www.btselem.org/sites/defaul... (B'Tselem) "the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."

the Smurfs' communist roots betrayed www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ju...

My latest Highways Magazine article on 20mph speed limits which are, sadly a postcode lottery for many of us. The digital issue is free to read as ever - edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/html5/reader...

Ireland is backing off on default 30km/hr limits, but local authorities can _choose_ them. National secondary roads are going from 100 to 80km/hr (roughly 60 to 50mph) and local rural roads from 80 to 60km/hr (roughly from 50 to 37mph) irishcycle.com/2025/07/19/m...

fortune cookies were originally Japanese www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture... (Smithsonian Magazine)

Among yesterday's arrestees is Deborah Hinton, an 81-year old retired magistrate with an OBE. That's Yvette Cooper's idea of a terrorist. Language has been turned on its head. The law has been turned on its head. Murdering children is righteous. Trying to stop it is terrorism.

"I have been teaching classes on genocide for a quarter of a century. I can recognize one when I see one." Omar Bartov, professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University. archive.ph/0dpn2

A reminder that "Over the last 10 years, our buses have been getting slower as traffic levels in our city from private cars and vans has increased." was published 6 months before the first new LTNs were introduced in Oxford. Removing LTNs will not fix congestion. www.b4-business.com/news/why-fix...

Bradford-on-Avon is a really lovely town, with a river and a hill and gorgeous old buildings. But… the traffic… the traffic is just terrible.

A Millennium of Amsterdam: Spatial History of a Marvellous City dannyreviews.com/h/Millennium... (my review)

Dear residents and visitors, We have received complaints about adults driving motor vehicles on local streets. This can cause damage to people and property. If anyone you know is driving on local streets, please speak with them and ask them not to.

🚨Clarion exclusive🚨 With Oxford County Council launching a consultation on the proposed congestion charge, we asked Luke Marion of Oxford Bus Company to share his thoughts on tackling what he calls 'Oxford's traffic emergency' to help deliver a world-class bus service in Oxford.👇

Oxford trying out a congestion charge is worth a shot in 2025 I am quite honestly fed up with the negativity and hypocrisy around it. It's time to make the positive case 👇 [10 minutes and a ☕ may be needed] cllrdrnathanley.substack.com/p/from-city-...

The county council is at this moment discussing a possible congestion charge for the City of Oxford (being reported live by @oxfordclarion.bsky.social). Here seventy years ago on 5 December 1955 John Betjeman states on Panorama how he would solve the congestion caused by cars in central Oxford

Physicists are not legitimate targets, unless they are also members of the armed forces. Research, on nuclear weapons, is not itself direct participation in hostilities. @apsphysics.bsky.social @royalsociety.org @weizmanninstitute.bsky.social, demand that states respect scientists'immunity!

people not vaccinated against Covid are more likely to be involved in traffic crashes www.amjmed.com/article/S000... (Am. J. Med.) "The increased traffic risk among unvaccinated individuals extended to diverse subgroups and was 48% after adjustment for age, sex, home location, etc."

Oxfordshire innovated in road signs in the 1950s www.roads.org.uk/articles/oxf... (Roads)

Oxford Labour coming out against the Congestion Charge & offering no policy alternatives, saying people want "less congestion" and "to be listened to." So like the recent Labour-sponsored Citizens Assembly which voted 74% in favour of a congestion charge?!? oxfordclarion.uk/citizens-ass...

New research provides conclusive proof that 20mph in London is saving lives. 14 yrs of analysis at 150+ sites - reviewed by experts - shows: ❤️40% fewer deaths (vs 7% drop on roads where no changes were made) ❤️75% fewer children killed & 50% fewer kids hurt And slower speeds deliver so much more:

a nine-armed octopus and the workings of the cephalapod nervous system arstechnica.com/science/2025... (ArsTechnica)

Study on London 20 mph limits shows: - collisions ⬇️ 35% - casualties ⬇️ 36% - fatal/serious injuries ⬇️ 34% - child casualties ⬇️ 46% - child deaths ⬇️ 75% - walkers, cyclists, motorcyclists killed/seriously injured ⬇️ 28% etsc.eu/20mph-limits...

There an estimated 500 admissions a year to Ghent hospitals of people cycling crashing as a result of tram tracks. libstore.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG0... (The headline here is 140, but if you read carefully the extrapolated estimate must be around 500, which is the number I was given by Ghent officers.)

There an estimated 500 admissions a year to Ghent hospitals of people cycling crashing as a result of tram tracks. libstore.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG0... (The headline here is 140, but if you read carefully the extrapolated estimate must be around 500, which is the number I was given by Ghent officers.)

@thecontinent.org remembers Ngũgĩ.