Wading through the BBC Archives last night for some soporific telly, leading to a transport-related jump scare 51 seconds in.

Tempted to have an early night and go back to reading about a fictional dystopia rather than the real one.

Hope springs eternal for the Manchester driver.

More revenue vs capital problems, with the ever-joyful grandfathered utility powers degrading quality.

Car Size xkcd.com/3167/

The A555's flooded again 🎉🎉🎉

Yet another evidence review argues very strongly that simply providing alternatives to driving doesn't reduce driving This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

That 192 article certainly isn't going to be convincing the bus-shy that their prejudices about public transport are wrong.

Look away now 🫣 Next week marks 5 years since the Government closed their consultation on pavement parking and we're still waiting for a decision. We've received photos from across the UK highlighting pavement parking hotspots. Add your photos here👇 https://t.co/rO3Lat5JTB

It's the annual 'our main east–west cycle route is about to be underwater' event. Thinking about my friends who live in the area under flood alert.

Cleaning up my archive. Four years on, and I'm amazed at the amount of work that Walk Ride Heatons members put in to making the active neighbourhood a success. One of the key lessons was that, with a few important exceptions, council officers did not have a clue how to approach the concept.

Unfortunate use there of a pic of the Stockport parklet, which was quietly removed over a year ago.

Doing my bit to dilute the wall-to-wall politics in my feed to say: pudding for breakfast!

A bit of a stretch to describe Town Centre West developments as 'having sustainability at their heart' while heavy traffic continues to run right through the middle on King Street West. More to follow on this scheme, though from a first glance it's same old Stockport. Shared space in 2025?!

I FOI'd English councils whether they use legal land purchase powers to create traffic-free paths. Just 1% said they have successfully. Why is something that's so common for roads almost never done for cycle routes? And what does it mean for cycling? lauralaker.substack.com/p/cycleways-...

I see Dr Pangloss is working for Stockport Highways.

Using an edge case to frame the scheme as misuse is disingenuous and feeds the view that cycling is a hobby, not transport. Far bigger tax breaks for cars never get the same scrutiny and cost the Treasury far more… although, I never seem to see a car on the road outside office hours 😜

Say it on record, you coward.

"The question is: is there a way to encourage voters to calm down, slow down and think twice, in an information environment that pushes us all to hurry up and feel?...Everyone has the capacity to stop and think, if they want to." (HT @gilesyb.bsky.social)

The new GM rail fares are finally live... here's Marple to Manchester. Today: £5.70 anytime single £8.80 anytime return £7.30 off-peak return Off-peak singles not displaying right now. After 7 December: £4.40 anytime single £3.70 off-peak single £8.80 anytime return £7.40 off-peak return

Some good news from Stepping Hill and its chronic parking problems. Hopefully the headline here is just a teething issue.

Remember all the hype about how Uber and Lyft would allow people to live car-free? Well, it turns out ridehail has no discernible impact on car ownership at all. Analysis from Glenn Mercer's excellent newsletter: glennmercer.substack.com/p/the-impact...

I've been looking at a pedestrian crossing this afternoon and specifically crossing times. While lots of people worry about the length of time the green man shows (which is important to some extent), the key think is the "blackout period" when someone sets foot on the crossing just as the green 1/4

Age yourself with gaming.

Some folks said we were too harsh in our episodes on on John Forester and Vehicular Cycling. This amazing video from Not Just Bikes suggests we weren’t harsh enough.

Keeping this one in the back pocket when inevitably one of the local councils decides that free parking over Christmas is a good use of limited funds.

I really like the Oxford Clarion which doesn’t get enough mentions when people write about local news startups.

238 documents for a planning application. And we wonder why most people don't get involved with local politics.

We have a winner.

My Bond pitch: he knows he's Bond but he doesn't know how he knows this, or anything about his life. Maybe he's got amnesia, maybe implanted memories, maybe he's a clone. Don't explain it and it can be a hanging plot thread for the next several films.

Absolutely cannot wait until the absurdity of multiple train operating websites is over so that ticketing is marginally less insane.

Most likely explanation: university reading week.

Any thoughts on why last week's figures were so low? I don't think it was school half term, and there's nothing listed on the university calendars.

Withholding judgement till I've had chance to properly look over these plans, but initial impressions are not great.

More shared space.

The ”upgrade” to junction 11 on the M5 is going to cost £363mn (fuck knows where the money goes) and is going ahead Reopening the Stonehouse station on the Birmingham / Bristol line would cost around £25mn but trying to get it funded is impossible

Great to see this motion on 20mph in Stockport. In the past few years I've heard some frankly misleading statements from officers on this matter, and there is no acknowledgement that a bit-by-bit approach is less effective and much more expensive. Follow Manchester's lead.

Listening to NPR and wincing at the pronunciation errors when talking about Serbian and Bosnian places. Does NPR not have a pronunciation unit?

Back in 2020, Stockport Council consulted on a walking and cycling scheme along (or occasionally parallel to) the A34. It was a mixed bag, but local campaigners supported it with several caveats. It’s back for another consultation – because part of the scheme is being dropped.

No trains running today so just a casual 50km back from Manchester to Pendle. Only took 2h30 which I thought was quite good. Thank god for eBikes!

Back in 2020, Stockport Council consulted on a walking and cycling scheme along (or occasionally parallel to) the A34. It was a mixed bag, but local campaigners supported it with several caveats. It’s back for another consultation – because part of the scheme is being dropped.

Stockport loves shared space. Nobody else does. Stop doing it, Stockport.

I'm on research leave for the first half of 2026. I'd like to use some of that to do some of the reading I'd love to but never have time or head space. I'd love your recommendations of books/papers you think I should be looking at. Cycling/Active Travel especially, but also devolution/local govt.

It's gonna be a Stockport-heavy day, for which I offer my apologies.

Today we rode to demand safer streets for women cycling in winter. Cycling is joyous but many women feel left out of our movement. It's time that changed.

Can anyone experienced with North Manchester/East Lancs cycling help me with a rough route from the city centre to Burnley? No trains tomorrow...

One does not simply turn on Google Workspace 2-step verification.

Car brand BYD's new SUV ad pokes fun at people walking and cycling, comparing them to Horse & Carts. It joins a long list of car ads that sell a false promise of convenience and aspiration while punching down at sustainable transport modes. So I made it a bit more realistic...

Nowt like bumping into an old colleague when you're soaked through with sweat.