After cycle infrastructure improvements were introduced, cycle counters were installed on Oxford Road, Manchester that went up to 500,000 trips a year. That was fine for a few years, but then they had to recalibrate it to 750,000. Now cycling figures have blown past that, and they need 1,000,000.

1,700 followers! Plus some numerological symmetry. Thank you to everyone this year who has chatted, liked, reposted and generally made my time here enjoyable. Merry Christmas!

A slight return, to correct @manchestermill.bsky.social on their festive newsletter. The period described in the screengrab is called Christmas. There's even a famous song about all 12 days of it.

We have today submitted our formal support for the Peel Green Active Travel Scheme. We are encouraging all our followers to submit their own support (see following post), as drivers are objecting to this scheme based on it adding a mere 70 seconds to their morning drive.

Starting my Christmas internet break early. Enjoy yourselves - and see you in January!

Deadline for all three consultations is tonight! We recommend 'strongly agree' to all questions.

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Could it be, perhaps, further subsidising drivers and saying sod off to those who don't have cars? Stockport motornormativity strikes again.

Not again, New Mills! 🎄🚲 (Fond memories of the Christmas I got verbally abused by former local cllr on Twitter for daring to suggest putting pointless metal barriers around the only cycle stands when local businesses need supporting is A Bit Bloody Stupid. These are unfixed and can be moved, but…🤷‍♂️)

Spreadsheet hubris -> spreadsheet headache.

Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads! In my latest blog post, I go back to the future in East Oxford. therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2025/12/back...

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

What I don't understand is why Cheadle Railway Station isn't being built, regardless of current timetabling problems.

DfT Road Safety Strategy next week, I understand. How supportive of 20mph limits will it be, I wonder? Will it lay the Plan for Drivers to rest? @20splenty.bsky.social

Debates on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods often focus on disabled people's experiences. In a new paper led by @ersiliav.bsky.social and @tricyclemayor.bsky.social, we use videos/interviews to explore the impacts on disabled people's everyday walking and wheeling. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Earlier in the year I had a chat to the Ranger up at Teggs Nose Country Park. This resulted in me sending him an email with design and siting ideas for better bike stands. He's just emailed me with photos of what he's installed. Cracking job! @owlernook.bsky.social more good news!

Again, quite a good example of how the slow erosion of the right's firewall against explicit far right bigotry has wider cultural impacts. This soft soap profile of a noted football hooligan who died whilst participating in an intimidation campaign is part of accepting "well, they have concerns."

38% of Peel Green households have no access to a car or van. They must be given safe alternatives. Please email your support for this scheme before the deadline of 22nd December.

Some delicious spin here from Cheshire East. But welcome to Capability Score 2!

#EvilCyclingLobby assemble!?

Network Rail is closing Manchester Piccadilly for all trains from the south and east from 14-22 February (half term). We now know what replaces the trains for that period - lots of buses.

📣 Peel Green scheme needs your support 📣 The next stage of consultation for this scheme is happening now, and drivers are objecting to making this area safer for those walking and cycling, because traffic modelling shows it will add 70 seconds to their morning drive.

Industrial Landscape 2 (Stockport), painting by Bill Smith, b.1948 in Motherwell, London-based artist.

It has just been announced that Cheshire East's active travel capability rating has increased. That means they will have access to more funding for active travel from Active Travel England. That's more good news! @owlernook.bsky.social

It's still a work in progress, but seems stable enough for "public beta", so by popular demand here's a standalone version of the parametric clock generator I recently added to my online teletext viewer: zxnet.co.uk/clock/#templ...

🚨🚗💨 Thanks to Andy Burnham’s Greater Manchester, foothills and valleys of the Peak District fringe face the gravest threat of our lifetimes from huge new roadbuilding. Two severely harmful old road proposals have been dug up for TfGM’s 2050 transport plan. But you can choose a different way. 🌳👇

I'm 100% certain that nobody wanted to get the typeface nerds involved in the culture war. It's going to be brutal (and perfectly kerned).

Pivot! The Greater Manchester Transport 2050 consultation is now finally live and in the Delivery Plan doc an A6 High Lane and Disley bypass is no longer “promoted by Cheshire East.” 🤭 *Of course* it was only ever a Stockport Council Highways pipe dream. www.gmconsult.org/transport/tr...

If you want to get involved in the #CWIS3 consultation but don't know how, I've put together some suggestions substack.com/home/post/p-... ...and a list of paths you could refer to ...

This masterpiece was published on this day in 2021.

🚨 Just five days left in our campaign! We’re 303 members away from our target 🎯 Please share the link manchestermill.co.uk or join up now for a price you choose to help us get there.

The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation strikes again!

FOR SALE Brompton G Line Electric, used once under 2miles Size small, Forest Green, as new. £2750 How about for a Christmas pressie?

Imagine you're running a university module on active travel. What would you include in the first lecture? For me, I'd include two related things: - motornormativity is ingrained in society - most highway infrastructure is *car* infrastructure @ianwalker.bsky.social @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social

Guys, this isn't funny. Countries only do this when they're in extreme distress.

For anyone who needs this today. It works.

The MEN's comments are generally a cesspit, but there are occasional gems.

How do I unsubscribe from Doomsky?

Motornormativity in Sneaky Sasquatch. In this thread I will [1/64]

We've signed a letter to the Government calling for clear targets in the upcoming Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy 3 with 50+ other groups across the country

‘A DfT spokesperson said: “We have committed £616m to Active Travel England up to 2030’ - a pretty paltry sum. www.the guardian.com/politics/2025/dec/07/active-travel-groups-call-for-clear-targets-on-walking-and-cycling-in-england

The 2025 Walk Ride GM Awards celebrated council, local volunteer and community efforts to progress active travel across Greater Manchester.

Very much not tireless today (finally caught by the seasonal bugs) but still beaming at the award.

“Moving to a situation where cars are not considered the fastest and most convenient mode of transportation will take ambition and imagination. But the alternative is a very expensive dependency, which clogs up the UK economy.” theconversation.com/how-the-uks-...

The Inevitability of Illness in December. At least I dodged it long enough to attend the @walkridegm.org.uk Awards this year.

We have published a new paper and it's one I'm really happy with. A collaboration with Janina Welsch of ILS Dortmund. rdcu.be/eS96s We look at the relationship between migration background / ethnicity and travel behaviour, using UK data. THREAD on the findings

"Support for cycling infrastructure and traffic restrictions [but] particularly opposed the removal of car parking... Cyclists and drivers favoured segregated cycling infrastructure" New UK study has some nuanced insights into what the public might support www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Marplebluesteve knows the answer to fly-tipped cars mysteriously close to a body shop. It's an unadopted road.

Could a day please go by without some all-consuming discourse?

You don't even need to be online to be fed conspiracy bullshit. Spotted in a local takeaway.

Excellent work by Manchester City Council on this - these have apparently been very popular and there is already a long waiting list. It would be great to see some #BikeHangars in Rochdale - have we got any already? @triciaayr.bsky.social