The public is rightly outraged that private water companies pollute rivers and streams they can usually avoid drinking or swimming in The public is ambivalent to privately owned vehicles that pollute the air they cannot avoid breathing in. Or their children or elderly parents.

This is a great summary of what's going on in particular sections of the news media. It's obvious that the only real issue that the tabloid media has with Zack Polanski's mouth is that he uses it to say that we should lift up people who are struggling instead of the rich.

This morning, the region's Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets. This month, there are updates on the Local Transport Plan, Ring and Ride and 2027-32 transport funding (currently £484.5m is unallocated). Papers: governance.wmca.org.uk/ieLi...

My walk to work today. If we want to live in safe communities with clean air, we all have to walk+ cycle more/drive less. But there's no incentive on offer to walk so the status quo continues... @livingstreets.bsky.social @tahiralimp.bsky.social

You’re absolutely right. It’s time to clear pavements for people who rely on them. betterstreetsforbirmingham.org/our-campaign...

The pedestrians in this photo had to move to the right so the cars could drive along the footpath to drop their kids off. Birmingham is an extraordinary place where people will fight for the right fit for a car dominated city 🤯 @betterstreetsforbirmingham.org @livingstreets.bsky.social

This is what it looks like when Councils want us to walk more but do nothing to facilitate it @livingstreets.bsky.social @tahiralimp.bsky.social @betterstreetsforbirmingham.org

Not here to be disappointed. Not here to be concerned. Here to replace them - and then take on Reform. Join.greenparty.org.uk

When we're told there's no new money, we must spend what we have more wisely. Nearly 12x ROI

Nice one Birmingham City Council! It’s good to see Brum leading the way on raising awareness about fireworks and air quality. Let’s celebrate without polluting our city 🎆💨 #ClearTheAir #FunWithoutFireworks #BrumBreathes

Shout out to my wayward councillor (I understand rejected for selection by all parties) for trying to weaponise the cycle route but being materially incorrect in stating that nobody wants it. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Obsessed with this live "bus tracker" map. Filtered for Oxford Bus Company but other companies and individual bus stops also available. bustimes.org/operators/ox...

Cars the U.K are up to 55% larger today than they were in the 1970s and there are twice the number of motors on our roads as there were 30 years ago, but anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood and anti-cycle lane campaigners keep claiming they 'cause congestion'. Okay.

I'm keen to establish cold water swimming in Birmingham. I know there's places nearby, but I want to get it going in Birmingham Trying to guage interest if others feel the same. Likely to be next winter at the earliest

Glasgow is one of the few British cities taking on #UKCarCulture, and here is the result. This could be your city too, if people with power weren't preventing it from happening.

So let’s get this straight, they won’t cut taxes, they want to lower the minimum wage, cut environmental protections, won’t do anything to make life cheaper or better, so what does that leave… flags and deportations? That’s it!

Being a pedestrian is grim. I'm being active. Not producing any pollution. Yet I have to lobby day in, day out for this to become much better @livingstreets.bsky.social @tahiralimp.bsky.social

Another tragic week on our streets. Five pedestrians hit by drivers in just seven days. No one should risk their life just going about their usual business. We need safer streets, slower speeds, and a shift in priorities: people first, not traffic flow. www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...

The same government that chose not to implement graduated driving licences also chose not to give free bus travel to under-22s. Evidence-based policies being overlooked for, I'm guessing here, lobbying from automotive sector etc Dreadful stuff that costs lives.

Should have posted this sooner but didn’t Birmingham and HS2. Both hopeless, supposedly. And yet they’re both obviously not on.ft.com/47wTRmD

Hs2 will be built. And when it is, it will reach Birmingham. Which is in the doldrums currently, but it doesn’t always have to be that way, have a modicum of imagination

The Birmingham City Council bankruptcy story is an utter shambles. Not knowing whether your organisation is bankrupt or not is simply unbelievable. No wonder Central Government is staying away from it. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I cycle because it's cheaper than driving AND saves me the cost of a gym membership. In Birmingham I see very few other cyclists. Mainly people driving cars. 50% of Birmingham is in poverty and burdened with poor health. It's a policy failure of epic proportions that people are forced to drive

I attended the first meeting of Friends of Bradford St community forum tonight. It made me think this must be how some of the groups in Moseley began years ago. It’s great to see residents & businesses coming together to support and shape their area rather than leaving it to faceless corporations.

@birminghamdispatch.bsky.social can WMCA decide whether Birmingham should be like London or not? Ed Cox suggested we didn't back in August, but Richard Parker thinks we should in October. 12 weeks is a long time in regional politics!!

Farage: epic grifter

In an observational study of my family, so fairly irrelevant I guess, we avoid Kings Heath High Street because we're concerned about the air pollution.Were it cleaner and safer, we'd visit a lot more. York Road gets our trade instead

Proof that Nigel Farage hardly knew Nathan Gill, the traitor who took Russian bribes.

'Get rid of the migrants or I'll become a migrant' is quite the argument

Labour are building their policies around a weighted average of the votes in the Caerphilly by-election

This is our work! Nice to see it getting picked up

“We spend about 2 years of our lives inside a car.” [probably more] “What a waste of time. Or is it?” [yes it is] Mercedes-Benz is trying to convince us 17,520 hours [probably more] is ACTUALLY “time well spent.” “Watching the world go by.” More big money spent on spin. Consequences be damned.

"As well as the Christmas market beginning on 1st November in Birmingham, the City Council has announced that New Years Eve will move to April when the weather is better and there will be an additional month between August and September to extend the summer"

Fucks sake, Cardiff

Thank you to @mrjamesob.bsky.social for having me on, one of the v few people in the UK press to follow this story during what is now a decade of media apathy &/or complicity

I wrote something about #StopDeKindermoord

I spoke to the Cabinet Member about this earlier today. BCC is lobbying for a blanket ban and support from government. We do have a ban in Birmingham if you put up signage - we just need more local councillors to get signage on problem roads.

@tahiralimp.bsky.social supports a ban on pavement parking. These cars are for patients visiting their GP. If we're to improve population health, it needs to be easier to walk and discourage cars. Our health is determined far more by this than any NHS metrics

@livingstreets.bsky.social imagine being this selfish and stupid to block a footpath

It’s a pleasure to have @lucycaldicott.bsky.social in @betterstreetsforbirmingham.org’s committee. Lucy steered our 1 year of the road safety emergency event and is currently preparing to launch our new manifesto asks into the world next month. Lucy had an hour-long interview on Brum Radio y/day.

Don't park on my drive, but I'll park on the footpath. Birmingham Car Culture is optimised on Willows Road

@livingstreets.bsky.social Birmingham is a cultural city. Unfortunately, car culture is promoted more than others. Don't bring pushchairs to Brum.

Imagine if politicians tried to reduce high level of poverty and pollution in communities instead? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Presumably putting flags up twice is a "repeated protest", the type Shabana Mahmood suggests giving Police more powers to prevent?

Combined Authorities don't have enough political accountability. I think they need councillors as well as a mayor.

@betterstreetsforbirmingham.org @birminghamdispatch.bsky.social great dashboard from @healthfoundation.bsky.social local authority dashboard. Birmingham doesn't come out well but we have to start somewhere. Active travel under Transport tab www.health.org.uk/evidence-hub...

London is a rich city in a poor country This is why Reform have gained traction

Applying Foots trolley problem to traffic, the single occupied cars should not impede the bus carrying >50 people. Cars impeding buses fails both utilitarian and ethical test

I'm in love with Berlin after my week's holiday there. Fabulous city. Anyone know how they manage to support SO many independent restaurants? They're of a high standard too. Birmingham really struggles keep restaurants open.

West Midlands transport policy over last century or so.... 1. Pay for trams 2. Pay to remove trams 3. Pay for roads 4. Pay to close roads 5. Pay for trams Imagine where we would be had we avoided the cost and terrible outcomes of steps 2,3 and 4