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Adam Tranter

@adamtranter.bsky.social

Active travel advocate. Founder Fusion Media, co-host Streets Ahead Podcast. Was West Midlands Cycling & Walking Commissioner. Views all mine. Substack: https://www.bikeis.best/

328 Posts6647 Follower265 Folgt
Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 2w ago

Cities dismantled their tram networks to become “motor cities of the future”. The result? You could travel further within 30 mins via public transport in 1957 than you can in 2026. Cities are seeking billions to rebuild networks. Incredible piece of work this.

The Exchange@theexchangeleeds.bsky.social · 2w ago

If you stood on Briggate at 8am on a weekday in 1957, and stood there again in 2026, in which year could you reach more of the city in half an hour? Samuel Bancroft has crunched the numbers. Since the 1950s, Leeds has got bigger - but the city has effectively shrunk.

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 2w ago

This police officer understands that a bike modified to reach high speeds via a throttle is a motorcycle, not an e-bike. E-bikes or electrically assisted pedal cycles (EAPCs in law) provide assistance while pedalling to 15.5mph before cutting out. A throttle can support walking mode up to 3.7mph.

Meredith Glaser@cyclingprofessor.bsky.social · 2w ago

The narrative around autonomous vehicles often frames them as inevitable. But choosing them is a political choice, not a technological certainty. When we treat self-driving cars as the default future, we choose to double down on private, car-centric infrastructure and unsustainable futures.

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 3w ago

The UK Government could use the Highways Act to prevent pavement robots from operating at all. Instead, they tacitly allow local trials and are speeding up legislation so we can have many more pavement robots, as in the US. Can’t wait!

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · last mo.

Mature trees provide the shade and shelter required to make cities liveable during extreme heat. Given how long it takes for trees to grow enough canopy cover, cities should be urgently planting tens of thousands more of them. 📸 Thermal camera in Lisbon, showing 59.5°C ground.

Thermal camera in Lisbon, showing 59.5°C ground.Photograph of same location in Lisbon
Peter Walker@peterwalker99.bsky.social · last mo.

You might have already seen them in some places, but a mass of autonomous pavement delivery robots could be coming after ministers signalled they are likely to support a change in the law formally allowing their use, prompting worry from campaigners. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Ministers likely to support law change to allow delivery robots on England’s paths

Exclusive: Safety campaigners concerned about plan for widespread deployment on already crowded pavements

theguardian.com

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Bicycles are hugely space efficient, which is why they make a lot of sense in congested cities. This video demonstrates why there aren’t traffic jams in bike lanes. Just imagine the traffic queues if every bicycle here was a car.

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This is the former Birmingham Labour Transport Cabinet member, responsible for declaring a “road safety emergency” and reducing 40mph urban main roads to 30mph, now immediately calling for his *own* policy to be reviewed. Deeply unserious and, worse, actually dangerous.

Request for review of 30mph speed limits on key routes
Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 3mo ago

So disappointing to see the lack of political will now in Birmingham for safer streets. After questions from Babiker Yahia, whose 4-year-old daughter Mayar was killed by a driver in April 2024, only one candidate (after quite a pause) backed 20mph limits on all residential streets.

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 3mo ago

"Self-driving technology is game-changing. But boosters leave out the miserable record of the automotive industry keeping its past promises. That history puts the burden of proof on the people who are promoting this latest version of automotive utopia." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Why Cities Shouldn’t Fall For the Robotaxi Hype

Transportation historian Peter Norton sees a pattern in the promises that autonomous vehicle companies make as they push self-driving cars into cities.

bloomberg.com

Adam Tranter@adamtranter.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Portugal has one of the worst road safety records in Western Europe. You're 1.7x-2x more likely to die in a road crash in Portugal than in neighbouring Spain. Faced with rising deaths and growing anger, the Government is now victim-blaming vulnerable road users instead of tackling the danger.

Post from ANSR + Portuguese government: A distraction can cost you your life When you walk on FOOT: 👉 Avoid mobile phones and headphones ─ reduce the perception of the environment; 👉Don't change direction unexpectedly; 👉Before crossing the treadmill, stop and always look both ways — even on one-way streets or with a green light.INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION Users of bicycles and personal mobility devices Driving against the flow of traffic or breaking traffic rules. Disregarding signs, traffic lights, and right-of-way. Riding on sidewalks improperly Lack of maneuver signaling Absence of lighting, reflectors, or other visibility elements. Failure to use protective equipment (e.g., helmet, recommended)