London is quickly becoming a cycling city. Trips have soared to 1.5m a day. Our network of cycleways is now over 400km - and is expanding fast. We're currently extending Cycleway 4 in Greenwich - making the streets safer & enabling more people to switch their trips.

In other words, the only affordable starter home package is to enter a blood feud with the NIMBYs and unions and build dense, cheap condos with largely prefabricated components.

Sasho Todorov@sashotodorov.bsky.social · 2d ago

The problem with the starter home market is: (a) land got more expensive, not just housing, which imposes higher cost floors; (b) a lot of the starter home sector was purchased post-2008 and converted into rentals; and (c) labor + material costs are a lot higher now, so new build got more expensive.

Again and again the problem artists have, at least commercially, is that dollar-for-dollar even bad AI is what consumers prefer. (Consumers as in the people who pay for art, not the people who consume ads that are made with AI, we don’t really have numbers on that yet)

Zoomer Antimillenarian@surcomplicated.bsky.social · 2d ago

There's going to be an interesting dynamic where the most successful AI generated stock art is the stock art that is hard to distinguish from human-made equivalents.

Ppl *are* right to be very offended by the typical AI style, although I'd take pains to notice that it faithfully mimics very successful human-made slop that is only now being (correctly) devalued!

I might write a longer thread about this at some point, but I'm increasingly concluding that after you've cars down below 20mph the next big win is removing car parking. I'd rather cycle in a dual carriageway with no parking, than a bus lane with intermittent cars parked.

Every time I take my mom somewhere in our cargo trike she says the same thing (at some point in the ride): “Wow, you sure do see more on a bike than driving, don’t you?” Today she added “I think I have a glimpse into what my 80s will be like” (me riding her around even more in my bike). 🥰

I don't wish to get overly excited but the Reform operation is having a major wobble and it is important to remember how resistant two-party systems are to change. 1/🧵

We really need to ban cars until we figure out why this keeps happening.

worm@rfksbrainworm.bsky.social · 4d ago

How is that even possible

Black barrister was told ‘it’s not for defendants’ at London court car park

Black barrister was told ‘it’s not for defendants’ at London court car park

Stephen Akinsanya says being mistaken for defendant shows lack of progress on racism within legal system A black barrister said a security guard told him he could not park in a court’s car park because “it’s not for defendants”. Stephen Akinsanya, who in June was awarded an OBE for raising awareness of youth knife crime and its prevention, said the incident, at an east London court about four weeks ago, illustrated the lack of progress on racism within the criminal justice system. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Councils urge government to 'protect trans rights' amid new single sex policy

Leaders of six London boroughs have urged the government to protect trans people's rights amid concerns the revised EHRC code will "exclude" them from community services

mirror.co.uk

If someone storms a private home or residence it's not a protest or unrest it's a pogrom. 1/🧵

Further arrests in Thetford as disorder continues for third night

The arrests follow disturbances linked to anti-immigration protests in the market town.

bbc.co.uk

likely STDs that poll better than this idea because of car brain, but a built in speed governor that logged every time you went above the speed limit in a given area and sent you a ticket every X number of times would uncontroversially save more american lives than basically any other single policy

William B. Fuckley@opinionhaver.bsky.social · 4d ago

the marginal loss of privacy relative to status quo is why I'm very "ehhh" about most perceived SURVEILLANCE STATE!!! objections to thing like speed cameras. I find it hard to give much of a shit. I already assume I'm never unwatched in a populated public area. might as well be used constructively

Abolish Westminster Council - or take central off them - until they realise theyre running the UKs largest hospitality area not a small village

Infill urban housing/upzoning/walkability is by far the top answer to this question, and there isn't really a close second.

Kevin J. Kircher@kevinjkircher.com · 5d ago

Climate pals, what are your favorite examples of actions that simultaneously reduce climate pollution and help us adapt to climate changes that we can no longer avoid? Joint Adaptation and Mitigation (JAM), if you will.

Once again, I come back to the fact these guys have created a situation where one of the UK's leading, cis female athletes is scared to go to the loo alone, and the fact that they are celebrating this as a step forward for women's rights.

Equality and Human Rights Commission@equalityhumanright.bsky.social · 5d ago

Our code of practice for services, public functions and associations comes into force today. It provides practical guidance on how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, public functions and associations. Find out more: https://ow.ly/alIf50Zwrkx

The EHRC guidance has put me in mind of the trans people in my life whose lives will be harder and more dangerous. I've written about this previously, as well as the working-class retail and hospitality workers who will have to enforce this nonsense. 1/🧵

Bender@djbthirteen.bsky.social · 5d ago

The EHRC's Code of Practice comes into effect which will make it harder and less safe for trans people to access basic facilities like public toilets and gyms. 1/🧵

Being a councillor is a very specific role in politics that involves representing an entire community (which will include British Jews) and coming to a balanced judgement. Someone can be a genuinely reformed neo-Nazi but still inappropriate for that specific role. 1/🧵

The EHRC's Code of Practice comes into effect which will make it harder and less safe for trans people to access basic facilities like public toilets and gyms. 1/🧵

TransActual@transactualuk.bsky.social · 5d ago

The EHRC's new Code of Practice comes into effect today. Here's what you need to know. transactual.org.uk/know-your-ri...

Something that pervades the internet is users encounter a public policy problem, usually around budgeting (I.e. there is currently not enough money devoted to this issue) but then reason things are the way they are by careful consideration and design. I’m calling this phenomenon Occam’s Bludgeon.

Urban Land Rent 🇸🇴🚰@urbanlandrent.bsky.social · 7d ago

Starting next week pools are gonna be closed on weekdays in Sac while temps are still in the 100s. One may think “Huh maybe we should raise the tickets above $3-5$ so we can keep the pools open” But user fees are inequitable. So in the spirit of ensuring equal access the pool will be inaccessible.

Legitimate critiques of the actions, strategies or goals of the political representatives of a marginalised group are often echoed or amplified by people prejudiced against the marginalised group, including by people who haven't consciously clocked their prejudice. 1/🧵

We're going to have to have a very unpleasant conversation soon about how crunchy MAHA-adjacent stuff about processed foods is the slopulism angle a lot of politicians are going to look at

The most fustrating thing here is that the Govts record on climate and net zero is actually very good... ... we just entirely refuse to discuss it. Even in the context of unprecedented temps caused by climate change

Josiah Mortimer@josiahmortimer.bsky.social · last wk.

Asked: "Does government take climate change seriously?" the PM's spokesman replied simply: "Yes."

All nerd hobbies can have the social structure of their communities quantitatively measured with the Q:N (Queer to Nazi) ratio. Pokémon is 8:1. Warhammer is 1:1. Paradox Games are 1:1 but different from Warhammer because the queers and Nazis are the same people.

I think this is mostly true, but I also think that a big factor is that brand is no longer a reliable indicator of quality. It's no longer worth investing money in high quality goods because it's very hard to be sure they're good without deep research.

Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈@maxdubler.com · last wk.

I think my most genuinely unpopular take is that a widely held and genuine consumer preference for cheaper, lower-quality goods, not private equity, is driving the decline in quality of consumer goods like clothing and housewares.

I think my most genuinely unpopular take is that a widely held and genuine consumer preference for cheaper, lower-quality goods, not private equity, is driving the decline in quality of consumer goods like clothing and housewares.

A lot of people think they want a written constitution when they actually want Andy Burnham or Antonia Romeo to write a letter to The Times signed Senex (or whatever the modern equivalent is, maybe make an Instagram post and get it reposted by the King's official account). 1/🧵

We're using City-owned land to build the affordable homes New Yorkers need.

Right-of-centre parties are an emergent property of electoral democracy. If the centre were way to the left, there'd still be parties to the right of it. It behooves anyone (who opposes fascism and supports electoral democracy) to be invested in the success of non-fascist right-of-centre parties.

Danielle Blake SUPPORTER OF ARSENAL FC, CHAMPIONS@abradacabla.bsky.social · last wk.

On both sides of the pond you get responses like this to people correctly saying “hey given that liberals can’t win every election forever, we really need a non-extremist right of centre party here” because they can’t see past the ends of their noses.

Oh look, JK Rowling's chequebook-waving has emboldened the ADF, a Christofascist hate group that has been pouring millions into the UK to fund court cases and lobbying against abortion rights, equal marriage rights, Pride events etc., to go on the attack as well. Top standing up for women, Joanne!

Christian charities challenge Amnesty report labelling them ‘anti-rights’

A letter led by ADF International UK urges the Charity Commission to affirm that charities may engage in public debate without being labelled a threat to human rights

thecatholicherald.com

Yeah, one thing that has been weirdly un-brought up in the last year is that the Tories and Labour *never* really polled below 20% prior to 2025. Even under Truss, it was a few isolated polls with them sub-20. Yet, this time they prolonged that state - inc in actual elections - for over a year.