Give the people what they want: trains (Not what they don’t want: airports)

It is always the same betrayal: the public interest is sacrificed for the sake of immensely wealthy people. And Andy Burnham has already gone and done it. My column on how Burnham needs to defy the ultra-rich if he's not to follow Starmer out of the door. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Andy Burnham has already made a mistake that will cost him his premiership: he lost his nerve over political donations | George Monbiot

Being subservient to the interests of the wealthy now means that his hands are tied, and he will be unable to tackle Britain’s most pressing issues, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

theguardian.com

On the one hand, some people want to make it so that kids and other people aren't crushed to death by cars. On the other hand, some people are upset that they might have to pay attention, slow down or be inconvenienced by about 15 seconds. So you can see how it's a "war on cars."

Birmingham 20mph limit: a 'life saver' or 'a war on cars'?

Birmingham City Council is proposing the city becomes England's first 20mph city.

bbc.com

Have now seen this glorious side road zebra in person! So good.

Cllr Emily Kerr 💚@emilykerr36.bsky.social · 2mo ago

DRUMROLL - we've got our first side-road zebra crossings! Well done Manchester & Westminster for piloting. And Oxfordshire for rolling it out.

Oxfordshire people! Come to Caper on Magdalen Road, Sat 3rd October for what promises to be a great talk from the War On Cars podcast team. See details below. checkout.square.site/merchant/ML2...

Life After Cars – an evening with Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon - Caper

description

checkout.square.site

Great article on the Birmingham 20mph planned changes by @christianwolmar.bsky.social - more cities need to follow suit and make their roads safe. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Dear culture-war motorists, look to the future. We'll all be driving at 20mph soon | Christian Wolmar

There are howls of protest from the right about plans for Birmingham to be a 20mph city. But it will be a good thing, and others will follow, says transport writer and podcaster Christian Wolmar

theguardian.com

What you might miss from this new article on Oxfordshires innovative new Quiet Lanes policy, given the rest of the framing, is the last line: “majority of consultation responses have been positive” www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2650003...

'Highly inappropriate' - police object to 'quiet lane' changes set for approval

The first road changes for Oxfordshire's new 'quiet lanes' project are set to be approved, despite Thames Valley Police calling them…

oxfordmail.co.uk

My doctor friend in Birmingham messaged me to say they were considering 20mph across the city and I cou led hardly believe it… Birmingham!! 20mph!! Such good news.

20's Plenty for Us@20splenty.bsky.social · 2w ago

A considered and balanced article on Birmingham's plans to set 20mph as the norm for its streets. www.highwaysindustry.com/birmingham-2... "Birmingham’s move also shows how speed policy is shifting in local government." #20splenty4people

Woah.

Beef and dairy production accounts for 41% of the biodiversity damage caused by the world's farmland, according to an international study involving researchers from the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford. www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/beef-an...

Beef and dairy drive 41% of biodiversity damage linked to global…

The Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st…

oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk

Lyon, France has got its parking charges sorted, based on harm and ability to pay. * Large vehicles pay more than small, but adjusted for EVs - 3x or more * Visitors pay more than Residents * Low income, large families and some professionals can pay lower rates * Free for 'blue badge' equivalents

www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/... I've been looking at all the places pavement parking is actually encouraged 👇🏽 @emilykerr36.bsky.social @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social @livingstreets.bsky.social @betterstreetsforbirmingham.org @nationalfedblinduk.bsky.social @guidedogsuk.bsky.social @rnib.bsky.social

Should pavement parking be banned?

Half of all councils in England actively encourage parking on pavements through marked bays or signage, BBC research has found.

bbc.co.uk

The townspeople of Watlington are banding together to buy shops on their High Street, so they can “let them at fair rents to tenants who benefit the town” and keep them out of the hands of “landlords who want to maximise their yield”. They are raising £600,000 and have targeted three properties.

UPDATE: a wonderful friend of mine saw this and recognised the bike dumped in a bush!!! It is looking sad and minus a few key features but I will get it back. Thanks everyone for sharing.

Cllr Emily Kerr 💚@emilykerr36.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Another Oxford cargo bike theft!! Mine is customised by having a lot of stickers and nail varnish my kids did on it. Stolen on Meadow Lane at 18.30 today locked to a Sheffield stand. Please LMK if anyone sees it for sale. Probably in Cambridge. ;)

Electric buses have helped Oxford to hit its air quality target for the first time. Only three out of 118 monitoring sites – none considered “sites of relevant public exposure” – were over the local NO₂ target level of 30 µg/m³. None of the 118 exceeded the UK limit of 40 µg/m³.

Another Oxford cargo bike theft!! Mine is customised by having a lot of stickers and nail varnish my kids did on it. Stolen on Meadow Lane at 18.30 today locked to a Sheffield stand. Please LMK if anyone sees it for sale. Probably in Cambridge. ;)

DRUMROLL - we've got our first side-road zebra crossings! Well done Manchester & Westminster for piloting. And Oxfordshire for rolling it out.

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Oxfordshire has its first two “side-road zebra crossings”, installed without Belisha beacons or zig-zags, on St Margaret’s Rd where it meets Banbury Rd in north Oxford, and on Cornwallis Rd where it meets Henley Ave in east Oxford. Such crossings are standard in mainland Europe but rare in the UK.

Incredible moment where Fox News puts up a graphic with all the reasons it opposes the DSA and why people should be afraid of them

Reducing traffic reduces crime: see new study from Leeds. www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...

Cutting traffic cuts vandalism, burglary and violence, research shows

Lowering traffic on urban streets can cut vandalism, burglary and violence, according to a significant new study by Leeds researchers.

leeds.ac.uk

For those interested in the future of Hammersmith Bridge, I am delighted to say that the Barnes Hammersmith Electric Light Transit community interest company website has launched today! I can’t take too much of the credit but I’m very pleased to be supporting! www.bhelt.org.uk

BHELT

BHELT - Barnes Hammersmith Electric Light Transport - is being established to help explore, develop and promote the idea of lightweight autonomous electric pods operating across Hammersmith Bridge as ...

bhelt.org.uk

One of the most wholesome things I do is water some local trees. We have a tree watering schedule for a newly planted 6 trees nearby. Haven't met the residents, but we're all on a shared tree WhatsApp. It's really hard work lugging water to keep them alive in the hot weather, but totally worth it. 🌳

For three days in a row the heat record for June has been broken in the UK. The same story right across Europe. Any attempts at this key moment to slow climate action is utterly indefensible. We need day one action to accelerate our climate ambition from Andy Burnham.

Adrian Leyser Sturm@leysersturm.eurosky.social · 2mo ago

Record-breaking heat on Saturday (and Sunday) in #Germany, too! June records are being shattered in many places, and even the all-time record is in jeopardy. #heat #heatwave #records

Gave a speech on our lost decade of which Brexit has played a huge part. It's time to turn the page. The Green Party is offering hope and a plan to end Rip Off Britain. 📸 - aldoshoots

Absolutely stunning victory as Greens gain another seat in Brighton & Hove. 🎉 Look at that swing! 🙌🏽👀 Huge congratulations to Nadia and the entire team! 💚

Election Maps UK@electionmaps.uk · 2mo ago

Goldsmid (Brighton & Hove) Council By-Election Result: 🌍 GRN: 49.0% (+22.4) 🌹 LAB: 32.7% (-14.6) ➡️ RFM: 7.3% (New) 🔶 LDM: 5.2% (-1.7) 🌳 CON: 5.1% (-4.6) 🧑‍🔧 TUSC: 0.7% (New) No BHI (-9.5) as previous. Green GAIN from Labour. Changes w/ 2023.

I have to say, it's making me feel a little insane hearing commentators say Ed Miliband shouldn't be chancellor because of his "ideological zeal" for Net Zero, in a week where temperatures are so extreme that my kids are being sent home early every day and it's regularly 30 degrees inside my house

“We’ve only had 114 years to do something, let our kids sort it out!”

I am absolutely delighted to see this progressing. A cheap and incredibly effective way to make walking, cycling, horse riding, rollerblading etc. Many congratulations to everyone who has helped make this happen!

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Nine Oxfordshire parish councils have applied for ‘quiet lanes’, where a road is closed to through motor traffic to improve safety for residents, walkers and cyclists. Each one will go through an initial assessment and design phase and then, if selected, be trialled for 6–18 months.

looking at news out of the UK and apologies if this has ever come up before, but have they considered reviving the economy by joining a large economic and political consortium of countries nearby, say in Europe?

Incredible local angle here

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Following the resignation of Keir Starmer, Cambridge University could finally have a chance to overtake Christ Church in the ‘most Prime Ministers’ table. Cambridge, where Andy Burnham studied (at Fitzwilliam), and ChCh are currently tied on 14 each. The University of Oxford has 31 in total.

This letter from Savills & the Uni suggesting that developments are financially impossible if you have a CPZ is just a complete joke. CPZs work across the UK, people are willing to pay £65 per year to store a car which costs £4k pa to own. web.archive.org/web/20260619...