Comfort or ‘capitalist realism’?
There are a lot of new trains – faster and with more seats. So that’s good. Some of the nose cones are sleek and the exterior styling is impressive. But it doesn’t seem like the same amount of thought has always been put into the design of train interiors and passenger comfort. Poor ride quality, […]
Coronavirus: Three concerns on the Government’s approach to urban transport
As we begin another busy week in our fight against the coronavirus, here are a few observations on where things stand for urban transport… From the perspective of our network of city region transport authorities, we are pleased with how we have organised ourselves– with a regular Board level telecon at least three times of […]
Six tests for PM’s London-style vision
Boris Johnson wants transport in the rest of the UK’s metro areas to be a lot more like London and a lot less so so. So here’s six early indicators to watch out for that show whether we are on course for this… or not. 1. All the political big names love buses these days […]
Turning declarations into decisive actions
On and on we hurtle deeper into the turbulent unknown. What would have been unthinkable five years ago in global and domestic politics is now our shared new normal. And in climate change what even a couple of years ago seemed a deferrable threat now feels uncomfortably and unavoidably close. So what can 2019 say […]
Another green transport world
The weather is losing some of its British reserve. Changing from introversion to extroversion. Records are now there to be broken – and regularly. The hottest, the wettest, the most extreme. As the weather intensifies we need to expand the capabilities of transport infrastructure and its supporting built environment to cope. We have a problem […]
What is the scope for boosting bus use?
“How much have we as an industry put into research and development in the last five years? We’re getting worse, not better, and we have to change that.” These were words from Brian Souter last year, emphasising that despite being the main form of public transport across the country, research and development in the bus […]
Getting beyond the MaaS hysteria
I don’t know about you but I’ve seen more than enough Power Points by now explaining with breathless excitement what Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is – as if no-one had ever heard about it before. And as if frequent repetition of the phrase in itself has alchemic properties which render immaterial base considerations as economics. […]
Six to watch on urban transport from the new Government
Early days but here’s six to watch that could be early indicators of the long term direction of the new government on urban transport. 1. All the political big names love buses these days – if they can’t claim blood relatives in the industry they are making models of them in the evening. True […]
Sociable housing meets public transport – 10 things I learned in Eindhoven
The UK has a housing crisis. Not enough of the right kind of homes in the right formats in the right places and at the right price. We can and must do better and part of this means making better connections between transport and housing (and professionals working in these two sectors) in order to […]
How Merseyrail dared to be different
“Liverpool, surreal. Liverpool, sardonic. Liverpool battered dignity. Liverpool, flotsam of maritime memory. Liverpool never quite what it was because everything it does changes what it does … Liverpool, welcoming the world. Liverpool cutting edge, keeping pace, dropping anchor.” Extract from The North by Paul Morley Liverpool is different. And so is its very own rail network. None […]