Reposted by J. AckleyAlfred Twu @alfredtwu.com · 26/09/2026This reminds me a lot of cars, another technology that is convenient when a small number of people use them, but not when everyone does. 2162
Reposted by J. AckleyStephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Which of Gatwick or Heathrow should be London's hub airport, a debate on which one side you have: Gatwick has more land that it owns, is cheaper, already has direct rail links to the South outside London, is less a logistical nightmare versus Heathrow is older 6916519
Reposted by J. AckleyDanny Yee @dannyyee.bsky.social · 20/09/2026The route under the Botley railway bridge has fully opened, so I went down to see how the walking and cycling provision works. Summary: the route under the railway bridge is pretty good, the transitions on either side are terrible for cycling (and not that good for walking). 1369
J. Ackley @j-ackley.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Chiltern was basically the perfect case during privatisation. - Almost entirely running on exclusive trackage so other operators problems didn't cascade - Some London commuter services for stable revenue - Ability to complete with larger operators for services from London to Oxford and Birmingham 010
Reposted by J. AckleyNilo @nilo.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Ways view rail travel in Great Britain: 3/5 of people do it at least once a year (greater portion than Americans who fly) It's 10% of passenger miles It's 2% of trips The amount of trips has more than doubled from 1990 going from 800 MM to more than 1.8 B. www.gov.uk/government/s... 0122
Reposted by J. AckleyBorners @borners.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Interesting work from the 1985 edited by Peter Hall himself, which is the only narrative I've seen about German urban transit revolution of 1970-1990, with comparison with UK. Note the table showing just how depopulated UK city centres were as @antbreach.bsky.social 031
Reposted by J. AckleyGareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 11/09/2026Here's the kicker with this, though... This fleet is costing £1bn over its lifetime. To electrify the 45km from the ECML to Saltburn would cost about £135-200M. How much did batteries *and charging infrastructure* add to the cost of this order? Was it less than this? 27614
J. Ackley @j-ackley.bsky.social · 09/09/2026And people say we never change. Hardly a building left 120 years later. 000
J. Ackley @j-ackley.bsky.social · 09/09/2026A brand new road with retrofitted traffic calming and dangerous cycle lanes, what a failure 010
Reposted by J. AckleyHackney Cyclist @hackneycyclist.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Separate cycle tracks alongside rural main roads give the elderly or people with mobility issues far more freedom. Someone on a mobility scooter can travel safely from town to town, without having to rely on a car or public transport. This is what accessible transport infrastructure looks like. 13443112
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Plans for a Greater Oxford Council have been dramatically halted. The Government has unexpectedly launched a review into the planned reorganisation - meaning Oxfordshire County Council continues for now. Oxfordshire is one of 14 areas where plans have been paused for a review to take place. 74418
Reposted by J. AckleyThe Ranty Highwayman @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social · 03/09/2026An absolute scorcher of a blog post here from @robertweetman.mastodon.scot.ap.brid.gy robertweetman.wordpress.com/2026/09/03/i...robertweetman.wordpress.comIt’s a network problem!I often find myself in conversations about the comparative value of side-road zebra crossings and continuous footways. People want to see improvements for pedestrians, a means to get cyclists safel… 137227
Reposted by J. AckleyRosamundi @rosamundi.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Lifeboat collects owl found exhausted at sea www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...bbc.co.ukWatch: Norfolk lifeboat collects owl found exhausted at seaA boat about 70 miles (113km) off the east coast of England had an unexpected visit from a tired owl. 1133
Reposted by J. AckleySteve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · 16/08/2026This is not the future. It is papering over the cracks of a broken ticketing system. Passengers should not need to share their GPS movements to travel. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...bbc.co.ukNew app aims to make buying train tickets simpler 94313
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Pedestrian campaigners say that a new wave of EV chargers must not come at the cost of pavement width. Oxfordshire County Council recently announced plans for over 90 new chargers, but campaigners have measured that “in some of the proposed locations the existing footway is only 1.6m wide”. 74914
Reposted by J. AckleySteve Chambers @planningtransport.co.uk · 14/08/2026Old people need to be convinced that living above a shop (in a flat with lifts) is good actually. 3131
Reposted by J. AckleyFinancial Times @financialtimes.com · 13/08/2026Retail parks are the real threat to the British high street ft.trib.al/75kbJiift.trib.alRetail parks are the real threat to the British high streetOutdoor commercial complexes are hot property, with supermarkets, stores and discount chains elbowing for room 5205
Reposted by J. AckleyDavid Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Looks like I got my answer: "The presence of the [per-minute] fee nudged cyclists toward several unsafe behaviours." "The policy recommendation is to avoid such strategies in favour of less time-pressuring schemes." doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... 1126355
Reposted by J. AckleyTom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 11/08/2026I think the thing about executive pay is that you do have to baseline it, so for context Thames Water's base pay for the CEO and CFO are about 25% higher than what Games Workshop pays in base pay to its executive team who have successfully tripled the revenue of the company and got it in the FTSE100 27420
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 07/08/2026A new transport plan for the Kidlington area envisages safe cycling routes to villages including Islip, Bletchingdon, Yarnton, and Bladon; a new railway station at Begbroke; and upgrading the Oxford Canal towpath to be usable for cyclists and wheelchair users. 3154
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 07/08/2026The third and final contractor has been appointed for the HIF1 relief road from Didcot towards Clifton Hampden. Eccentrically capitalised construction firm GRAHAM will build the Didcot to Culham section, including a new bridge – the 139th – over the Thames. 152
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/08/2026As the EHRC Code of Practice comes into force, we’ve compiled a new Oxford toilet guide highlighting unisex/gender-neutral provision. 38 facilities across the city for when you need to go. Read it here: oxfordclarion.uk/oxford-publi...oxfordclarion.ukOxford public toilets: Where to go when you need to goWe are all the Clarion – and, sometimes, we all need the loo. And especially if you're pregnant, have an unreliable postnatal pelvic floor, are looking after children, or just need to spend a penny wi... 1314363
Reposted by J. AckleyHackney Cyclist @hackneycyclist.bsky.social · 04/08/2026A new housing development under construction in the Netherlands The cycle infrastructure is already in place, complete with junctions ready to connect to future homes, along with dedicated bus lanes Active and sustainable travel is planned from the very beginning, not bolted on as an afterthought 619457
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them. 791030732
Reposted by J. AckleyCity Infinity @cityinfinity.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Robert Weetman and @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social have just announced the first dates for their two-day masterclass in better side road junction design (19th & 26th October). Costs and booking details will follow, but we've posted an update on LinkedIn this morning. www.linkedin.com/posts/cityin...linkedin.comComing soon – Pedestrian-friendly side road junctions online masterclass Robert Weetman and Mark Philpotts are excited to launch dates for their first two-day online expert workshop exploring their… ...Coming soon – Pedestrian-friendly side road junctions online masterclass Robert Weetman and Mark Philpotts are excited to launch dates for their first two-day online expert workshop exploring their p... 2197
Reposted by J. AckleyBarnabas Calder @barnabascalder.bsky.social · 03/08/2026I've set out my alternative proposal for the Rotterdam Shift Embassy: www.dezeen.com/2026/08/03/r... 32610
Reposted by J. AckleyLizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 02/08/2026The number of terror-related arrests in Britain has risen 1,200% a year following the ban of Palestine Action The number of people arrested for holding signs - under a law originally designed for IRA uniforms - is higher than total terror arrests over the previous decade inews.co.uk/news/retired...inews.co.ukHow retired teachers, nurses and vicars became Britain's newest terror suspectsMajority of suspects arrested for holding signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action' at protests against the ban 8167104
Reposted by J. AckleyDanny Yee @dannyyee.bsky.social · 31/07/2026But what about the superblocks? My second thread on walking in Barcelona's Eixample, looking at recent pedestrianisation schemes. 111
Reposted by J. AckleyDanny Yee @dannyyee.bsky.social · 31/07/2026We only spent five days in Barcelona, but I did quite a lot of walking around despite the heat. This thread is mostly about the Eixample blocks, as those are distinctive. This first thread is about the pedestrian experience before recent changes, the next thread will look at those. 131
J. Ackley @j-ackley.bsky.social · 01/08/2026American houses are so big, they can't conceive of a lone single bed 000
Reposted by J. AckleyIan @woolie.meowmeow.city · 01/08/2026"We can't use cut and cover in historic downtown San Jose." Meanwhile Les Halles, Paris, 1973: 1124141
Reposted by J. AckleyTransport Action Network @transportaction.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Wondering why National Highways, a company solely focussed on maintaining and developing the strategic roads network, was given the custodianship of the Historical Railways Estate? We've written about this - and some bridge scandals - previously 👇🏽 transportactionnetwork.org.uk/bridge-infil...transportactionnetwork.org.ukBridge infill scandalsWhen British Rail was broken up for privatisation, its assets were dispersed amongst various players in the rail industry or flogged off, often with little thought to their wider value or importance. ... 394
Reposted by J. AckleyJohn Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 28/07/2026I am fascinated/intrigued by what makes small footprint supermarkets massively attractive to retailers in the UK and somehow seemingly impossible in the US. Is it something regulatory like selling cigs/booze? Or supply chains? Something else? 8241
Reposted by J. AckleyShit Planning @planningshit.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Crap arse token landscape gets removed, if it’s like this on a plan it’s never lasting. 0625
Reposted by J. AckleySte Jormur @stejormur.bsky.social · 22/07/2026British bus users really don't know how bad they have it. Double decker buses are already a bad design - you have to wait for everyone to climb down, some with kids or heavy bags, and then new passengers climb up. Combined with single door boarding, you waste about a minute at every single stop. 1194
Reposted by J. AckleyLiving Streets @livingstreets.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Living Streets has been campaigning to kick pavement parking to the kerb for over 50 years. Today we're hearing that pavement parking is being encouraged by local authorities, and we're working hard to continue to push for change. www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2k4qp…bbc.co.ukPavement parking allowed by half of councils in EnglandDisability charities say the practice makes streets harder to navigate for wheelchair users and people with limited sight. 04622
Reposted by J. AckleyGareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 18/07/2026For those who don't know... Any alternative to full electrification will be more expensive (if it works at all) if you run any of the following on a given stretch of railway: ⚡ ⭕ fast services (120km/h+) ⏱️ frequent services (6tph+) 📦 freight services (any) 314329
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Roadworks contractors are being told to consider pedestrians and cyclists. Oxfordshire County Council has signed off a set of ‘Active Travel Guidance for Street Works’. It discourages ‘Cyclists Dismount’ signs except as a last resort, and says lanes at roadworks should not allow unsafe overtaking. 56813
Reposted by J. AckleyGareth Dennis @garethdennis.uk · 18/07/2026Outside of London, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield are seeing heavy overcrowding on trains with little ability to resolve this thanks to retreating government ambition on electrification and network expansion. Read the report here: neweconomics.org/2026/07/cutt...neweconomics.orgGetting moving on the cost of livingA plan to bring down bus and rail fares 4472
Reposted by J. AckleyPeter Norton @norton.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Measuring passing distances on 8,753 occasions in which a motorist overtook a bicyclist, Laura Hamm and Marty Miller found that “painted bicycle lanes were associated with reduced passing distance and higher passing speed.” ... 611241
Reposted by J. AckleyJosiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Wow. The Department for Education has just published new projections which estimate that the number of pupils in state-funded schools in England will plummet by more than 9% by 2031 amid falling birth rates And yet this issue receives probably 1,000th of the coverage the immigration debate receives 38751332
Reposted by J. AckleyThe Ranty Highwayman @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social · 16/07/2026In the summer edition of Highways Magazine, I get back to basics and look at getting vehicle crossings right. Too many highway authorities are not doing their job right here. Digital issue available online (signup needed). www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk 84018
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 16/07/2026🚨BREAKING🚨 The Rt Hon Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, confirmed in Parliament just now that Oxfordshire's future council structure will be three unitaries, as part of "the most ambitious programme of local government reform in a generation". 92610
Reposted by J. Ackley👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 13/07/2026“councils no longer employ their own armies of engineers and architects and builders” okay, well…. Hire us? this is a fixable problem 720015
Reposted by J. AckleyLeo Murray @crisortunity.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Basically battery trains are going to be useful for decarbonising jolly little passenger branch lines, but proper mainline railways need wiresrailbusinessuk.comReport rules out battery locos and calls for targeted electrification to benefit rail freightThe Railway Industry Association has published a report calling for a strategic programme of freight-focused electrification designed to maximise the potential for electric haulage and make better use... 33510
Reposted by J. AckleyOxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 08/07/2026The new slip-roads at Shores Green, on the A40 outside Witney, will open on Friday 17 July, providing an alternative to the congested Bridge Street for Witney motorists. The £25m cost for two slip-roads is more than the average capital spend on cycling and walking across the whole of Oxfordshire. 3289
Reposted by J. AckleyOxfordshire County Council @oxfordshirecc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Our initiatives to slow traffic and make Oxfordshire's roads safer include quiet lanes. So what are they? They restrict through traffic so routes are safer for walking, cycling, wheeling and horse riding - giving locals choice on how they move. Read more: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/transport-an... 2132
Reposted by J. AckleyTom Forth @tomforth.co.uk · 07/07/2026In 1998 and 1999, four of Britain's regions and nations voted for devolution. Since then, all have overperformed the rest of the country economically. Even Wales. . Also a bit of a rant about how there's more than one big city in Britain. tomforth.co.uk/agglomeratio... 23820
Reposted by J. AckleyLaura Laker @lauralaker.bsky.social · 03/07/2026This pavement path was recently resurfaced by National Highways across a petrol station slip road... less than 1m separates users from the busy dual carriageway. It's part of the National Cycle Network. Why wasn't it improved? You might ask open.substack.com/pub/lauralak... 87116
