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James Ward

@jamesward81.bsky.social
335 followers 718 following 50 posts

Campaigner at Adfree Cities // Host of the Better Without Billboards Podcast // Words in The Ecologist, Bristol Cable, Bristol 24/7 // Facilitator // Tall man.

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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Come and work with me at Adfree Cities! This is a great role, combining creative campaigning with real-world policy development. Full details on our website.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Population density of The Netherlands, transport policy of Texas. This latest piece in @theconversation.com cuts straight to how car dependence is a burden on us all, and makes a clear case for dethroning "king car". theconversation.com/how-the-uks-...
theconversation.com
How the UK’s dependency on cars slows down the economy
Clogged up Britain
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Another day another SUV ad from the BBC. Gone Fishing is supposed to be a celebration of the countryside, does it really need an extended clip of a massive SUV fording a river for no reason? Save it for Top Gear!
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Forget coffee. I'm starting my day drinking the salty tears of drivers in Salisbury who are shocked - SHOCKED! - to learn that the consequences of their bad driving are in fact theirs to pay for. #motonormativity www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08...
telegraph.co.uk
‘Killer kerb’ that wrecks cars installed by pro-pedestrian council
Furious motorists complain over 13-inch high construction introduced by Lib Dem-led local authority
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Oliver Lord @olord.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
It’s astonishing Wimbledon insists on deploying large SUVs in our crowded capital despite excellent public transport and mounting evidence of the danger to children. Why can't guests use more normal sized cars and/or the tube like most Londoners? #carspreading www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/a...
thisismoney.co.uk
Campaigners call for Wimbledon to CANCEL Range Rover sponsorship deal
Group says Wimbledon must stop shuttling tennis players in 'dangerous supersized' Range Rover SUVs and instead force the likes of Emma Raducanu to take the tube or a bus.
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Badvertising @badvertising.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
🚨 𝗨𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗧: On Mon 7 July, MPs will debate a ban on fossil fuel ads and sponsorship. This is a pivotal moment for the UK to tackle Big Oil like it did Big Tobacco. ✉️ Ask your MP to show up. It takes just 2 mins. 👉 Use our email template tool: actionnetwork.org/letters/urge...
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
It was a pleasure to write this guest blog for Parents 4 Future Scotland. Ending the SUV arms race and creating safer, fairer streets for us and our kids is a personal and professional fight for me as a parent.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Colchester council spaffing £1 million to widen parking spaces makes very clear how massive SUVs are only possible thanks to public subsidies. Those inside enjoy their heated seats whilst those outside pay for the parking spaces, air pollution, road danger... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Colchester parking spaces 'too narrow for modern vehicles'
A city is widening spaces in two of its car parks to accommodate larger cars.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
What Labour's "growth" really means: pulling aid from foreign countries and bombing them instead. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
theguardian.com
UK defence spending to rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 with aid budget slashed to help fund move - UK politics live
Keir Starmer says now is the time to deepen European security, as he announces move in the Commons
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
Fantastic to see Norwich council considering higher parking charges for SUVs. Bigger, heavier SUVs are more dangerous, more polluting and more damaging to the road surface than smaller cars. It's only fair that they should pay more. www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/2490844...
eveningnews24.co.uk
Councillors call for SUV owners to pay higher parking fees
Norwich's SUV owners should be charged more for parking than their smaller counterparts, councillors have urged.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
A man who previously used his SUV as a weapon is now on trial for using his SUV to murder someone. Hard to see this story playing out with a Fiat Punto. SUVs are inherently violent machines and have no place on our streets. www.essexlive.news/news/essex-n...
essexlive.news
'Violent' driver crushed man under SUV then tried to flee to Dubai, court told
Trevelle Rowland allegedly used his Volkswagen Tiguan as a weapon to murder Fergany Mvuezolo before calling on his girlfriend to help him flee the country and evade arrest
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Solve the School Run @solveschoolrun.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
This is drop off at a primary school in South East London. At the same time, 75% of primary pupils and 90% of secondary pupils are travelling sustainably to London schools. Can they safely walk/cycle their journeys with cars this size driving past? Check out: www.suv-alliance.org.uk
A series of SUVs dropping children off at a primary school in Dulwich.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Maybe a vehicle that can mount another vehicle should be subject to some kind of regulation before being driven in the millions on our streets? www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/n...
Image of a large SUV on top of a small car. Credit: Ashleigh Hambelton
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Anyone describing a car as a "weapon" should have their licence immediately and permanently revoked.
Screenshot of a web article titled "this company will turn your new Toyota Land Cruiser into an off-road weapon".
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
The Netherlands has eradicated potholes. So why can't the UK do the same? The answer lies in how our two countries tax new vehicles. In NL, vehicles are taxed on their weight, so heavy SUVs pay more. In UK massive SUVs pay no more tax than small hatchbacks. www.telegraph.co.uk/money/nether...
telegraph.co.uk
How the Netherlands eradicated the pothole
Taxes on heavy cars ensure Dutch roads are among the smoothest in the world
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Slow clap for everyone who voted Labour in the last election thinking it would bring positive change. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cg...
bbc.co.uk
Reeves backs Heathrow expansion saying third runway is 'badly needed' - live updates
The chancellor says the airport is at
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Transport Action Network @transportaction.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Large, polluting, dangerous SUVs are taking over our streets. But there is an alternative… The SUV Alliance are taking action with their 5-point manifesto for safer, fairer streets, without SUVs. suv-alliance.org.uk #SaferStreets #FairerStreets #WithoutSUVs
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
The driver in the Wimbledon school crash has been re-arrested 😮 To read this on the same day that we launch the SUV Alliance and manifesto reminds me of the importance of removing massive SUVs from our streets and the tragic consequences if we fail to act. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Wimbledon school crash: Woman rearrested over deaths of two girls
Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau died at The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon on 6 July 2023.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
The SUV Alliance campaigns for safer, fairer streets without SUVs. We want a future of public transport, active travel and small EVs - not big, heavy, dangerous, polluting SUVs. Our 5-point manifesto is the start of a journey towards this future. Find out more at suv-alliance.org.uk
suv-alliance.rog
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Mums for Lungs @mumsforlungs.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Large, polluting, dangerous SUVs are taking over our streets. But there is an alternative… Today we launch the SUV Alliance and our 5-point manifesto for safer, fairer streets, without SUVs. #SaferStreets #FairerStreets #WithoutSUVs
suv-alliance.org.uk
SUV Alliance
Large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and 4x4s are more polluting, more expensive and more dangerous to other road users, yet they are fast becoming the norm in the UK. Pushed by carmakers and their…
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Well that's OK then.
Screenshot of article headline "Advertisers need not fear a heightened political climate"
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
I'm so proud of series 1 of Better Without Billboards, and equally excited for series 2 (coming to a podcast app near you soon!) Listen now to conversations with the fantastic @carladenyer.bsky.social, @darrencullen.bsky.social, @playingout.bsky.social, @cllrbenparker.bsky.social and more....
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
"Over the last three electoral cycles, Toyota has become the top auto industry financier of climate deniers. It has helped to finance campaigns of 207 climate-denying congressional candidates." So much for being the auto industry's 'green leader' 😅 www.citizen.org/article/driv...
citizen.org
Driving Denial: How Toyota’s Unholy Alliance with Climate Deniers Threatens Climate Progress - Public Citizen
Toyota is no longer the green darling that it was nearly three decades ago when it introduced the Prius.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Very proud of my colleagues today for a fantastic win against greenwash ads 🎉✊ But this is just the tip of the iceberg. We see ads like these everyday and regulation is just too slow. That's why we're calling for an end to fossil fuel advertising. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Lloyds advert banned for making false environmental claims
Watchdog ruled social media post failed to provide balanced information over bank’s ongoing financing of polluting industries
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Set fire to a police van: 14 years Set fire to a hotel full of asylum seekers: 9 years. Neither of these is acceptable, but the difference in sentencing speaks volumes about which lives are considered worth protecting and whose aren't.
Rotherham rioter who tried to burn down asylum seeker hotel jailed for nine yearsText from a BBC article about Ryan Roberts being sentenced to 14 years following the Bristol Kill the Bill riot.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Great podcast from Green Alliance on the green shift in UK transport policy. There are some good sounds coming from Labour about decarbonisation, integrated transport and electrification, but also several red flags. This ep unpacks it all! Listen now: green-alliance.org.uk/podcast/chan...
green-alliance.org.uk
Changing lanes: is UK transport policy ready for a green shift? » Green Alliance
Green Alliance is an independent think tank and charity focused on ambitious leadership for the environment
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Cardiff to consider increased parking charges for SUVs 🙌 It's right that they should. They take up more space, are more polluting, and wildly more dangerous to other road users. Great to see the start of a wave against these weaponised cars ✊ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Should you pay more for parking if you have a big car?
Some councils are considering charging owners of larger vehicles more for parking permits.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
"Whether it's the school run, a family holiday, or simply mowing down a few of the neighbour's kids, these family SUVs can do it all..." SUVs are 8 times more likely to kill a child than a small car in a collision. These are not "family cars". They are weapons. www.whatcar.com/news/best-fa...
whatcar.com
Best family SUVs 2024: our favourite SUVs for kids and cargo
Want practicality, class and an elevated driving position in a relatively compact and affordable package? These are the top 10 cars you should be looking at – and the ones that are best avoided
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Paris council requests powers to ban SUVs from urban areas! This is world-leading stuff and the start of a movement against stupid, dangerous, polluting #SUVs ✊ Which UK city will be the first to follow? eutoday.net/paris-calls-...
eutoday.net
Paris Calls for Government Ban on SUVs in Urban Areas - https://eutoday.net
Senator Ian Brossat, a communist co-leader in the Paris Council, described the incident as a stark reminder of "traffic violence" in the capital. He has also
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Ads saying the quiet part out loud. Advertising - and consumerism generally - is a project to replace relationships between people with dependence on things.
Ad for a Cupra car reads "what you feel is called obsession"
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Petition to end fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship is nearly at 10,000 signatures! Please take 2 minutes to add your name now 💚 Sign here --> lnkd.in/e_SWHZwU Fossil fuels are now arguably a more pressing health threat than smoking. So why don't we respond in the same way?
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Very frustrating that Bristol Council have approved a new digital billboard, despite massive opposition. What is the point of a planning system that puts absolutely zero weight on local people's views? We need change. Agree? Head to actionnetwork.org/letters/bett...
A meme reading "100 people objected to a new digital billboard. Council approved it anyway."
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Expanding an airport in a climate crisis is an act of sociopathic violence. Let us resist this. Follow Bristol Airport Action Network for more: bristolairportactionnetwork.wordpress.com
Bristol Airport reveals plans to increase passengers to 15m per year. at least 5 dead amid devastating flooding as storm bert batters UK
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Huge for @chrisgpackham.bsky.social to call for a fossil fuel ad ban! 🙌 This is something @adfreecities.bsky.social and @badvertising.bsky.social have been pushing for years. Watch Chris here: www.instagram.com/reel/DCrECUJ... And sign the petition here: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
instagram.com
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
If you were still in doubt about how truly obscene it is to be a billionaire, consider this.... You could have won *every single* National Lottery draw since its launch in 1994, and you still wouldn't have as much money as the world's wealthiest people. www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/news/the-nat...
lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
The National Lottery hits £50 billion Good Causes landmark - National Lottery Good Causes
The National Lottery is celebrating its 30th birthday by announcing £50 billion has been raised for Good Causes.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Huge new report from @neweconomics.bsky.social on car dependency in England. The report makes clear something we all know is true: new housing developments are not adequately connected to reliable and accessible public transport. neweconomics.org/uploads/file...
neweconomics.org
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
The phrase "best of both worlds" is being used to advertise hybrid cars - those that use an electric motor and petrol engine. Hybrids are powered by fossil fuels and still pollute from the exhaust. Ads like this are deeply misleading, but the ad regulator won't act 😡
Ad for the Toyota C-HR using the phrase "best of both worlds"
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Hello Bluesky 👋 Follow my account for 1. SUV hate 2. Misc.
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James Ward @jamesward81.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Great to hear Transport Sec Louise Haigh talking about road safety and how road deaths are treated as some kind of natural disaster, rather than a flaw in the system. I look forward to seeing how the new Road Safety Strategy develops. But we need to talk about the elephant in the room: SUVs....
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