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Scott Urban

@urbanturbo.bsky.social
855 followers 1.4K following 379 posts

Lecturer at @hertfordcollege.bsky.social Transport activism is climate activism. 🇺🇦 #Oxford #WasColorado “High Priest of Anti Car Zealotry”

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Reposted by Scott Urban
Rachel Parris @rachelparris.bsky.social · 9h
Hey folks. In total honesty my tour is NOT selling well. I’ve sold 30 tickets in a 400 seater in Birmingham, and not much more elsewhere. If you like musical comedy, if you like standup, then please come see my show! And spread the word! The Rachel Parris Songbook tour starts in Nov! Link in bio! 🎶
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Cargo Bike Ben @cargobikeben.bsky.social · 20h
Evidence has shown time and time again, when you have subsided parking and no time limits (as was the case with Liverpool after 6pm) it is overwhelmingly used by staff in local businesses and by residents avoiding paying for parking in their apartments; not by customers.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 06/10/2026
From the business owners who strengthen our neighborhoods, to the sounds of Afrobeats pouring from graduation parties in Southeast Queens, & the aroma of Agege bread calling to a passersby in Brooklyn — Nigerian New Yorkers have made our city richer in culture, stronger in community & more vibrant.
The parade crowd passes a volleyball / Mayor Mamdani stands with community leaders. Ladle of plantainsPeople dressed in green and white watch the Nigerian Day Parade.
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Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
People won't voluntarily give up their Kid-Crusher 5000s unless we make driving them considerably more costly and inconvenient, which is precisely what we should do.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 06/10/2026
Obama to appear at Abdul El-Sayed rally in critical Michigan Senate race
theguardian.com
Obama to appear at Abdul El-Sayed rally in critical Michigan Senate race
Former president to visit 10 days before election day as victory for progressive challenger could tip Senate balance
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The Tories have announced they would abolish Natural England, support a Third Runway & pull the UK out of the Aarhus Convention - in further signs they’ve totally given up on Middle England, don’t give a toss about the environment & just want to please some wealthy grouse moor owners & raving YIMBYs
Tory party press release: “[We will leave the Aarhus] Convention that powers the lawfare hindering every major infrastructure project in this country.”

“Abolish Natural England and the Environment Agency, moving to a more streamlined regulatory landscape to protect our environment.”Tory PR: “Support a Third Runway at Heathrow Airport and wider expansion, increasing capacity to deliver cheaper flights, better connections for passengers, and more exports of high-value British goods.”
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Cocchiarella: You said that you do support a moratorium on data centers, but if there were to be one that had to be built, Mar-a-Lago seemed as good a place as any. Nixon: They have a huge golf course that it can be dropped onto.
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Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
CODDLED DRIVERS—LAVISHED WITH BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF INFRASTRUCTURE JUST GIVEN TO THEM WITHOUT ANYONE NEEDING TO LAUNCH AN ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN THAT TAKES ALL OF THEIR TIME ON EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS—EXPECTED TO EXPERIENCE SLIGHT INCONVENIENCE
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
There are people calling this conviction "two tier policing." Er - no. If you set off a politically motivated bomb in a public area and if shrapnel flies about that is terrorism. news.met.police.uk/news/man-jai...
news.met.police.uk
Man jailed for 15 years over ULEZ camera explosion
Kevin Rees, aged 63, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, 2 October.
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
If the Baltic states, the UK and France are not invited to discuss the state of NATO with the USA, then the other European NATO states should refuse to attend as well. European security needs to be seen as a whole, only Putin (and Trump) wants to divide it up. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Pentagon excludes key allies from NATO meeting
Some of Europe’s biggest defense spenders — and U.S. allies — were not invited to a Pentagon-led meeting to discuss the alliance.
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Tab C @drtcombs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
#Question: Can we talk UV monitors? I need some for a research project, measuring exposure as people pass through different environments, so we need portable & with continuous (or nearly) measurements. Size & user-friendliness not so important; reliability, accuracy, and price are. thank you!!
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Putin’s reward for bombing hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, public parks and museums and killing children is to get invited to the G20 Summit by Marco Rubio.
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River Action @riveractionuk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
MORE CHICKEN. SAME OLD SH💩T. The Government wants to expand intensive poultry farming. Their plan for all the extra waste? Good question.. 🤔 So we’ve been outside on the streets with a simple message: 📢 Serious about cleaning up our rivers? STOP the expansion of Big Chicken.
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Cat Hobbs @cathobbs.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
41% - not for profit Welsh Water's financing costs vs 8% - publicly owned Scottish Water's financing costs We can't afford NOT to have public ownership - and it's the norm in 9/10 water systems globally www.ft.com/content/6b1f...
ft.com
Non-profit model won’t fix water industry, says boss of non-profit utility
Welsh Water has fallen short on sewage pollution, despite having no shareholders for over two decades, chief acknowledges
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Erik Noonan @eriknoonan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Bike/pedestrian networks don't take 30 years to build. Stop accepting those timelines in your community. The best practices have been proven & they already exist. Safety should already be the #1 priority. The ROI is unbeatable. The timeline is a moral document and it shouldn't be generational.
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Cllr Emily Kerr 💚 @emilykerr36.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thrilled to visit Oxfordshire’s first of the new Quiet Lanes: filtered to motor traffic, safe for us cyclists and walkers and horse-riders. First time I have ever felt safe to cycle to the fabulous Rectory Farm: love supporting local businesses.
Me in hi viz by the shepherds pit lane QLBike and QLEntrance now safe.
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WABA Cargo Bike Library @wababikelibrary.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Post Borrow Survey: "We’ve talked about a #cargobike for years. The library is why we took the plunge. Getting to experience days by bike with our toddler was eye opening. Appreciate trying multiple types. We are so confident about our decision and investment." #bikedc 🥰🥰🥰
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the babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
bad news babe a rogue openai agent must have hacked our refrigerator last night and drank 15 beers
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Jeff Roush @jeffroushwriting.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Too much of the GOP is infected by cowardice and complicity. Trusting any of them to suddenly stand up to the president would be foolish. We need to vote in opposition to what today has been an almost unfettered totalitarian.
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Dr. Mar @boldnewme.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Warrior Princess ⬇️
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More Perfect University @mpuniversity.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
HAPPENING NOW: University of Michigan students speak with @abdulelsayed.bsky.social at our third Students vs Billionaires town hall. Students across Michigan are demanding solutions to the cost of living crisis impacting every one of us.
youtube.com
LIVE University of Michigan Students vs Billionaires Town Hall ft. Abdul El-Sayed
YouTube video by More Perfect University
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wtaf is this question my university just asked me about my project?
Does the project involve any work that could be interpreted as promoting DEIA, climate change research, or non-compliant to any Presidential Executive Orders?
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Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Autumn Equinox was at 01:06 today. The sun is now over the southern hemisphere. It doesn’t return to the northern hemisphere until 20 March 2027. www.rmg.co.uk/stories/time...
rmg.co.uk
What and when is the autumnal equinox?
When is the autumnal equinox, what date does the autumnal equinox fall on and when does summer end?
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
In order to try to build (or at least consent) more homes, the 2026 NPPF has chipped away at ambition to plan positively for the future. It promotes providing "a suitable number" of parking spaces and prevents local authorities seeking safety improvements, unless an "unacceptable impact".
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
For a decade, planning policy in England defined cars as "sustainable" if they were low (exhaust) emission, ignoring their wider impacts on people, place-making and nature. A small change slipped out in the new #NPPF last month corrected that. Happy #WorldCarFreeDay!
Screenshot of definition of sustainable transport modes from December 2024 version of NPPF, with the words "ultra low and zero emission vehicles" highlighted.Screenshot of text from August 2025 NPPF showing cars are no longer explicitly defined as sustainable. Words shown are: "Sustainable transport modes: Any efficient, safe and accessible means of transport with overall low impact on the environment, including walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport." 
Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-frameworkPhotograph of new red brick semi-detached housing in Kent. The public realm is full of motor vehicles, with all the pavements blocked by parked cars and vans.
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John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Abolish ICE. Fire them all. Prosecute their crimes.
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OnlygoodmusicHere @foghornleghorn883.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Doing errands in a car feels like it's a chore and one that is not fun, while doing those same errands on my bicycle feels like I'm going on a fun adventure. It's even more fun if the route includes protected lanes for bicycles.
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Hairybusiness @hairybusiness.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Brother if Hinjosa wins....I might break into the bubbly I've reserved for Trump's exit and just get a new bottle
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Neil Fawcett @neilmfawcett.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Has someone in the policy unit been at the sherry again? If we've got a few billion to spend, I'm pretty sure there are more important priorities than tax cuts for the top 20% of earners. Like, you know, the NHS, SEND, transport infrastructure, or even carers. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Ed Davey promises £17bn income tax cut if Lib Dems are elected
Growth created by rejoining EU single market and customs union would fund change, Davey tells the party’s conference
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Dread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
Drivers when they have to pay to park at the hospital (usually with exemptions for long admissions, disabled parking, etc.) vs Drivers when people who don't or can't drive have to pay as much or more for a bus that goes near but not to the hospital or have to pay several times more for a taxi
Shot from The Simpsons of entire town marching holding burning torches and looking furious Tumbleweed on desert road
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The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"Isn’t it obvious that selfishness on the road changes us as a society? The belief that a driver should be allowed to do whatever they please, regardless of the impact on others, mounts the pavement and travels deep into our lives." Via @georgemonbiot.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Driving that’s too fast, too dangerous and utterly lawless: why do we tolerate this petro-masculinity? | George Monbiot
In towns and in the countryside, I see 4x4s and pick up trucks driven without care or conscience. It’s a Magafication of transport, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Better Streets for Birmingham @betterstreetsforbirmingham.org · 22/09/2026
Two years ago today, we turned Upper Highgate Street into a Play Street and remembered four year old Mayar Yahia, tragically killed by a driver. Two years on, the street is still no safer. We hope the council delivers the changes proposed in tribute to Mayar. #WorldCarFreeDay #VisionZero
A street closed to traffic with road closure signs in the rain. People carrying umbrellas gather around gazebos set up in the road.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.” Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life. Common sense. Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.
washingtonpost.com
Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.
Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.
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Karin Kvale @kkvale.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Car free day in Brussels. The air smells fine, ambient sounds are bike bells and conversations. Every city should be doing this regularly.
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Dread and Rosie @rosiemund.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We're going to fucking cook while people bang on about how we need electric cars & solar panels over parking lots as harm reduction until we have the comprehensive public & active transport options that they'll oppose every step of the way because it'd get in the way of their electric fucking cars.
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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 18/09/2026
In 2012, Addison Lee boss John Griffin was all over the news when he ranted that cyclists should “pay road tax.” Yesterday, HMRC won its case saying that, since 2013, the taxi man has been avoiding paying income tax. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Telegraph headline from 2012:

Cyclists should pay road tax, says taxi boss Careless cyclists are on a
'voyage into the abyss'
The head of London's largest minicab company says cyclists should think more about their own safety before "throwing themselves on to some of the most congested spaces in the world".Guardian headline today:

Addison Lee founder owes
£20.5m in tax after UK tribunal ruling
HMRC wins challenge over John Griffin's claim to be non-dom despite having lived in England since childhood. With pic of old man in office.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18/09/2026
Gina Hinojosa: "The fight of 2026 is to decide is this going to be a Texas and America that is by and for the people, or is this the billionaires' world and we just live here. That's the fight."
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still last @lastnotlost.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
* Breaking news * To give drivers more green-light time and space around Putney High Street, the now Tory run Wandsworth Council want to remove bus stops, move the ped xing on Putney Bridge, and narrow pavements! Papers to WBC Transport Ctte 24/9/26: democracy.wandsworth.gov.uk/ieListDocume...
2. Executive Summary
2.1. This report presents an update on the Putney High Street public realm and
junction improvement works. There are further improvements to ease
congestion along the Putney Bridge corridor subject to approval. The most
prominent being relocation of the pedestrian crossing on Putney Bridge to
allow Lower Richmond Road to regain the green time currently assigned to
pedestrians on the bridge when there is a demand. Other potential
improvements include carriageway widening outside TK Maxx, and trialling
Weiss Road as a one-way street. Lower Richmond Road bus stops
2.6. The Council has continuously lobbied TfL to relocate bus stop P by
approximately 40m (Westbound services, outside Kenilworth Court) and
relocate or remove bus stop Q (Eastbound services, opposite Kenilworth Court)
on a trial basis. Whilst TfL has agreed to trial the relocation of bus stop P and
found it to be effective, they have consistently rejected the Council’s request to
a trial at bus stop Q. To demonstrate local views regarding these two buses
stops on Lower Richmond Road, the Council will be consulting local residents
for their views for TfL’s further consideration.
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Scott Urban @urbanturbo.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
How did I miss this?? One for just about every police authority out there.
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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“Could we get a speed bump” Maybe in 5 years after 12 studies. Just throw a construction vest on for now!
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Cllr Ed Lamb @edwardlamb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Don't suppose now is a good time to talk about bicycles is it? Never seems a good time to raise it... 👀 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK inflation pushed up by petrol and diesel price rises
Summer holidays and disruption to global oil supplies by the Middle East conflict stoked price growth.
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
One side of this war has an elected legislature but it doesn't really have any power compared to the supreme leader and the council of guardian jurists, and the other is Iran.
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We're losing guardrails on the BLS, Census, and BEA numbers. I'm not alarmed yet, but if they give us reasons to not trust them, then the US joins a club with Russia, Argentina, and Venezuela. Great crowd platypuseconomics.substack.com/p/th…
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carlvo.bsky.social @carlvo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I have been to Switzerland for the past 3 years. Even in this short timespan you see how the glaciers are retreating. It is so f-ing scary and we collectively choose to ignore it. How can we be so stupid?
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Glaciologist @matthias-huss.bsky.social shows that the centre of the Great Aletsch glacier in Switzerland (the biggest in the Alps) lost 6 meters(!) of thickness just this summer. "No words...", he adds on LinkedIn.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 15/09/2026
Deeply. Unserious.
motherjones.com
The EPA would rather monitor abortion pills in water than pollution
The agency is easing climate rules for power plants while testing water for mifepristone.
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Cathy Tuttle @cathytuttle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Simply removing most cars from many central downtown streets in Ghent, Belgium has dramatically transformed and improved the city. Pro tip: Any city anywhere can decide to do this. #belgium #bike #cargobike #urbanism
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Scott Urban @urbanturbo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Interesting that Krasnov’s owners are all benefiting from this war.
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Carla Denyer @carladenyer.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The UK banned tobacco advertising because we realised it is totally counterproductive to allow companies to advertise products that are killing us, undermining important public health work The same is true of high carbon products and services, fast fashion, gambling, etc. Where Bristol leads... 🤞
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 15/09/2026
No New Yorker should lose their life just trying to get around our city. We refuse to accept preventable tragedy as an inevitable part of living in New York.  That's why we’ve announced more than 100 policies to make our streets safer over the next 10 years.
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