Todd Lithgow

Active Mobility Planner based in Manchester 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇲🇶

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

But what if?

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@_______holly Literally Vivarium

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@jordanbhx Worth noting that this data for Manchester is possibly incorrect https://t.co/481uw9R56Y

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@thomasforth They might want to update that flag…

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@SimonZev It’s the obvious (and only solution), but nobody talks about it for fear of challenging the tick-box mentality we have to accessibly in this country (at least in active travel/the public realm)

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@jackfifield If you have a number 2 knocking around you’ll be able to have some more cake at the New Bailey/Left Bank bridge fairly soon…

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@zacspiro The problem with being employed as a rubber stamper is that it gets boring so you sometimes have to reject things to keep work interesting and to have something to talk about with your mates in the pub

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@CraigForward @LCRMayor I’ve always thought it would make some sense to divert the west coast main line under Speke to the airport before joining back at Hale Bank - that way you don’t need to change any service patterns and you get 3tph with Avant, LNWR and TFW

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@rosemeyer1939 There is a certain mentality among some consultants that if something is within the ‘scheme extent’, then it needs to be changed. There is another mentality that falsely assumes that any change is automatically an improvement. This looks like an unfortunate mix of both…

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@adamtranter The idea that the stripes can only be as wide as the tactiles definitely needs to change though!

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@drewsparkley @WRSalford Any idea if the pedestrian bridge is ever going to be fixed so the non-driving plebs can get to work?

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@shortthought @createstreets Is that the whole story? You rarely see junctions with underpass lanes in cities, and roads usually go over railways rather than under (unless the track is built on an embankment). Same with bridges instead of underpasses at stations… maybe we just are incapable of digging?

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@Urban__Designer That’s because nobody under the age of 40 would want to live in one

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@DuncanStott The classic British approach of planning/designing a good scheme, dithering due to scheme costing more than not building the scheme (surprise), redesigning the scheme to be cheaper (worse), and wondering why said redesigned scheme (if its built) isn’t working as well as hoped…

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@euanmills As somebody with a grandparent with dementia living in a ground floor flat, I very much disagree. This essentially cuts you off from any interaction with your neighbours - which happens in the lobby/main entrance. That informal support network is invaluable

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@awjre This is precisely what everybody said when the designs were first published

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@H_H_Gray @climbtechy They also suggest a 0.5m buffer is needed on a 2m cycle track - not true if using a stepped track, or alternatively for a short stretch a 1.5m cycle track with 0.5m buffer could suffice. Thats 2.4m in total. It’s really quite lazy counting and I’m surprised it wasn’t flagged up

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@H_H_Gray @climbtechy They’re also assuming that 3.25m is the minimum for general traffic lanes. For bus lanes I would almost accept it (though plenty of cities on the continent use 3m bus lanes just fine). But general traffic lanes can absolutely be as low as 2.8m - that’s up to 1.4m of extra space.

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@H_H_Gray Meanwhile this is what I have to wipe off the chairs on my balcony every weekend (live near the ring road)

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@YouFromLancs @rosemeyer1939 @Gary_Kilroy @MetroMayorSteve If you win the work I’m happy to sell all those plans I drew as a student for a small chunk of the fee ;)

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@ArmitageAndi @rosemeyer1939 Having said that (and I haven’t looked at it in detail yet) do think any scheme that doesn’t include some element of filtering is going to fall short of what is possible there

[Todd Lithgow @LithgowTodd]

@ArmitageAndi @rosemeyer1939 Same kind of principles, I think ultimately it’s a street where it’ll always be busy and chaotic so any scheme has to recognise and accept that rather than trying to ‘control’ behaviour