James Gleave 💙

Transport geek. Better streets and citizen participation advocate. Founder @lab_mobility. @NewsFTC Councillor (East ward).

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

Let's be honest, it's batshit mental when you think of it. The trips people make are amazingly complex and so many can be substituted. But we plan based on the one time of day when it all goes to shit and queues form.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

The craziest thing about transport planning is how whole cities have been designed and ripped apart based on the need of people in cars, for few hours of the day, where less than 20% of all the trips people make take place.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

Oh my word this. If anyone says that they are only thinking of disabled people in making their views, ask how many of them they have asked what they want.

Then watch them fall silent.

If you want to know how the vulnerable feel about something, fucking ask them.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@HanneyDP @RantyHighwayman In the world, sorry.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@HanneyDP @RantyHighwayman Ironically, the best run railway in the road (Japan) are property companies first, and railway companies second. People literally live on land owned by the railway company, take their trains to work, and work in an office owned by the railway company.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@HanneyDP @RantyHighwayman This time last year, if someone said that a large percentage of the working population could work from home, you would have been thought to be mad. Funny how a pandemic changes things.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

Finally cracked Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity today. Far from the best Zelda game, but still bloody good fun. And it makes you appreciate the back story to Breath of the Wild much more. Despite that time travelling thing...

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

People in my area spent most of the afternoon having socially distanced snowball fights, sledging, and generally fooling around in the snow.

I know we must obey the rules, but you know what, I don't blame any of them for a second. Have some joy FFS.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

This is the crux of the problem. If you don't mind the English countryside being covered with plastic, we could grow all year round.

We just won't produce at any meaningful scale.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

Your casual reminder that this country has not been able to grow enough food to feed it's people since about 1910. And our most important battle of WWII wasn't fought by Spitfires, but by the Royal Navy in the North Atlantic.

If we didn't fight that, we would have starved.

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

There is plenty of support for growing more of our own food. Tell your local supermarket we want more U.K. produce. I am pressing the government to get behind our farmers and fishing industry. Not much choice of U.K. cheeses, fruit and veg in some shops.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@GarethDennis The one thing that could actually diffuse the situation is to give meaningful power to regions and city regions, with properly devolved funding settlements and ability to raise local taxes.

I don't think the Conservatives quote understand what they have unleashed yet.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

DM me and I'll give you my bank details now.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Am donating $100M towards a prize for best carbon capture technology

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

Filled up the car with petrol today, 4 months from the last time I did it. I've filled it up 3 times since last March, and one time was because I had to go to Southampton to pick up a laptop.

At least the pandemic has cratered my fuel bill and travel CO2 emissions.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@RantyHighwayman

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@GarethDennis Now they are getting a railway at twice the estimated cost, 8 years late, and with little actual upgrade work taking place. And some of those getting funding aren't even getting a train service boost.

They are fuming.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@GarethDennis A big success was working with Chiltern to secure passive provision between Bicester and Oxford. Even left room to electrify at a future date. Brilliant engagement.

Then DfT took on the project. Promised it would be delivered by 2017. All authorities even stumped up funding.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

Also, I live in a 15 minute city. It's called a neighbourhood. Or if you live in a rural area, a village.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

I hate to say it, but I kind of agree.

It's not a vision. It's not an approach to land use planning. And most transport elements can be summarised as good urban design.

It's more a guiding principle.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

But the worst thing about it is how, like any idea that has sense, it gets taken on by people who:

(a) Just want to rebrand good urban and street design, or
(b) Have a product to sell and to sound cool to millennials.

I've seen 1, 2, 5, and 10 minute cities posed. Come on.

[James Gleave 💙 @mobilityguy2]

@davidjmadden The worst part is how it is being taken on by people who are just trying to rebrand good street design.

I've seen walking and cycling schemes, bus route plans, street planting, and even seating rebranded as 5, 2, and 1 minute cities. I mean, why do that?