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Pick ‘n’ mix thoughts
This is a ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ of some of the things I’ve been reminded of and explored with bright minds over the last two days in London. They might not all take your fancy, but one or two might be really tasty. 1. Don’t let yourself get stressed over things you can’t control (which can Read more
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In the news over the last 7 days, time and time again
You may be fixating in the news at the moment on other things – and monstrous things are indeed at play – but here’s a reminder that climate change isn’t going away. And it’s not caused by DEI. During the CIHT CLIMATES initiative we’ve repeatedly prepared a slide called ‘In the news over the last Read more
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Avatar – an allegory for colonialism
I’ve just watched Avatar. It hit me hard between the eyes compared to the last time I’d watched it. Having just read a book on colonialism I now appreciate its purpose as an allegory (a story with hidden meaning). Greedy humans – corporate and military together – have found a beautiful planet years in stasis Read more
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Let’s take the covers off all the books
The epitome of not judging a book by it’s cover; or having a strong hunch that the cover spells trouble? Or sensing a wolf in sheep’s clothing? The word ‘prejudice’ conveys ‘pre-judging’. Here’s an example. My eldest daughter said to me ‘maybe people will listen more if you wear an office shirt and suit jacket Read more
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What the hell is going on?
Am I alone in finding myself at least once a day, sometimes several times, asking myself ‘What the hell is going on?’. The closer I look the more I have to squint to try and make sense of what I’m seeing, to the point that it it all blurs. This place has been a good Read more
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The Nutmeg’s Curse
The humble nutmeg precipitated a colonial atrocity in the 1600s. A massacre that forms part of the dirty rapacious history of appropriating nature as a resource for exploitation that bred capitalism and modernity and trampled over indigenous peoples. I’ve just finished reading Amitav Ghosh’s ‘The Nutmeg’s Curse – Parables for a Planet in Crisis’. It’s Read more
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Metal resistance and resilience
To my metal family out there – I’ve put together a resistance and resilience playlist. Some of the albums and tracks in the well of heavy metal that I drink from for replenishment – especially in testing times 🤘 Here’s my pick of twelve albums and tracks, plus two bonus tracks. What are some of Read more
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Looking for the light in a dark age
This is a personal post in an awful week. Today my contribution to Local Transport Today’s 2025 ‘deep thinking’ initiative is published. I’m sorry to say fellow transport planners that it is a sobering take on our problems or predicament. It’s called ‘Looking for the light in a dark age’. When I started my transport Read more
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Lighting a candle
You can listen to this video here. Or it is available via the LinkedIn Post. Dear friends and colleagues, 20 January is nearly upon us. This is a personal post in which I just wanted to reflect some brief thoughts for this particular day. When I’ve been engaged in public service in my career I Read more
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One year on – the reality of EV ownership
The journey into, and experience of, EV ownership and use. A year ago tomorrow we acquired our battery electric car. What’s it like from the inside looking out, having been on the outside looking in? In January 2024 we were experimenting with having gone down from two cars to one. The one left was a Read more
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Mum and I address the CIHT Annual Luncheon
Mum and I had the pleasure of addressing the highways and transportation sector on Friday 13 December 2024. Keywords to watch out for: climate action; equality, diversity and inclusion; professionalism; heavy metal; long hair. View the video. It was one of the most memorable moments in my career to be able to stand in front Read more
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What the Zuck?
Hey – what do you think of my Zen Diagram? There is so much to learn from billionaires these days. I can see what the problem is now. We’ve let truth get out of control. Maybe we’ve become too godly. A quick scan online of the Ten Commandments brings me to number nine which is Read more
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This is a crucial period of reckoning for strategic road investment in the British Isles. Scotland, Wales and Ireland have targets for reducing car traffic by 2030. The Wales Roads Review outcomes were made public last month. The Parliamentary Transport Committee currently has an open Inquiry into Strategic Road Investment in England. Having submitted written…
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Shouldn’t a government with a legally binding commitment to decarbonise commit to road traffic reduction? It seems England is special. Scotland, Wales and Ireland all have targets set by their national governments to reduce car driven miles. England doesn’t. Yesterday the RAC Foundation published an important piece of work that set the following exam question: Is it…
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Did you hear the $40 billion joke about people, planet and profit? We need to restore biodiversity and reduce global emissions on the planet. People need to change behaviours to help this to help themselves. But perish the thought that such trifling matters should get in the way of profit. It’s a joke. P.S. If…
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Seeing beyond white male privilege in the transport sector – my submission to the Transport Committee. Shaping the future of transport is not just about emerging technologies. Judgements are everywhere: judgements about what to invest in; judgements in analysis that supports judgements about what to invest in; judgements about who should judge what to invest…
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“The Earth has all the time in the world and we don’t.” Three years ago next month I was sat in an office on Broadway in New York watching footage on my laptop of one of my heroes, Greta Thunberg, addressing up to 30,000 people in Bristol, the home of my university. It was the…
What the hell is going on? 