Alongside perennial favourites such as “they all run red lights” and they “don’t ring bells/annoyingly ring bells” a key complaint about cyclists is that they “always ride on the pavement”. Both motorists and pedestrians complain about such apparent bad behaviour. 

When first writing a textbook on public transport planning many years ago, it was difficult to avoid the generally-accepted notion that these modes (bus, rail, metro, etc.) were in an inevitable decline, prompted by the continued growth in car ownership, and in some cases by population decline in older cities. Today, however, while decline continues in some cases, the overall picture is much more positive.

Having attended TPM for a number of years including events in Manchester, Reading, York, Birmingham, Liverpool and for the past two years in London and having presented a dozen papers and chaired various sessions I can say that it has been a very worthwhile event to attend.  The conference is less formal than some with a strong emphasis on participation by younger professionals alongside those of us who have been around a bit longer.  

Season’s Greetings from PTRC! This is the time of year we reflect on past glories – it’s the ’10 best this’ and ‘top unusual animal friendships of the year that’- it is no different at PTRC, as I take this newsletter as an opportunity to reflect both on PTRC’s year and its connection to my infrequent lunchtime exercise regime.

Despite the fact that Guy Fawkes Night has all the trappings of a great holiday – fireworks, creepy masks and  its beginnings rooted in religious zealotry- as an American I find it a bit difficult to get behind a celebration that so overshadows Halloween. 

Shared Space has continued to spark controversy over the past year, and concerns are leading to questions being asked about its consistency with particular aspects of the Equality Act.  The concept of Shared Space involves removing the on-street demarcations between pedestrian space and vehicular space and designing for lower traffic speeds, in the expectation that this will naturally lead to greater freedom for the pedestrian and greater caution on the part of motorists due to increased uncertainty regarding each other’s movements.  

Over the last few years transport planning has seen yet another roller coaster in terms of demand for skilled and experienced transport planners. We are now very much in a growth part of the cycle, with the result that employers, at least in the private sector, are again recruiting graduates and seeking to broaden their knowledge and experience while at the same time undertaking productive transport planning work.  However, local authorities outside London have continuing problems and the picture is one of very tight budgets and skills development too often having to take second (or...

Many councils are blissfully unaware of a hidden but substantial risk of significant financial and reputational damage, which often only comes to light when a hard-done-by motorist delves into the detail of a traffic regulation order and successfully challenges their fine.  Staple fare for the Daily Mail and other tabloids, which gleefully report that the local authority concerned will now be forced to pay back thousands of pounds of illegal fines.  Meanwhile, the council faces a race against time to ensure that errors are corrected and traffic movement and/or parking activities...

At a time when the government is under pressure over future transport provision – particularly regarding decisions on rail electrification schemes in the north and new runway capacity in south-east England, three leading transport experts set out their contrasting views of what the government should prioritise at the annual Transport Practitioners Meeting. 

On this the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, celebrations, discussions and exhibitions around the UK and the world mark the significance of a document hailed as the foundation for political freedom, human rights and countless democratic movements throughout history.