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Posts by James Grindrod

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Following New York City lobbying push, DoorDash spends $1M on Cuomo's mayoral bid The donation marks the largest of any in the crowded Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

Even by Cuomo standards this is gross.

DoorDash is trying to buy Cuomo’s election w/$1M — so that he’ll roll back the law I passed that requires them to pay their workers a living wage.

Every day he shows more clearly whose interests he cares about: his own.

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

11 months ago 121 39 1 4
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Why we need an international rail strategy The Channel Tunnel should have transformed international journeys, but 30 years on, it is frustratingly under-used. In this blog we look at how to realise its potential.

When the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, it promised fast, seamless train travel; yet 30 years on, less than half the capacity is being used.

In our latest blog, we look at what's gone wrong and how we can unlock the enormous potential of cross-channel rail: bettertransport.org.uk/blog/runways...

11 months ago 15 5 1 0

Evening crew! This week's pod!

11 months ago 3 2 0 0
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Hard to be motorist on ‘modest income’, says Starmer He made the comments as the Government unveiled plans for councils to prove they are tackling the issues or face losing the cash to fix them.

"I think that we need to drive down the cost of motoring..." www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
Absolutely, completely and utterly NO!
Because:
A. Motorists do NOT pay anything near their external costs" of ghg, noise, and noxious emissions; danger and crashes (not the same thing); ill health
1./

1 year ago 115 46 11 4
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America Needs More Sprawl to Fix Its Housing Crisis The word has become an epithet for garish, reckless growth — but to fix the housing crisis, the country needs more of it.

Not a single time in this article glorifying the need for sprawl to address the US's affordable housing crisis is there a mention of the vast transportation costs of sprawling living patterns. Nor is there mention of the fact that sprawl is directly linked to disinvestment in urban cores.

1 year ago 1916 333 107 139
New York Declares War On Traffic (A Congestion Pricing Story)
New York Declares War On Traffic (A Congestion Pricing Story) YouTube video by Climate Town

Climate Town dives into NYC’s congestion pricing fight in their latest video, breaking down what it is, why it matters, and what’s at stake.

A sharp, funny look at car dominance and real solutions.
Well worth your time.

1 year ago 101 24 6 2

For the discerning evening reader, a sort of long-form scream into the void about the suddenly-popular idea of raising taxes on middle-earners.

1 year ago 2 1 0 0
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Ghent Kicked Out the Cars So You Can Walk, Bike, Live & Thrive in the City (Velo-City 2024)
Ghent Kicked Out the Cars So You Can Walk, Bike, Live & Thrive in the City (Velo-City 2024) YouTube video by Streetfilms®

I am dropping this on Bluesky first since I think this is the place to be.

This is my 1,111th Streetfilm so it's a cool numerical milestone! But even better this is a great 15 minute film and definitely consider one of my Top Ten.

For my birthday give it a play! #Urbanism

youtu.be/VSN1BR6es6E

1 year ago 238 56 19 11
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Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis City of Madrid significantly boosted the takings of its shops and restaurants last Christmas by banning cars from the CBD, finds an analysis by Spain's second largest bank.

Keep this in mind when people claim cars mean business — closing Central #Madrid to cars over holidays resulted in a 9.5% boost in retail spending on its main shopping street: STUDY.

There was also a 71% drop in air pollution.

Via @carltonreid.com in @forbes.com. #citymakingmath #citiesforpeople

1 year ago 2571 919 36 57

And a quick word on the "None of us are against 20mph around schools..." line. As somebody said recently: People don't live at school. If we only protect streets near schools, how are kids supposed to reach those streets?

1 year ago 249 64 21 6

"Even with the caveats about limited data and untangling causation and correlation, the statistics are striking: the first year of a scheme in Wales where the speed limit on urban roads was lowered to 20mph resulted in about 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured." 👇

1 year ago 25 5 1 2
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Copenhagen has taken bicycle commuting to a whole new level Cycling has been a part of that good life in Copenhagen for decades. In recent years, it has enjoyed yet another unfathomable surge in popularity — taken to the next level thanks to constantly improvi...

“Copenhagen reported that 62% of its residents are now commuting to work or school by bike — an increase from 52% in 2015 & 36% in 2012, when the City Council launched a 14-year-plan to improve the quality, safety & comfort of cycling.”

#Copenhagen chose. They keep choosing even better every year.

1 year ago 1750 433 25 54
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, told LBC:
"We're different political traditions, but I think we've all been struck by the pace at which President Trump's new administration has come in and made a whole bunch of changes to the way that Washington and the way that government works.
"We might look at some of those changes and think, well, they're not quite the changes we would make, from a centre-left perspective, but the speed at which they've operated, we've actually thought, you know what, we can go further and faster. We will, we are.
That's what the prime minister's doing."

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, told LBC: "We're different political traditions, but I think we've all been struck by the pace at which President Trump's new administration has come in and made a whole bunch of changes to the way that Washington and the way that government works. "We might look at some of those changes and think, well, they're not quite the changes we would make, from a centre-left perspective, but the speed at which they've operated, we've actually thought, you know what, we can go further and faster. We will, we are. That's what the prime minister's doing."

Ugh. I can’t tell you how much I dislike this. To witness such cruelty, incompetence, contempt for the law and think ‘let’s have some of that’… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

1 year ago 1661 451 186 216
Images of Dutch urban biking infrastructure

Images of Dutch urban biking infrastructure

IMPORTANT: The Dutch invested €595 million annually on urban biking, resulting in €19 BILLION saved in public health care costs alone. That’s how smart govts do math on investing in better mobility.

Let’s be clear — it wastes public money to NOT do it.

#CityMakingMath HT @modacitylife.com

1 year ago 910 304 10 22

Correct.

1 year ago 125 20 6 1

You can see the anti-ULEZ, anti-LTN, anti-cycling, anti-woke, anti-evidence folks frothing over this already sadly. But not only did this bold move work, we need a lot more bolder moves like it if we are to tackle pollution, inactivity, road danger, climate emissions...

1 year ago 40 8 1 1

I was just thinking that too. Having an actual party leader, identified early, who was the presidential candidate, and who would select a shadow cabinet, would be immensely powerful. Parties need to be effective fighting machines, otherwise what’s the point in being one!

1 year ago 1 0 0 0
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Just in case anyone is interested, here is a picture of Winston Churchill in 1943, wearing his wartime 'siren suit' on his way to meet President Roosevelt. He wore the same suit when he went to ask for more money under Lend-Lease the year before.

1 year ago 118 43 0 4

This is one of the most disgusting and infuriating things I’ve ever seen in global politics.

Zelenskyy is a global hero who has been a model for bravery and integrity in the face of invasion and genocide by a global thug, dictator and war criminal.

Trump and Vance are degenerates and traitors.

1 year ago 282 48 7 2
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Donate to Ukraine’s defenders The National Bank of Ukraine has decided to open a special fundraising account to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

war.ukraine.ua/donate/

1 year ago 25 17 1 0
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Utrecht to start construction on largest car-free neighborhood in the country next week Construction of a new neighborhood is set to begin in Utrecht next week. The neighborhood, called Merwede, is scheduled to be the largest car-free district in the Netherlands, with 6,000 homes. The ar...

Utrecht NL is about to build the largest Dutch car-free neighbourhood.

12K people.
6K homes.
1.8K social rental homes.
1.5 mid-range rental & affordable owner-occupied homes.
21.5K bike parking spaces.
250 shared cars.
2 parcel hubs.
Parking structures on district edge.
High quality public transit.

1 year ago 690 157 14 28

Zelensky is a wartime leader watching his people suffer and die under Russian attacks every day. To be lectured and lied to by Trump and Vance, as they defend the war criminal dictator committing these atrocities, is unimaginable agony. An everlasting shame for America.

1 year ago 15937 4280 284 129

This episode came to mind for me too.

1 year ago 26 9 1 1

If there were ever a time for a more united and expanded EU (inc the UK and - why not - Canada for good measure) and a single military it is now. Make America Irrelevant Again!

1 year ago 0 0 0 0
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A very clear response from London Fire Commissioner, Andy Rowe to a question at Fire Plenary last week from Emma Best AM about the impact of LTNs on fire brigade attendance times.

"We genuinely couldn't find any evidence of LTNs doing anything to our overall attendance times".

1 year ago 502 195 14 39
Before: 12km of bike-lanes in Seville

Before: 12km of bike-lanes in Seville

After: 120km of Seville bike-lanes

After: 120km of Seville bike-lanes

Seville, Spain eliminated 5,000 car parking spaces and built an 80 km protected cycling network in just 18 months with 32 million €.

Result: An average 70,000 bike trips a day.

Leadership.

1 year ago 1630 351 33 28
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Government votes to allow 100% faith selection by new state schools An amendment to keep the 50% cap on faith-based admissions in all new schools was voted down by the Government at Committee Stage for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill after it wrongly claimed...

Breaking news: MPs – led by the Government – have voted down an amendment that would have prevented the govt’s flagship Schools Bill from allowing new 100% faith-selective schools. Huge step backwards for social cohesion & inclusivity.
humanists.uk/2025/02/06/g...

1 year ago 9 3 1 1

They should all put “closed by Trump” in big letters on those closure posters

1 year ago 42 0 1 0
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UK’s 20mph speed limits ‘are cutting car insurance costs’ Controversial safety policy has helped drive down premiums to 18-month low, says Confused.com

“The first indications that 20mph zones could bring down the cost of car insurance – as well as cutting speeds and reducing road casualties – came in June last year, when the car insurer Esure reported that vehicle damage claims in Wales fell by a fifth after the default limit was introduced.”

1 year ago 324 86 8 10

“The confines of childcare”. He should try being his wife for a week!

1 year ago 2 0 1 0