There are some great examples of cycle lane design out there. And some atrocious examples of cycle lanes that have been built. But that’s a separate rant.

If we had a quality cycle lane network, we could have adapted that to support “more than walking, less that driving” lanes without much issue.

The earlier we invest in this new class of highway the cheaper and easier it will be.

The headline there (from the BBC) is incendiary at a minimum.

I’m no Royalist. But the Monarch actually takes less of a percentage from the estate than they used to. 12% this year down from 25% last year. What has happened, is the crown estate is making more money due to financing green energy strategies which are both environmentally beneficial and financially sound.

The Monarch taking 12% from the estate, and the estate getting richer means there is more money going into the public domain from the estate that there has been before. This isn’t “money from the gubment” being given to the monarch. This is the monarchs businesses are doing better than they have before.

It’s almost as if we don’t all have to pick a team and support everything they do. This isn’t sports all, this is politics.

I can support trans-rights, hate the Rwanda plan and like nuclear if i want to.

I keep trying trains, here are some of my experiences. Caveat, I actually like/enjoy driving myself, but I want trains to be good for everyone including me.

Living in Wiltshire, within walking distance of a train station. Have friends in Kent, again walking distance of a train station. I was visiting those friends a few times a year, maybe even monthly at the time. I didn’t have my own vehicle. Jumping on a train with a book, seemed like the good option. The cost was incredible, easily 4x the cost of fuel if I had a car/motorbike (as I later did). The trains were generally on-time, into London. Once I bought a vehicle (motorbike at the time) that became my default. The one time I wanted to leave the motorbike at home due to bad weather, the line was flooded between reading and Paddington and I had to take the bike in the rain anyway. It cost me less to pay the fuel, insurance and outright buy the motorbike in a year than I spent on the train.

Living in South Wales, travelling to leeds regularly (several times a month). Avoiding the road miles/fuel/carbon, trying to take the train. The journey is long, involved several changeovers. The worst changeover was at Cardiff, I had a 55 minute wait at the end of a 5+ hour journey before a final 20 minute train home. I did get a lot of reading done. I also got a lot of drinking done, that much time sat on a train and I’d have a few cans. Ironically google maps often told me to get off at a station before home, and walk the hour and twenty minutes from Cwmbran home, as it was quicker that taking the layover in Cardiff. Eventually started driving again.

South wales valleys, into cardiff. Rush hour traffic is horrendous. The drive to work at the weekend was around twenty minutes, during rush hour you’d add an hour to that at least. Started taking the train. Was regularly late to work as the rush hour trains would be at capacity and I wouldn’t be able to get on, or they weren’t running. I had a 35 minute wait at the station each evening after work, if I worked late I’d often get stuck waiting on the hourly train home. The train, while “in theory” quicker, was even slower than driving; it was less reliable and it worked out more expensive than the fuel.

The train should be a solid win. But time after time I’ve ended up buying a vehicle and going back to driving.