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John Paddington

@padders123.bsky.social

230 followers 410 following 1.2K posts

Transport technology, Birmingham and some other stuff. Occasional photos of Travel Basil to promote St Basils homeless charity that works with young people in Birmingham.

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · Nov 16

Also: if you're wondering about my banner photo, it was taken in Kharkiv, Ukraine about ten years ago. It's a reminder of happier times and also the sadness that there is war there.

Reposted by John Paddington

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 4h

I assume Nigel Farage won't be making this 'hurty words' guy the star guest at the next Reform conference.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10h

Afghan man jailed for five years for TikTok threat to kill Nigel Farage

Fayaz Khan, 26, was also sentenced at Southwark crown court for entering the UK illegally on a small boat A man who came to the UK on a small boat has been sentenced to five years in prison for making a threat to kill Nigel Farage in a TikTok video last year. Fayaz Khan, 26, an Afghan national, made the threat to kill the Reform UK leader on 14 October 2024 in a video on the social media platform that Farage said was “pretty chilling”. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 5h

You want smaller government, this is how you do it...

StreetsblogMASS @mass.streetsblog.org · 6h

Air quality monitoring agency concludes that clean transport initiatives in Paris – including 1,500 km of new bikeways, conversion of on-street car parking to gardens, and lower speed limits on the Périphérique highway – saved France €61 billion over 10 years in reduced health care costs.

Anne Hidalgo @annehidalgo.bsky.social · 6h

61 milliards d’euros, c’est ce que nous avons économisé grâce à nos actions contre la pollution de l’air !

AirParif conclue dans sa dernière étude que nos actions en matière de lutte contre la pollution de l’air ont permis d’économiser 61 milliards d’euros.

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 6h

Remember the ECHR is the highest court in the land and all Labour MPs were elected on a manifesto of making it easier to get an GRC not make them effectively meaningless.

Geri Scott @geraldinescott.co.uk · 6h

Intervention from Europe's human rights watchdog has gone down *badly* with some in govt, amid push to reform the ECHR from the inside.

Shabana Mahmood especially is said to take a "dim view" & allies say issue of trans rights after Supreme Court's judgement is "beyond reproach".

buff.ly/boX2dUz

Treatment of trans people may breach ECHR, ministers told

Council of Europe sets out concerns following gender ruling and also tells government that banning Palestine Action may breach the freedom of peaceful assembly

www.thetimes.com

Reposted by John Paddington

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 9h

Love this for him, perhaps the most Rishi Sunak imaginable after-premiership bit of good work he could do.

The Policy Institute @policyatkings.bsky.social · 9h

We’re pleased to partnering with former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty on Number Nation, a new initiative to conduct the UK’s largest ever study into attitudes to everyday numbers – in partnership with the Richmond Project, Purposeful Ventures and Public First

🧵⬇️

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 9h

I've been looking at the flood risk maps for Birmingham as part of buying a home. It's a lot of places not near rivers due to storm, surface water risk. I think this is going to be the biggest shocks from instance perspectives.

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 10h

Who would get the extra £14 considering the author is dead?

Reposted by John Paddington

Commissioner for Human Rights @commissionerhr.coe.int · 13h

Read my two letters to the #UK:
1. Protests: I call for a review of the legal framework and the reconsideration of provisions in the Crime & Policing Bill that could restrict freedom of assembly.
2. Trans people: I warn against exclusion&zero-sum approaches
👇#HumanRights
www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

United Kingdom: Commissioner addresses human rights issues in policing of protests and the situation of trans people - Commissioner for Human Rights - www.coe.int

Strasbourg 14/10/2025

www.coe.int

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 12h

Another good question about how to get more women into cycling. Also the host just acknowledged the lack of balance on the panel.

Answer mentions that the majority of women have not tried an eBike. Also short term trial / subscription models

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 12h

Good question about how we can get data from bike GPS to understand usage. Comparison to the abundance of floating car data.

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 12h

**Manel alert** I was hoping that cycling might be one of the better events for gender diversity but we've got an all male panel.

Interesting discussion on wanting to encourage leasing and salary sacrifice.

Photo of the panel with photo of speakers behind them. All five male

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 12h

There's a great talk from Velogik and EY on the benefits of bike sharing. I'm not sure if the report is public but there is a podcast on it:

www.eiturbanmobility.eu/knowledge-hu...

Photo of a slide presented at the conference. There's quite a bit of detail here so hard to summarise but some key points: public investment generates a 10% return each year. Current annual return is €305 billion but could raise to €1 billion with some intervention by 2030

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 13h

I was going to suggest Gouda. There's the Gouda cheese experience, it's quite interactive but not sure if you're kids would be old enough.

There's a lot of street art in Rotterdam, you can download an app with walking tours around them.

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 14h

I'm at the Cycling Industries Europe Summit in Brussels today. Paul Walsh talks about the strike today and how events like this are often a turning point in getting people to try cycle share.

Photo of Paul Walsh presenting on the stage. In front of a screen saying welcome with a photo of a lady on a phone standing next to a cycle.

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 14h

In Brussels today, there's a general strike. Union workers from sea, land and air are all striking. It's an interesting comparison to anyone thinking the UK is left wing.

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 15h

If you're capable, why would you become an MP...? You can work in private sector leadership roles. Earn between 5 to 10 x more and not have all the social media hassle. It's even worse for Councillors who are hardly paid anything.

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Reposted by John Paddington

Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 16h

Excellent Guardian piece on Aadhar, India's digital ID system, that captures the dilemma extremely well. Digital-by-default methods create huge convenience for some, double-down on social exclusion for others, and it is easy for their scope to rapidly expand www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

‘Your basis to live is checked at each and every step’: India’s ID system divides opinion

Keir Starmer is considering Aadhaar as model for UK, but detractors warn of ‘digital coercion’ and security breaches

www.theguardian.com

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 1d

What happens if hard workers are on minimum wage and can't afford a house?

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Reposted by John Paddington

Nigel Auchterlounie @n-auchterlounie.bsky.social · 15d

It's Bluesky so I would like to now talk to you, with authority, about something I know nothing about.

TV production.
UK TV can't afford to make TV (see article) so...

Here's a still from Blake's 7 series 4 ep9 "Sand"
Isn't it terrible. So unconvincing.
TV is so much better now...

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 1d

So even though that I've ordered with a credit card (that proves I'm over 18), Uber wants to scan my ID , store details about it exposing me to data security risks?

(And we've seen already with the Discord leak how this can be exposed...)

Screenshot from Uber Eats email saying they're rolling out age verification.

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 2d

If the government wants something real world impacts, create some new youth clubs as this article suggests

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Britain's youth clubs have been quietly decimated. What's most revealing is that few seem to care | John Harris

These vital spaces have been the first targets of cuts in a nation that favours age over youth – despite being the remedy for blights such as social division, polarisation and loneliness, says Guardia...

www.theguardian.com

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 2d

Will check it out next time we're in Harborne

John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 2d

Is that in the Hospice shop?

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 2d

Especially when Deliveroo can easily do a rug pull at some point and start running the cooking part themselves. (They've suggested this in the past)

Reposted by John Paddington

Tom Sasse @tomsasse.bsky.social · 2d

A new disruptive transport technology is rapidly changing cities across the rich world. It is not the self-driving electric car, but the humble bicycle, writes @dlknowles.bsky.social www.economist.com/internationa...

Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport

Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war

www.economist.com

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John Paddington @padders123.bsky.social · 2d

From working in a combined authority, our biggest problem was responsibilities were not clear. Especially in things like transport. The last thing London needs is to make the role of TfL less clear.