James Bambury
@jbambury.bsky.social
Transport planning data and modelling. Pootling on a bike
Well that's rejoining then. Joining the Euro is de facto voluntary as Sweden continues to demonstrate.
As it is, we're significantly shy of some of the economic stability indicators so even in the hypothetical of being eu members tomorrow and wanting the euro we'd be years off eligibility.
As it is, we're significantly shy of some of the economic stability indicators so even in the hypothetical of being eu members tomorrow and wanting the euro we'd be years off eligibility.
December 3, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Well that's rejoining then. Joining the Euro is de facto voluntary as Sweden continues to demonstrate.
As it is, we're significantly shy of some of the economic stability indicators so even in the hypothetical of being eu members tomorrow and wanting the euro we'd be years off eligibility.
As it is, we're significantly shy of some of the economic stability indicators so even in the hypothetical of being eu members tomorrow and wanting the euro we'd be years off eligibility.
Ah I'd not seen that good that one has finally gone. I recall that was originally announced towards the end days of the tories who promptly u-turned and shelved it because some of their voters shouted.
December 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Ah I'd not seen that good that one has finally gone. I recall that was originally announced towards the end days of the tories who promptly u-turned and shelved it because some of their voters shouted.
The subsequent article really doesn't support the headline.
December 2, 2025 at 5:09 PM
The subsequent article really doesn't support the headline.
In general the costs when including all externalities exceed the revenue from motoring related taxes.
That isn't distributed particularly evenly though with peak time travel in urban areas massively underpriced.
That isn't distributed particularly evenly though with peak time travel in urban areas massively underpriced.
December 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM
In general the costs when including all externalities exceed the revenue from motoring related taxes.
That isn't distributed particularly evenly though with peak time travel in urban areas massively underpriced.
That isn't distributed particularly evenly though with peak time travel in urban areas massively underpriced.
Road tax doesn't exist. VED doesn't pay for the roads as it's not hypothecated. Even when it was for a few years under Osborne almost all of the English portion was going to national highways and the trunk road network.
All other roads were still maintained by councils from their budgets.
All other roads were still maintained by councils from their budgets.
December 2, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Road tax doesn't exist. VED doesn't pay for the roads as it's not hypothecated. Even when it was for a few years under Osborne almost all of the English portion was going to national highways and the trunk road network.
All other roads were still maintained by councils from their budgets.
All other roads were still maintained by councils from their budgets.
Yea the yimby Vs nimby discourse there is highly polarised and simplistic.
Labour just seem to have gone with the yimby bros assertion that planning reform was going to solve everything near instantly and unlock a wave of private house building.
Obr says 150k (~+15%) for the 5 years 🤷♂️
Labour just seem to have gone with the yimby bros assertion that planning reform was going to solve everything near instantly and unlock a wave of private house building.
Obr says 150k (~+15%) for the 5 years 🤷♂️
December 2, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Yea the yimby Vs nimby discourse there is highly polarised and simplistic.
Labour just seem to have gone with the yimby bros assertion that planning reform was going to solve everything near instantly and unlock a wave of private house building.
Obr says 150k (~+15%) for the 5 years 🤷♂️
Labour just seem to have gone with the yimby bros assertion that planning reform was going to solve everything near instantly and unlock a wave of private house building.
Obr says 150k (~+15%) for the 5 years 🤷♂️
The setup in those countries is really quite different though, it's not just our system with the juries removed.
Implementing that would be unlikely to result in a saving in the required resource time (judges/barristers) though so it's not being proposed.
Implementing that would be unlikely to result in a saving in the required resource time (judges/barristers) though so it's not being proposed.
December 2, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The setup in those countries is really quite different though, it's not just our system with the juries removed.
Implementing that would be unlikely to result in a saving in the required resource time (judges/barristers) though so it's not being proposed.
Implementing that would be unlikely to result in a saving in the required resource time (judges/barristers) though so it's not being proposed.
That they're only talking about backlog clearing, not getting the justice system back to sustainable funding suggests it will get abused when the magic growth fairy labour are hoping will pop out of nowhere will not, in fact, pop out of nowhere.
And that abuse could be by a reform led gov...
And that abuse could be by a reform led gov...
December 2, 2025 at 9:48 AM
That they're only talking about backlog clearing, not getting the justice system back to sustainable funding suggests it will get abused when the magic growth fairy labour are hoping will pop out of nowhere will not, in fact, pop out of nowhere.
And that abuse could be by a reform led gov...
And that abuse could be by a reform led gov...
In practice though the current ratings are the limiting factor due to wiring sizes. Standard US 120V circuits are ~16A radials, appliances a max draw of around 1.1kW-1.5kW.
Here, 16A on a radial, 32A on a ring. Plug fuses are 13A max, kettles range from 2.4 - 3kW, ~double the heating power.
Here, 16A on a radial, 32A on a ring. Plug fuses are 13A max, kettles range from 2.4 - 3kW, ~double the heating power.
December 1, 2025 at 9:55 AM
In practice though the current ratings are the limiting factor due to wiring sizes. Standard US 120V circuits are ~16A radials, appliances a max draw of around 1.1kW-1.5kW.
Here, 16A on a radial, 32A on a ring. Plug fuses are 13A max, kettles range from 2.4 - 3kW, ~double the heating power.
Here, 16A on a radial, 32A on a ring. Plug fuses are 13A max, kettles range from 2.4 - 3kW, ~double the heating power.
Well it's good to know that all the crime that actually endangers the public in Bristol is sufficiently low that there's this much spare policing resource to arrest and process some pensioners for sitting with these signs!
November 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Well it's good to know that all the crime that actually endangers the public in Bristol is sufficiently low that there's this much spare policing resource to arrest and process some pensioners for sitting with these signs!
Which is also why there's no point messing about with a step by step of small measures.
They already maximise their available whining bandwidth for a tiny step, they can't do this more for a bigger one.
They already maximise their available whining bandwidth for a tiny step, they can't do this more for a bigger one.
November 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Which is also why there's no point messing about with a step by step of small measures.
They already maximise their available whining bandwidth for a tiny step, they can't do this more for a bigger one.
They already maximise their available whining bandwidth for a tiny step, they can't do this more for a bigger one.
Just as it's a choice to spend a few £bn every year extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut & freeze.
It's a choice to not bring in significant amounts merging NI into income tax and possibly sticking a penny on as well and actually fund public services properly.
It's a choice to not bring in significant amounts merging NI into income tax and possibly sticking a penny on as well and actually fund public services properly.
November 27, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Just as it's a choice to spend a few £bn every year extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut & freeze.
It's a choice to not bring in significant amounts merging NI into income tax and possibly sticking a penny on as well and actually fund public services properly.
It's a choice to not bring in significant amounts merging NI into income tax and possibly sticking a penny on as well and actually fund public services properly.
? The tax changes in this budget that made the headroom for this* could've been done a year ago. That they weren't and that was a choice.
*Not that it needs it, less child poverty is just investing in future productivity and will pay for itself.
*Not that it needs it, less child poverty is just investing in future productivity and will pay for itself.
November 27, 2025 at 10:04 AM
? The tax changes in this budget that made the headroom for this* could've been done a year ago. That they weren't and that was a choice.
*Not that it needs it, less child poverty is just investing in future productivity and will pay for itself.
*Not that it needs it, less child poverty is just investing in future productivity and will pay for itself.
On the glasses on the bar the right one has a refraction of a third glass behind that there's no stalk for.
November 27, 2025 at 9:30 AM
On the glasses on the bar the right one has a refraction of a third glass behind that there's no stalk for.
I think this is similar to the Beveridge vs Bismarck health system model arguments in that really the actual model matters far less for good outcomes than simply funding it properly.
November 26, 2025 at 11:07 AM
I think this is similar to the Beveridge vs Bismarck health system model arguments in that really the actual model matters far less for good outcomes than simply funding it properly.
Quite, usually far greater rights to appeals, sometimes multiple appeals in continental civil law justice systems.
That of course means that dropping jury trials if done properly won't help the backlog without proper resourcing/funding.
That of course means that dropping jury trials if done properly won't help the backlog without proper resourcing/funding.
November 26, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Quite, usually far greater rights to appeals, sometimes multiple appeals in continental civil law justice systems.
That of course means that dropping jury trials if done properly won't help the backlog without proper resourcing/funding.
That of course means that dropping jury trials if done properly won't help the backlog without proper resourcing/funding.
Most people in rural areas still live in small towns or large villages, a significant minority tend to work in the same settlement, a majority usually shop there.
November 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Most people in rural areas still live in small towns or large villages, a significant minority tend to work in the same settlement, a majority usually shop there.
however, that's inline with everywhere else of similar density. Also matches some ANPR data from Bodmin I'd dealt with, albeit 15 odd years ago now, something like 30% of car trips never left the town. Only about 10-20% of the weekday car traffic was actually full through traffic.
November 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
however, that's inline with everywhere else of similar density. Also matches some ANPR data from Bodmin I'd dealt with, albeit 15 odd years ago now, something like 30% of car trips never left the town. Only about 10-20% of the weekday car traffic was actually full through traffic.
Rural travel trends longer but is still hugely overestimated. Just looking at some older NTS data I'd extracted a while back (2015-2019 inclusive), for Cornwall a 30mile car commute is actually in the 96th %tile. 47% are under 6 miles, 36% under 4.
Sample size is limited so plenty of +/- on that
Sample size is limited so plenty of +/- on that
November 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Rural travel trends longer but is still hugely overestimated. Just looking at some older NTS data I'd extracted a while back (2015-2019 inclusive), for Cornwall a 30mile car commute is actually in the 96th %tile. 47% are under 6 miles, 36% under 4.
Sample size is limited so plenty of +/- on that
Sample size is limited so plenty of +/- on that
Yep, most don't travel such distances, even outside of london. Bodmin to Redruth is around 95th percentile level of even car commute distances.
Lack of safe direct cycling routes and network is the major block, stuff like drying rooms tends to follow demand.
Lack of safe direct cycling routes and network is the major block, stuff like drying rooms tends to follow demand.
November 25, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Yep, most don't travel such distances, even outside of london. Bodmin to Redruth is around 95th percentile level of even car commute distances.
Lack of safe direct cycling routes and network is the major block, stuff like drying rooms tends to follow demand.
Lack of safe direct cycling routes and network is the major block, stuff like drying rooms tends to follow demand.
Not really, historically a functional family was often quite wide and varied across times and cultures.
Trying to argue a Western nuclear family as the basis is like cherry picking one type of molecule as the basis of all chemistry.
Trying to argue a Western nuclear family as the basis is like cherry picking one type of molecule as the basis of all chemistry.
November 25, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Not really, historically a functional family was often quite wide and varied across times and cultures.
Trying to argue a Western nuclear family as the basis is like cherry picking one type of molecule as the basis of all chemistry.
Trying to argue a Western nuclear family as the basis is like cherry picking one type of molecule as the basis of all chemistry.
I maintain the need is for driving license bans/suspension to be treated as a completely separate matter to criminal culpability by a panel with clear criteria.
Driving is not a right and dealing with it as a criminal matter suggests it is.
Driving is not a right and dealing with it as a criminal matter suggests it is.
November 21, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I maintain the need is for driving license bans/suspension to be treated as a completely separate matter to criminal culpability by a panel with clear criteria.
Driving is not a right and dealing with it as a criminal matter suggests it is.
Driving is not a right and dealing with it as a criminal matter suggests it is.
The CPS does actually list quite a few examples of both careless and dangerous and something like clearly falls into the dangerous category compared to those. The issue is jury convictions and the propensity to offer a careless plea deal in cases of dangerous driving to avoid that.
November 21, 2025 at 12:56 PM
The CPS does actually list quite a few examples of both careless and dangerous and something like clearly falls into the dangerous category compared to those. The issue is jury convictions and the propensity to offer a careless plea deal in cases of dangerous driving to avoid that.
Also why part watering down transport schemes with exemptions (*cough* Oxford) is at best a waste of time, and quite possibly both actively harmful to the scheme aim and comms - Oxford's 100/year permits for residents clearly directly fed the 'need a permit to leave your 15min zone' conspiracy.
November 20, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Also why part watering down transport schemes with exemptions (*cough* Oxford) is at best a waste of time, and quite possibly both actively harmful to the scheme aim and comms - Oxford's 100/year permits for residents clearly directly fed the 'need a permit to leave your 15min zone' conspiracy.
Though at the same time it's precisely why 'for a sheep as a lamb' is really worth following.
You're going to get much the same political pain farting about with a small cut/tax (e.g. WFA) than just putting a penny or two on income tax which gets far more £s for it.
You're going to get much the same political pain farting about with a small cut/tax (e.g. WFA) than just putting a penny or two on income tax which gets far more £s for it.
November 20, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Though at the same time it's precisely why 'for a sheep as a lamb' is really worth following.
You're going to get much the same political pain farting about with a small cut/tax (e.g. WFA) than just putting a penny or two on income tax which gets far more £s for it.
You're going to get much the same political pain farting about with a small cut/tax (e.g. WFA) than just putting a penny or two on income tax which gets far more £s for it.