Prof. Ian Walker
@ianwalker.bsky.social
Environmental psychologist: transport, energy, water, buildings. Motonormativity guy. Head of Psychology, Swansea University 🏴. Charity trustee x2. My views
Guinness World Record for the fastest bicycle ride across Europe drianwalker.com
Guinness World Record for the fastest bicycle ride across Europe drianwalker.com
Pinned
Prof. Ian Walker
@ianwalker.bsky.social
· Feb 17
HOT RESEARCH NEWS!
Motonormativity ("car brain") is a bias that stops people making rational judgements about driving en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonor...
Our new study shows where this bias comes from AND how it makes people think they're odd for supporting changes to the transport system 🧵
Motonormativity ("car brain") is a bias that stops people making rational judgements about driving en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonor...
Our new study shows where this bias comes from AND how it makes people think they're odd for supporting changes to the transport system 🧵
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
BREAKING! 🚨
📢 We’ve taken over the ad space at Southwark tube station, calling on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to end adverts that promote pollution. 🧵 1/8
✍️ Use our template to write to the Mayor: actionnetwork.org/letters/time...
📢 We’ve taken over the ad space at Southwark tube station, calling on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to end adverts that promote pollution. 🧵 1/8
✍️ Use our template to write to the Mayor: actionnetwork.org/letters/time...
November 10, 2025 at 9:47 AM
BREAKING! 🚨
📢 We’ve taken over the ad space at Southwark tube station, calling on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to end adverts that promote pollution. 🧵 1/8
✍️ Use our template to write to the Mayor: actionnetwork.org/letters/time...
📢 We’ve taken over the ad space at Southwark tube station, calling on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to end adverts that promote pollution. 🧵 1/8
✍️ Use our template to write to the Mayor: actionnetwork.org/letters/time...
The little exclamation mark next to the 5G logo is the telecoms equivalent of that joke "When we've got no bananas ours are just 10p too" #phonesdontworkontrains
November 10, 2025 at 8:29 AM
The little exclamation mark next to the 5G logo is the telecoms equivalent of that joke "When we've got no bananas ours are just 10p too" #phonesdontworkontrains
Big subtweet here from the @anonopin.bsky.social thread. STOP LOOKING AT FOREIGN COUNTRIES YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AND INVENTING WEIRD FANTASIES ABOUT HOW THEIR CHAOTIC ROADS AND LACK OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ARE "WEIRDLY SAFER" because they aren't en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
List of countries by traffic-related death rate - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 8, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Big subtweet here from the @anonopin.bsky.social thread. STOP LOOKING AT FOREIGN COUNTRIES YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AND INVENTING WEIRD FANTASIES ABOUT HOW THEIR CHAOTIC ROADS AND LACK OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ARE "WEIRDLY SAFER" because they aren't en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
More driverless cars
Car fleeing police slams into bar in Tampa, killing 4 people and injuring 11
Car fleeing police slams into bar in Tampa, killing 4 people and injuring 11
Police say vehicle was involved in street racing before driver fled from authorities and then crashed into Ybor City bar
A speeding car fleeing police slammed into a crowded bar early on Saturday, killing four people and injuring 11 in a historic district of Tampa, Florida, known for its nightlife and tourists.
An air patrol unit with the Tampa police department spotted the car driving recklessly on a freeway at about 12.40am after police said the silver sedan had been seen street racing in another neighborhood, according to a police department statement. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:52 PM
More driverless cars
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Car brand BYD's new SUV ad pokes fun at people walking and cycling, comparing them to Horse & Carts.
It joins a long list of car ads that sell a false promise of convenience and aspiration while punching down at sustainable transport modes.
So I made it a bit more realistic...
It joins a long list of car ads that sell a false promise of convenience and aspiration while punching down at sustainable transport modes.
So I made it a bit more realistic...
November 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Car brand BYD's new SUV ad pokes fun at people walking and cycling, comparing them to Horse & Carts.
It joins a long list of car ads that sell a false promise of convenience and aspiration while punching down at sustainable transport modes.
So I made it a bit more realistic...
It joins a long list of car ads that sell a false promise of convenience and aspiration while punching down at sustainable transport modes.
So I made it a bit more realistic...
I'm walking up the middle of Wales for a couple of days. It's fascinating how the small remote market towns each manage to sustain one really unexpected business like a lingerie shop
November 8, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I'm walking up the middle of Wales for a couple of days. It's fascinating how the small remote market towns each manage to sustain one really unexpected business like a lingerie shop
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Brilliant new ad campaign I just spotted at the Southwark tube station in London.
November 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Brilliant new ad campaign I just spotted at the Southwark tube station in London.
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Unless there's an unbreakably valid safety reason why not, all button-operated pedestrian crossings should activate the lights in pedestrians' favour instantly when pressed.
November 8, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Unless there's an unbreakably valid safety reason why not, all button-operated pedestrian crossings should activate the lights in pedestrians' favour instantly when pressed.
"Public discourses of delaying climate action manifest in local debates and are referenced by citizens to criticize proposed changes to the mobility system"
German study asks whether asking public (who mostly drive) about changing transport policy really works www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
German study asks whether asking public (who mostly drive) about changing transport policy really works www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Local citizen assemblies to overcome resistance to the mobility transition? Analyzing discourses in a municipality in rural Germany
Policy changes in the mobility transition will only be possible with sufficient public support for shifting mobility cultures and the necessary lifest…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:49 PM
"Public discourses of delaying climate action manifest in local debates and are referenced by citizens to criticize proposed changes to the mobility system"
German study asks whether asking public (who mostly drive) about changing transport policy really works www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
German study asks whether asking public (who mostly drive) about changing transport policy really works www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
"PhD students should embrace plagiarism and being
unpredictably wrong without warning" is quite the claim
unpredictably wrong without warning" is quite the claim
"AI is not just another research tool; it is redefining what research is, how it is done and what counts as an original contribution." Alex Sen Gupta writes in Nature how doctoral training must evolve to make the most of AI outputs. #Academicsky 🧪
PhD training needs a reboot in an AI world
As machines get better at data analysis and writing tasks, doctoral training must evolve to make the most of artificial-intelligence outputs.
go.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:18 PM
"PhD students should embrace plagiarism and being
unpredictably wrong without warning" is quite the claim
unpredictably wrong without warning" is quite the claim
My unpopular opinion: those of us advocating for non-car travel need to stop apologetically saying "I know not everybody can cycle!" Obviously not everyone can cycle, but that's also true of driving. I fear we're just giving our opponents' attack lines legitimacy by shouting them out for free
November 7, 2025 at 7:26 PM
My unpopular opinion: those of us advocating for non-car travel need to stop apologetically saying "I know not everybody can cycle!" Obviously not everyone can cycle, but that's also true of driving. I fear we're just giving our opponents' attack lines legitimacy by shouting them out for free
Ah here it is. Whenever you see a council rolling out the red carpet to car-dependency and making it really hard to walk or cycle, you can always be sure they've declared a climate emergency and patted themselves on the back for a job well done www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/council-serv...
November 7, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Ah here it is. Whenever you see a council rolling out the red carpet to car-dependency and making it really hard to walk or cycle, you can always be sure they've declared a climate emergency and patted themselves on the back for a job well done www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/council-serv...
Get your act together, Carmarthenshire #activetravel
November 7, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Get your act together, Carmarthenshire #activetravel
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Someone just shared this with me: 1967, 3,000 publicans marching against introducing breath tests for drivers.
Barbara Castle MP got this introduced and speed limits and seatbelts as mInister for transport, and faced the standard opposition.
Barbara Castle MP got this introduced and speed limits and seatbelts as mInister for transport, and faced the standard opposition.
November 6, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Someone just shared this with me: 1967, 3,000 publicans marching against introducing breath tests for drivers.
Barbara Castle MP got this introduced and speed limits and seatbelts as mInister for transport, and faced the standard opposition.
Barbara Castle MP got this introduced and speed limits and seatbelts as mInister for transport, and faced the standard opposition.
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
"Action is needed locally, nationally, and internationally to curb sales of new SUVs and to reduce their presence in urban areas."
Editorial in the @bmj.com, November 2025
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Photo: Crispin Hughes
Editorial in the @bmj.com, November 2025
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Photo: Crispin Hughes
November 6, 2025 at 10:17 AM
"Action is needed locally, nationally, and internationally to curb sales of new SUVs and to reduce their presence in urban areas."
Editorial in the @bmj.com, November 2025
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Photo: Crispin Hughes
Editorial in the @bmj.com, November 2025
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Photo: Crispin Hughes
November 6, 2025 at 9:16 AM
You can also check out the Stockholm syndrome apologists for the petrostate of Norway in response to this post of mine: bsky.app/profile/ianw...
November 5, 2025 at 10:02 PM
You can also check out the Stockholm syndrome apologists for the petrostate of Norway in response to this post of mine: bsky.app/profile/ianw...
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Sidewalks shouldn’t stop for side streets, pass it on
November 5, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Sidewalks shouldn’t stop for side streets, pass it on
I know I should be posting more psychology and cycling and stuff, but I was just reminded of the greatest video ever, and it'll never not make me laugh
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbbq...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbbq...
Ketchupbot + 20th Century Fox Theme on a Flute
YouTube video by Internet Epicness
www.youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:37 PM
I know I should be posting more psychology and cycling and stuff, but I was just reminded of the greatest video ever, and it'll never not make me laugh
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbbq...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbbq...
"Crucifixion?"
"Nah, freedom for me"
"Oh jolly good, off you go then"
"Nah, freedom for me"
"Oh jolly good, off you go then"
November 5, 2025 at 12:54 PM
"Crucifixion?"
"Nah, freedom for me"
"Oh jolly good, off you go then"
"Nah, freedom for me"
"Oh jolly good, off you go then"
This morning I saw the driver of a massive shiny Defender panic to a crawl because there was a puddle on the road
And yes, they'd paid 5 grand extra for the Action-Man Fantasy accessory pack
And yes, they'd paid 5 grand extra for the Action-Man Fantasy accessory pack
November 5, 2025 at 8:58 AM
This morning I saw the driver of a massive shiny Defender panic to a crawl because there was a puddle on the road
And yes, they'd paid 5 grand extra for the Action-Man Fantasy accessory pack
And yes, they'd paid 5 grand extra for the Action-Man Fantasy accessory pack
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
To be clear, what is being proposed here is to axe the main mechanism for getting Britain’s homes insulated - which is by FAR the best way to reduce household energy bills in the long term 🤦♂️
…and also, just incidentally, an absolute non-negotiable requirement for meeting UK climate targets 😬🥵☠️
…and also, just incidentally, an absolute non-negotiable requirement for meeting UK climate targets 😬🥵☠️
Reeves considers cut to green levies in effort to reduce cost of energy bills
Exclusive: Chancellor hopes to save up to £170 from average bill but industry insiders say move would be ‘disastrous’
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:17 AM
To be clear, what is being proposed here is to axe the main mechanism for getting Britain’s homes insulated - which is by FAR the best way to reduce household energy bills in the long term 🤦♂️
…and also, just incidentally, an absolute non-negotiable requirement for meeting UK climate targets 😬🥵☠️
…and also, just incidentally, an absolute non-negotiable requirement for meeting UK climate targets 😬🥵☠️
Oh yeah, going international on Wikipedia
November 4, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Oh yeah, going international on Wikipedia
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
😢
"Perhaps the most striking findings is that the British public vastly overestimates the cost getting to net zero by almost 14,000%, fueling scepticism & a reluctance to pay. On average, they estimate it will need 28% of GDP by 2050, compared to @thecccuk.bsky.social forecast of just 0.2%"
"Perhaps the most striking findings is that the British public vastly overestimates the cost getting to net zero by almost 14,000%, fueling scepticism & a reluctance to pay. On average, they estimate it will need 28% of GDP by 2050, compared to @thecccuk.bsky.social forecast of just 0.2%"
Are the advocates for net zero losing the fight?
The cost of misunderstanding: How public perception shapes the net zero debate
fgsglobal.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:02 AM
😢
"Perhaps the most striking findings is that the British public vastly overestimates the cost getting to net zero by almost 14,000%, fueling scepticism & a reluctance to pay. On average, they estimate it will need 28% of GDP by 2050, compared to @thecccuk.bsky.social forecast of just 0.2%"
"Perhaps the most striking findings is that the British public vastly overestimates the cost getting to net zero by almost 14,000%, fueling scepticism & a reluctance to pay. On average, they estimate it will need 28% of GDP by 2050, compared to @thecccuk.bsky.social forecast of just 0.2%"