Starling3232
@starling3232.bsky.social
Residential chimneys , transit , urbanism
tender density , gentle density , strong density
aka
low , medium , high
tender density , gentle density , strong density
aka
low , medium , high
Reposted by Starling3232
Well there is no chance of me visiting Ireland again.
This is a victim blaming policy that will do nothing to reduce road danger (probably increase it actually) or KSIs.
All it'll do is reduce the numbers cycling even further. Ireland is not serious about road safety.
This is a victim blaming policy that will do nothing to reduce road danger (probably increase it actually) or KSIs.
All it'll do is reduce the numbers cycling even further. Ireland is not serious about road safety.
All bicycles included in draft plan for mandatory helmets and high-vis, Department confirms irishcycle.com/2026/02/04/a...
All bicycles included in draft plan for mandatory helmets and high-vis, Department confirms
— Plan was expected to be put to the Cabinet today before it was withdrawn from the meeting of Government Ministers. A reported plan by Ireland’s Government to make the wearing of helme…
irishcycle.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Well there is no chance of me visiting Ireland again.
This is a victim blaming policy that will do nothing to reduce road danger (probably increase it actually) or KSIs.
All it'll do is reduce the numbers cycling even further. Ireland is not serious about road safety.
This is a victim blaming policy that will do nothing to reduce road danger (probably increase it actually) or KSIs.
All it'll do is reduce the numbers cycling even further. Ireland is not serious about road safety.
Reposted by Starling3232
It's been fun seeing The Consultants lose their mind about how they don't get this ad, which is the coolest shit she's done yet.
(Also, yes, that's Matt Mercer, who I've come to learn since this ad dropped is more famous than Michael Jordan.)
(Also, yes, that's Matt Mercer, who I've come to learn since this ad dropped is more famous than Michael Jordan.)
January 31, 2026 at 5:15 PM
It's been fun seeing The Consultants lose their mind about how they don't get this ad, which is the coolest shit she's done yet.
(Also, yes, that's Matt Mercer, who I've come to learn since this ad dropped is more famous than Michael Jordan.)
(Also, yes, that's Matt Mercer, who I've come to learn since this ad dropped is more famous than Michael Jordan.)
Reposted by Starling3232
Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City campaigned on a promise of “fast and free buses.” One influential planning group is trying to change his mind with an even bigger moonshot plan: to expand the city’s century-old subway system.
Free Buses? How About Expanding the Subway by 41 Miles Instead?
Some transit advocates are wary of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan to subsidize bus fares and argue the money would be better spent on a major subway expansion.
nyti.ms
January 30, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City campaigned on a promise of “fast and free buses.” One influential planning group is trying to change his mind with an even bigger moonshot plan: to expand the city’s century-old subway system.
Reposted by Starling3232
I’m a lot more open to discussions of building aesthetics when they’re not about reducing density and housing supply.
January 18, 2026 at 3:32 AM
I’m a lot more open to discussions of building aesthetics when they’re not about reducing density and housing supply.
Reposted by Starling3232
Considering recent events, we're incredulous as to why the only place you can access real time updates on delays/issues/cancellations for Irish Rail is on X. We'll be writing to them next week calling for them to move this service off X & on to their website where it's more accessible for all users.
January 15, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Considering recent events, we're incredulous as to why the only place you can access real time updates on delays/issues/cancellations for Irish Rail is on X. We'll be writing to them next week calling for them to move this service off X & on to their website where it's more accessible for all users.
Reposted by Starling3232
Privatisation has failed since 1989
People have no water because South East Water spent more on dividends that on infrastructure
Fines = irrelevant
Only way to get through to shareholders in 🇦🇺🇨🇦 is to take them out of the picture
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP NOW
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
People have no water because South East Water spent more on dividends that on infrastructure
Fines = irrelevant
Only way to get through to shareholders in 🇦🇺🇨🇦 is to take them out of the picture
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP NOW
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
South East Water could lose operating licence after outages in Kent and Sussex
Fine of 10% of annual turnover among other potential penalties as environment secretary calls for Ofwat review
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Privatisation has failed since 1989
People have no water because South East Water spent more on dividends that on infrastructure
Fines = irrelevant
Only way to get through to shareholders in 🇦🇺🇨🇦 is to take them out of the picture
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP NOW
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
People have no water because South East Water spent more on dividends that on infrastructure
Fines = irrelevant
Only way to get through to shareholders in 🇦🇺🇨🇦 is to take them out of the picture
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP NOW
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Starling3232
Ed Miliband continues to preside over the only bit of the govt doing good stuff, today with the excellent announcement that the latest CfD auction has secured *8.4GW* of new offshore wind!
Ed: “This is the largest amount of offshore wind procured in any auction ever in Britain or indeed Europe”
🥳🏆
Ed: “This is the largest amount of offshore wind procured in any auction ever in Britain or indeed Europe”
🥳🏆
January 14, 2026 at 8:12 AM
Ed Miliband continues to preside over the only bit of the govt doing good stuff, today with the excellent announcement that the latest CfD auction has secured *8.4GW* of new offshore wind!
Ed: “This is the largest amount of offshore wind procured in any auction ever in Britain or indeed Europe”
🥳🏆
Ed: “This is the largest amount of offshore wind procured in any auction ever in Britain or indeed Europe”
🥳🏆
Reposted by Starling3232
Why rail fares are so high and why nationalising the loss making operators will not solve the real problem bit.ly/4jugYE9 the massive profits (£380m in 2 years for just one) of the rolling stock leasing companies on the £4.1bn annual cost of leasing and maintaining trains
Soaring cost of new rolling stock derails UK train firms
Earnings of train suppliers are in stark contrast to the financial performance of GWR and LNER as the network heads towards renationalisation
bit.ly
January 7, 2026 at 8:41 AM
Why rail fares are so high and why nationalising the loss making operators will not solve the real problem bit.ly/4jugYE9 the massive profits (£380m in 2 years for just one) of the rolling stock leasing companies on the £4.1bn annual cost of leasing and maintaining trains
Reposted by Starling3232
What transportation bike company wants to gift the NYC mayor's office a nice utilitarian bicycle? Seems like a prime opportunity.
Zohran just went out and fixed the Williamsburg Bridge bike entrance. Just did it. No faffing, no nonsense. Bam. Fixed.
January 6, 2026 at 7:51 PM
What transportation bike company wants to gift the NYC mayor's office a nice utilitarian bicycle? Seems like a prime opportunity.
Reposted by Starling3232
Absolutely. People blame online retail (which I think I read somewhere was only 20-odd% of retail sales) or parking, but the inflection point in my home town of Bolton was definitely the “out of town” retail parks just on the periphery of the core town centre streets.
January 7, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Absolutely. People blame online retail (which I think I read somewhere was only 20-odd% of retail sales) or parking, but the inflection point in my home town of Bolton was definitely the “out of town” retail parks just on the periphery of the core town centre streets.
Reposted by Starling3232
People wonder why town and city centres are struggling, then crap like this is approved. M&S opening in a tin shed, less than 2 years after closing it's city centre store.
Cheap tin sheds.
Low rates and rent.
No thought given to anyone not in a car.
Progress?
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...
Cheap tin sheds.
Low rates and rent.
No thought given to anyone not in a car.
Progress?
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...
New M&S plans unveiled as £15m retail park scheme is proposed
The new retail scheme could also create 100 jobs and a public consultation is now under way
www.chroniclelive.co.uk
January 7, 2026 at 9:17 AM
People wonder why town and city centres are struggling, then crap like this is approved. M&S opening in a tin shed, less than 2 years after closing it's city centre store.
Cheap tin sheds.
Low rates and rent.
No thought given to anyone not in a car.
Progress?
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...
Cheap tin sheds.
Low rates and rent.
No thought given to anyone not in a car.
Progress?
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...
Reposted by Starling3232
Starmer and Farage both drape themselves in flags but once again it's really clear where their loyalty really is.
It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime.
This is not patriotism. It's subservience.
It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime.
This is not patriotism. It's subservience.
January 3, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Starmer and Farage both drape themselves in flags but once again it's really clear where their loyalty really is.
It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime.
This is not patriotism. It's subservience.
It's Trump first. They will always be on the side of the super rich and powerful - no matter how heinous the crime.
This is not patriotism. It's subservience.
Reposted by Starling3232
The Finch LRT will hopefully force Toronto to reckon with two things: that street based transit will *almost* never compete with driving (especially in the burbs) and that people really care about speed. My new piece in the Toronto Star highlights that and makes the case for subways and railways.
To fix transit in Toronto, we need to embrace a simple idea: subways subways subways.
Rob Ford's maligned motto contained a nugget of truth.
www.thestar.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:34 PM
The Finch LRT will hopefully force Toronto to reckon with two things: that street based transit will *almost* never compete with driving (especially in the burbs) and that people really care about speed. My new piece in the Toronto Star highlights that and makes the case for subways and railways.
Reposted by Starling3232
I haven't made a video in a year, but Oh The Urbanity has, and today they released an amazing piece on trams as a little Christmas Gift to the world!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLzk...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLzk...
Why I’m Less Excited About Trams Than You
YouTube video by Oh The Urbanity!
www.youtube.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:41 AM
I haven't made a video in a year, but Oh The Urbanity has, and today they released an amazing piece on trams as a little Christmas Gift to the world!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLzk...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLzk...
Reposted by Starling3232
I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%).
Lay article attached:
Lay article attached:
One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires
Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particle...
www.pbs.org
December 24, 2025 at 4:49 AM
I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%).
Lay article attached:
Lay article attached:
Reposted by Starling3232
Yes. In addition to long-term street redesigns, we need to enforce traffic laws.
We currently have a culture that doesn’t consider road rules (like speed limits) to be legitimate or real.
Some jurisdictions — Ontario, Alberta — have banned/restricted automated speed enforcement. That’s bonkers.
We currently have a culture that doesn’t consider road rules (like speed limits) to be legitimate or real.
Some jurisdictions — Ontario, Alberta — have banned/restricted automated speed enforcement. That’s bonkers.
Is enforcement the answer to a deadly year on Calgary roads?
YouTube video by CBC News Alberta
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Yes. In addition to long-term street redesigns, we need to enforce traffic laws.
We currently have a culture that doesn’t consider road rules (like speed limits) to be legitimate or real.
Some jurisdictions — Ontario, Alberta — have banned/restricted automated speed enforcement. That’s bonkers.
We currently have a culture that doesn’t consider road rules (like speed limits) to be legitimate or real.
Some jurisdictions — Ontario, Alberta — have banned/restricted automated speed enforcement. That’s bonkers.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/light-r...
A depressing read in so many ways
Belfast would be much different today if we had heavy rail or trams running along the old County Down railway
We’re now 23 years on and we still require a mass transit solution for east Belfast,Newtownards and beyond
A depressing read in so many ways
Belfast would be much different today if we had heavy rail or trams running along the old County Down railway
We’re now 23 years on and we still require a mass transit solution for east Belfast,Newtownards and beyond
Light rail scheme 'best for Belfast'
BELFAST would be an ideal location for a modern tramway project, one of the driving forces behind the £400m LUAS scheme in Dublin said today.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 9:00 PM
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/light-r...
A depressing read in so many ways
Belfast would be much different today if we had heavy rail or trams running along the old County Down railway
We’re now 23 years on and we still require a mass transit solution for east Belfast,Newtownards and beyond
A depressing read in so many ways
Belfast would be much different today if we had heavy rail or trams running along the old County Down railway
We’re now 23 years on and we still require a mass transit solution for east Belfast,Newtownards and beyond
Reposted by Starling3232
Don't hold your breath.
Labour absolutely stinks when it comes to walking and cycling.
The only transport mode they seem to care about is driving.
Labour absolutely stinks when it comes to walking and cycling.
The only transport mode they seem to care about is driving.
Cycling and walking could help deliver almost everything Brits say they want to achieve in 2026 — if we design streets to support them.
Getting fitter, losing weight, being healthier, saving money; enabling active travel quietly does all of it. With no gym contracts.
Getting fitter, losing weight, being healthier, saving money; enabling active travel quietly does all of it. With no gym contracts.
December 18, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Don't hold your breath.
Labour absolutely stinks when it comes to walking and cycling.
The only transport mode they seem to care about is driving.
Labour absolutely stinks when it comes to walking and cycling.
The only transport mode they seem to care about is driving.
Reposted by Starling3232
If your cost-benefit model tells you it isn't worth investing in a tram or light rail system for an urban area with a population of well over 1m, like Leeds-Bradford, your model is wrong and should be thrown in the bin.
December 18, 2025 at 9:34 AM
If your cost-benefit model tells you it isn't worth investing in a tram or light rail system for an urban area with a population of well over 1m, like Leeds-Bradford, your model is wrong and should be thrown in the bin.
Reposted by Starling3232
Cause they know over the next generations there will be a true "mass migration" of humans trying to escape the effects of climate collapse and capitalist resource wars and want to normalise dishing out utter brutality against those people now instead of actually fixing anything.
Why is the UK leading the charge to curb asylum rights under the ECHR? https://aje.io/sjev5z
December 11, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Cause they know over the next generations there will be a true "mass migration" of humans trying to escape the effects of climate collapse and capitalist resource wars and want to normalise dishing out utter brutality against those people now instead of actually fixing anything.
Reposted by Starling3232
Beautiful, wild old oaks.
But as usual in Ireland, unless something changes they're destined to die off. Just look at the ground layer: nothing but molinia grass.
Instead of paying farmers to look after these precious habitats, the state pays them to graze sheep, ensuring nothing else survives.
But as usual in Ireland, unless something changes they're destined to die off. Just look at the ground layer: nothing but molinia grass.
Instead of paying farmers to look after these precious habitats, the state pays them to graze sheep, ensuring nothing else survives.
Watching the rain dripping off the branches of the small stand of oak trees near Ben Lettery reminded me of @irishrainforest.bsky.social description of his own forest in Kerry. The foothills of the Twelve Bens were once oak forests. I did collect some acorns, so these trees will live on.
December 10, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Beautiful, wild old oaks.
But as usual in Ireland, unless something changes they're destined to die off. Just look at the ground layer: nothing but molinia grass.
Instead of paying farmers to look after these precious habitats, the state pays them to graze sheep, ensuring nothing else survives.
But as usual in Ireland, unless something changes they're destined to die off. Just look at the ground layer: nothing but molinia grass.
Instead of paying farmers to look after these precious habitats, the state pays them to graze sheep, ensuring nothing else survives.
Reposted by Starling3232
Leave the C2W limit-free (although a lot of schemes have limits anyway. Mine is £3k).
Insist that cycles bought under C2W have to have mudguards and lights so are practical for year round use. that stops the leisure arguments straightaway.
Insist that cycles bought under C2W have to have mudguards and lights so are practical for year round use. that stops the leisure arguments straightaway.
Compare and contrast the Government language.
£3,750 EV grant on a £35k car: ‘helping families’.
Cycle to Work: ‘subsidising leisure’.
And yet cycling delivers TEN TIMES the impact of electric cars for reaching net zero. It’s almost like narrative, not data, is driving policy.
£3,750 EV grant on a £35k car: ‘helping families’.
Cycle to Work: ‘subsidising leisure’.
And yet cycling delivers TEN TIMES the impact of electric cars for reaching net zero. It’s almost like narrative, not data, is driving policy.
November 21, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Leave the C2W limit-free (although a lot of schemes have limits anyway. Mine is £3k).
Insist that cycles bought under C2W have to have mudguards and lights so are practical for year round use. that stops the leisure arguments straightaway.
Insist that cycles bought under C2W have to have mudguards and lights so are practical for year round use. that stops the leisure arguments straightaway.
Reposted by Starling3232
“Cycle to Work should be about helping ordinary commuters switch to greener travel, not giving tax breaks to high earners buying £4,000 e-bikes for weekend rides in the Surrey Hills”.
To the contrary, £4k can get a young family out of a car and onto a cargo bike in a cycle lane.
To the contrary, £4k can get a young family out of a car and onto a cargo bike in a cycle lane.
November 13, 2025 at 8:08 AM
“Cycle to Work should be about helping ordinary commuters switch to greener travel, not giving tax breaks to high earners buying £4,000 e-bikes for weekend rides in the Surrey Hills”.
To the contrary, £4k can get a young family out of a car and onto a cargo bike in a cycle lane.
To the contrary, £4k can get a young family out of a car and onto a cargo bike in a cycle lane.
Reposted by Starling3232
Make cycles applicable for C2W be fitted with cargo carrying ability (racks or an actual cargo bike), mudguards and lights.
that makes them ideal for commuting/utility cycling.
Decathlon do a bike that meets those criteria for £329.
www.decathlon.co.uk/p/low-frame-...
that makes them ideal for commuting/utility cycling.
Decathlon do a bike that meets those criteria for £329.
www.decathlon.co.uk/p/low-frame-...
November 13, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Make cycles applicable for C2W be fitted with cargo carrying ability (racks or an actual cargo bike), mudguards and lights.
that makes them ideal for commuting/utility cycling.
Decathlon do a bike that meets those criteria for £329.
www.decathlon.co.uk/p/low-frame-...
that makes them ideal for commuting/utility cycling.
Decathlon do a bike that meets those criteria for £329.
www.decathlon.co.uk/p/low-frame-...