Peter Brommer
LightNews LightNews
banner
pbro.bsky.social
Peter Brommer
@pbro.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.1K following 690 posts
Born, lives. Cares about active transport, including cycling, sustainability. Associate Professor in Materials Modelling at Warwick University.
Pronouns: he/him.
Mastodon: @pbro@mas.to
Twitter: @pbro48 (inactive)
Posts Replies Media Videos
pbro.bsky.social
I think she's blaming me for the weather outside. "Human, do something about it! Make the rain stop!"
Grey tortie cat in the frame of an open kitchen window. The cat is looking at the photographer and is about to open its mouth in lament.
November 14, 2025 at 4:16 PM
pbro.bsky.social
Yep. Agree.
Screenshot of autofilled web form. Question: What is your ethnicity? Autofilled answer: "Coventry" [white checkmark in grey circle]
November 6, 2025 at 3:23 PM
pbro.bsky.social
Halfords Coventry cycle parking. Don't know what you're complaining about.
A white bicycle with a gray pannier bag locked to a wire frame container displaying screenwash outside a store entrance.
November 1, 2025 at 5:44 PM
pbro.bsky.social
It was hilly, I was reasonably fast and today I can't walk anymore.
Map of North Wales, from Caernarfon to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The course of Marathon Eryri is traced out in yellow/green/blue hues. The course starts and ends near Llanberis. Text below 42.29 km Distance 3:31:29 Total Time
October 26, 2025 at 7:13 AM
pbro.bsky.social
So I did something in the sun, winds, rain and hail of North Wales.
Selfie of the author, smiling, in a restaurant. Embedded in the picture is the text PETER BROMMER [Logo of Marathon Eryri] Finish Time 03:31:29 Preliminary: Times and Places may change
October 26, 2025 at 7:13 AM
pbro.bsky.social
With alt text. Generated with alttext.symm.app
Photograph of a yellow card with black text. The card reads: "INCLUSION CARD. The Green Party is committed to an environment free of racism, sexism, disablism, homophobia, transphobia, religious discrimination and all other types of discrimination. Please use this card to challenge these types of discrimination and raise awareness of any issues to the chair. Here are some examples: • Name-calling, abuse or bullying. • Someone is not being listened to fairly. • You observe or feel language or actions are inappropriate. Note: This card should only be used for issues that are clearly and directly inclusion related and not for any other purpose. Any points related to motions should go through the chair as normal, and not via use of the inclusion card. Please keep this card for future Green Party meetings and events. Any questions email equality@greenparty.org.uk. [Logo of a stylized sun surrounding a globe] Green Party".
October 4, 2025 at 7:14 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Did they drive across the pavement/sidewalk on the left turn? Oh yes, they f**king did.
Still from movie showing dark SUV cutting across the sidewalk on a left turn.
September 23, 2025 at 12:44 PM
pbro.bsky.social
This beauty will be the liquid entertainment for the second half.
A bottle of Fischer's Frischling Naturtrübes Helles Vollbier. The bottle is standing on a wood effect kitchen counter. The bottle shows a young boar on the label.
September 19, 2025 at 7:43 PM
pbro.bsky.social
What a Friday evening. @vfb.de on live on BBC. Good beer. And a lead for the right team.
Ipad lying on a wood effect kitchen table. Ipad shows Ermedin Demirovic celebrating a goal for VfB Stuttgart. Next to the ipad a bottle of Gold Ochsen beer and a glass with beer poured.
September 19, 2025 at 7:21 PM
pbro.bsky.social
Beautiful day for a ball game.
Baseball field viewed with a wide angle lens from behind home plate. Mostly sunny.
September 6, 2025 at 9:59 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Another sustainable trip for Baseball purposes: Umpiring the AAA playoff qualifiers at Birmingham Baseball Club.
Bicycle and train is the ideal combo, as few pitches are close enough to train stations.
Selfie aboard a train. Subject wears a blue cycling helmet and a dark blue hoodie emblazoned with PB on his right and the BBF logo superscripted with "UMPIRE" on his left. In the background, a platform is visible through a window.
September 6, 2025 at 9:25 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Panel from cartoon "The terrible sealion". Dialogue: Man, reading a newspaper: "Told you, dude. Sea lions." Sea lion, inserting itself into the conversation: "I have been unfailingly polite, and you two have been nothing but rude." Woman, with a disgruntled face: "I am trying to eat my breakfast" Sea lion: "Very well, we shall resume in an hour"
September 2, 2025 at 8:58 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Image with alt text
Ellie Reeves MP, Chair of the Labour Party, responding to Reform UK's press conference today, said: "Exactly four months ago, Zia Yusuf promised that Reform would publish a 'comprehensive strategy', a 'full policy document' deportations, with a 'year-by-year timeline' and 'clear targets'. Today, we got none of those things, nor a single answer to any of the practical, financial or ethical questions about how their plan would work. "Nigel Farage can't say where his detention centres will be, can't say what will happen to women and children, and can't say how he'll convince hostile regimes like Iran to take people back. "Only this Labour government is committed to restoring order and fairness to the asylum system. We've already returned more than 35,000 people with no right to be here - a 28% increase in returns of failed asylum seekers in just one year - and will end the use of asylum hotels by the end of the Parliament."
August 26, 2025 at 6:05 PM
pbro.bsky.social
Thanks, I found it! I also found this email, which states I actually submitted my ballot already (past Peter was more organised, apparently). But that was in the week before going on annual leave, so that explains why my memory is a bit hazy. 🤣
Screenshot from email, reading: Your name: Peter Brommer Thank you for taking part in the UCU HE pay and working conditions consultative ballot. The responses from UCU members will determine the next steps.
August 14, 2025 at 11:29 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Our train to London has been the Avanti West Coast "Together we Roll" train. Isn't it beautiful!
Avanti West Coast train in special livery showing a diverse community of people in vibrant colours. The train is stopped in a station, passengers are walking past. Avanti West Coast train in Together We Roll livery stopped at terminal station.
July 26, 2025 at 10:19 AM
pbro.bsky.social
On a rail adventure with the whole family. First part is a walk to the station at the crack of dawn, to catch the 0612 service to London.
A group of people walking on a footway towards Coventry station. They have bags. The footway is across a wide grassy verge. The station car park is visible in the background, a red clad structure with Coventry station emblazoned in white letters.
July 26, 2025 at 10:19 AM
pbro.bsky.social
"[..] The marginal return overrides the marginal cost and the operator should be able to bring the cost further down by increasing speed." Quite the opposite of what you claim it says.
6. Conclusions and future work From the previous analysis, we conclude that, while a drastic increase in cost occurs in going from conventional to HSR, economies of speed exist in each of the speed ranges. In more detailed analysis, we observe that while average maintenance cost and energy consumption both increase with average operating speed, economy of speed exists in labor cost, which is also the element that eventually brings down the average operating cost. However, a similar gap between HSR and conventional rail as the one in average operating cost also exists in the case of labor cost, which further substantiatesthe proposition that skill levels and wage rates do increase with HSR, as does labor productivity. To conclude, the analysis shows that there is a nonlinear increase in average operating cost for as operating speeds cross the 200kph threshold. This distinction should be explained by the different operation structure of these two groups of operators. More importantly, this study shows that the improved efficiency from higher speed should be able to compensate for higher input cost requirement. This is to say, although from an engineering standpoint we expect higher speed to lead to cost, when operational efficiency is taken into account the marginal return overrides the marginal cost and the operator should be able to bring the cost further down by increasing speed. From a political point of view, it implies that when the government decides to introduce HSR, the optimal speed in terms of average cost would be the highest speed. However, the actual operating speed should also be based on demand analysis in order to balance the cost and revenue.
July 21, 2025 at 1:16 PM
pbro.bsky.social
At least it isn't too difficult to find this puncture.
Detail of a bicycle trailer tyre with a hawthorn clipping embedded into the rubber.
June 16, 2025 at 9:03 PM
pbro.bsky.social
Made it to the Oxford Kings grounds. Cowley Road is still a bit of a traffic sewer, and the wayfinding between station and the Plain could be improved. But as soon as I got onto the cycle route it was smooth sailing.
Selfie on a baseball field, with a team in blue and grey uniforms warming up in the background, taking fielding practice.
June 15, 2025 at 10:33 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Objective one achieved: coffee and brownie (not pictured) from Society Cafe on St Michael's Street (having passed the Handlebar Cafe on the way). Now sufficiently equipped for the climb to Horspath Athletics Ground
Selfie with helmet outside Society Cafe.
June 15, 2025 at 10:25 AM
pbro.bsky.social
Next part of my trip: crossing Oxford City Centre by bicycle, preferably with a coffee stop. I'll be on the home turf of @emilykerr36.bsky.social @greenpartyemma.bsky.social and @holybollards.bsky.social - let's see how things changed since the last time I made this trip.
Selfie with blue helmet outside Oxford station. Pedestrians, PHV, trees in the background.
June 15, 2025 at 9:40 AM
pbro.bsky.social
The service is fast, direct and has reserveable bicycle spaces (I usually use CrossCountry facebook chat). This will get me to Oxford perfectly fine for an AA double header.
White urban bicycle with flat bar hanging in a bicycle space aboard a CrossCountry train.
June 15, 2025 at 9:28 AM
pbro.bsky.social
The joys of split ticketing: six tickets for a 55-minute day return trip on direct trains saves £15.50 or 35% off the price of a single return ticket.
Google wallet screenshot showing 6 train tickets, all on 15 June 2025. LMS BAN BAN OXF COV LMS OXF BAN BAN LMS LMS COV.
June 15, 2025 at 8:46 AM
pbro.bsky.social
The way back to the station was easier (though again not for the faint-hearted). Stocking up on carbohydrates at a petrol station.
Red Lucozade Energy bottle and McVities millionaire shortbread. The bottle is held in the left hand. The shortbread is lying in the lap of the photographer.
May 18, 2025 at 5:58 PM
pbro.bsky.social
Herts Baseball play on a decent field. And the sun was also OK, Goldilocks weather.
View of a baseball pitch from behind home plate. Home plate, mound and bases are in dirt circles surrounded by grass. A tree is overhanging the field in left.
May 18, 2025 at 5:58 PM