Susan Murray
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s-murray.bsky.social
Susan Murray
@s-murray.bsky.social
Director @davidhumeinst, Trustee @Foundation Scotland, Advisor @Scottish Youth Parliament whatever a RT now is ≠ endorsement. Own views, not from an organisation.
April 28, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Thank you to the fabulous team @phoenixgroup.bsky.social for hosting @davidhumeinst.bsky.social today
Great discussion on the Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker
February 24, 2025 at 9:59 PM
👇 #edinburgh
Anyone in city centre only needs to wait a few mins to see an uber breaking the law,
Mounting pavements, Stoppings on zigzags
Dangerous uturns…

So many crashes and near misses every day.
Never forget, for many years #Uber insisted loudly that it would reduce traffic in cities. Instead, Uber drivers cruise without passengers 40% of the time. Uber and Lyft no longer claim they reduce traffic. They now admit they increase congestion.

So much for “making cities better…”

Via @wsj.com
The Ride-Hail Utopia That Got Stuck in Traffic
Uber and Lyft said they would ease congestion. Instead they made it worse.
www.wsj.com
February 4, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Saw this on Saturday. It is phenomenal.
So glad I took my teenagers - I think they will remember for the rest of their lives. I know I will.
Thank you @lyceumedinburgh.bsky.social for bringing this to #Edinburgh
My Herald review of The Merchant of Venice, in a major production by the New York based Theatre for a New Audience co, with an astonishing performance by John Douglas Thompson as Shylock.

Royal Lyceum Edinburgh until Feb 15.

lyceum.org.uk/events/the-m...

www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...
'The set is like an HBO epic': Shakespeare classic sparks with an erotic charge
Review: The Merchant of Venice, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Five stars: Money talks in the New York based Theatre For A New Audience…
www.heraldscotland.com
January 27, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Interesting stat from #PMQs re 5yo with #toothdecay
Had to check I’d heard right, Scotland was mentioned as 1 in 4 but figure even higher in England:

“the national prevalence of 5yo children with enamel and/or dentinal decay was 29.3%.”

www.gov.uk/government/s...
National Dental Epidemiology Programme (NDEP) for England: oral health survey of 5 year old children 2022
www.gov.uk
January 15, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Susan Murray
My semi-regular reminder of a really important reality about cities, density, services and taxes.

Any questions?

Recently cleaned up by @kathrynmathias.bsky.social. #CityMakingMath
December 29, 2024 at 5:42 AM
Reposted by Susan Murray
More than half of Toronto drivers in a Universtiy of Toronto study didn't look for people walking or on bikes before turning right. Study used eye-tracking tech.

Increasingly deadly vehicles plus irresponsible driving equals people being injured and being killed.
More than half of Toronto drivers in U of T study didn't look for cyclists and pedestrians before turning right
Researchers in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering studied the eye movements of drivers at busy Toronto intersections and found that more than half failed to make nece...
www.utoronto.ca
January 3, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I wonder how many people watching #wicked will understand the link between the #WizardofOz and #NigelFarage
November 30, 2024 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Susan Murray
“A new cost-benefit study in New Zealand finds that investments in cycling and walking facilities outweigh the costs of building them by 10 to 1. The research found that the most important economic benefits were health gains from use of active transport.” ebikes-international.com/new-study-in...
November 27, 2024 at 9:50 PM
Reposted by Susan Murray
IMPORTANT: NASA map shows temperatures of up to 160 degrees on Phoenix streets & sidewalks. All that unrelenting concrete and asphalt for cars. Not nearly enough trees. They start with ridiculous heat that’s only getting worse, & then make it much worse with bad design.
www.kjzz.org/news/2024-07...
NASA map shows temperatures up to 160 degrees on Phoenix streets, sidewalks
Data from June 19, when the daily high was 106 degrees, shows asphalt across the city that day was between 120 and 160 degrees.
www.kjzz.org
November 25, 2024 at 3:47 AM
Reposted by Susan Murray
And here is the accompanying comment piece from our director, @s-murray.bsky.social

Food for thought for all politicians ahead of the #ScottishBudget #Economy www.scotsman.com/news/politic...
Pragmatism, not politics, must drive the Scottish Budget as boom times gone
The Understanding Scotland Economy Tracker figures provide a fascinating insight into the thinking of Scots, as Susan Murray writes
www.scotsman.com
November 24, 2024 at 11:11 AM
Fascinating @restispolitics.bsky.social interview with @mhairiblack.bsky.social , ends with Rory reflecting perhaps Scotland is more like Scandinavia

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/l...
Mhairi Black: Independence, inequality, and the future of the SNP
Podcast Episode · Leading · 18/11/2024 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
November 19, 2024 at 6:11 AM
I went to a brilliant #DevelopingYoungWorkforce event this week, organised by #SkillsDevelopmentScotland co-ordinator in conjunction with the local school.

Inspiring stuff, unlike the text heavy website www.dyw.scot/youngpeoplea...
Young people and parents
Why ?
www.dyw.scot
November 15, 2024 at 10:28 AM
Everyone knows cutting #youth services has increased costs in other places - here's another report:

#IFS show for every £1 saved from closing youth clubs, there are societal costs of nearly £3.

ifs.org.uk/publications...
The effects of youth clubs on education and crime | Institute for Fiscal Studies
Using quasi-experimental variation from austerity-related cuts, I provide the first causal estimates of youth clubs' effects on education and crime.
ifs.org.uk
November 15, 2024 at 8:16 AM
For anyone interested #Democracy, watching the @scotparl committee consider amendments to the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill chaired by the very efficient @MartinWhitfield is fascinating www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/stan...
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee | Scottish Parliament TV
www.scottishparliament.tv
November 14, 2024 at 2:20 PM