Steve Cromwell
@steveocrom.bsky.social
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
![4-panel vertical comic. (1) 100 Years Ago [two people standing next to bicycle with small car nearby] PERSON 1: It’s too dangerous riding a bike with these cars around. I should get a car, too. (2) 50 Years Ago [two people between smaller car and bigger car] PERSON 2 with short hair: Small cars are less safe in collisions with larger vehicles, so I should get a bigger one. (3) Today [two people between big car and even bigger car] PERSON 1: Everyone has huge SUVs now. If I don’t get the biggest one, I’m putting my family at risk. (4) Soon [two people next to large armored car with spiked clubs attached] PERSON 2: If I don’t install more whirling spike clubs, I’ll be destroyed by all the other drivers who...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiby6can6k76yzfmv2czxs4pu2l7zie7bqbrpswi7h3ifmiadkuqvu@jpeg)
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
Until I die, I will never understand why so many motorists think that “having a car” should give you special protections from doing crimes.
Year one: "We can work it out as an estimate"
Year two: "Oh, look, lots of people are dodging the system!"
Year three: "We need to fit mandatory trackers to every car in the country."
Year four plus: "Why shouldn't tracker data be used in evidence? What have people got to hide?"
Year two: "Oh, look, lots of people are dodging the system!"
Year three: "We need to fit mandatory trackers to every car in the country."
Year four plus: "Why shouldn't tracker data be used in evidence? What have people got to hide?"
I don’t think think “estimated road use” is right approach - at the least drivers should have the *option* of getting a black box fitted that just tracks their EVs usage, but come on, Mel, impersonate a serious politician!
November 6, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Until I die, I will never understand why so many motorists think that “having a car” should give you special protections from doing crimes.
Your city doesn't have a Muslim mayor? Embarrassing
November 5, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Your city doesn't have a Muslim mayor? Embarrassing
Speak loudly and carry a small stick
The Green Party condemns Russia’s invasion, backs Ukraine’s sovereignty, and urges peace talks. It opposes NATO expansion and supports replacing NATO with a cooperative, non-militarised European security framework 💚
November 3, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Speak loudly and carry a small stick
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
"Though robotaxis have notched up impressive growth, they look ploddingly pedestrian compared with far zippier pedal-powered rivals. [Waymo] proudly proclaims that its cars do around 250k trips a week. Yet in NYC alone that number of trips is made every three days using the city’s bikeshare scheme."
Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionising transport
Pedal power is booming, spinning up a new culture war
www.economist.com
October 10, 2025 at 12:52 PM
"Though robotaxis have notched up impressive growth, they look ploddingly pedestrian compared with far zippier pedal-powered rivals. [Waymo] proudly proclaims that its cars do around 250k trips a week. Yet in NYC alone that number of trips is made every three days using the city’s bikeshare scheme."
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
Electric bicycles, and shared electric bicycles in particular, are a revolutionary transportation technology. Forward-looking cities should be building out the infrastructure necessary to make cycling safe and convenient for everyone who wants to do it.
i recently got a great deal on a barely used folding ebike and i have to say it has revolutionized my train travel. i can get from my front door to the amtrak station in a little less than 5 minutes!!!
October 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Electric bicycles, and shared electric bicycles in particular, are a revolutionary transportation technology. Forward-looking cities should be building out the infrastructure necessary to make cycling safe and convenient for everyone who wants to do it.
@sirpaintalot.bsky.social scarf just arrived. This thing is massive!
September 27, 2025 at 2:28 PM
@sirpaintalot.bsky.social scarf just arrived. This thing is massive!
Democratic Bloc would be a great name for a bouldering centre.
The fact they’ve already managed to develop two separate factions and they have completely interchangeable names also pretty pretty good
September 6, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Democratic Bloc would be a great name for a bouldering centre.
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
Thought the UK’s fuel duty freeze was distorting only patterns of passenger transport? Think again after reading a leading rail freight executive’s complaints about how it boosts trucks over rail: www.ft.com/content/5785...
UK rail freight boss urges Rachel Reeves to scrap fuel duty freeze
‘Almost perverse’ measure conflicts with aim to transfer freight movements to rail, says John Smith of GB Railfreight
www.ft.com
September 3, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Thought the UK’s fuel duty freeze was distorting only patterns of passenger transport? Think again after reading a leading rail freight executive’s complaints about how it boosts trucks over rail: www.ft.com/content/5785...
Lots of questions about my Not Involved in Blackmail, Match-fixing, Drug Trafficking or Corruption banner already answered by the banner
something very funny about the very very serious tone of the off-the-record Nottingham Forest briefing to the BBC about how offended they were by a TRULY DISGUSTING banner
And then you read what the banner was saying
And then you read what the banner was saying
August 24, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Lots of questions about my Not Involved in Blackmail, Match-fixing, Drug Trafficking or Corruption banner already answered by the banner
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
It is extraordinary the way that fare payers are expected to pay more each year, at least in line with inflation, but people driving get a free pass for more than a decade?!
👌 “The stated rationale for the protracted [fuel duty] freeze since 2010 is that it helps hard-pressed motorists, but the main beneficiaries have not been white-van man but the better off, who drive more, own more vehicles and buy gas-guzzling SUVs.“
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A policy that benefited the richest and cost the UK £100bn: it's long past time to end the fuel duty freeze | Larry Elliott
Successive chancellors have steered clear of increasing taxes for motorists for 15 years, but this should be a no-brainer for cash-strapped Rachel Reeves, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott
www.theguardian.com
August 14, 2025 at 9:27 AM
It is extraordinary the way that fare payers are expected to pay more each year, at least in line with inflation, but people driving get a free pass for more than a decade?!
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
There is no possible justification for limiting e-bikes to 15mph but not cars.
New York Has a New E-Bike Speed Limit—and No Way to Enforce It
New York Has a New E-Bike Speed Limit—and No Way to Enforce It
When the city announced a speed limit in June, haters rejoiced. But the plan had some holes.
www.wsj.com
August 9, 2025 at 3:46 PM
There is no possible justification for limiting e-bikes to 15mph but not cars.
Hear me out, AI is like the car. Yes it's useful and will make lives easier but we will all be worse off if we become overly dependent on it and we should definitely not trust a word of anyone who is making money from selling it.
There's a real danger that the left/centre get themselves totally out of line with public opinion on LLMs (they are already so widely used).
Got to be possible to highlight dangers/risks while still accepting most people will find value in them.
Got to be possible to highlight dangers/risks while still accepting most people will find value in them.
What an absolutely hysterical set of reactions to the Swedish PM using AI. Within two years there will be no one in an information job, which a PM is, who won't be actively using it in some form.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
August 6, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Hear me out, AI is like the car. Yes it's useful and will make lives easier but we will all be worse off if we become overly dependent on it and we should definitely not trust a word of anyone who is making money from selling it.
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
The bullet train in 🇯🇵-as glorious as everyone says. A reminder the Japanese built their first high speed train for the 1964 Olympics and it became national by the 80s. They’re now building Maglevs (floating trains).
Meanwhile in 🇬🇧 we can’t be sure we’ll connect HS2 to Euston. Pathetic.
Meanwhile in 🇬🇧 we can’t be sure we’ll connect HS2 to Euston. Pathetic.
July 28, 2025 at 6:13 AM
The bullet train in 🇯🇵-as glorious as everyone says. A reminder the Japanese built their first high speed train for the 1964 Olympics and it became national by the 80s. They’re now building Maglevs (floating trains).
Meanwhile in 🇬🇧 we can’t be sure we’ll connect HS2 to Euston. Pathetic.
Meanwhile in 🇬🇧 we can’t be sure we’ll connect HS2 to Euston. Pathetic.
Kill a tree, get four years in jail.
Kill a cyclist, get a suspended sentence www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wale...
Kill a cyclist, get a suspended sentence www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wale...
Bridgend: Jeep driver who killed cyclist gets suspended sentence
David Jones died in May 2020 after being hit by former HGV driver Raymond Treharne.
www.bbc.co.uk
July 16, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Kill a tree, get four years in jail.
Kill a cyclist, get a suspended sentence www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wale...
Kill a cyclist, get a suspended sentence www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wale...
My contribution to the air con debate
July 14, 2025 at 10:49 AM
My contribution to the air con debate
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
@medcrisis.bsky.social good morning to you too
July 7, 2025 at 7:38 AM
@medcrisis.bsky.social good morning to you too
An equivalent UK version of this stat is that there are more journeys* on the Elizabeth line per day than there are people living in any other UK city except Birmingham.
(*I know journeys does not equal people)
(*I know journeys does not equal people)
Almost twice as many people ride the New York City bus every day as live in Wyoming.
The bus should have two senators
The bus should have two senators
The Senators that voted 'yes' on this disastrous bill represent more than 30 million FEWER Americans than the Senators that voted 'no.'
July 2, 2025 at 1:01 PM
An equivalent UK version of this stat is that there are more journeys* on the Elizabeth line per day than there are people living in any other UK city except Birmingham.
(*I know journeys does not equal people)
(*I know journeys does not equal people)
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
These huge cars are vastly more dangerous, kill far more children, as they're higher at the front. They should have their own much lower speed limit in towns; and higher tax. Parking should be charged as for vans, they're larger than normal spaces. It's bizarre that they're treated as cars.
Can we have weight-based car taxes too please? These are loathsome vehicles and they’re mushrooming all over London
Two years ago I interviewed a 31-year-old NY state assemblymember about a 7-year-old girl killed by an SUV driver in his district. I hung up the phone, astonished that I'd talked to a legislator who so thoughtfully articulated what actually needs to change on our streets.
He'll make a great mayor
He'll make a great mayor
June 26, 2025 at 9:44 AM
These huge cars are vastly more dangerous, kill far more children, as they're higher at the front. They should have their own much lower speed limit in towns; and higher tax. Parking should be charged as for vans, they're larger than normal spaces. It's bizarre that they're treated as cars.
Cities increasingly have a divide between the urban mindset which eschews car ownership, is comfortable with density and uses transit by default and the suburban which sees car ownership and a single family house+garden as essential. This seems to cross established socioeconomic groups.
The biggest dividing line based on this map is that Cuomo did best in neighborhoods with the most people who have cars while Mamdani won among people who take the subway.
June 26, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Cities increasingly have a divide between the urban mindset which eschews car ownership, is comfortable with density and uses transit by default and the suburban which sees car ownership and a single family house+garden as essential. This seems to cross established socioeconomic groups.
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
motorists will *never* notice cuts to fuel duty (which they permanently be convinced is too high, and in fact actually purposefully being set to victimise them), but the state will bleed itself dry for their discount that doesn't touch the sides, in a way they never would for public transport users
Fuel duty has effectively been cut by 40% in real terms since 2011
Yet some 46% of voters still say petrol is “unaffordable”, according to More In Common. When asked about Rachel Reeves’ recent cut to fuel duty, less than half of voters were even aware it had happened!
2/3
Yet some 46% of voters still say petrol is “unaffordable”, according to More In Common. When asked about Rachel Reeves’ recent cut to fuel duty, less than half of voters were even aware it had happened!
2/3
June 16, 2025 at 8:04 AM
motorists will *never* notice cuts to fuel duty (which they permanently be convinced is too high, and in fact actually purposefully being set to victimise them), but the state will bleed itself dry for their discount that doesn't touch the sides, in a way they never would for public transport users
Reposted by Steve Cromwell
Important thread from Adam here. Public space - especially in towns and cities - isn't just there for the fast, efficient movement of motor vehicles and we mustn't let that motonormative thinking enable another generational landgrab as automated driving slides in
Today, the Government launches plans to fast-track driverless vehicle trials in the UK.
One of the companies involved says London presents a big challenge:
“It has seven times more jaywalkers than San Francisco.”
Except… it doesn't. 🧵
One of the companies involved says London presents a big challenge:
“It has seven times more jaywalkers than San Francisco.”
Except… it doesn't. 🧵
June 10, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Important thread from Adam here. Public space - especially in towns and cities - isn't just there for the fast, efficient movement of motor vehicles and we mustn't let that motonormative thinking enable another generational landgrab as automated driving slides in
Rescued this fellow from the road last night
June 10, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Rescued this fellow from the road last night
I Call App Britain
June 9, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I Call App Britain