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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 10h

In truly sad news, I learned that Eatwells has shut. So marks the passing of the last place to get a decent sausage/bacon butty on campus (unless has any good intel they want to pony up!)

Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 22h

I get these sentiments. Really I do (and I'm not quoting them because it's not a dunk) but they're hard to square when, for example (this happened) you're literally being chased down the street by someone wanting to fight you because they were walking in the cycle lane and you said "excuse me".

The truth is that you win just by being there.

Don't apologise because you're acting properly

Just cycle you are winning already. It is their problem not yours

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Those are rookie numbers!

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Hah. It's perhaps the one thing I've never* actually had grief about personally. Glad I don't have to open that can of worms!

*OK, once

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Even then (and this is just me, and not necessarily extrapolating too heavily), I get sense there is a stronger sense of pedestrian norms/behaviours. Never really seen anyone question a zebra crossing, walking against traffic when no paths, the little weird wave people do on zebras etc.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

I guess I was contrasting it with my experiences in the Netherlands (especially utrecht, delft and Rotterdam) where there seemed to be a clearly defined culture and Norms. Steam gives way to sail, but for example very few people straying into the bike lanes.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

I think there's some really interesting research to be done about what the UK's culture surrounding cycling does, could and should look like. And how you might make that happen in a practical way.

Plenty to go off in answering q1...

Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

On this tour one of the themes is that in the UK we have almost zero settled cycle culture. There's no settled way how to behave on a bike, how others might expect you to behave, how you might expect others to behave.

We have the highway code, which is car brain.

bsky.app/profile/alex...

Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 3d

It was nice to show some Planning students from Sciences Po Rennes around some of Liverpool's cycling infra developed since 2020.

I found myself frequently inviting them to draw their own conclusions. Good? Bad? Useful? Dangerous? Would they use it?

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Who saw this coming? Not me. No sir.

David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 1d

This sounds "bad" 🤔

Faisal Islam @faisalislam

NEW

Bank of England:

value of Al tech companies "appear stretched" with a rising risk of a "sharp correction” saying that on some profit measures it was “comparable to the peak of the dotcom bubble".

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah I agree. It was one of the findings of our paper from a few years back - for us around pierhead/lord st/church st.

This afternoon a big chunk of it was the river/prom. Same deal.

activetravelstudies.org/article/id/1...

Bikes! Camera! Action? Exploring the Everyday Behaviours of Urban Cycling to Inform Lessons for Infrastructure Planners

This paper uses a video-based methodology to explore everyday cycling practices in a city that is not well-known for its cycling provision – namely Liverpool, UK. By looking at the way everyday c...

activetravelstudies.org

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Ran out of characters - I could go for a long while.

Riding in a segregated cycleway: get grief.

Your bike is noisy over cobbles: get grief.

Don't wear high viz: get grief

DO Wear high viz: also get grief.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

On this tour one of the themes is that in the UK we have almost zero settled cycle culture. There's no settled way how to behave on a bike, how others might expect you to behave, how you might expect others to behave.

We have the highway code, which is car brain.

bsky.app/profile/alex...

Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 3d

It was nice to show some Planning students from Sciences Po Rennes around some of Liverpool's cycling infra developed since 2020.

I found myself frequently inviting them to draw their own conclusions. Good? Bad? Useful? Dangerous? Would they use it?

A linear park with a footpath and segregated cycleway, on an autumn day with leaves on the ground.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 1d

Cycle on a pavement: get grief. Cycle on the road: get grief. Cycle in a shared-use space: get grief. Cycle on a *checks notes* National Cycle Route: get grief.

Cycle like a ninja: get grief. Use your voice: how dare you. Use your bell: also, how dare you.

You. Just. Can't. Win.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 2d

There's also a "what has local government ever done for us?" conversation to be had.

It's frankly amazing how some of these authorities have managed to keep on* trucking in the last 15 years.

*barely.

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 2d

It is also deeply unhealthy to have local govts who don’t provide many visible/valuable services for most residents (because they lack the resources). Encourages distrust and populism - “what am I paying my council tax for? The council does nothing for me.”

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 2d

Amazed this is still going ahead - basic and obvious problem is that essentially everything local government does now is for the poor. You can’t move it around without really hurting poor people somewhere!

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 2d

Most people with kids will tell you that at least every once in a while you have to follow through or you're done.

To butcher Teddy Roosevelt: "Authority" isn't just just constant rollockings or hiding the telly plug.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 3d

It was nice to show some Planning students from Sciences Po Rennes around some of Liverpool's cycling infra developed since 2020.

I found myself frequently inviting them to draw their own conclusions. Good? Bad? Useful? Dangerous? Would they use it?

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 4d

If you leave them on a sunny shelf/kitchen window they'll ripen. This is mine from the other day.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 4d

I'm on research leave for the first half of 2026. I'd like to use some of that to do some of the reading I'd love to but never have time or head space.

I'd love your recommendations of books/papers you think I should be looking at.

Cycling/Active Travel especially, but also devolution/local govt.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 4d

Yes and no.

Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 4d

Is it?

Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 4d

Part of the state people interact with the most (local government) is the most fucked, which is good as it’s easiest to solve

and yet

Reposted by Alex Nurse

Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 4d

Is it?

Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 4d

Part of the state people interact with the most (local government) is the most fucked, which is good as it’s easiest to solve

and yet

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 4d

Next week (14th Oct) I'll be at @activetravelcaf.bsky.social talking about my paper on social media and how it affects Cllr's attitudes to cycling.

It caught a bit of traction in the summer, and I'll also reflect on that and what it means in a BlueSky world.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

www.tandfonline.com

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 5d

I saw a thing about net zero dad in the week.

I don't even care. I'm here for it.

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 5d

Free energy 12-2 you say?

I'm certainly not set up with everything ready to go at 11:59...

A washing machine set up and ready to start

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 6d

My coffee hasn't kicked in yet. I misread that as Barcelona and thought how has THAT passed me by!?

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Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 6d

Bluesky's moderation tools are better too - so you can do more to detach the quote. Even hide and for all and the block are much better than Twitter. You still have to engage with it though.

There also seems to be a slightly different culture around quote tweets here that I struggled to adapt to.

Alex Nurse @alexnurse.bsky.social · 7d

I don't want to dox myself but the suggested route from our house to work is like something my youngest child might draw.

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