It's Simon, yeah?
@coldwarcliff.bsky.social
Drinking beer, riding bikes and fixing stuff.
Post about active travel, music and a bit of tech and politics. And riding bikes. And drinking beer.
Post about active travel, music and a bit of tech and politics. And riding bikes. And drinking beer.
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
The FT's Janan Ganesh on Brexit:
"In essence, the nation staked its future on trade at the exact historical moment that it fell out of favour as an idea. It is the geostrategic equivalent of investing one’s life savings in a DVD manufacturer circa 2009."
www.ft.com/content/8f22...
"In essence, the nation staked its future on trade at the exact historical moment that it fell out of favour as an idea. It is the geostrategic equivalent of investing one’s life savings in a DVD manufacturer circa 2009."
www.ft.com/content/8f22...
The Tories’ disastrous misunderstanding of America
On trade, the right of British politics couldn’t see that the US is a foreign land
www.ft.com
January 18, 2026 at 8:39 AM
The FT's Janan Ganesh on Brexit:
"In essence, the nation staked its future on trade at the exact historical moment that it fell out of favour as an idea. It is the geostrategic equivalent of investing one’s life savings in a DVD manufacturer circa 2009."
www.ft.com/content/8f22...
"In essence, the nation staked its future on trade at the exact historical moment that it fell out of favour as an idea. It is the geostrategic equivalent of investing one’s life savings in a DVD manufacturer circa 2009."
www.ft.com/content/8f22...
What could possibly be
Causing all this damage to the pavement?
Causing all this damage to the pavement?
Nicked from Arsebook. This is a great explainer of why the UK's design and management of streets is fundamentally broken and most of what we do is simply playing around at the edges.
This is not a pop per se at Essex County Council, but given they were given a "green" rating in
1/12
This is not a pop per se at Essex County Council, but given they were given a "green" rating in
1/12
January 17, 2026 at 1:17 PM
What could possibly be
Causing all this damage to the pavement?
Causing all this damage to the pavement?
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social Any idea what going on with Paris-Milan Trenitalia? Planned at trip a week or 2 back but they were only showing up on Trainpal not RailEurope.
Trying to book and now only TGV Inoui bookable for that route on either platform for any dates.
Trying to book and now only TGV Inoui bookable for that route on either platform for any dates.
January 17, 2026 at 11:54 AM
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social Any idea what going on with Paris-Milan Trenitalia? Planned at trip a week or 2 back but they were only showing up on Trainpal not RailEurope.
Trying to book and now only TGV Inoui bookable for that route on either platform for any dates.
Trying to book and now only TGV Inoui bookable for that route on either platform for any dates.
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
Holy hell, what an obituary
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Holy hell, what an obituary
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
It will 100% happen again. How do we know? Because the system we put in place that allows this to happen again and again and again, has not been fixed.
Too scared to limit drivers and manufacturers freedoms.
Shall we take a look how #Mercedes sell the A45… (1/n)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Too scared to limit drivers and manufacturers freedoms.
Shall we take a look how #Mercedes sell the A45… (1/n)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Drunk driver jailed for killing man he hit at 91mph in Paisley
Callum Fox, who was described by friends as being
www.bbc.co.uk
January 12, 2026 at 7:30 PM
It will 100% happen again. How do we know? Because the system we put in place that allows this to happen again and again and again, has not been fixed.
Too scared to limit drivers and manufacturers freedoms.
Shall we take a look how #Mercedes sell the A45… (1/n)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Too scared to limit drivers and manufacturers freedoms.
Shall we take a look how #Mercedes sell the A45… (1/n)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
“Journeys are safer & smoother when we all work together”
Lovely common sense road rules ad from Wokingham Borough Council.
Lovely common sense road rules ad from Wokingham Borough Council.
January 12, 2026 at 7:21 AM
“Journeys are safer & smoother when we all work together”
Lovely common sense road rules ad from Wokingham Borough Council.
Lovely common sense road rules ad from Wokingham Borough Council.
Very much this. Internet shopping has killed the high street. There’s no point trying to fight against that. But going out in a walkable neighbourhood has a future.
It's "complicated". Too many UK local authorities have an obsolete idea of what the high street "should be"; a vision of clothing stores & boutiques. Instead, what has proven popular is casual dining, street food, outside tables & pedestrianisation. None of this is supported through development or
January 11, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Very much this. Internet shopping has killed the high street. There’s no point trying to fight against that. But going out in a walkable neighbourhood has a future.
Had a weirdly hostile interaction on here with someone who said @derekguy.bsky.social was a “pathetic bully”, “self declared fashion police” & “reinforces arbitrary hierarchies”
I haven’t worn a suit for in 15 year & I’m hardly a fashionista but I’ve found Derek’s writing fascinating
I haven’t worn a suit for in 15 year & I’m hardly a fashionista but I’ve found Derek’s writing fascinating
dieworkwear.com
January 11, 2026 at 10:09 AM
Had a weirdly hostile interaction on here with someone who said @derekguy.bsky.social was a “pathetic bully”, “self declared fashion police” & “reinforces arbitrary hierarchies”
I haven’t worn a suit for in 15 year & I’m hardly a fashionista but I’ve found Derek’s writing fascinating
I haven’t worn a suit for in 15 year & I’m hardly a fashionista but I’ve found Derek’s writing fascinating
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
Wow. I'm in a webinar about the new road safety strategy, and a guy from the ADI has just said that there is no mandatory requirement for driving instructors to carry out CPD! So they could have been a driving instructor for 30 years and never have done any further learning in that time 😱
January 9, 2026 at 9:57 AM
Wow. I'm in a webinar about the new road safety strategy, and a guy from the ADI has just said that there is no mandatory requirement for driving instructors to carry out CPD! So they could have been a driving instructor for 30 years and never have done any further learning in that time 😱
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
“These new powers do not go far enough to protect pedestrians. It’s disappointing not to see a nationwide prohibition.”
Our @charitycat.bsky.social responds to the news that local authorities will receive legal powers to restrict pavement parking. https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/pavement-parking
Our @charitycat.bsky.social responds to the news that local authorities will receive legal powers to restrict pavement parking. https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/pavement-parking
“These new powers do not go far enough to protect pedestrians | Living Streets
bitly.livingstreets.org.uk
January 8, 2026 at 1:25 PM
“These new powers do not go far enough to protect pedestrians. It’s disappointing not to see a nationwide prohibition.”
Our @charitycat.bsky.social responds to the news that local authorities will receive legal powers to restrict pavement parking. https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/pavement-parking
Our @charitycat.bsky.social responds to the news that local authorities will receive legal powers to restrict pavement parking. https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/pavement-parking
And of course anything other than a clear nationwide ban, with signed exemptions, will mean it’s impossible for a visitor to know the policy locally. Assumption will be “one car has done it, it’s fine”
Or are we going to have more sign clutter where it’s prohibited (suggesting fine everywhere else)
Or are we going to have more sign clutter where it’s prohibited (suggesting fine everywhere else)
DfT press release on footway parking.
They've bottled a national ban and so will rely on local action with new powers (which are not explained, but area-based).
A postcode lottery as now then? I await actual details.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
They've bottled a national ban and so will rely on local action with new powers (which are not explained, but area-based).
A postcode lottery as now then? I await actual details.
www.gov.uk/government/n...
New local powers to keep pavements clear for those who rely on them most
Local councils will be given the power to crack down on problem pavement parking.
www.gov.uk
January 8, 2026 at 12:20 PM
And of course anything other than a clear nationwide ban, with signed exemptions, will mean it’s impossible for a visitor to know the policy locally. Assumption will be “one car has done it, it’s fine”
Or are we going to have more sign clutter where it’s prohibited (suggesting fine everywhere else)
Or are we going to have more sign clutter where it’s prohibited (suggesting fine everywhere else)
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
Over the last few months I've done a massive update to the Safe Cycling in London Map (now called the SafeCycleLDN Map): bit.ly/378amr0
Thank you to @joncstone, Stephen Biggins and my many other followers for your wonderful suggestions
Thank you to @joncstone, Stephen Biggins and my many other followers for your wonderful suggestions
SafeCycleLDN Map - Google My Maps
Key:
- Thick lines - Protected cycle lanes (segregated from road traffic)
- Thin lines - Unprotected cycle lanes (connecting protected sections of cycle track)
- Dark Blue - Protected permanent cycle ...
bit.ly
January 3, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Over the last few months I've done a massive update to the Safe Cycling in London Map (now called the SafeCycleLDN Map): bit.ly/378amr0
Thank you to @joncstone, Stephen Biggins and my many other followers for your wonderful suggestions
Thank you to @joncstone, Stephen Biggins and my many other followers for your wonderful suggestions
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
It's fascinating that "no one should go to a football match and not come home" is a widely held sentiment but so is "there is an acceptable number of people to be killed on our roads as the cost of getting around".
A reminder to people discussing the government’s road safety strategy today, bereaved families and seriously injured crash survivors will be listening.
The only goal for the numbers of people killed on the road each year is ZERO.
The only goal for the numbers of people killed on the road each year is ZERO.
January 7, 2026 at 10:23 AM
It's fascinating that "no one should go to a football match and not come home" is a widely held sentiment but so is "there is an acceptable number of people to be killed on our roads as the cost of getting around".
January 6, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
January 5, 2026 at 4:12 PM
What in the Gestapo is going on in Grand Rapids?
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
Watch this activist get arrested *mid-interview* for speaking out against U.S. action in Venezuela.
There is no depth to which trumps vanity won’t sink
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 8:22 AM
There is no depth to which trumps vanity won’t sink
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
Trump is probably focused on the money he wrongly thinks he'll make from Venezuelan oil. But he's not a details guy and nobody has thought through the details. Essentially, the US has taken over Venezuela by mistake. Stranger things have happened, but not many.
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
Stranger Things
The 1980s Nostalgia of Trump's Foreign Policy is probably going to end up, like Stranger Things, as a horror show.
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Trump is probably focused on the money he wrongly thinks he'll make from Venezuelan oil. But he's not a details guy and nobody has thought through the details. Essentially, the US has taken over Venezuela by mistake. Stranger things have happened, but not many.
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
So fmr Honduran President Hernandez voluntarily surrendered, and was duly extradited, tried and convicted for drug trafficking, and Trump pardoned him 6w ago.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
January 3, 2026 at 12:44 PM
So fmr Honduran President Hernandez voluntarily surrendered, and was duly extradited, tried and convicted for drug trafficking, and Trump pardoned him 6w ago.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
And this morning, Trump illegally attacks Venezuela and abducts its president and his wife purportedly to try them for drug trafficking.
It feels like bike share 'docks'/parking hasn't yet been completely solved.
London's Santander docks are inefficient (dedicated space even when empty, bikes a long way apart), expensive (power to terminal and every dock) and inflexible (can't be easily moved as a result)
London's Santander docks are inefficient (dedicated space even when empty, bikes a long way apart), expensive (power to terminal and every dock) and inflexible (can't be easily moved as a result)
December 29, 2025 at 10:58 AM
It feels like bike share 'docks'/parking hasn't yet been completely solved.
London's Santander docks are inefficient (dedicated space even when empty, bikes a long way apart), expensive (power to terminal and every dock) and inflexible (can't be easily moved as a result)
London's Santander docks are inefficient (dedicated space even when empty, bikes a long way apart), expensive (power to terminal and every dock) and inflexible (can't be easily moved as a result)
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
Happy #sketchpadvent. Now for the last and biggest: engineers Pell Frischmann’s early 70s proposals for a cross channel bridge, linked by a massive sea-platform city for oil tankers and container ships, with an airport, helipad and homes for workers. Jingle! x
December 24, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Happy #sketchpadvent. Now for the last and biggest: engineers Pell Frischmann’s early 70s proposals for a cross channel bridge, linked by a massive sea-platform city for oil tankers and container ships, with an airport, helipad and homes for workers. Jingle! x
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them
Inheritance tax for farmers to kick in at £2.5m, not £1m as planned, in government U-turn to help farming community - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
December 23, 2025 at 12:07 PM
lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them
The only wine with security tags in Chipping Norton M&S. Lots were more expensive. 🤷♂️
December 23, 2025 at 5:08 PM
The only wine with security tags in Chipping Norton M&S. Lots were more expensive. 🤷♂️
Merry Imperial Pastry Stoutmas
@Deya
@Deya
December 23, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Merry Imperial Pastry Stoutmas
@Deya
@Deya
Reposted by It's Simon, yeah?
Reminder from Brenda the civil disobedience penguin @firstdogonthemoon about surviving Christmas with climate denier relatives. Radicalise the kids instead.
December 23, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Reminder from Brenda the civil disobedience penguin @firstdogonthemoon about surviving Christmas with climate denier relatives. Radicalise the kids instead.