Prof. Ian Walker
@ianwalker.bsky.social
Environmental psychologist: transport, energy, water, buildings. Motonormativity person. Head of Psychology, Swansea University 🏴. Charity trustee x2. My views
Guinness World Record for the fastest bicycle ride across Europe drianwalker.com
Guinness World Record for the fastest bicycle ride across Europe drianwalker.com
Pinned
Prof. Ian Walker
@ianwalker.bsky.social
· Feb 17
HOT RESEARCH NEWS!
Motonormativity ("car brain") is a bias that stops people making rational judgements about driving en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonor...
Our new study shows where this bias comes from AND how it makes people think they're odd for supporting changes to the transport system 🧵
Motonormativity ("car brain") is a bias that stops people making rational judgements about driving en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motonor...
Our new study shows where this bias comes from AND how it makes people think they're odd for supporting changes to the transport system 🧵
The replies to this are really interesting. It looks like parts of America are really leading the way in using parking policy to give people options not to drive
WORKPLACE PARKING. Has anyone heard of an employer paying people a daily sum, which if you drove went towards your parking space and if you didn't drive went into your pocket? I'm sure I've heard of somewhere doing this, but cannot remember where I heard it
November 28, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The replies to this are really interesting. It looks like parts of America are really leading the way in using parking policy to give people options not to drive
WORKPLACE PARKING. Has anyone heard of an employer paying people a daily sum, which if you drove went towards your parking space and if you didn't drive went into your pocket? I'm sure I've heard of somewhere doing this, but cannot remember where I heard it
November 28, 2025 at 12:02 PM
WORKPLACE PARKING. Has anyone heard of an employer paying people a daily sum, which if you drove went towards your parking space and if you didn't drive went into your pocket? I'm sure I've heard of somewhere doing this, but cannot remember where I heard it
@jonnelledge.bsky.social Really pleased to hear you make the point on OGWN about the number of car trips that could be walked. It's great to have that out there somewhere people might hear it
November 28, 2025 at 9:30 AM
@jonnelledge.bsky.social Really pleased to hear you make the point on OGWN about the number of car trips that could be walked. It's great to have that out there somewhere people might hear it
Ill-informed non-economist thought: It seems a shame the government didn't create a joined-up package on houses: e.g., lots more tax on the very expensive ones, but also remove stamp duty to enable people to move more easily if they can't or don't want to pay that
‘I don’t live in a mansion. It’s a 1930s house’: Richmond residents react to council tax rise
‘I don’t live in a mansion. It’s a 1930s house’: Richmond residents react to council tax rise
Rachel Reeves’s new council tax surcharge on homes worth £2m or more earns mixed reception in well-heeled London borough
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Ill-informed non-economist thought: It seems a shame the government didn't create a joined-up package on houses: e.g., lots more tax on the very expensive ones, but also remove stamp duty to enable people to move more easily if they can't or don't want to pay that
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
"Road Cost Recovery Trends" (vtpi.org/rcrt.pdf)
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
November 26, 2025 at 10:11 PM
"Road Cost Recovery Trends" (vtpi.org/rcrt.pdf)
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
This short study calculates the portion of US roadway expenditures paid by fuel taxes and tolls. Most local road costs and a growing portion highway costs are funded by general taxes; user fees now cover less than half of road spending.
Holy moly - Welsh Government have approved side-road zebras! www.gov.wales/written-stat...
Written Statement: Side Road Zebra Crossings in Wales | GOV.WALES
Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales
www.gov.wales
November 26, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Holy moly - Welsh Government have approved side-road zebras! www.gov.wales/written-stat...
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Do drivers not think that use of the roads is worth paying for?
"Well I drive 2000 miles a week, that will cost me £____!"
Yeah...that's the point
"Well I drive 2000 miles a week, that will cost me £____!"
Yeah...that's the point
November 26, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Do drivers not think that use of the roads is worth paying for?
"Well I drive 2000 miles a week, that will cost me £____!"
Yeah...that's the point
"Well I drive 2000 miles a week, that will cost me £____!"
Yeah...that's the point
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Another Budget, another attempt to pretend that endlessly frozen fuel duties will be raised at some point in the future
November 26, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Another Budget, another attempt to pretend that endlessly frozen fuel duties will be raised at some point in the future
Here's a chance to say that we measured the likely noise impacts of EVs as far back as 2016. We concluded - choosing our words very carefully - that EVs would likely make road noise "less bad" journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
A quiet EV upside the FT highlights: less noise.
Cities like Beijing and Shanghai are already seeing calmer, quieter streets—and better sleep—as EV adoption rises.
EVs are notably quieter at low speeds, though tyre noise dominates above ~50 km/h.
Cities like Beijing and Shanghai are already seeing calmer, quieter streets—and better sleep—as EV adoption rises.
EVs are notably quieter at low speeds, though tyre noise dominates above ~50 km/h.
November 26, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Here's a chance to say that we measured the likely noise impacts of EVs as far back as 2016. We concluded - choosing our words very carefully - that EVs would likely make road noise "less bad" journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
The more I think about it the more I love this framing. It's even better than the gym analogy.
I'll be pinching that for next year (even if the AI landscape will have moved on, again).
I'll be pinching that for next year (even if the AI landscape will have moved on, again).
Letting students use chatbots is also an issue when we're supposed to be assessing their ability. In that context, isn't "ChatGPT helped me with this essay" not entirely dissimilar from "My mum helped me with this essay". How much did they write? Which bits? What are you capable of without them?
One reason I don't like the trend of letting students use chatbots is that it fucks the process of giving useful feedback. If something's not clear, I can't tell if this is a specific gap in understanding that I need to help with, or whether my feedback would more usefully be: FFS don't use copilot
November 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
The more I think about it the more I love this framing. It's even better than the gym analogy.
I'll be pinching that for next year (even if the AI landscape will have moved on, again).
I'll be pinching that for next year (even if the AI landscape will have moved on, again).
In Goodwin Curve news, @willhaycardiff.bsky.social's latest newsletter notes how the immediate aftermath of the Welsh 20 mph speed limits saw a petition raise 400,000 signatures. Today, a second petition has just 2387 signatures
November 26, 2025 at 8:23 AM
In Goodwin Curve news, @willhaycardiff.bsky.social's latest newsletter notes how the immediate aftermath of the Welsh 20 mph speed limits saw a petition raise 400,000 signatures. Today, a second petition has just 2387 signatures
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
An interesting thought experiment is to replace every word “cycle” in the article with “car”, and every word “cyclist” with “driver”
See how it reads. See the difference in the language used when we talk about the two modes?
#MotorNormativity
@ianwalker.bsky.social
See how it reads. See the difference in the language used when we talk about the two modes?
#MotorNormativity
@ianwalker.bsky.social
Interesting article on Cockburn Association web site about "floating bus stops".
Click on the link to read more:- bit.ly/4oceqek and tell us your views.
Click on the link to read more:- bit.ly/4oceqek and tell us your views.
Floating Bus Stops in Edinburgh: Trust, Access and the Street of the Future - The Cockburn Association
Floating bus stops need careful, inclusive design to build public confidence
bit.ly
November 25, 2025 at 9:06 PM
An interesting thought experiment is to replace every word “cycle” in the article with “car”, and every word “cyclist” with “driver”
See how it reads. See the difference in the language used when we talk about the two modes?
#MotorNormativity
@ianwalker.bsky.social
See how it reads. See the difference in the language used when we talk about the two modes?
#MotorNormativity
@ianwalker.bsky.social
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Since 2011 the fuel duty freeze has cost the Treasury £133 billion.
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Rachel Reeves will freeze fuel duty to dodge ‘political suicide’
The chancellor will also highlight a rise in the minimum wage and plans to cut energy bills as she tries to win over voters by focusing on cost of living
www.thetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Since 2011 the fuel duty freeze has cost the Treasury £133 billion.
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Day 1 of the @teammodeshift.bsky.social conference. On stage here with some illustrious company, after an opening speech where I tried to suggest we need to disrupt the transport status quo, as well as provide alternatives
November 25, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Day 1 of the @teammodeshift.bsky.social conference. On stage here with some illustrious company, after an opening speech where I tried to suggest we need to disrupt the transport status quo, as well as provide alternatives
Wasn't income tax an "emergency measure" to fund the war with Boneparte?
When can you declare an emergency over?
The 5p “emergency” petrol tax cut was introduced in March 2022, to offset a spike in prices
They are now about 30p down on that month, & about 50p down on the absolute peak
The 5p “emergency” petrol tax cut was introduced in March 2022, to offset a spike in prices
They are now about 30p down on that month, & about 50p down on the absolute peak
November 25, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Wasn't income tax an "emergency measure" to fund the war with Boneparte?
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
Marco te Brömmelstroet and I crowdsourced our 2025 study to show how people's environments shape motonormativity
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
November 24, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Marco te Brömmelstroet and I crowdsourced our 2025 study to show how people's environments shape motonormativity
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
I'd like to see the response to this if the question added "if that that means universities have less money to spend on UK students".
With Rachel Reeves reportedly set to apply a new tax on tuition fees paid by overseas students, most Britons support such a move at the previously mooted level of 6%
Support: 57%
Oppose: 18%
yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...
Support: 57%
Oppose: 18%
yougov.co.uk/topics/socie...
November 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I'd like to see the response to this if the question added "if that that means universities have less money to spend on UK students".
Letting students use chatbots is also an issue when we're supposed to be assessing their ability. In that context, isn't "ChatGPT helped me with this essay" not entirely dissimilar from "My mum helped me with this essay". How much did they write? Which bits? What are you capable of without them?
One reason I don't like the trend of letting students use chatbots is that it fucks the process of giving useful feedback. If something's not clear, I can't tell if this is a specific gap in understanding that I need to help with, or whether my feedback would more usefully be: FFS don't use copilot
November 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Letting students use chatbots is also an issue when we're supposed to be assessing their ability. In that context, isn't "ChatGPT helped me with this essay" not entirely dissimilar from "My mum helped me with this essay". How much did they write? Which bits? What are you capable of without them?
One reason I don't like the trend of letting students use chatbots is that it fucks the process of giving useful feedback. If something's not clear, I can't tell if this is a specific gap in understanding that I need to help with, or whether my feedback would more usefully be: FFS don't use copilot
November 24, 2025 at 4:25 PM
One reason I don't like the trend of letting students use chatbots is that it fucks the process of giving useful feedback. If something's not clear, I can't tell if this is a specific gap in understanding that I need to help with, or whether my feedback would more usefully be: FFS don't use copilot
Marco te Brömmelstroet and I crowdsourced our 2025 study to show how people's environments shape motonormativity
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
November 24, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Marco te Brömmelstroet and I crowdsourced our 2025 study to show how people's environments shape motonormativity
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
Now we're back. Along with Ashton Rohmer, we want ask if we can measure and understand the wider belief system underpinning car-supremacy. You can help: whydonate.com/fundraising/...
Off to Leeds later, to speak at the @teammodeshift.bsky.social annual conference tomorrow. Amongst much else, I'll be sharing this graph, based on our 2025 paper.
Almost everybody thinks it's important to be able to travel without a car, but they underestimate how much everyone else agrees
Almost everybody thinks it's important to be able to travel without a car, but they underestimate how much everyone else agrees
November 24, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Off to Leeds later, to speak at the @teammodeshift.bsky.social annual conference tomorrow. Amongst much else, I'll be sharing this graph, based on our 2025 paper.
Almost everybody thinks it's important to be able to travel without a car, but they underestimate how much everyone else agrees
Almost everybody thinks it's important to be able to travel without a car, but they underestimate how much everyone else agrees
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
@ianwalker.bsky.social comments “The implication is that there has to be action to disrupt, or add friction to, existing car journeys if we want to unlock the benefits of providing alternatives.”
Improving cycle infrastructure and public transport has little impact on car use, a new review finds.
Improving cycle infrastructure and public transport has little impact on car use, new review finds
These non-coercive measures need to be combined with measures such as higher driving costs or reduced car access to have an effect
road.cc
November 23, 2025 at 10:53 PM
@ianwalker.bsky.social comments “The implication is that there has to be action to disrupt, or add friction to, existing car journeys if we want to unlock the benefits of providing alternatives.”
There's always money for more driving
Reeves to announce £1.5bn boost in EV subsidies amid pay-per-mile concerns
Reeves to announce £1.5bn boost in EV subsidies amid pay-per-mile concerns
Industry experts welcome extra incentives but fear a consultation on a mileage tax sends mixed messages
Drivers will be able to claim government subsidies to cut the cost of buying a new electric car until 2030 under plans to be announced by Rachel Reeves at next week’s budget.
The chancellor will unveil an extra £1.3bn for subsidies for new electric vehicles (EVs) and a further £200m for charging points, as she attempts to prevent the market for clean cars drying up amid concerns about a new pay-per-mile tax. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:07 AM
There's always money for more driving
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
People should realize that adapting to climate change instead of mitigation means exactly that 👇
#talkcollapse:
" #Teheran muss verlegt werden, sagte Präsident Masoud Pezeshkian am Do.. Er warnte, dass Teheran aufgrund der starken ökologischen Belastung nicht mehr zu halten sei."
"Nicht mehr zu halten" wird der neue Refrain an immer mehr Orten, aus Bleibefreiheit wird Bleibeprivileg.
" #Teheran muss verlegt werden, sagte Präsident Masoud Pezeshkian am Do.. Er warnte, dass Teheran aufgrund der starken ökologischen Belastung nicht mehr zu halten sei."
"Nicht mehr zu halten" wird der neue Refrain an immer mehr Orten, aus Bleibefreiheit wird Bleibeprivileg.
Iran president says capital move now a necessity as water crisis deepens
Iran’s capital must be moved because the country “no longer has a choice,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday in remarks carried by state media, warning that severe ecological strain has mad...
www.iranintl.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:09 PM
People should realize that adapting to climate change instead of mitigation means exactly that 👇
Reposted by Prof. Ian Walker
🚨 SCOOP: Toyota and Aston Martin secretly lobbied a Conservative cabinet minister to weaken Britain’s climate policy.
We only know this because Democracy for Sale won a two-year legal fight to force the government to hand over the documents.
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/victory-we...
We only know this because Democracy for Sale won a two-year legal fight to force the government to hand over the documents.
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/victory-we...
Victory! We’ve won major legal battle exposing car industry lobbying
After two years we can finally reveal “backdoor channels where corporate money hijacks our democracy.”
democracyforsale.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:57 AM
🚨 SCOOP: Toyota and Aston Martin secretly lobbied a Conservative cabinet minister to weaken Britain’s climate policy.
We only know this because Democracy for Sale won a two-year legal fight to force the government to hand over the documents.
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/victory-we...
We only know this because Democracy for Sale won a two-year legal fight to force the government to hand over the documents.
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/victory-we...