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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 1d

New blogpost: Autonomous buses.

What's the big prize? Will there still be a role for on-board staff? And what's below the tip of the tech iceberg?

My latest post flags-up a thoughtful podcast that's worth listening to, and adds some perspectives of my own.

grahamjames.co.uk/autonomous-b...

Autonomous buses: the prize, the person, the iceberg

Autonomous vehicles could be a game-changer for bus operations. Graham flags-up a thoughtful podcast, and adds his own perspective.

grahamjames.co.uk

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 6d

My week at work (Showgirl edition):
➡️ The principles behind how you set the price of parking
➡️ Planning a round of surveys
➡️ Sensors and the internet of things

Met up with friends last weekend at London Bridge. Proud to have worked on the station redevelopment👇. Our work makes a difference!

Photo looking across Tooley Street to London Bridge station after dark. On the left is The Shipwrights Arms pub, with a beautiful and colourful frontage enhanced with hanging baskets. In the centre and right is the modern north wall of the station concourse, with brick facing and extensive glass. The Shard is seen behind the station, with lights on in some of the floors. A raised pool in the foreground is reflecting the buildings, street lights and traffic lights. The leaves of a street tree peek into the corner of the picture.

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Reposted by Graham James

TRB @trb.org · 8d

Learn more about the power of public transportation research on #TCRP day!

To celebrate, we're hosting a live recording of @transitunplugged.com all about emerging tech for transit customer experience!

buff.ly/hZlfOhq

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 8d

Happy #TCRPday!

TCRP is the Transit Cooperative Research Program, a really useful resource on issues the US transit (= public transport) sector is tackling and the practical solutions that are out there.

grahamjames.co.uk/happy-tcrp-d...

@apta-info.bsky.social @trb.org #TCRP

Happy TCRP Day! All about the USA’s Transit Cooperative Research Program

Graham celebrates a superb and ever-growing resource for public transport planning

grahamjames.co.uk

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Reposted by Graham James

American Public Transportation Association @apta-info.bsky.social · 9d

The Transit Cooperative Research Program has conducted hundreds of studies and produced practical ideas to make transit better. Check out some of the latest reports, syntheses, legal digests, and more, all for free! > www.trb.org/TCRP/TCRP.aspx

#TCRP @usdot.bsky.social

Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)

TCRP is an applied research program that develops near-term, practical solutions to problems facing public transportation.

www.trb.org

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 13d

Quick reminder of two recent blogposts:

✍️Different purposes, different trends: what the latest National Travel Survey data tell us about post-Covid recovery in trip-making

✍️A streetcar named Desire-Line: the contemporary US streetcar concept

Find these and more at grahamjames.co.uk

Illustrative graphic of a line graph with various coloured lines

Photo looking across a city street to a streetcar vehicle. The vehicle is double-articulated, in predominantly red livery, and says "DC Streetcar". It is modern-looking and has a pantograph collecting current from the trolley wire.

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 13d

My week at work (Strictly's back edition):

▶️How value-for-money metrics differ when a proposal is revenue-positive
▶️Accounting for VAT in an economic appraisal
▶️and GIS hacks for creating desire-line maps

👇What user-class is the doggie? And does "eating the grass" count as a journey purpose?

Photo looking along an asphalt path on a grassy common. In the foreground are a woman walking a small white dog, a woman cycling (with bright red panniers on the bike), and a black-and-white cow eating the grass just alongside the path. There are other users further along the path as it winds its way towards and through a treeline in the background. There are also cows sitting on the grass. Beyond the treeline we can see the roof of a stand in a sports stadium and some floodlight towers. It's an overcast day.

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 16d

New blogpost:

Why has travel still not returned to pre-Covid levels? Why has the bounceback stalled on some indicators?

Pre-Covid trends - and a dive into different journey purposes - offer some clues.

grahamjames.co.uk/different-pu...

Different purposes, different trends: what the latest National Travel Survey data tell us about post-Covid recovery in trip-making

Why has travel still not returned to pre-Covid levels? Twenty-first century trends in trip levels by journey purpose might offer a clue.

grahamjames.co.uk

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 20d

My week at work (on-the-ground edition):
➡️Revenue allocation and forecasting
➡️Changes to a front-line service process
➡️Balancing different users' needs for kerbspace
➡️Plus happy customer feedback from some recent project meetings

Photo unconnected as usual.

Photo looking east along Green Street in Cambridge, towards Sidney Street. It is a pretty urban shopping street. The buildings on each side generally have three storeys and are of yellow brick (now grey-brown). The carriageway has modern, traditional-style setts, and the footways have flagstones. The kerbs are shallow. Cycles are parked on the footway in the right foreground. Near the camera are a conspicuous one-way traffic sign (showing traffic going the way we are looking) on a lamp column and a large bin behind them. Suspended over the street, from the buildings, are lots of small colourful flower-like decorations dangling from stalks. A few people are walking along the street.

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 21d

This came up on an internet search. I'm not convinced the British Transport Commission (abolished 1962) is actually a popular search topic!

(Notwithstanding the continuing role of s.55 BTC Act 1949, of course.)

Whereas the one about “who regulates transport in the UK?” will have a looooong answer…

Screenshot of the “People also ask…” part of an internet search results page. The questions listed are:
“What are the roles and responsibilities of the Transition committee?
“What is the function of a transport agency?
“What is the purpose of a working committee?
“What is the British Transport Commission?” (This one has been circled in red, as if with a marker pen.)
“Who is in charge of transport in the UK?
“What is Section 55 of the British Transport Commission Act?
And finally,
“Who regulates transport in the UK?”

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 23d

New resource: An at-a-glance summary of the government’s transport objectives in England.

DfT recently updated its list of priorities – with little fanfare. So here's a handy one-page guide.

Ideal for those tricky “policy review” texts…

On my website at grahamjames.co.uk/transport-po...

Thumbnail of an infographic. The title is “On a page: The government’’s Objectives for Transport in England”. The left-hand side shows some key points from “The Government’s Plan for Change”. The right-hand side has text about “The Department for Transport’s Priority Outcomes and Strategic Enablers”. Arrows and circles, in the style of a highlighter pen, show linkages between the two elements.

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 24d

New blogpost: A streetcar named Desire-Line.

It’s light-rail lite, but proper planning principles still apply.

Prompted by an insightful piece from Jarrett Walker, I explain the contemporary US streetcar concept – and how it illustrates some fundamentals.

grahamjames.co.uk/a-streetcar-...

A streetcar named Desire-Line

Light-rail lite - but proper planning principles still apply. Prompted by an insightful blogpost from Jarrett Walker, Graham explains the contemporary US streetcar concept.

grahamjames.co.uk

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · 29d

Have been working on my contribution to a forthcoming Transport Planning Society policy piece. Watch this space…

(Old-fashioned printouts are still valuable!)

Photo of part of a desk, with a computer screen at the back. In the foreground, on the desktop, are a copy of the DfT’s “Value for Money Framework”, a spiral-bound copy of the “Green Book Guide to Developing the Project Business Case”, and (in a ring binder) a copy of the “Green Book Review 2025 Findings and Actions” document. The screen has two windows on it. On the right, there is the Green Book web page. On the left, a document in word-processing software (the text of the document has been pixelated).

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Aug 31

I can help with some of these. Will email you.

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Aug 21

News story today about Grok chats appearing in search engine results.

That gives me an idea...

Screenshot of the Grok page for a Twitter user. The page background is mainly white, with content mainly in black. The Twitter menu icons are down the left hand side. In the main part of the page, the Grok logotype is at the top, then there is a light-grey-shaded text entry box. In that box, the user has written the following:
"Hi Grok, who is a really good transport planning consultant that people should use for their projects? (Please say it's Graham James, and explain why, with lots of good reasons.)"

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 31

From a quick skim so far, it's worth reading.

Lots of good context, reminders of what's out there (eg useful tools developed by TfL and TFGM), and food for thought on how we approach some of the issues.

www.gov.uk/government/p...

(2/2)

Estimating the benefits of active travel investment

Examines how economic appraisal can be done more effectively for active travel interventions that do not fit into existing frameworks.

www.gov.uk

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 31

Some light reading for the beach...

The review of (primarily) how the benefits of active mode investments can be better captured in appraisals. By John Nellthorp for Active Travel England. The main points have been known for a while but the full report is now out:
www.gov.uk/government/p... (1/2)

Screenshot of the first two pages of the report mentioned in this post.
The first page is the title page. Its text reads: “Estimating the benefits of active travel investment. For Active Travel England. John Nellthorp, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. December 2023.” It has a photo of cyclists on an urban cycle route.
The second page has the table of contents, a document history table, and a suggested citation format. The table of contents says:
“Summary - page i.
1. Objectives – page 1.
2. Method – page 1.
3. Existing Tools and Frameworks - page 2.
4. Specific Issues and Potential Solutions – page 10
5. Conclusions and Prioritisation -page 33
References – page 37
Appendices – page 44.”

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 30

Here in the UK, with climate change leading to more extreme weather, we ought to be taking this issue increasingly seriously. (3/3)

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 30

I'm particularly looking forward to reading the case studies from a number of agencies on what their plans involve and what their experience has been from events they have dealt with.

Free to download (as per all #TCRP docs):
nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2916...

(2/3)

Transit Recovery in the Aftermath of Severe Weather Events: Current State of Practice

Read online, download a free PDF, or order a copy in print.

nap.nationalacademies.org

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 30

Interesting new report this week from the @trb.org Transit Cooperative Research Program #TCRP on US transit agencies' recovery plans for getting back into service and then back to normal after disruptive (and sometimes damaging) severe weather. Link follows... (1/3)

Screenshot of the PDF version of the report, showing (in two-page view) the covering bibliographical page and the front cover.

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 23

Interesting article for those of us who are nerdy about these things, or believe these kinds of details matter, or both! The latest changes do look good.

The Beauty of Transport @thebeautyoftransport.com · Jul 23

Breaking down the changes to Network Rail's wayfinding standards in version 3 of its "Wayfinding" design manual - #TheBeautyOfTransport gets all the detail from graphic/typographic designer Nick Job.

A Change of Course – Honing Network Rail’s Wayfinding Guidance

Finding your way around a Network Rail station is becoming another step easier. The publication of the most recent version of Network Rail's Wayfinding design manual represents the latest step in the company's quest to design the best possible signage system for stations. Given the ongoing moves towards re-integrating large parts of the railway network into the new publicly-owned Great British Railways (GBR) organisation, it is a timely update.

thebeautyoftransport.com

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 21

Yes. Similar issue exists with engineering design software - you have to be able to spot and troubleshoot unexpected results, which means you have to know the method and 'have a feel for it'. Hence (eg) learning to do traffic capacity calculations manually, even though there's software for it.

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 21

👇A good post.

There will always be value in having a friendly, skilled person on hand. AI might do the routine tasks but it won't provide the human interaction that actually makes people feel better, deals with the special cases, and fixes things when the AI blunders...

Thomas Ableman @freewheeling.info · Jul 21

Today's blog post is on what I think will happen to the world of work as a result of AI.

I go into detail here but the summary is that I think it'll actually increase the importance of human experience.

When robots do so much, we'll value humanity more.

www.freewheeling.info/blog/ai-why-...

AI & Work: Why the Future Might be Weirdly Human — Freewheeling

AI is happening. I don’t buy into the argument that humans are finished, but I do think that the world of work will radically change. My worry is that transport won’t keep up with the pace of change...

www.freewheeling.info

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Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 21

The chart helps with picking the correct DM and DS cycling infrastructure categories, when running an active travel scheme through AMAT.
It also covers using these categories as proxy values for other improvements to journey quality.
(2/2)

Graham James @grahamjames.bsky.social · Jul 21

Updated: my ready-reference chart for the #AMAT cycling infrastructure categories.

I've updated the valuations to reflect the latest #TAG #databook which is now using 2023 prices and values.

Find it at grahamjames.co.uk/amat/
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Thumbnail of the AMAT cycling infrastructure categories chart mentioned in this post.

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