💬 Change the Narrative Part 1 - MM#600

Good day my good friend.

This is a public service announcement. Due to helping out at Mobility Camp next week (still tickets available if you want to join us in Birmingham next Tuesday), and the need to run a few other errands, there will be no Mobility Matters at all. Once this Friday’s newsletter goes out, normal service will not be resumed until 2nd October.

As the theme of Mobility Camp next week is ‘changing the narrative’ with regards to transport, the newsletter this week is dedicated to just that.

If you like this newsletter, please share it with someone else who you think will love it. I will love you forever if you do. ☺️

James

🌎 What kind of world do we want to live in?

Such a simple question, really. I bet that right now, you are listing off the things that make up the kind of world that you want to live in. One where the climate crisis is being tackled in a meaningful way. One which is truly equal. One that puts happiness ahead of profit. One where Manchester United sustain a realistic title challenge.

It was something that I thought about plenty while drafting the responses of two organisations to the recent House of Commons Transport Committee Inquiry into Strategic Transport Objectives. The current mass of objectives relating to transport in the UK are a mess - just compare the Department for Transport’s Outcome Delivery Plan with Bus Back Better, Gear Change, and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, as well as the DfT’s own summary page on what it does. The product of varying visions and political priorities of different ministers at different times. But the most critical thing was missing.

What kind of country do we want to live in? How does this achieve a much bigger vision of the kind of future that we want?

In the development of policy and strategy, we speak often of Golden Threads and Policy Hooks. At its most basic level, a Golden Thread about linking what people do every day to a grander vision. The most famous example is the janitor at NASA who, when asked by President Kennedy what his job was, replied very simply:

I’m helping put a man on the moon.

Now obviously the janitor isn’t piloting the lunar module, but by keeping the place clean he is helping others to do their jobs, and together they put men on the moon. That is a golden thread. Golden threads are extremely effective as a way of linking what is being done to a wider purpose or driving vision that is collectively owned.

In contrast, Policy Hooks have no formal definition. But I would like to propose one. These are words in policy documents which provide sufficient justification for a preferred action. Now, these can be funny things. A policy in a Local Transport Plan can be a policy hook. For example, if your policy says:

We will expand the cycle network of the city so that it provides direct, safe access to all communities and trip generators in a city, in a manner that prioritises cycling over the car.

…that’s a strong policy hook for a funding bid to build a cycle network. But a policy hook can also be some random sentence in the supplementary text. I have seen road schemes justified because in a footnote, which said that the Council may consider the feasibility of solutions to chronic traffic issues in a local village (in case you wondered, it was the Ridgmont Bypass).

Hooks and threads need to work together in order to make a convincing case for change. It is classic logic mapping or systems mapping in many respects. If we deliver this policy it will achieve this outcome, which is in line with this objective.

The problem that the UK has is that its Golden Threads are shredded, and the hooks are scattered everywhere. Our policies on buses, bikes, cars, trains, and other things are almost opposed to one another in their objectives. This leads to either schemes being justified using any random policy hook that does exist somewhere in a document, or schemes being justified purely within a very narrow remit - as a cycling scheme, as a rail scheme etc.

What does not help currently is the sense of political malaise that has descended. There is a strong feeling that there will be a change of government when the General Election is called next year. And the existing government is announcing anything that it thinks will help it cling to power. Even then, it would seem that the most likely victor at this stage is favouring pragmatism and electability over a grand vision for the future (though there are many months yet until any election).

To change the narrative, we need to first understand what kind of world do we want to shift to. We need to be sure that we are clear on what that entails, and what the associated priorities for this are. We need golden threads that link what we are doing to the world we want to create, and the hooks to make it tangible. Then, and only then, can we start to think about changing the narrative.

What you can do: When you are writing a strategy or a plan, research other plans that set out the key priorities of important organisations. Things like the Council’s Corporate or Strategic Plan, Local Development Plans, or other plans required by law. Link your plans schemes, policies, and objectives to what those plans are seeking to achieve. State those things in your plan. Where the link between schemes and objectives is tenuous. Also, read this post on how to effectively use gold threads.

🎓 From academia

The clever clogs at our universities have published the following excellent research. Where you are unable to access the research, email the author - they may give you a copy of the research paper for free.

Effects of driving restrictions on air quality and housing prices: Evidence from Chengdu, China

TL:DR - If you are going to restrict driving, build more affordable homes as well.

The young male driving problem: Relationship between Safe Driving Climate among Friends, Peer Pressure and Driving Styles

TL:DR - Young guys drive like idiots more often, this study tries to understand why.

Active Transportation for Underrepresented Populations in the United States: A Systematic Review of Literature

TL:DR - Underrepresented populations tend to cycle a lot less and benefit less from its goodness.

Why do planners do what they do? And what are the implications? Guidance from on-demand ride-hailing policy in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada

TL:DR - Its not easy being a policy maker.

✊ Awesome people doing awesome things

You need to send some love the direction to Christiane Link. She does awesome work on accessibility issues, and she should know many of these as she is a wheelchair user herself. She also authors the excellent The Accessible Link Substack.

Sadly, recently she has had to be admitted to hospital. And so she needs some extra love from all of you amazing people. Which I am sure you will provide.

What you can do: Subscribe to Christiane’s newsletter, and comment on her latest post wishing her well.

📼 On the (You)Tube

The Motor City in America is an interesting example of widespread urban change, purely because of its extremes. Massive growth, huge decline to the point of bankruptcy, and now some community-led renewal. But even its rebirth comes with growing pains, making this a long but worthwhile view.

What you can do: I highly recommend reading up on, and delivering, the concept of Community Wealth Building if you are interested in community-based renewal. While we can talk the talk on capacity building and supportive policy, cold, hard cash is essential.

🖼️ Graphic Design

Car sizes from the 1970s to present (Source: r/dataisbeautiful)

An issue often reported on, but not often shown in chart form. Yep, our cars are getting much, much bigger.

📚 Random things

These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.

• A Next Step for Autonomous Buses? (Human Transit)

• A Concrete Crisis Has the UK Literally Crumbling (Wired)

• The Economic benefits of weather forecasting (Development Impact)

• Tech Fears Are Showing Up on Picket Lines (New York Times)

• The anti-woke moral panic and the generational divide (New Economics Foundation)

✍️ Your feedback is essential

I want to make the calls to actions better. To do this, I need your feedback. Just fill in the 3 question survey form by clicking on the below button to provide me with quick feedback, that I can put into action. Thank you so much.