💬 Hard Conversations - MM#630
Warning: this newsletter talks about mental health and suicide
Good day my good friend.
Since everyone has been sharing their most-listened to list on Spotify (though I must say that most of the music I listen to is on CD and I only occasionally use Spotify), I felt it interesting to share my top 5 most listened-to tunes from the last year. In no particular order:
🎸 No Excuses - Alice in Chains. Could be said about COP28, couldn’t it? The song is about a fractured friendship, which probably best describes the relationship between active travel advocates and EV advocates, really.
🤘 Misery Business - Paramore. This is working in the highways call centre, taking calls about potholes, I would imagine.
👺 Left Behind - Slipknot. This perfectly describes active travel funding. And the lyrics were probably similar to what was said in the offices of many local councils when government announced the Plan for Motorists.
🤦 Too Dumb To Die - Green Day. This is every highways expansion scheme that has ever been planned, doesn’t get funded, and is resurrected a decade later. Just go away already.
🥁 Fine Time - Cast. As well as scratching my temporary 1990s Britpop itch for a while, this is about the present being the right time to make a change. Huh. That rings true to those of us who want to change things, wouldn’t you say?
If you like this newsletter, please share it with someone else who you think will love it. The main way my audience grows is through your recommendations. I will love you forever if you do. ☺️
James
💬 We need to talk
Guys, we need to have a word (ladies and anyone else identifying otherwise can read on if you want, as you may learn something). Recently, it was International Men’s Day. And the theme of it was Zero Male Suicide. Suicide is something that particularly affects us guys. The suicide rate among us chaps in the UK in 2021 was 15.8 per 100,000 people, compared to a female suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000. Men aged 50-54 years old are particularly vulnerable to it.
This issue affects transport both directly and indirectly. The obvious direct impact is people putting themselves in front of trains, trucks, cars, and whatever else as their final act. It is easy to get technical about the lost time in delays resulting from this (sadly, this often forms part of the “business case” for making changes, one of the effects of putting an economic value on a life). More pertinently, workers such as drivers often experience significant emotional distress from seeing someone jump in front of their vehicle.
Most of the transport sectors are overwhelmingly male. That can lead to well known issues like thinking and designing in a male-centric manner. Things that must be tackled. But it also means that the concentration of issues that affect males more, like suicide, are much more prevalent in the transport sectors compared to elsewhere to.
One of the aspects of a more just and sustainable world is one in which people are happier. As planners and engineers the things that we do on the ground can do a lot to help people, especially guys, with mental health issues. Encouraging more people to walk and cycle, reducing the impacts of noise pollution, planting more trees, and reducing traffic levels have known impacts on reducing stress and improving mental health.
There are also plenty of organisations out there doing excellent work to help us guys, if you feel that you need it1. Many of the major consultancies - for all of their flaws - provide good levels of support. If you want an outside perspective, I highly recommend ManUp.
There are two reasons why I am raising this. Firstly, I have been there before myself - its not a pretty place to be. Secondly, personally I am extremely concerned about things that people have been telling me about problems that guys face and how to tackle them. These range from “life is tough, but we can’t complain” to “men’s problems are not significant compared to those of others.”
I shouldn’t need to say this, but it seems I need to. We all can take action to improve the mental health of others - some of which is in our own work. What is needed above all is for people not to feel like they are being judged or making others feel uncomfortable for sharing how they feel. This idea that men need to open up more needs expanding - from simple words to actions that state that you will not be judged if you do this, nor if you don’t.
Occasionally, we need to remind ourselves that the whole point of creating a just and sustainable world is that it is just and sustainable for all. That means overcoming acts of oppression wherever they are, and however they manifest themselves. We are in a fortunate position, as much of what we do has positive impacts on the mental health of everyone. We just need to do more to help the vulnerable among us.
What you can do: Deliver more walking and cycling schemes, and do everything you can to improve the quality of the street environment are obvious things. If you want to help others (and I am sure most of you do) this talk by Lori Prichard is a must-see, and the Samaritans also offer some excellent advice.
🎓 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.
Resilience analysis in road traffic systems to rainfall events: Road environment perspective
TL:DR - It all goes a bit Pete Tong when it rains. But this analysis shows the degree of impact varying according to rainfall intensity and surrounding land uses.
Ineffective built environment interventions: How to reduce driving in American suburbs?
TL:DR - Too many studies focus on what works to reduce driving. This one focuses on what won’t work, especially in suburbs.
High-speed railway ripples on the greenness: Insight from urban green vegetation cover
TL:DR - High speed rail reduces tree cover in cities. Not through the actual lines, but through densification of surrounding land uses.
Effects of railway rolling noise on perceived pleasantness
TL:DR - Railways make a lot of noise (believe me, I live close to one). Measures taken to reduce noise on freight wagons improve the pleasantness of the surrounding area.
📺 On the (You)Tube
Its been far too long since I have posted a Geoff Marshall video. In this one, he rides the new trains that are due to start service on the Piccadilly Line in London in 2025. They are looking good.
🖼️ Graphic Design
Looks like tourism, and all of its associated transport impacts, is back. According to the IMF anyway.
📚 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.
Gender Mainstreaming and Trade Facilitation in G20 Countries (Asian Development Bank)
The official US climate report includes LGBTQ+ issues — for the first time (Grist)
Downpours of Deprivation: Can Excess Rainfall Shocks Shape Perceptions of Relative Deprivation? (Economics that Matters)
Women Buy More Cars, So Why Are the Designs So Macho? (Wired)
A Half-Century of Rural Housing: Report Looks Central Role of Housing in Community Resiliency (The Daily Yonder)
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I know there is a lot of stigma with asking for help, and some idiot influencer on social media will say that ‘real men rely only on themselves.’ I’m not going to force you to get help - you make that choice. But just know that this advice is BS, and you are not less of a man for asking for help.