A cool policy in the 1970s oil crisis in the Netherlands was the car free Sunday:
When you give kids the space to play, they'll take it
08.03.2026 21:01
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A cool policy in the 1970s oil crisis in the Netherlands was the car free Sunday:
When you give kids the space to play, they'll take it
Effective policy needs to change habits by opening the conversation, and by making it easy for folks to switch
E.g., only subsidise the lowest income group and those that save significant energy
And what about free bikes for low-income families? Does not cost much, but can change the conversation
For oil demand: people cannot always afford to switch to public transport, or consider cycling on an ebike.
For heating: poorer people already underheat their houses, and richer folks do not respond much to prices. Only the middle group might change their habits.
Demand for fossil fuels is quite inelastic. Even when prices go up, people might not be able to switch, or not think about it.
While governments are talking about subsidies to bring down fossil fuel costs costs, they are quiet about the other big lever: asking and subsidising demand reductions.
I'll explain why this lever may be more effective:
Don't live in Exeter, but still curious about the success of the London Cycling Campaign? You can also join us online, on Monday the 9th of March, starting from 19.00.
I've been trying out book recommendations from chatGPT,
Whatever I try, 9 out of 10 recommendations are male..
Back to Wikipedia's various lists of award winners
Join us for cake, great company, a brilliant guest speaker from @londoncycling.bsky.social, and dazzling conversation about all things active travel at our annual get-together on Monday March 9.
Information here: exetercyclingcampaign.org.uk/%F0%9F%9A%B2...
Click, and register on the link within.
Local government in Devon is changing
The lowest level of government is disappearing
Have you filled out the consulation? The biggest question is whether there should be a greater Exeter (options 4 and 5), or whether the city should disappear into Devon:
consult.communities.gov.uk/local-govern...
A waste of money given that these councils soon don't exist anymore.
For people who wish Exeter to change into greater Exeter instead of disappearing in Devon:
Choose consultation option 4 and 5: consult.communities.gov.uk/local-govern...
Dislike
The World Cup ⚽️ is hosted by the US (+Ca/Mx) this year. I won't watch, not even if the Netherlands get through to the finals, if it's played on US soil.
The US is threatening to invade a European country 🇪🇺.
One small way to resist: use European alternatives to US big tech:
european-alternatives.eu
if you want to give wikipedia a birthday present, edit an article! volunteer labor is wikipedia’s most valuable resource and always has been!!!!
Have you recently found a mistake you could correct?
* Unprotected articles that used to be plagued by vandalism. Now, new editors can help update stroke and Alzheimer, etc.
* Removed the mysterious IPA pronunciation from the lead of tuberculosis. Few understand them
* Added how the WHO recommends new vaccine variants for Covid each year.
Wikipedia turns 25 today!
Today, like most days, I've tried to make Wikipedia more accessible and accurate. A few highlights:
But fossil fuel companies weren't political, according to Meta 🙄
I wonder if that's going to increase the gap in healthy life expectancy..
The Global Tipping Points Report 2025 is out:
How can societies trigger positive shifts for people and planet? The technologies chapter (which I contributed to) looks at how innovation can drive these transformations. #GTP2025 #ClimateAction
global-tipping-points.org
And would ozempic help us get smaller cars again?
I was not aware. That's great!
Who will be next?
There's four studies on it now, all consistently showing it helps. All with caveats (secondary outcomes, epidemiology)
GP doesn't want to prescribe, doesn't want the links to studies. Private GP said the exact same thing. I now have to wait for the clinic, who won't come back in time, if at all.
Anyone know how to get metformin for long COVID prevention in the UK? Got infected again.
GP not familiar enough with research to be willing to prescribe.
The sound of knowledge growing: Wikipedia edits as ambient music 🎶🎵.
Relax, listen, or join in by making an edit: listen.hatnote.com#nowelcomes,en
I can't imagine that working for a final project though...
It takes a lot of creativity away from students to mostly rely on exams
To those teaching in higher education, how do you AI proof your assessments?
Is there a place still for a dissertation?
Cheaper car insurance in particular is great with so many folks struggling
If you'd like to benefit, do let your councillors know 📃📤
Asked a question today in Devon County Council: how to include children in decisions about walking and cycling infrastructure?
Children are usually overlooked in decisions.
Every child deserves to be independent and use our streets