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My Recent Writing
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Why Sadiq must declare war on Westminster
Westminster city council’s decision to block the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street threatens to undermine Sadiq Khan’s hopes of a legacy that will be remembered for decades. Khan is now facing the biggest test of his mayoralty. If he allows the scheme to fall by the wayside, his tenure will be seen as a failure and London will be left with a shabby, polluted street as its once-famous commercial centre....
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Letters to the editor: We know privatising railway was wrong but what now?
It is one thing to criticise the ways the railways have been sold off which Andrew Murray rightly identifies as a scandal. But he seems to offer no suggestion as to what a Labour government might do. ‘Renationalisation of the railways’ was a popular policy in the 2017 election but what precisely does it mean? Network Rail, which owns the track and stations, is already in public hands and...
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Letter to The Times: Fix potholes but don’t build new roads
It is excellent that The Times is highlighting the nation’s difficulties with transport as it is a neglected area of policy. Fundamental solutions are needed. Almost all transport planners think that there is only one way to rationalise our transport system: road pricing. It would of course have to include calibration to ensure that people pay more at peak times and that rural driving is cheaper than it is now, as...
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Why cycling needs to be taken seriously by politicians and planners
I’ve been a cyclist virtually all my life. I started cycling the two miles to school when I was 15, unconcerned even then by the London traffic despite the pleas from my parents. They had given me a Moulton, a precursor of the Brompton with little wheels and Sturmey Archer gears, and though it did not fold up, it was very Swinging London. For a time in my twenties,...
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Rail 851: The railways lose passengers while I lose my wallet
One can almost hear the tunes of the Peter, Paul and Mary song: ‘Where have all the passengers gone? Long time passing’. Indeed, suddenly the reduction in passenger numbers seems to be getting serious. What started as a blip, a dent in the curve, now seems to be a trend and the implications for the rail industry, and indeed transport providers as a whole, are very serious. To understand...
Latest headlines
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Why Sadiq must declare war on Westminster
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Letters to the editor: We know privatising railway was wrong but what now?
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Letter to The Times: Fix potholes but don’t build new roads
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Why cycling needs to be taken seriously by politicians and planners
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Rail 851: The railways lose passengers while I lose my wallet
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Rail 850: When will they come clean on HS2 costs?
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Driverless deathtraps
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About Christian Wolmar
Christian Wolmar is an award winning writer and broadcaster specialising in transport and is the author of a series of books on railway history. In the autumn of 2012, he announced he is seeking the Labour candidacy for the 2016 London mayoral election. Read more >>
RT @graham_stark Recommend this short study of UK transport policy by @christianwolmar. Really good read.
christianwolmar.co.uk/bookshe…
