I wrote a short blog on the subject of car dependency in 2021. Given the news today re a potential Road User Charge in Cardiff I thought a brief update would be in order... I know that fuel duties and vehicle excise duties raise about £32BN each year for HM Treasury...and that roads can provide … Continue reading Cars, Congestion, Health and Road Pricing…
Cardiff Airport…stick or twist?
Its ten years since Welsh Government bought Cardiff Airport…leading again to a polarised debate. In another shorter than usual article I want to try and unpack some of the issues and choices …and my views have been shaped by experts in the field of aviation (they know who they are!). So, do we stick or … Continue reading Cardiff Airport…stick or twist?
Free bus fares….or not?
We often hear calls for free or heavily subsidised public transport; we have free access to health care after all, so why not public transport? In this shorter than usual article I want to try and explain why it’s not such an obvious policy choice. And to note in my example below, I am not … Continue reading Free bus fares….or not?
Greenways for Cardiff?
I’ve written a little before about the ideas of Greenways – and mainly in relation to the potential future treatment of the corridor from the city centre to the bay along Bute St and Lloyd George Avenue following the tramway upgrade of the bay line in Butetown[i]. Greenways typically enable the introduction of liner parks … Continue reading Greenways for Cardiff?
Political, Economic & Environmental Hopes for 2023…
I shared some Metro themed Hopes and Moans in two related blogs yesterday. Here I want to quickly share some broader political, economic and environmental hopes (mostly naïve I suspect) that I hold for 2023 and beyond (with links and references to some of my blogs over the last five years). I really hope/expect that … Continue reading Political, Economic & Environmental Hopes for 2023…
Metro Hopes for 2023…
I’m normally pretty positive and optimistic…and have talked and written about Metros in Wales in such a manner, even with some small measure of critique. For example, in these blogs from 2022: Wales’ Metros – Update Feb 2022 Do you believe in Metro? and these earlier papers from 2018 (Which events have overtaken somewhat): My … Continue reading Metro Hopes for 2023…
Metro Moans for 2023…
I’m normally pretty positive and optimistic…and have talked and written at length about Metros in Wales in such a manner, even with some small measure of critique. For example, in these blogs from 2022: Wales’ Metros – Update Feb 2022 Do you believe in Metro? and these earlier papers from 2018 (which events have overtaken … Continue reading Metro Moans for 2023…
To Rome and back by train…
We have just arrived back from a 10-day return trip to Rome by train via Paris, Geneva, Strasbourg and Milan with overnight stops in Basel and Lyon. Apart from the salami incident in Geneva (see later) and a bus-rail replacement on the Geneva-Lyon section the same day, it all worked pretty well. I also learned … Continue reading To Rome and back by train…
Sex, gender, equality and compromises…
This blog is a departure for me, prompted by the recent phenomenon of the inability of some politicians to answer an apparently simple question, “What is a woman?”; a question that for years I never expected would one day generate so much and often ill-considered, debate. It’s also a question that seems to me, is … Continue reading Sex, gender, equality and compromises…
200 to 1: English Rail Investment V Wales Rail Investment !
PS March 2023 Here's a link to presentation I gave at a conference on this subject. As a kind of addendum to my blog earlier re: my parents trip to Taffs Well depot to see the CVL Transformation work in progress…I think I’d also like to repeat a more serious point to UK Government. You … Continue reading 200 to 1: English Rail Investment V Wales Rail Investment !
Do you believe in Metro?
In January 2021 a headline appeared in the Western Mail[i], attributed to me, “South Wales Metro hampered by public disbelief as expert claims 'even my mother doesn't believe it”. As a part time advisor to Transport for Wales, I am sure the headline caused some consternation in TfW as well as Welsh Government. The very … Continue reading Do you believe in Metro?
North-South Rail(& bus) in Wales!
There has and continues to be much debate and discussion re: strategic north south connectivity in Wales; road, rail and air. It is a bottomless pit of views, discussion and argument…often driven more by emotion and sentiment rather than hard data. So perhaps I can offer a few words (and I will update this brief … Continue reading North-South Rail(& bus) in Wales!
Mark Barry, May 2022: Submission to Senedd Climate Change Committee
This is a version of my submission to the Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee, in May 2022 as part of their review of bus and rail transport in Wales . The transcript is here. To note: the views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of Mark Barry and no other person … Continue reading Mark Barry, May 2022: Submission to Senedd Climate Change Committee
Wales, Zen and The Art of Independence…
Whilst a student in Manchester in the 1980s, studying the Philosophy of Science (as part of my Physics degree) I read Robert Pirsig’s famous work, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. I’ll probably summarise this very poorly, but in his book, Pirsig explored, two world views which he manifests in his characters. One world view … Continue reading Wales, Zen and The Art of Independence…
Wales’ Metros – Update Feb 2022
A summary of this blog appeared in the Business Section of the Western Mail in March 2022 There has been some recent coverage in the media and some social media chatter about Wales’ Metro projects, their status and what they might deliver. Given my involvement in all of them – Cardiff/South Wales since 2010 and … Continue reading Wales’ Metros – Update Feb 2022
Mark Barry 