News and political views

Step changes in Active Travel

michaelmedwards — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:03:00 +0000

My it was hot last week. A heat spike. – hadn’t heard the phrase until last week.
But another of sign of climate change and that it is changing our lives. – having to adapt the high heat in May; and the ground under our feet is already hardening up before we reached the traditional summer months.
So something of a paradox then expressing some relief that the predicted rain stayed away for the opening of the new bridge connecting Nottingham’s former inland port with The Hook.

The new bridge is a significant step change – including boosting cycling – in a journey that had started in Nottingham by the 1990s when Notts County Council, then the strategic transport authority for Nottingham, sponsored a European pro cycling conference called Velo–city. Notts hosting the conference was driven by an enthusiastic transport officer who was keen on cycling. A dedicated cycling network had been started and the latest instance of it was the creation of a cycle path along the footpath along Castle Boulevard, which was celebrated at the conference with a photograph. But the photograph showed a cycle path was broken up by a large tree in the pavement, and the very knowing conference had laughed.

Well how far we have come since then! Castle Boulevard has a dedicated active transport lane running down the road – hard to imagine in the 1990s.
And today local transport authorities have installed a new bridge dedicated to boosting the active travel network – sponsored by national government funds.

I’m not sure I would have stressed that a rationale for the bridge is the poor regard for cyclists on Lady Bay Bridge and its road. And as it happens, we have drawn up plans to introduce better priorities for active travel users at the junction of Lady Bay Bridge Road and Meadow Lane – I think to be implemented this financial year.

The new bridge is part of a much wider aim to be “carbon neutral” by 2028. Change in our climate is driving a response at an international level to mitigate the rising global temperatures – a phenomenon that is absolutely driven by human activity. It follows that a worldwide ambition will have to be translated to action at a local level. Many argue the responses are not enough; others, including notably Tony Blair only last week, suggest we can’t afford the cost of “Carbon neutral”. And yes it is a cost, but it is also an investment as the general international response to the attack on Iran has been to speed up the reduction of our reliance on oil.

For Nottingham, the next steps should include :
– repeating the programme of council house insulation on estate, like we have done in Clifton and Bulwell Hall;
– boosting the top-up facilities of the district heating system to underwrite a bigger customer base and to lose less of the heat that is currently dumped;
– more bus priority for Nottingham (especially in Meadows ward) to increase bus reliability;
– faster trains serving Nottingham Midland so as to encourage modal shift and improve city centre air quality;
– more homes in the under-utilised and former industrial area between the inland port and the city centre;
– better public transport services for Daleside Road and the actual provision of bus services along Meadow Lane, County Road and Cattle Bridge Road; and
– extend the Nottingham Express Transit system from the A52 east to entice commuters out of their cars to get them into the Nottingham city centre and beyond using an extension that would save them 10 minutes in their journey times.

The new bridge does not just offer us a new place to be, a driver for local economic growth, and a new active travel network but should trigger us to do yet more to meet nett zero requirements and improve our quality of life.

Opening of new bridge over the River Trent for active travel

michaelmedwards — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:47:00 +0000

Providing a new place, a new special pace and creating a new neywork of walking, wheeling and cycling routes down river from The Meadows.
Built in Hucknall, with British steel (and which i presume a lot of which was recycled).

Joined the opening ceremony with the dog, the BBC has announced that a dog called “Whiskey” was the first to cross the bridge; hmmmm, I’m not sure – it so happens “Whiskey” has some hundreds of followers on social media and apparently “dignitaries” had said he was the first dog to cross, yet I kinda suspect other dogs were there before him.

Our dog does not want the life of social media celebrity and says would be enough to be the first unofficial F1b cockapoo born in North Shields in 2020 to cross the bridge, although he can’t know it for a fact.

PHOTO and LINKS to follow

Looking forward to June 2026

michaelmedwards — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:55:00 +0000

June 2026
new pedestrian bridge across the Trent opens; 2nd;

June 2026
Advice session, Meadows Library; 3rd, 10:30am;
Advice session, Meadows Library; 10th, 10:30am;
(Exec. Board, Loxley House (and broadcast); 16th, 2pm;)
Advice session, Meadows Library; 17th, 10:30am;
(England vs. Croatia, TV; 17th, 9pm;)
(England vs. Ghana, TV; 23rd, 9pm;)
Advice session, Meadows Library; 24th, 10:30am;
Audit cttee., Loxley House (and broadcast); 26th, 9:30am;
(England vs. Panama, TV; 27th, 10pm;)

Future events at Embankment:
Nottingham Food Festival, July 11th & 12th.
Nottingham Carnival, August 23rd.

Meadows ward monthly report 85

michaelmedwards — Sun, 31 May 2026 21:08:00 +0000

Further to: Meadows ward walk May 2026 and more; Meadows ward ambles and advice surgery – late May 2026; Amble around sites in Old Meadows that can suffer from tipping; Mid-month progress report – May 20th; Mid-month progress report – May 2026; Meadows ward amble – early May 2026 and Meadows ward monthly report 84 …

An extraordinary heat spike increased the temperatures by 10° within a couple of days.
Surprise then to hear any suggestion of the reducing the drive on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Nice to see the paddling & splash facility reopened just in time for the heat spike and to see throngs of people turn up to enjoy them.

Work elsewhere is progressing. Renewing the pavements and gardens of Trent Bridge Island. More slowly, a new bus lane on Meadows Way north. A new form of active travel facility on the embankment. A road repairs programme in excess of the budget allocated has been asked for so as to help our buses services. And the NCT Green 11 is to be changed (and a new NCT Green 12 is to be created) so as to separate the local and less reliant rural elements.

The process for bringing Meadows Youth Centre back into use has begun with over 10 organisations expressing some form of interest. Works to renew parts of Queens Walk Rec. and the Mundella Road play area has been agreed. A bill for works to bring Queens Walk Community Centre back up to scratch has been identified.

Assessments of level of neighbourhood crime in Meadows Ward suggest that: in overall terms, in terms of ASB, in terms of drug dealing and in terms of hate crime, the problems lie elsewhere in the city. However, we still suffer instances such as damage to Queen Walk Rec. today. It’s been disappointing to see an increase in the number of locations being used for tipping most particularly in the western half of the Old Meadows. Also disappointing to realise problems caused by private house owners who hoard.

More widely, Labour suffered in the local elections and has put one of its best known member’s political future on the line in a Parliamentary by-election. This whilst Reform UK Ltd. should be suffering far more cos of a failure by its leading MP to declare a £5 million gift. Problems within the SNP are only now breaking. The Greens have a leader who didn’t register to vote and didn’t pay his Council tax; and they are now having to be firmer with members who’ve gone over the top on social media (withdrawing a parliamentary candidate after 12 hours). Even in Nottingham, the Nottingham People’s Alliance have had to discipline a member who did not do right by tenants.

So Labour does have the opportunity to make the comeback, as more of its policies take effect (growth being higher cos of focus on minimum wages and helping those most who most have most need and will therefore spend; rights for renters, and today, taking public ownership of 4 train operating companies).

Meanwhile, English based football clubs have down well in Europe, and Nottingham took the opportunity to celebrate Notts County winning promotion.

A full list of posts made in May is available.

SNP woes come out after the elections

michaelmedwards — Sun, 31 May 2026 19:38:00 +0000

Quite a thing to see the former Chief Executive of the Scottish Nationalist Party confessing to embezzling his party funds; and to see his former wife, a previous First Minister and SNP leader protesting that she could not have known.
Too a long time to come to a head, and just after the May elections.
The current First Minister and SNP leader is struggling too.

Point remains, how would Scotland and the rest of the UK. be better off with a border brought back into the island?

Following the money

michaelmedwards — Sun, 31 May 2026 07:21:25 +0000

In November, Nottingham City Council passed a motion calling for more money to provide more services and facilities through councils serving the most deprived communities, especially in the Midlands and in The North
In January, the city Council passed a motion thanking the national government for the fresh formula that is allocating more money to Nottingham and such councils.
In March, we passed the budget allocating those monies.
In April, the Executive Board passed a report explaining how the first tranche of that money was to be specifically spent.
In May, the Executive Board passed a second report allocating a second tranche, the rest, of the extra money.

During the month of May, the Meadows Councillors have been trying to work out just how much how much more money might need to be done given the standards for people of The Meadows have been previously used to.

One nil to the Arsenal

michaelmedwards — Sat, 30 May 2026 09:54:00 +0000

I was almost convinced.
A season of winning in Europe and scoring. Dispelling the reputation acquired in the 1970s merely seeking to take a lead and hang onto it, emphasised by adapting “Go West”
And now they posed serious threats to a powerful PSG who themselves have been winning games such as those against Bayern Munich with loads of goals.
Couldn’t watch the match live. So listened to the radio. And Arsenal took the lead. And sat back. And wasted time. And sat back. And wasted time. Losing the chance to take their second corner kick at the end of the first half because the referee grew tired of all their time wasting.
They must have wanted more from this European Cup Final that was a return to type.
Never mind that it didn’t work.

Meanwhile, time to reflect on Crystal Palace winning a European trophy in a competition they were required to play because of Nottingham Forest’s appeal against their financial conduct.
Forest did well to get to the semifinals of the stronger competition in such a difficult season, but was somewhat dealt with by Aston Villa, who went on to win their final some style.
Emphasising again, Arsenal failed in their competition and were the first UK-based club to lose a final for some time.

Meadows ward walk May 2026 and more

michaelmedwards — Thu, 28 May 2026 20:13:04 +0000

Another list of issues sent in for the latest Neighbourhood Action Team meeting, before starting the ward walk on Glapton Road.
Some concrete poles on pavements identified for removal, before spots of poorly managed refuse bins and front yards.
Concerns over the effectiveness of spraying against weeds.
Visited a site blighted by hoarding.
Attended the Queens Walk Dining Club and NeMTRA’s Thursday afternoon event.
Checked out the progress of new signs announcing the residents parking permit scheme for Arkwright Walk.
Then home on a bus which was 21^oC inside, whilst 30^oC outside.

Tony Blair is tired

michaelmedwards — Wed, 27 May 2026 20:03:00 +0000

Calling for government policy to adapt quickly to fast-changing circumstances, and yet advocating policies as old as the time he was in office.
Even the current “radical centre”, oh yes, can’t quite accept it.

Meadows ward ambles and advice surgery – late May 2026

michaelmedwards — Wed, 27 May 2026 19:46:08 +0000

Visit to Uppingham Gardens (where there’s been a domestic gas explosion) and have since reported the long-standing seed and blossom litter across the road.
Advice surgery: reported actions taken following a realisation that one property owner has blighted not 1 but 2 relatively recently constructed properties. One is being treated as an empty property which the council has the keys to, and from which 7 skip loads of stuff has been taken away. Proceedings on the second is less developed. A third property – being used to rent out – seems to be in better knick.
News that the residents parking permit scheme signs have gone up on Beauvale Road, but that there might be a foul-up on the issuing of permits.
Off to Loxley House to progress on a range of issues that has come up in the last week; plus a chance to rehearse a lack of resolve to keep numbers of bus services up, and to press on with the expansion of Nottingham NET network, which could see a route that entices commuters off the A52 East using a route that saves 10 minutes and bringing relief to West Bridgford, The Meadows and the city centre.