Transport
My solution to unfair traffic fines
My driveway now lies in the middle of an ‘Average Speed Check Zone’. It’s a wonderful arrangement – for me…
How controversial was Basic Instinct?
Stone me Boris Johnson threatened to unleash the ‘terrors of the Earth’ on an unidentified Tory MP who claimed that…
How do Russian and Ukrainian military forces measure up?
Facing the music Police in New Zealand played Barry Manilow records to truck drivers in an attempt to persuade them…
My horse is allergic to beige carpet
The horse lorry arrived and lowered its ramp — and I stood in front of it knowing that my thoroughbred…
E-everything is heading your way
Trends in New York City tend to foretell trends in London, whose fashions in turn set the pace for smaller…
Where in the world will you find the cheapest petrol?
Whole-life sentences How many prisoners are serving whole-life sentences? — There are currently 74 prisoners in prison with whole-life tariffs;…
Taking charge: it’s time to buy an electric car
As a wise colleague once said: ‘Yesterday is a great time to buy a computer, because you have already enjoyed…
Which countries still haven’t had a single case of Covid?
French lessons France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in jail, with two of them suspended, for…
The war on cars is backfiring
For most London-based politicians, there’s a threat that’s worse than Covid. You’ll begin to notice it as we ease out…
Meet the woman who designed Britain's revolutionary road signs
Laura Gascoigne meets Margaret Calvert, the designer who dragged British signposting into the modern era
The case for road rationing
Here’s the quandary. How in future can we make the kind of rapid advances we have made during the Covid…
Taxi cabs are New York’s right-wing safe spaces on wheels
Conservatives in a place like New York — squirming daily beneath the iron heel of a newly hawkish progressive minority…
Should we all be alarmed by Boris?
Back when Boris Johnson was editor of this magazine and MP for Henley, I was with him at a Tory…
Why HS2 doesn’t stand up to the test of time
In past years, I have been a critic of HS2. I might now change my mind. One simple tweak might…
The Roman road that came to define Britain
All roads lead to Rome, the saying goes. Well, all roads except for the Roman road of Watling Street, which…
Portrait of the week
Home Theresa May, the Prime Minister, invited the media to take a photograph of her beginning a holiday with her…
Don’t believe the Tory grumbling: HS2 is on the way
There’s a lot of negativity around HS2, and I sniff a Brexit connection. You might think Leave campaigners whose aim…
How they tried (and failed) to make ‘La Marseillaise’ nicer
Friendly words England football fans sang ‘La Marseillaise’ in a friendly match at Wembley. The anthem has not always been…
The most important test that HS2 doesn’t pass
Despite my opposition to High Speed 2, I am quite a big fan of HS1, the line which runs from…
Should the first modern Olympic drug cheat get to keep his gold?
A marathon of cheats Russian athletes may be stripped of the medals they won at the 2012 Olympics, but what…
Justin Trudeau and four more hereditary prime ministers
Family business Justin Trudeau, son of Pierre Trudeau, was elected to his father’s old job as Prime Minister of Canada.…
Unions vs workers – this is David Cameron’s chance to strike back
Trade unions have ceased to serve working people. It’s time to act against them
One-way streets are a surprisingly old (and dangerous) idea
One-way stretch A study at Louisville University in Kentucky concluded that collisions are twice as likely in one-way streets as…
The mobility scooter plague
The mobility scooter plague
'I will call the police!': My close encounter with 'revenue protection'
Conversations with a ticket inspector on the Norwich train
