A short thread from me about #opendata and transport.
1/ Ask Google Maps for public transport directions in Lille, and it'll probably tell you to walk. It might offer some out-of-date timetables for local trains. But it doesn't know about the trams, the metro, or local buses. 2/ Pop over to Rennes (consistently France's best city at #opendata) and you'll get metro and bus and train times and usually the (very simple) fare.

It is untrue for The Secretary of State for Transport to claim that the North-South divide in transport funding is a myth. It undermines public trust in UK government and the UK civil service. Shameful, even if he's found a way to mislead with the data without lying. Shameful. Sadly it also reduces the impact of any investment the North does get. Because when it's delivered by a government that lies, no-one believes it'll happen until it happens, and people wait to invest instead of investing in anticipation. There is no more polite way to say it.

Tea is in the oven. While it cooks, I shall read the Intergenerational Commission's report. But because I am endless, I will be completing this table first. Right, I can get started. Did a quick map.

I'm about to go to the NEC. I have Birmingham's transport smart card. It is the best possible system within UK law. It is going to be hard. I wrote here exactly how hard it is. I have to choose some mix of 7 "public" transport companies to go a few miles. tomforth.co.uk/faresdata/