This week saw Rachel Reeves schmoozing with people dressed in Schoffels in Davos, alongside the announcement of yet more expansion at Heathrow.
Meanwhile, I was busy taking snapshots of my own morning commute, contemplating how to make the most of the unnecessary evil of getting from home to work.

I think many of us can agree, the commute is an unavoidable burden—an interlude between the comfort of home and the grind of work. Whether squeezed into the Underground like sardines, finding solace amongst others taking the bus, or almost kissing death on a bicycle, the daily ritual is one of endurance. But is there a way to make the commute something more than a mindless transition?
The London Underground, a real feat of engineering and design, was the world’s first subterranean railway. Opened in 1863, it revolutionised urban transport. Over time, additional ways of getting around—tram systems, cable cars, and even the Uber Boat—have attempted to accommodate the traveling needs of a city bursting at its seams. It’s no doubt that those of us who have to travel contemplate on an almost daily basis whether the evolution of transport infrastructure is keeping up with modern needs, or are we simply packing more people into an old system?

Or maybe those who have to simply get from east to west are taking it all for granted. Some commutes defy imagination. From Victorian-era laborers walking miles before beginning a grueling workday to today’s ‘super-commuters’ traveling hundreds of miles weekly, the extremes of commuting showcase the lengths to which people go for opportunity. Modern-day examples include those who live in the countryside yet work in London, spending hours each day navigating delays, cancellations, and overcrowded trains in hopes of the peace and heightened life that can be found away from the desk. But let’s not forget that the real extreme commuters are the children who walk miles to school in remote areas—a reality still prevalent across parts of the world.
Please check out the charity Thinking Huts, a charity making the commute for some of these children smaller by using 3D printing technology to increase global access to education by reducing the overall construction time of school.
I love this example of design improving the community experience, but can we see clever thinking benefiting us a bit closer to home? The Elizabeth line, affectionately dubbed the ‘Lizzie Line,’ has offered relief to some, cutting travel times and providing more spacious carriages. And with Sadiq Khan unveiling the new Piccadilly line carriage towards the end of last year, let’s see if TfL can bring more relief by addressing scorching summers with AC, improving accessibility and step-free access, and reducing the number of sexual offences that happen when bodies are tightly packed together—with figures having hugely increased since returning to work from the pandemic.

Are we truly making progress with new pathways to mobility being mapped out, or will the expansion of alternative ways of getting from place to place—such as planes, at the cost of the environment and people losing their homes—force us to rethink why we need to move in the first place?

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