David Mott
Semi-retired railway engineer with considerable experience in the system design, management & implementation of international mass transit signalling projects.
BA, LLB(Hons), MBA, MSc(Eng)
Location Chippenham, Wiltshire
Achievements
Activity
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David Mott made a comment
I am interested in the course and in the way it can assist me in defining my own set of values.
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David Mott made a comment
My father went to Australia with the RAF for Operation Antler. He later suffered from thyroid problems and problems with his eyes which the family blamed on radiation. Those were early days of understanding about the dangers of radiation to health.
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David Mott replied to Mick Lewis
One of my RAF summer camps as an ATC cadet was at RAF Cottesmore, home to Victors at the time. We enjoyed flying the flight simulator to try to get to Moscow.
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David Mott made a comment
Irrespective of how necessary or otherwise national service was to the services (including the RAF), another side effect was the effect that it had on the personal development of a generation of young men. They were all trained to be self sufficient and self disciplined and generally more mature than they otherwise might have been. This effect of conscription...
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David Mott made a comment
My father explained to me how a jet engine worked when I was six years old, then he took the family with him with a squadron of Vampire fighters in Egypt. Jets gradually took over including even transport aircraft like the RAF Comets that whined their way around Lyneham in the sixties. I am afraid my knowledge of piston engines is largely limited to Chipmunks....
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David Mott made a comment
Early in my engineering career I worked for a company that produced "intrinsically safe" pieces of electrical equipment for use in coal mines. This effectively meant that they could not produce sparks that might ignite gases. My first visit to a coal mine was very revealing. This was one of the old Somerset coal mines. First, it was very wet. Second, there...
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David Mott made a comment
I read very differently for pleasure. If I am reading for information I read more slowly, scribble notes, underline, and re-read. If I read for pleasure I just read straight through.
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David Mott made a comment
Like most people I take a lot of photographs - mainly to use as memories. I occassionally take a photograph of a notice or sign in order to remember it.
However, my main use of images is in my professional/working environment. My career has been in railway engineering. Engineering drawings of various sorts are an essential part of the engineering process.... -
David Mott made a comment
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that my view of humanity is potentially changing rather than saying that it has already changed. At the start of the course I would have taken a very scientific view of what it means to be human. I now see that the question is much wider than mere biology. I am particularly stimulated by realising the "being human" has...
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David Mott made a comment
Is digital technology changing our values, culture and identity? If yes, can you give an example? Should we be worried?
Digital technology is certainly changing our values, culture and identity. Perhaps the prime example of this is the effect of the internet and the cell phone. A lot has been written on the effects of social media. It seems to be making... -
David Mott made a comment
The meanings of human, humanity and humanities today depends on the cultural context. Since the cultural context changes with time it is reasonable to assume that the meanings of these terms will also evolve with time. I suspect that it may be seriously reconsidered with the development of processor based artificial intelligence and humanoid robots.
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David Mott made a comment
This is clearly a much bigger question than i thought at first. I have decided that almost, if not all, of my initial attempts at a definition are not valid. I am at the stage where I am beginning to imagine that Peter Rabbit seems more human that me. I hope the rest of the course helps me make a bit of progress!
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David Mott made a comment
I use a lot of underlining and margin notes. I then use these to make separate notes/summaries. I find it useful to read either/both the original and my summaries three of four times.
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David Mott replied to Mary Mc Mullen
Enjoy the last few days of the course - and good luck with Eriugena.
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David Mott replied to Mary Mc Mullen
Hello Mary. I note your interest in the media. I also have an interest in the effect that the media has on people's perceptions and views of the world. I look forward to reading more of your comments.
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David Mott made a comment
I am a retired railway engineer. I have been involved in automated urban railway systems throughout the world. I enjoy studying by "distance learning" and have degrees in maths, technology, and law.
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David Mott made a comment
Why am I interested in studying humanities? My studies so far have been largely technical - related to mathematics, and engineering - although I also have a degree in law. I am retired, I enjoy distance learning, and I would like to explore a wider range of studies - so the humanities seems a good entry point.
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In my area, though it would be hotly denied, there are governance silos that would make TOD more difficult to achieve. There are different levels of local. and central government that can be in conflict. There are also different departments - for example building planning and transport planning.
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David Mott made a comment
Another example is Madrid Metro Line 7, which, when built, extended to "Las Musas" which at that time was unused open space on the limit of the city. Following the opening of the metro it has developed into an intensely populated area whose property values have greatly increased.
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My town relies mainly on parking restrictions and 20mph speed limits on residential streets.
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David Mott made a comment
This raises some interesting questions. I had not considered the differences between a node function and a place function. This is rather a "chicken and egg" question. It is relevant that a node location is subject to constraints imposed by the transport mode being considered - for example, the location of Swindon was determined by it being a suitable place to...
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David Mott made a comment
Bus stops
a lot of csr parking
some bike parking
a cafe
a college
a park
housing
- station is up a hill about half a mile away from the centre. -
I was interested to see the results related to Singapore. I was particularly interested in the effects of the MRT network. Not surprisingly Singapore seems to have an excellent application of TOD. The solutions will clearly be more difficult in a more historic European city.
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David Mott made a comment
This is starting to get quite interesting ....
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David Mott made a comment
My local town has closed the High Street to vehicular access during the day and introduced some limited car charging points in the town car parks. The process appears to be hampered by the division of responsibility between the local town council and the county council. Both decision making parties are also, in the final analysis, dependent on car owners'...
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David Mott made a comment
I am a retired railway engineer who has spent most of my career supplying automated urban rail transit systems throughout the world. I have a deep interest in urban transport and related topics and I hope to broaden my knowledge in this area.
I live in a market town which is relatively close to a few larger towns.cities and I am interested in finding out what... -
David Mott made a comment
I found the course useful in helping to consider potential solutions for my home town as part of the development of our "neighbourhood Plan".
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David Mott made a comment
The case study mentions several reasons for the high number of fatalities amongst VRUs. These include the rapid growth in motorcycle use and the “economic, social and cultural aspects of motorcycle use” – particularly the emergence of “motoboys” that use excessive speed and dangerous behaviour.
I have witnessed similar problems some years ago in Taipei... -
David Mott made a comment
This article does not seem to mention the safety aspects associated with transport - particularly the number of people killed and injured by road traffic accidents.
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David Mott made a comment
Highways England is t charged with operating, maintaining and improving England's motorways and major A roads.
Wiltshire County Council is responsible for local roads in my area.The biggest problem of under investment at present (following covid) is maintenance - particularly the number of potholes. In a more normal year the problem would also be...
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David Mott made a comment
I have spent my career in the transport industry, primarily in the design and delivery of automated urban railways. I have worked in the UK, Spain, Finland, Hongkong, Singapore, Beijing, Jakarta, Sweden, the Netherlands, etc. I strongly reinforce what has been said about transport being a rewarding career.
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David Mott made a comment
I was interested to see the comment that "the Victoria Line its highest-performing line, running 36 trains per hour during the peak periods. This equates to one train every 100 seconds." I had some involvement in the design of the automatic train control system for the Victoria Line (which I understand is now exceeding 36 trains per hour). It is worthy of note...
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David Mott made a comment
People seem to irrationally like personal, private, transport. Apparently they also like automatic rifles, alcoholic beverages, and heroin. Thank goodness for the right of individual choice - I think? I did not realise that transport planning was so heavily dependant on political ideology.
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David Mott made a comment
Ah! Not as straightforward as I anticipated.
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David Mott made a comment
Very interesting. I have very little experience of transport modelling for cars/roads. I have a lot more experience of simulations for urban railways. I have particularly been involved with simulations involving individual train movements (what is classified here as a "microscopic" model. Such simulations are a fundamental part of the design of control systems...
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David Mott made a comment
I live about 2 miles from the town centre - and about 300 yds from a bus stop (30 min service).
Often I ride a bicycle to town, sometimes I catch a bus. occasionally I walk.
If the weather is bad, or if I need to carry something heavy, I take the car.
If I go to London I catch a train. -
David Mott made a comment
I live in a market town in Wiltshire with a population of about 45,000. There are various geographical constraints on transport caused by the limited number of crossing points over the river and the railway. Transport problems are predominantly associated with private car use and the conflicts that this causes with the character of a riverside market town. For...
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David Mott made a comment
I spent some time in Singapore which has an excellent public transport system and discourages private cars. It is amazing how many private cars remain for all sorts of reasons!
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David Mott made a comment
I am now retired after working on automated urban railways around the world. I retain an interest in transport systems generally.
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David Mott made a comment
Railways are an inherently dangerous place to work. I am personally not convinced that they dangers are reduced by giving people an hours lecture and a short test - but at least their employer can demonstrate that he has fulfilled his obligations. Anecdotes from an experienced fellow employee/mentor can be more effective.
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David Mott made a comment
Working at night on the railways remains very common today - I have done my fair share of it. Controls are very strict today to ensure that everyone is out of the way before the trains start running again. I suspect that these controls were absent in Victorian times and individuals took more responsibility for their own safety.
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David Mott made a comment
The "Statin Master" was clearly a very key role - more so in those days than today I suspect. Appointment seems to have been based on extensive "hands-on" experience in related more junior roles. A similar role today would probably require a relevant degree and substantial post graduate formal training.
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David Mott made a comment
I imagine that the average time spent travelling on a metro (such as, for example, London Underground) is less than the average time spent on a main line railway. Maybe this is the reason for the lack of toilet facilities for passengers on such systems. Also, of course, there are additional complications with providing such facilities underground....
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David Mott made a comment
An interesting question: "Do travellers today still have the same fascination with the way the railways throws strangers together?".
I think probably not. We are more used, today, to being part of an anonymous collection of diverse people. Today's fascination seems to be with Tik-Tok and Twitter rather than our immediate environment. -
David Mott made a comment
Societal class and gender divisions were clearly a characteristic of Victorian life and the railways reflected this. To some extent this persist today with the majority of trains offering first and standard class - no doubt in an attempt to extract more profit from first class passengers. The extent to which railway staff exploit the higher service standards...
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David Mott replied to David Mott
Of course! I wonder if WH Smith has noticed a drop in sales?
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David Mott made a comment
I did not realise that we had the railways to thank for paperbacks. Where would today's students be without them? I wonder how the readership of paperbacks compared/compares with the readership of books from public libraries?
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David Mott made a comment
So the travellers read predominantly cheap domestic thrillers, etc. This sounds a bit judgemental. Today I expect they read only the FT in First Class and the Daily Mirror in Standard Class (or whatever it is called these days). The smaller size of the Mirror allows it to be opened in a standard class seat.
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David Mott made a comment
I was interested to hear about the conflict between advertising and signage in Victorian stations. This could also be considered as a conflict between railway revenue (from advertising space or direct advertising) and passenger interests (easy to read signage). Clearly even today when companies claim to "put the passenger first" actions may speak louder than...
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David Mott made a comment
The extract from "The Boy at Mugby" is an interesting reflection on the railway's contribution to the problems of operating large enterprises in fields that had previously been the domain of smaller family businesses. The same is true today. Consider the staff of a small, family run tea shop. Everybody understands that the success of the business depends on...
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David Mott made a comment
I habitually use the Great Western Hotel at Paddington Station (now a Hilton Hotel). It is very well situated for transport links (including Heathrow) and, of course, fast food and newspapers, etc.
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David Mott made a comment
How did the facilities at a railway station compare with those at a coach stop?
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David Mott made a comment
I particularly like Frith's painting of Paddington Station.
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David Mott made a comment
The railway station at Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) remains a statement of colonial power. It is a very imposing building that reflects the wealth of the country as controlled by the colonial power.
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David Mott made a comment
It is interesting to speculate on the similarities and differences between railway stations (in the age of railway expansion) and airport terminals (in the age of jet airliners).
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David Mott made a comment
Very interesting! Most of my experience has been with metros and urban underground railways, but I recognise some of the influences. Passenger flow, for example, is very important (to escape from the station as quickly as possible). The earlier Hong Kong Mass Transit railway stations were very functional and designed very much for passenger flow. The Singapore...
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David Mott made a comment
I have worked on railways for all my career and would like to explore the perspective of this course.
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David Mott made a comment
This all sounds very interesting - I am looking forward to it!
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David Mott made a comment
How strange! One can only assume that they needed something to replace the internet dating sites!
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David Mott made a comment
I found the discussion in the video very interesting. I will, in future, walk around nearby parks and gardens (open to the public) with a better feeling for the landscapes there.
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A lot happened at the time Jane Austen was alive. Britain achieved supremacy over India, but lost the American colonies - and, of course, there was the was with France. The Gordon riots resulted from difficulties over the catholic religion and the country startyed down the road to industrialisation. Jane must have been aware of all these things. Indeed some of...
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David Mott made a comment
I found the week very interesting in providing a context for Austen and her work. I feel that I learnt more about her background and environment and was able to place her as a Georgian lady.
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David Mott made a comment
The reviews showed that Austen was well received and, in several ways, distinctive - though very "proper".
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David Mott made a comment
I was amazed at the size and range of the collection. I imagine Austen would have found it much more exhilarating to browse the volumes here than to have "surfed" the information on the internet.
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I remain unconvinced - times are certainly different but I am not sure that they are better. For example, now that women have achieved equality house prices have increased so that you need two earnings to pay the mortgage.
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David Mott made a comment
Mary Wollstonecraft argues for women to be educated so that they can be more useful in society. Hannah More recommends merely that they read more.so that they are more understanding. This seems to reflect the current debate about whether eductaion is for self fulfilment of to learn a trade or profession. Similar concerns apply today - but not so much between...
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David Mott made a comment
I think Austen probably thought that a woman should have a different type of education to a man. This would reflect the different role that she would be expected to fulfil within the society of the time. I am old enough to remember from my youth that women were expected to fill different roles to men and this was, to some extent, reflected in the education...
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David Mott made a comment
Charlotte Bronte found Austen "pleasurable, accurate, cultivated, and neat" and thought she was "shrewd and observant". However, she found very little "warmth" or "enthusiasm" in Austen's work.
It all seems very proper for a well bred Georgian lady of the time.
I found little of interest from Forster or Woolf, but I noticed that the "aristocracy" were ardent... -
David Mott made a comment
I was forced to study Pride and Prejudice for O level and developed a deep hatred of Jane Austen. Later I moved to live near Bath and became curious about her, the period in which she lived, and more interested in literature generally. I decided that perhaps I should try to develop more of a relationship with her.
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David Mott made a comment
I am retired and have a mild interest in literature. I live near Bath which has prompted me to find out more about Jane Austen.
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David Mott made a comment
I chose a proposal to convert the marketplace into a shared access area. It is envisaged to improve the environmental aspects of the town centre whilst allowing vehicular access to shops for deliveries. It supports the council’s goal to improve the pedestrian experience of the town centre.
I used the participatory appraisal table to assess differing views. I... -
David Mott made a comment
I am afraid that I was not particularly impressed. There are a number of similar decision making / evaluation techniques that could be used. This one seems to depend critically on the choice of, and representability of the stakeholders. It seems a very bureaucratic process and I wonder if its major purpose is to demonstrate that consultation took place.
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David Mott made a comment
A fine example of "you can't please all of the people all of the time". It would be easier to introduce policies in new areas where people could live if they liked it, rather than trying to change peoples' existing environment - especially one that was designed around private car use.
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All of them are interesting, for a variety of reasons. Some of them are compatible with others - some are less so. The optimum solution for a particular situation will presumably differ until a few solutions become dominant and show some sort of economies of scale. I favour solutions that avoid private cars (whether electric or not) but I suspect that reflects...
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David Mott made a comment
I was very interested in the CAVs, especially the delivery robots.
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David Mott made a comment
It seems that, under the ASI framework, LEVs are the third alternative. Avoiding the need to travel, or shifting to a preferable mode would be better for everybody - except present car owners. It seems that LEVs may help with emissions, but not with congestion, safety, or a host of other things. Having said that, this is probably the easiest route to adopt if...
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David Mott made a comment
Interesting. The technical solution is easy. The use of existing track and rights of way reduces construction costs considerably. Shared usage poses all sorts of problems - not just of access and timetabling, but also things like crashworthiness standards. presumably DB stopped using the tracks rather than sharing them. The biggest constraints (not mentioned)...
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David Mott made a comment
My journey experience by bus compares to most other people (50% of them) in the poll results. My journey is less comfortable, but more relaxing, than travelling by car. It is more comfortable and less tiring than cycling or walking.
Private car tends to score better for journey experience because it does not involve waiting and is more door to door. However... -
David Mott made a comment
My results are:
Role 1 Project ranking: 213465
Role 2 Project ranking: 263145
Role 3 Project ranking: 461523
My choices differed considerably depending on my situation. I obviously tended to support the projects that were of most benefit to me.
The project most relevant to my neighbourhood is probably the cycle network - or possibly the public space... -
David Mott made a comment
That was an interesting exercise. The results were not surprising - a disproportionate amount of space given to road traffic.
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David Mott made a comment
I must admit to a large personal bias since my career was associated with rail based urban transport. Unsurprisingly, I was most interested in Manchester Metrolink and, more particularly, the Helsinki system. I was fortunate enough to spend some time working on rail based urban transport in Helsinki.
Neither of these systems, however, is applicable to my... -
David Mott made a comment
I spent some time in Helsinki, working on the "Lansimetro" extension to the metro. The existing tramway certainly works very well - as does the public transport in general. The city itself is very pleasant and is easy to walk around.
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David Mott made a comment
What a splendid example!
I was interested to note that they have increased the width of their cycle lanes in response to the increase in the number of cargo bikes. -
David Mott made a comment
The main problems with transport and travel behaviours in the UK at the moment are generally considered to be associated with the changing policy related to private car usage. Previous governments have encouraged the use of private cars and designed towns and cities to encourage their usage. Current policies appear to discourage the use of private cars and...
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David Mott made a comment
It is not only large cities but also towns that have been designed for decades for private car use rather than public transport or active travel. This represents an enormous capital investment in infrastructure that will be expensive and time consuming to change and modify. This is clearly not a minor problem.
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David Mott made a comment
It seems that transport policies are decided on the basis of keeping individual members of the electorate happy by making it easier for them to play with motor cars. With hindsight it seems that the long term effects of supporting a booming car industry may have been less desirable.
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David Mott made a comment
I am a retired engineer who spent my career supplying automated metro systems around the world. Now I am advising the local council on transport issues - so this course should help me keep up to date.
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David Mott made a comment
I had not realised how much power the US Supreme Court has. I also had not realised the enormous effects of the Presidential nomination of members - particularly in such a partisan environment. What a strange way to run a country!
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David Mott made a comment
Parliamentary supremacy is fundamental to the UK system of government and so parliament must, ultimately, have more power than the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has sufficient power to ensure that the Government acts legally and within its powers. I think the amount of power is about right. I am not concerned that the members of the Supreme Court are...
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David Mott replied to John Cope
I agree with you. I think the PM may have more power internally than the President. He may be a big fish, but he is in a smaller pond.
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David Mott made a comment
I think that Congress does place too many constraints on the power of the US President. It presents considerable difficulties in passing any legislation. Arguably the filibuster should be abolished somehow – although how that could be achieved in the USA is difficult to imagine.
The Presidential methods of veto and executive orders give him considerable... -
The US Presidents seem to have found loopholes to overcome the difficulties of passing legislation. This effectively seems to give them almost tyrannical power. This raises some interesting questions about the pros and cons of a "designed" constitution (as in the US) compared to an "evolved" one like the UK.
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I had no idea that it was so difficult to pass legislation in the USA. It sounds amazing that they can ever get anything done.
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David Mott made a comment
In some cases, it might be beneficial for the House of Lords to act as a more powerful check on Prime Ministerial Power but giving it more power would increase the problems associated with it being an unelected body. I think it is useful that it should remain an unelected body where members remain for a long term and do not get replaced or forced to retire....
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David Mott made a comment
I suppose it is largely a value judgement as to whether or not there should be more limits on Prime Ministerial power. It is probably possible to find a few specific examples of where power has been abused, but generally, my view is that there are already sufficient checks. I think that to add more constraints would prevent the PM acting decisively when it was...
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David Mott made a comment
My initial views are that it is fairly easy for a PM to get what he wants. As an example Truss wanted fracking, Shumak didn't; Truss said she would increase pensions, Shumak said he wouldn't, etc. MPs seem to "go along" with the PM while there is a chance that they may benefit (from promotion, selection, or re-election). It all depends on the confidence that...
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David Mott made a comment
Although it seem that, in theory, separation of powers is a defence against tyranny, it seems to result in a prolonged search for legal loopholes. I think the fusion of powers system has a number of pragmatic advantages - provided that powers are not abused. If you have a fusion of powers then maybe you need some other protection against abuse of those powers.
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David Mott made a comment
The constraints on the US President are clearly defined by written rules that are quite rigid. Those on the UK Prime Minister are less clearly defined and more flexible - as long as the PM is seen by Parliament to be behaving in a way that they can support. Thus, the President is more constrained by legislature whereas the PM is more constrained by performance...
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David Mott replied to Shaun Pickford
That very neatly sums up my views as well! Thank you, it saves me writing a very duplicate comment.
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David Mott made a comment
It seems that the US President has to commit an impeachable offense in order to be removed before his fixed term ends. The UK PM can be forced to resign if he loses the confidence of his party.
