A message from the TPS Chair

24 hours is a long time in politics

It’s been a roller coaster few weeks in the world of sustainable transport and the TPS. 

We had a very successful Transport Planning Day on 11 November at the Institution of Civil Engineers.  

There were great presentations from Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood MP Steve Gooding, Fiona Brown, Sharon Payne, Ed Downer, David Connolly, Hannah Donovan, Tim Steiner and Izzy Romilly.

I was particularly encouraged by Lillian Greenwood's framing of the issue around the future of road transport, saying we need to work out what kind of places we want to live in and then create the transport system we need to support them. This aligns with the TPS”s view that we need to start from the societal outcomes we want and work backwards to create the transport system we need, rather than starting with the system we've got and just do more of the same. 

There was a near-capacity crowd for the event and some great networking over tea and later at the drinks reception.    

Then on 28 November Louise Haigh announced a “public call for ideas” on sustainable transport – the start of the engagement process for development of the Government’s Integrated National Transport Strategy for England (INTS).  This is the first such strategy for over 25 years, the last being John Prescott’s Integrated Transport White Paper in 1998.   

The DfT news release said: 

“For too long there has been no national plan for how transport should be designed and delivered in England, which has led to a fragmented and inefficient system that lacks join-up and cohesion. As a result, many of the people in our cities, towns and rural areas are poorly connected, with transport systems that don’t work for them”.

Hard to argue with that analysis!

The TPS will respond to the call for ideas and make sure the views of transport planning professionals are fully represented.

Louise Haigh also confirmed the membership of the independent advisory panel appointed to support the review of the DfT’s Capital Programme.  I was delighted to have been invited to join that panel and will work with my fellow panellists to help the new Secretary of State ensure the DfT’s capital programme underpins and enables delivery of the government’s stated strategic aims for transport – improving productivity; tackling structural economic inequalities and improving people’s life chances; improving public health; decarbonisation; and ensuring the climate resilience of the transport system.  

Interestingly Louise Haigh announced the INTS “call for ideas” in Leeds, where I had been the week before speaking at the annual Mode Shift Convention. My former TfL colleague Ross Butcher, the Mode Shift Board and the team have done a fantastic job developing Mode Shift over the past few years. There was a wealth of great examples of successful projects supporting sustainable travel across the UK. I also had the chance to see the fantastic work going on in Leeds to transform major roads and junctions into city streets and public spaces, supporting walking, cycling and bus use.

Then less than 24 hours after those announcements, Louise Haigh announced she had resigned as Secretary of State.   We will make sure we work with her successor to continue the positive work she has started on the INTS, on rail reform, bus service improvements, active travel and continuing devolution of powers and funding to regional and local government.

Meanwhile, the Board is continuing its excellent work on the TPS’s organisational development and funding. We have reviewed our corporate supporters “proposition” to make sure we have an attractive offer to organisations that support the TPS.  We are looking at ways of ensuring we retain our existing membership and recruit additional members. And we are looking at how we can maximise our income, for example by making sure we generate maximum interest from our reserves.

The TPS role now is to work with Louise Haigh’s successor to make sure they are able to deliver the vision of a sustainable transport system she set out.