💡Dear Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom, here are some ideas that you called for for your new Integrated National Transport Strategy for England. Would love to discuss!

I’ve indulged myself today looking in detail at the DfT’s call for ideas and preparing in turn my thoughts. The extended article below is in three sections -💡some commentary on the call itself,💡responding myself as a member of the public (transport system user), and💡my ideas as a transport professional.

I DIDN’T get much sense in the call text that:

1.     the relationship between transport and land use is being foregrounded

2.     walking is being taken seriously (enough) as a fundamental mode

3.     the role of technology in substituting for travel is being weighed up (in the context of what activities people engage in and why they travel – with travel being a derived demand)

4.     movement of goods is part of INTS alongside movement of people (there is no explicit mention of goods or freight in the call even though transport workers as a constituency should cover cover this as well as covering movement of people)

5.     diversity and inclusion are being explicitly put centre stage with a ‘transport for all’ mentality (notwithstanding the opportunity for members of the public themselves to put forward their own diversity of experiences and needs)

6.     the resilience of our transport network is something ideas are being invited for (having as we do a substantial and ageing transport asset base)

7.     uncertainty and possibilities about the future (that a strategy should be preparing us for) are being considered

8.     aviation is a topic for which there is much appetite for INTS to get to grips with

9.     concern about climate change is being gauged as one of the determining factors that should be shaping INTS

10. decarbonisation of our transport system and its use is top of mind (in relation to the transition to low and zero emission vehicles, and to grasping the nettle in England of whether a reduction in car travel is necessary)

Meanwhile, my ten idea areas were as follows:

1. Learn from others
2. Bold ambition to deliver meaningful change
3. Properly unpacking and prioritising equality, diversity and inclusion
4. Get serious about avoid, shift, improve
5. Ensuring this is a strategy for goods as well as people
6. Get serious about active travel, get serious about walking
7. Responsibly transitioning the car fleet to battery electric
8. Ensuring we are masters of technology and not servants to it
9. Rethinking road investment
10. Ensuring a robust strategy in the face of uncertainty

The full article is below as a PDF or follow the link at top to go to the original LinkedIn article.