Jonathan Bray, past director of the Urban Transport Group for 15 years, now ‘making progressive change happen as independent advisor’ talking about the challenges for the sector - 'is our glass half full or half empty?'
He picks 3 'glass half full' :
Active Travel has gone mainstream - it used to be a marginal issue
Buses in public control - moving to one network like London eg Bee Network
Wales' progress - where powers devolved sub nationally, small countries can do big things - 20mph, roads prog halted, all buses under public control, investment in rail out of centres - Lee Waters needs our support and praise
And 3 'glass half empty' :
State of national politics - on both sides of main parties, v little meaningful engagement around policy etc
Car is the political hot potato - transport was not contentious but when it concerns car, it is, and dominating trip patterns esp outside urban centres
Zombie road schemes - allure is still there - money still being spent on road schemes we can't kill off - lots is undercover in background - but is still where big money is being spent. What could we do with that money on Active Travel!
Plus Ranty Highwayman (@RantyHighwayman) back with his The Good, the Bad and the Ugly slot, shows us an innovative Dutch junction design from Utrecht.