Into the unknown
As tough as it gets for public transport This is as tough as it gets for public transport. The Government’s decision to trigger a restart last night (Sunday), that begins this morning, has run ahead of the guidance on how public transport should respond. Leaving us with not a chance of being able to prepare […]
Funding, distancing and messaging – the three big recovery challenges
As we enter week seven of the lockdown, the challenges of preparing for a restart remain daunting. It’s hard to plan a public transport restart when at the start of the week we don’t know the phasing or the timing of any lockdown release; what the rules will be on social distancing or PPE; and […]
Beyond the lockdown – Steering the right course for urban transport
As we enter week six of the lockdown, the country is now turning its attention to when and how it should begin to be released. If the lockdown period was difficult for transport authorities to respond to – then the start-up could be harder still. We don’t know when the phasing out of the lockdown […]
Protecting staff and passengers as we prepare for the recovery phase
As we enter week five of the lockdown, here’s my weekly take on how things look from the perspective of the UK’s urban transport authorities. Sharing approaches (both between our members and also through regular contact with the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the Rail Delivery Group and the Department for Transport) on how best to […]
#TransportAuthorities Together
I hope those whose jobs allowed it, got some rest over Easter. As we enter week four of the lockdown, here’s my weekly blog on how things look from the perspective of the UK’s urban transport authorities. Sharing approaches (both between our members and also through regular contact with the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the […]
Funding, sharing, recovery & legacy – a weekly blog post on urban transport and the COVID-19 crisis
Here are some Sunday morning reflections on where things stand for urban transport on the COVID-19 crisis as we prepare to begin another busy week. 1. We have done everything the Government has asked of us during the crisis – now we need the Government to stand behind us The Government’s overall strategy has been […]
Comfort or ‘capitalist realism’?
There are a lot of new trains – faster and with more seats. So that’s good. Some of the nose cones are sleek and the exterior styling is impressive. But it doesn’t seem like the same amount of thought has always been put into the design of train interiors and passenger comfort. Poor ride quality, […]
Coronavirus: Three concerns on the Government’s approach to urban transport
As we begin another busy week in our fight against the coronavirus, here are a few observations on where things stand for urban transport… From the perspective of our network of city region transport authorities, we are pleased with how we have organised ourselves– with a regular Board level telecon at least three times of […]
Six tests for PM’s London-style vision
Boris Johnson wants transport in the rest of the UK’s metro areas to be a lot more like London and a lot less so so. So here’s six early indicators to watch out for that show whether we are on course for this… or not. 1. All the political big names love buses these days […]
Turning declarations into decisive actions
On and on we hurtle deeper into the turbulent unknown. What would have been unthinkable five years ago in global and domestic politics is now our shared new normal. And in climate change what even a couple of years ago seemed a deferrable threat now feels uncomfortably and unavoidably close. So what can 2019 say […]