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\nThe 25th anniversary of my starting to work in and around transport passed me by earlier this year. I joined the Central Rail Users Consultative Committee (not a snappy title, I know) as its Director General on March 15, 1999. Every year, my old colleague, the inimitable Phil Wilks, sends me a card to mark this anniversary, but it didn\u2019t sink in that this year was the 25th. <\/p>\n
When I studied history at Warwick University, my first lecture startled me by focusing on the price of bread during the French Revolution. This, as much as anything, governed people\u2019s behaviour and prompted their rioting. No more studies about the antics of kings and queens. We were taught that decades, even centuries, were mere blips. What mattered was the long-term view. <\/p>\n
Recently I\u2019ve been prompted to think about the industry I\u2019ve been part of for the past 25 years and what I\u2019ve observed and learned during that time. None of what I\u2019ve written below is based on detailed study. As past and present colleagues will attest, I\u2019m not a detail person. These are my reflections on the transport events and debates of the time and the part I played in trying to make a difference for transport users. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve talked to people in the transport world and the people who move around \u2013 what makes them travel and why they choose to travel the way they do. Given that it\u2019s something we all do, transport and how we move around still seems relatively understudied. We spend hours and a fortune getting from one place to another, but what does it feel like? <\/p>\n
Moving beyond one\u2019s immediate surroundings is clearly a basic human need, and it seems that four essential factors have always governed our travel. (This bit is based on research). When I worked at Transport Focus, our insight underlined some basic factors that changed little \u2013 regardless of time, day, income or all the other factors that frame our lives. <\/p>\n
Cost and convenience are the main factors governing which mode of transport people choose<\/p>\n
Cost and convenience are the main factors governing which mode of transport people choose. Parking the car off-street outside the house is most convenient for most people, most of the time. The cost of running a car is worth it for its convenience, let alone the other factors that come with car use and ownership \u2013 pride, prestige, and the feeling of freedom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Safety is often given as an important consideration \u2013 people assume that travel will be as safe as it can be. Oddly, little consideration is given to the fact that most drivers seem permanently distracted by their phones as in the rest of our lives.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Choice and control are major factors. Driving in central London is a bit heroic, which is why you see people of all classes and incomes on various forms of public transport. (I\u2019ve seen many public figures on the Tube and buses, the best advert there is for collective transport). On the other hand, taking a taxi to the airport is pricey but offers a sense of control over the journey, the first leg of which is the most stressful. <\/p>\n
So, a host of factors govern how we choose to travel. What, therefore, is the best response from national and local government? How should the new government respond?<\/p>\n
Below, I\u2019ve tried to collate everything I\u2019ve seen, learned, read or heard into 10 thoughts. Not lessons, just thoughts. Not all of them apply everywhere \u2013 there are always exceptions. Not everyone conforms to type. And some bits I\u2019ve probably just got wrong. <\/p>\n
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We are in a climate crisis. Our environment is degrading fast. I\u2019m an optimist \u2013 human beings are remarkable creatures with remarkable powers. In time, we will stem the degradation, albeit leaving the planet a less colourful, varied and interesting place. But life will continue. In the meantime, should I take the car to the supermarket? Should I fly to New York for a week?<\/p>\n
Sadly, as with all other areas of life, the more some people do what they like or want, rather than need to, everyone else suffers a bit or a lot. Transport causes pollution. Those who are hypermobile and better-off travel and pollute more. Travel can wreck local communities \u2013 just look at main roads that cut villages and other areas in half. Some moderation, both political and personal, is needed. But with transport, people look to government to take the lead.<\/p>\n
Work at Transport Focus showed that greenness validated choice but did not drive it, except for a dedicated few<\/p>\n
Climate is not yet the fifth \u2018C\u2019 joining the mantra of cost, convenience, choice and control that governs our transport choices. Work at Transport Focus showed that greenness validated choice but did not drive it, except for a dedicated few. \u2018Trains suit me and they\u2019re green.\u2019 Some people have no choice but to use public transport. But let\u2019s not kid ourselves that most people, given the choice and chance, wouldn\u2019t drive or be driven everywhere. Cars are relatively affordable, incredibly reliable, and flexible.<\/p>\n
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Central government bad, local government good is one of the politically correct mantras of our time. It must be right that getting decisions closer to the people affected by them is best, so devolution is good. <\/p>\n
However, you can have bad as well as good devolution. It all depends on the people involved, their motivations and how it\u2019s done. The key seems to be accountability. If true accountability comes with devolution and the money flows, there\u2019s a greater chance of success. <\/p>\n
At Transport Focus, we talked to rail passengers about the 2019 Williams Rail Review. They were unconcerned about who owned or ran different parts of the railways. Above all, they wanted a reliable, value-for-money service. However, they did feel that the railway at the time was unaccountable \u2013 who was in charge? The London mayor was cited as a good example of accountability \u2013 when things went right or wrong with Transport for London, you knew who to talk to.<\/p>\n
Trying to make transport more accountable is difficult. However, the combination of longer-term (more than one year!) funding for buses in England and the rise of metro mayors and bus franchising is increasing accountability. Greater Manchester\u2019s mayor, Andy Burnham, is responsible for local roads and increasingly local buses in Manchester. Congestion? Pollution? Talk to the mayor!<\/p>\n
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When it comes to rail and major roads, accountability is much more difficult to achieve. They operate as national networks and systems. You can\u2019t have gauge changes at local authority boundaries. Someone, maybe \u2018remote and cruel\u2019, has to make the trade-off between freight, local traffic and longer distance. Sometimes, it\u2019s better to have an absent landlord who forces leaseholders to mend the roof \u2013 otherwise decades of leaks might ensue! <\/p>\n
Where rail services, like Merseyrail or the London Overground, can be pretty much hived off, devolution can work. But don\u2019t pretend the approaches to Leeds station are going to be the subject of a referendum. More consultation, involvement and discussion, yes, but ultimately you need an overall controller.<\/p>\n
Watching local government bid for central pots of money has been one of the least edifying aspects of my involvement in transport. Central government decides what is important and then local governments, regardless of whether their areas need it or not, bid. This is short term, distracting and undermining.<\/p>\n
New government, please can we have longer-term funding for all forms of transport that is, as far as possible, not tied to modes. Let Birmingham decide (and be accountable for) if it wants more roads, buses, local trains or bikes.<\/p>\n
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Having been brought up in a village south of Sevenoaks in Kent and then lived in London all my adult life, I\u2019ve cycled a lot. I love it. The feeling of freedom it engenders is intoxicating. The only time I didn\u2019t cycle was in Coventry when I was at Warwick University. It simply wasn\u2019t part of my life as I\u2019d bought a car and then got into motorbikes. But we shouldn\u2019t assume everyone shares our enthusiasm for cycling.<\/p>\n
Done well, improving cycling provision can improve things for everyone. Dedicated cycle paths, especially outside of cities, are used as much by walkers and runners as cyclists. However, don\u2019t make the surface tarmac \u2013 it turns the path into a velodrome where speeding cyclists are as bad as cars. Slow things down. Share space and let everyone who uses it negotiate.<\/p>\n
Dedicated bike lanes in cities can be problematic. I worry about bus stops where cycle paths loop around the back<\/p>\n
Dedicated bike lanes in cities can be problematic. I worry about bus stops where cycle paths loop around the back. Jumping off a bus, one can forget to look. I recently saw a man on crutches wait five minutes for anyone in the passing peloton to stop at the faux zebra crossing on the cycle path. <\/p>\n
All this seems to ignore how human beings behave \u2013 we all aim for the direct \u2018desire line\u2019 to get to where we want to go. I admit, I sometimes go through a red light on my bike, but I\u2019ll always defer to pedestrians. I\u2019m still breaking the law, though, partly for safety \u2013 to get ahead and into the line of sight of traffic \u2013 but also simply to get on. Having got up to speed, cyclists don\u2019t like to slow down. <\/p>\n
So, design cycle\/pedestrian interfaces that recognise how people behave, not just to preference one mode of transport. Otherwise, cycles can replace cars as a safety hazard.<\/p>\n
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Given how comparatively few people use it, rail dominates transport discourse. Why? Over the years it has occurred to me that the people who travel on the railways do so a lot, have built their lives around it for work (London commuting, in particular) or for longer distance travel. And, for all the wrong reasons, those people matter in social and political terms and have sharp elbows. Rail is as good as it is in this country because the chattering classes use it and lobby for it. <\/p>\n
So, do we just live with this? Covid and the cost of living have altered this to a degree. Commuting is down, leisure travel is up. Longer distance business travel is only slowly returning to previous levels. All passengers are trading down from Open to Advance tickets, peak to off peak, and first to standard. More than ever, rail has to attract, deliver on its promises and win investment.<\/p>\n
Reopening some old branch lines has never seemed more anachronistic. Beeching wasn\u2019t all wrong. Buses, properly funded and specified, can move far more people, far more efficiently for shorter distances. Electric buses are pricey but spreading. One day there will be driverless buses. <\/p>\n
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Can we please have transport solutions that answer the correct consumer questions? For example, how can we move more people sustainably and with value for money (for the passenger and taxpayer) around West Yorkshire? Surely, we need more trams and more trains! Or do we? <\/p>\n
An electric bus system operating on a dedicated or semi-dedicated track could move many. I was recently in Mexico City \u2013 the triple-length, bendy trolley buses running on semi-dedicated track move tube levels of passengers. Yes, Mexico City has a grid system of roads and wide boulevards, but necessity and funding have produced a very different solution.<\/p>\n
I was amazed when the twin-track plan for better linking Oxford and Cambridge offered a road and rail-based solution. This seems like old thinking for two historically innovative cities. A train that can connect easily with the national network, yes, why not? But why not, alongside it, a modern, world leading, guided, driverless, electric busway along which some services can divert to serve local communities \u2013 all mirrored by a cycle route. That could really offer people alternatives to using cars.<\/p>\n
HS2 is probably the best example of getting the cart before the horse, so to speak<\/p>\n
HS2 is probably the best example of getting the cart before the horse, so to speak. The answer \u2013 super high-speed trains \u2013 seems to have preceded the question, \u2018how do we move more people, more sustainably over longer distances?\u2019.<\/p>\n
Even the name is unfortunate. From the start, it conjured up images of businessmen being whizzed to and from London, expense account munching on their at-seat breakfasts. There didn\u2019t seem to be much consideration given to ordinary people and their needs. The reality is so different. It\u2019s all about capacity on the new lines and the space released on existing lines. <\/p>\n
We need to take more account of overall journey time. Yes, the new services could go a bit faster but it\u2019s a long way from the end of a quarter-mile-long train to the underground, so any journey time savings seem marginal. What\u2019s more important is reliability, more seats, more trains and better value for money. Perhaps if the HS2 had been called something like the \u2018West Midlands rail relief line\u2019 some fuss would have been avoided!<\/p>\n
When I was lucky enough to be in Italy the year before last, I was incredibly impressed with the high-speed rail services. New lines hurtle people around the country, but the last few miles into existing city centre stations are done on conventional track. (So, no need for a massively extended Euston station, for example.) New parkway stations keep those who don\u2019t need to go into them away from city centres. Add in competition between long-distance, high-speed rail operators \u2013 Trenitalia vs Italo, for example \u2013 and seats are filling up!<\/p>\n
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No point in fretting about it, we live in a political world \u2013 thankfully a relatively stable, sane one. But politics can get in the way of sensible decisions. All politicians want to get the credit and cut the ribbon. They want to put slogans and branding on the sides of their and your buses \u2013 the Bee Network, Every Journey Matters, etc.<\/p>\n
Power can only be properly exercised if preceded by taking control. Hence, control over the national television station used to be the first stop for revolutionaries. Today, we\u2019re seeing a massive taking back of power on rail and bus by local and central government. <\/p>\n
As ever, this can work if done well and if passengers and road users are taken on the journey. Consultation, feedback and constant monitoring and action on satisfaction levels are crucial. Otherwise, monopolies and systems turn in on and talk only to themselves. Active, professional, engaged user representation is vital.<\/p>\n
Now, you say, I would argue for that, having spent 35 years of my career arguing for consumer rights and the last 24 working for Transport Focus in its various rail, bus, tram and road guises. But I saw the best of that system work \u2013 the user voice really helping decision makers make better decisions. Transport Focus\u2019s passenger priorities chart is on the wall of the board room of Great British Railways Transition Team and Network Rail \u2013 just where it should be.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t rule out the private sector running trains or being involved in selling tickets<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s stop and think about what \u2018public ownership\u2019 means. Is it shorthand for accountability? TfL contracts out buses and the Overground to the private sector. That seems to work well in an urban, relatively short-distance, pay-as-you-go environment. But it would perhaps not work so well with longer distance rail. So-called \u2018open access\u2019 private rail operators delight their customers. Longer distance rail is \u2018elastic\u2019 \u2013 you need to understand that people have choice, and you have to tempt them to buy. The private sector is good at doing that. Don\u2019t rule out the private sector running trains or being involved in selling tickets (declaration \u2013 I chair Independent Rail Retailers, the trade association for most of the main rail ticket sellers).<\/p>\n
Some of the best bus services in the country are run by private operators \u2013 perfectly incentivised to control costs and get people on board. The Leeds Harrogate route 36 run by Transdev Blazefield is a good example. Some other top performers are owned by the local council, such as Reading Buses. The key alchemy for successful bus operations seems to be a mix of political will, management focus, good staff, partnership between public and private, geography, demographics, stable networks and long-term thinking.<\/p>\n
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Almost without exception, all the civil servants and local government officials I\u2019ve worked with over the last 25 years have been intelligent, committed and hard working. The same is true of the private sector operators. They care. They get what they are there for, they like the fact that they\u2019re part of the movement. We\u2019re all fellow travellers. Transport attracts a good bunch of people who are great to work with. Yes, we could be more diverse but, overall, it\u2019s a people industry.<\/p>\n
Being a permanent secretary is a tough gig. It attracts very bright capable people. The current so-called \u2018perm sec\u2019, Bernadette Kelly, is a class act. Personable, knowledgeable, articulate and interested, she exudes confidence. Long may we have such leaders.<\/p>\n
Good people get chewed up, exhausted and spat out by having to deal with competing, impossible-to-reconcile demands. We ask too much of people<\/p>\n
So, why do we get such variable outcomes? Good people get chewed up, exhausted and spat out by having to deal with competing, impossible-to-reconcile demands. We ask too much of people. A small number of objectives and incentives simply expressed will do it. Give people the resources to do the job. Then let them get on with it. Hold them to account but give them space.<\/p>\n
Easy to say but hard to do. Why go into transport when you could have an easier, probably better paid life elsewhere? We must keep transport as an attractive career path.<\/p>\n
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Unfashionable? Never has politics been more degraded as a calling. We trash politics at our peril as the danger is that you then get radicals filling the vacuum which you\u2019ve helped create.<\/p>\n
Almost without exception, the politicians, both local and national, I\u2019ve dealt with have been hard working, interested (sometimes a bit too much!) and engaged. They care about their constituents, want to do the right thing by the environment and want to see change.<\/p>\n
This is true across political parties. Patrick McLoughlin listened and cared. I liked John Prescott. Huw Merriman was a great rail minister. Norman Baker was indefatigable. Lord Tony Berkely lives the dream on his Brompton, ferries and GWR! Baroness Randerson is a great passenger champion.<\/p>\n
But they get exhausted. Politics is draining and hard work. When I met with ministers, I could see their daily schedules upside down across the table. Meetings from 8.30 in the morning through to evening. Paperwork beyond that. Constituency work. Crises. It all takes attention away from long-term planning.<\/p>\n
Years ago, then chief executive of Network Rail Ian Coucher and I were summoned to Number 10 to give a presentation about high-speed rail. We had about 30 minutes. Ministers turned up late. Pagers went off constantly. You cannot make sensible decisions in that sort of environment. <\/p>\n
I love the story about Tony Blair ringing the Danish, I think it was, prime minister. Blair thought the call sounded odd and asked where his counterpart was. Turns out he was canoeing.<\/p>\n
Less haste, more focus on real priorities.<\/p>\n
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One in four people go to and from Heathrow by taxi. Across the country, millions rely on taxis as a key part of our transport systems. Uber and others represent an outstanding consumer experience. Yet we hardly ever talk about taxis, the consumer experience of them and how to make them better. Licensing is a patchwork quilt of local regulations not fit for purpose.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting to see debates about shared so-called \u2018demand responsive transport\u2019. Loved by politicians as it offers a chance to exercise control and branding, liked by passengers as it represents a cheap taxi, but so expensive and unsustainable to run. Until the vehicles are driverless, this represents poor value for money.<\/p>\n
Is it not possible think about upgrading the quality and accessibly of taxis instead? Generally self-employed or small businesses, their local knowledge and personal touch is invaluable. Sure, they don\u2019t offer the collective social experience liked by some that public transport offers, but they do get you there! Working out how to bind taxis (and other community and charity transport) more closely into transport networks seems important.<\/p>\n
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As ever lead by example. Moderate the pollution you cause when travelling. Don\u2019t wait for government to tell you what to do. Perhaps try to help attract attention to the most used, underrepresented forms of transport \u2013 walking and wheeling. Always think accessibility \u2013 it helps everyone. Always think value for money \u2013 again, it helps everyone.<\/p>\n
Be good, be kind. Consider your fellow transport users. Cycle responsibly. Don\u2019t drive distracted. Get in the queue \u2013 don\u2019t shove in. Give up your seat. Take your headphones off occasionally. Check people around you and make sure they look OK. Ask them if they need help.<\/p>\n
Say thank you to staff \u2013 front line transport can be a tough job. Acknowledge all those people who do the jobs that make your life work: cleaners, receptionists, ticket clerks, bus drivers and many others.<\/p>\n
Understand and respect why people travel the way they do \u2013 it makes sense to them<\/p>\n
Understand and respect why people travel the way they do \u2013 it makes sense to them. Many people rely on their cars and vans to feed their families \u2013 don\u2019t make their lives any more difficult or expensive than you must. Allow staff to be themselves and communicate in plain language.<\/p>\n
As leaders, coaches and managers, talk less and listen more. Ask questions and don\u2019t make statements. Work really hard to get your role and the purpose of your organisation crystal clear in a soundbite. Don\u2019t set out what you do or what you think you are doing but what you should be doing. Check how much of your diary is allocated to your key objectives. This can be a shock, but then we\u2019re surprised when we don\u2019t achieve them!<\/p>\n
Motherhood and apple pie? Possibly, but transport is all about people and all our futures. <\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 DON\u2019T MISS OUT \u2013 GET YOUR COPY! \u2013\u00a0click here to subscribe!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The post 25 years in transport \u2013 what I\u2019ve learned<\/a> first appeared on Passenger Transport<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u200b\u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 I have attempted to collate everything I\u2019ve seen, learned, read or heard during my time in the transport sector into 10 thoughts \u00a0 The 25th anniversary of my starting to work in and around transport passed me by earlier this year. I joined the Central Rail Users Consultative Committee (not a snappy title, I know) as its Director General…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camcab"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8475"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nABOUT THE AUTHOR: Anthony Smith<\/strong> became chair of the Heathrow Area Transport Forum in August 2023 and Independent Rail Retailers in January of this year as he stepped down from his role as Chief Executive at Transport Focus. Anthony led Transport Focus and predecessor bodies since 1999.<\/p>\n
\nThis story appears inside the latest issue of\u00a0Passenger Transport<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n