Lots of people have asked me to share my thoughts on Better Connected, the Government’s new Integrated National Transport Strategy.

So here they are…

The summary: great that it exists at all, good as a first step but there’s much more needed to create a strategy that will actually integrate transport.

𝘈 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘹 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘗𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.

Holly is a hard-nailed transport policy officer.

She’s lived through tough times. With her sidekick Glen, she’s out to discover which interventions result in which outcomes.

Over the years, dozens of innocent interventions have been convicted of crimes they did not commit. That modal filter: convicted by model of increasing traffic on the main road. That tramway extension: convicted by model of offering a low BCR and banged up for life.

Can Holly prevent more innocent transport schemes being convicted for crimes they did not commit?

We argue about rural transport integration but none of us really know what the effects will be, as we tend to prefer modelling to experimentation.

My Mini Switzerland project is about trying to find out on the ground what actually happens.

Swiss transport integration is incredible but is it affordable? In this blog post, I argue that it’s more affordable than most people think - because of the powers of network effects

The National Planning Policy Framework requires transport planners to use a “vision-led” approach.

This requires big changes in culture and ways of working.

Here’s what needs to happen.

Public transport isn’t just about competing with cars: it’s competing in the attention economy.

We need to upskill.

From private equity to pension funds to management buy-outs, Britain’s transport operators are now in very different hands. Part 2 explores what that means for investment, risk and the future of public transport.

The era of publicly listed transport operators is almost over, but hardly anyone has noticed it ending. This two-part post explores how PLCs once dominated public transport, and why they’ve all but vanished from the sector today.

HS2 has become a case study in how not to build infrastructure. But what if we’d taken a different path entirely?

In this post, I imagine how the Swiss would have done it: starting with the timetable, not the project. It’s a counterfactual, but it’s not a fantasy.

Bus Service Improvement Plans were the centrepiece of the National Bus Strategy. But what did they achieve for their money?

Everyone in the rail industry is waiting for a big reveal of the new structure of Great British Railways. But based on my experience (and a few hard-learned lessons), I argue that we’re starting in the wrong place.

Fix the incentives first - the structure can follow.

Coventry “Very Light Rail” promises to HALVE the cost of building new tram lines.

Is that really credible? Let’s find out.

What rural transport really needs isn’t innovation - it’s buses: properly integrated and proudly delivered, like in Switzerland.

Here’s my first-hand report from the front line of great rural transport.

"By paying us your pennies, you go about your business". A hundred-year-old MacDonald Gill poster is inspiration for today

Inevitably, humans being what they are, a consultation issued by the Government proposes that the accountability mechanism for a business owned by the Government should be the Government, with the assistance of a watchdog appointed by the Government.

Here’s how we can keep all the good stuff in the consultation but tighten up accountability a bit.

I spent half term in Switzerland. Not in a glamorous ski resort, but in ordinary towns and villages. What I found was integrated transport as it could and should be for everyone.

Here’s my report.

The French have a plan to transform regional connectivity in 24 provincial cities. Of course they have…

Last week, I commuted into both Manchester and London.

The experiences reveal why most UK cities have low productivity - and what needs to be done to deliver economic growth again

Paris is building 200 km of new Metro. That’s more new line than every addition to the tube map since the second world war - including the Jubilee line, DLR and Elizabeth line. It’s going to make Paris the capital of Europe for the 21st century.

Transport needs long-term funding through dedicated taxes. With a spending review and the creation of GBR both happening, now’s the time to ask for it.