Urban Transport Next

In this episode, Jerome Mayhew MP, Shadow Transport Minister, was in conversation with Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. During the discussion, Jerome talked about the important role of the bus, particularly in rural areas, his role in scrutinising rail reform, active travel, and transport in his constituency of Broadland and Fakenham.

In this episode, Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, was in conversation with Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. During the discussion, the Mayor spoke passionately about the region she grew up in, the importance of transport to the 'everyday economy', and why the West of England is focusing on 'trust' in its new transport vision.

In this episode, Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, was in conversation with Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. During the discussion, the Cabinet Secretary discussed his motivation for entering politics, the importance of embedding wellbeing into Wales' transport vision and the branding of the Welsh public transport system.

In this episode, Lord Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, was in conversation with Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. During the discussion, Lord Hendy spoke about his experience in the House of Lords; the Railways Bill and what benefits GBR will bring for passengers; and devolution and the role for local areas in the railways. The pair also discussed light rail's role as part of...

In this episode, Simon Lightwood MP, the Minister for Roads and Buses, was in conversation with Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. During the discussion, the Minister focused on the bus: highlighting the importance of buses during his childhood, outlining how the new Bus Services Act will impact services in England, and explaining the role of the bus in driving UK economic growth...

In this episode, David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, was in conversation with Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. In the wide-ranging discussion, the Mayor spoke about his experience of growing up in the region and his use of public transport; the importance of active travel schemes in York, Harrogate and other towns and rural areas: the role of rail; and how York and...

In this episode, Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, was interviewed by Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group. During the conversation, the Mayor outlined how the East Midlands region is geographically unique compared to other city regions in UTG membership, and the need to therefore 'think differently' on transport. The pair also discussed the approach to improving bus services...

In this episode, Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, was in conversation with the freelance journalist Laura Laker. During the discussion, the Mayor spoke about his background and route into politics; his own experience of using public transport in the West Midlands; his plans for buses and trams in the region, and his 'duty' to tackle road safety. Urban Transport Next is supported by Atki...

In this episode, Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor, was in conversation with Julie Elliott, the former MP for Sunderland Central. In the wide-ranging discussion, the Mayor spoke about her experiences of using public transport growing up in the North East; her plans for franchising bus services and extending the Tyne and Wear Metro; improving safety for women and girls on the transport network; and...

In this episode, Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, was in conversation with Simone Roche MBE, founder of the We Are Power, Northern Power Women Awards, and PoWEr Up Collective CIC. During the discussion, the Mayor talked about the importance of the bus and the region's decision to franchise services; the pride he feels towards the new Merseyrail train fleet; making women and girl...

In this episode, Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, was in conversation with Louisa Harrison-Walker, Chief Executive of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce. During the discussion, the Mayor spoke about the potential opportunities that franchised bus services could bring, the challenges of meeting net zero targets and boosting active travel, and the rationale for bringing South Yorkshire’s tra...

In this episode, Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, was in conversation with Juergen Maier, Vice-Chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. During the discussion, the Mayor spoke about how devolution has given her the powers and funding to make change in the region, plans for mass transit in West Yorkshire, and the social importance of good bus networks.

In this special episode, Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, was in conversation with the journalist Laura Laker. During the discussion, the Mayor spoke about his vision for integrated transport through the Bee Network, Greater Manchester’s trailblazer devolution deal, air quality, and what he hopes to see from a future government. He also revealed his playlist for a long train journey and...

In this episode, our panel talked about how to increase diversity and inclusion in active travel and what barriers need to be broken down to do so. The conversation touched upon the inadequacy of data on different journeys made by different people, how the transport sector can do more to capture the diversity of perspectives, and the lack of long-term funding certainty. Our guests were Adam Trante...

In this episode, our panel talked about how to accelerate progress on decarbonising transport, building on the competitive nature of city regions and their mayors to spur on action. The conversation covered examples where change is happening, from Manchester to Jakarta, the impact of carbon budgeting and the co-benefits of actions to reduce emissions from transport. Our guests were Caroline Watson...

In this episode, our panel discussed how to create better streets for the future and how to remove the conflict from the competing demands for street space. The conversation touched upon how practitioners need to better anticipate the ‘messiness’ that comes with designing streets for multiple modes, users and purposes, and how technology and data can improve our understanding of what is going on a...

In this episode, Dr Nicholas Falk, Executive Director of The URBED Trust, and Rebecca Fuller, Assistant Director at the Urban Transport Group, discussed how transport can shape a new, sustainable era for suburbs. Their conversation focused on the new Urban Transport Group report on this topic (The Good Life), and discussed how best to reduce emissions generating trips and car dependency, and make...

In this episode, renowned disability campaigners Alan Benson MBE and Dr Hannah Barham-Brown shared a conversation on how to transform transport accessibility. The pair discussed their own experiences of using transport and how that has shaped their views and their campaigning work. They also spoke of the need to involve disabled people from the earliest design stage of new transport services or in...

In this episode, our panel discussed how new transport modes offer the potential to enhance transport networks and attract the new users necessary to transition to net-zero. Drawing from a new Urban Transport Group and Arup report, they talked about how to make transport available, accessible, affordable and acceptable, and how to move away from the 'reference man' when designing transport systems...

In this episode, we looked at how innovations in freight can make our city regions greener, fairer, healthier and more prosperous places. Our panel discussed how climate change, the Covid pandemic and the emergence of new technology have changed the freight sector over recent years, and what support is needed so that freight can help city regions and national Government to achieve their decarbonis...

In this episode, Lee Waters, Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Climate Change, was interviewed by Jonathan Bray, Director of the Urban Transport Group. Their conversation focused on how Wales is taking bold steps around transport in response to climate change. Lee was open about the challenges facing the country, particularly around road user changing and its plans for a default 20mph speed lim...

In this episode, we looked at the potential of e-bikes in the city regions. Our panel discussed what's holding the UK back on e-bikes (compared to its neighbours in Europe), the potential climate and health benefits of e-bikes, and what more can be done to encourage people to 'try before they buy' and remove the scepticism around e-bikes.  Our guests were Olga Anapryenka, Principal Consultant at S...

In this episode, we discussed how children’s independence, health and mobility has been steadily eroded over decades of car dominance, with the central question of ‘how do we put children at the heart of transport planning?’ The conversation touched up how and why children’s mobility has changed over time, and the impact this had had on children’s lives; what does the data (or lack of) tell us abo...

In this episode, Jo Field (Founder and Chief Executive JFG Communications and President, Women in Transport) interviewed Andy Byford, Commissioner of Transport for London, about his experiences since stepping into one of the transport sector's biggest jobs in 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic.  Jo explored how Andy has sought to steer his Transport for London team of 27 thousand direct empl...

In this episode, we explored what has been behind Northern Ireland's transformation in public transport which, pre-pandemic, saw record passenger numbers on the network and - uniquely among the four nations of the UK -  growth in bus use. The conversation touched on the success of the Glider Bus Rapid Transit system, the modernised rail network and what the future holds for public transport in the...