Secretary of State for Transport's vision for transport
The Secretary of State for Transport talks about her vision for a transport system that works for everyone.
Thank you, David, for that introduction.바카라 사이트�
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the National Railway Museum in York.聽
I바카라 사이트檓 tempted to say we바카라 사이트檙e in the country바카라 사이트檚 finest transport museum, but as a Swindon MP and a former Deputy Mayor for Transport in London, I feel I should tread carefully.
So welcome to ONE of the VERY BEST transport museums in the country!
It feels fitting for me to do my first big transport speech here.
The history of our transport network 바카라 사이트� the stories of the men and women who designed it, built it, operated and used it 바카라 사이트� are woven into the fabric of our communities in 21st century Britain.
And it바카라 사이트檚 you 바카라 사이트� the people in THIS room 바카라 사이트� who are adding to that rich tapestry every day.
You keep life moving.聽聽
You get children to school, commuters to work, and families to their holidays.聽聽
You move the goods that stock our shelves, fuel our industries, and keep businesses thriving.聽聽
You don바카라 사이트檛 just connect places 바카라 사이트� you connect people with the things that they need to get on in life.聽聽
And it바카라 사이트檚 in the spirit of connection that I바카라 사이트檇 like to tell you a story.聽聽聽
I hope you won바카라 사이트檛 be disappointed to learn that I haven바카라 사이트檛 invited you here for a big policy announcement or news headline, but rather to share a little bit about who I am and what I believe.
I want to tell you a story about the people and places who have shaped my thinking.
I grew up in Swindon.
A proud railway town on the M4 corridor 바카라 사이트� a place with much to be proud of.聽
It바카라 사이트檚 also a humble football town 바카라 사이트� and I can tell you, that as a Swindon Town supporter, I have learnt the lessons of humility all too well.
By fate and circumstance, that바카라 사이트檚 where my journey began.聽聽
Outside our semi detached house, I remember my dad바카라 사이트檚 first van parked up 바카라 사이트� 바카라 사이트楳alcolm Alexander Electrical Services바카라 사이트�.
I remember the first bike I was given 바카라 사이트� blue with a basket on the front 바카라 사이트� a bit like the blue crate I바카라 사이트檝e got on my bike now.
And I remember learning to drive around the town바카라 사이트檚 infamous Magic Roundabout.聽
And the car factories that punctuate the town바카라 사이트檚 history 바카라 사이트� Rover, Honda and now, BMW.
It바카라 사이트檚 fair to say that in 1980s Swindon, the car was king.바카라 사이트�
It still is.
The proliferation of out of town shopping centres, urban expansions and a minimal public transport network shaped the transport destiny of my town.
Now, I won바카라 사이트檛 pretend that urban planning preoccupied my teenage mind too much.聽
Back then, I was much more concerned about whether Wham! were going to make it to Number 1.聽
But when I moved away and got my first job, I began to see the bigger picture바카라 사이트β�
바카라 사이트� that a poor transport network will limit choices.바카라 사이트�
바카라 사이트� that it can block the aspirations of young people. 바카라 사이트�
And, most important of all, a good transport network can do precisely the opposite.聽
I was the first person in my family to go to university.聽
And like so many, I found work and opportunities in the capital.聽聽
And so it was, at the age of 29, I walked into Lewisham Town Hall as a newly elected councillor 바카라 사이트� becoming the cabinet member for regeneration just two years later.
I loved that job, and I fell in love with transport.聽聽
Now, I바카라 사이트檒l admit 바카라 사이트�
It wasn바카라 사이트檛 the language of highways management that enthralled me: 바카라 사이트淭here바카라 사이트檚 no such thing as a speed hump Cllr Alexander, only speed tables and speed cushions.바카라 사이트澛�
But it was the extension of the East London Line, the creation of new brownfield sites around major railway stations, the improvements to walking and cycling links that really got me hooked.
I learnt quickly that transport shapes a lot more than roads and railways.聽
And equally important, I learnt that it takes a lot of people to shape transport itself.聽聽
At Lewisham, I saw first-hand how transport investment could make a dramatic difference to people바카라 사이트檚 lives.聽聽
Take Brockley Railway Station.
For years, it was an uninspiring, inaccessible place.聽
Uninviting, a bit run down.聽聽聽
Not somewhere you바카라 사이트檇 instinctively love as you rocked up for your morning commute.聽聽
But working with local campaigners, we delivered step-free access, a stunning landscaped ramp and better connectivity along the London Overground.聽
Today, Brockley is thriving.聽
It바카라 사이트檚 a place where the old and the new coexist.聽
The Wetherspoons on the corner and fried chicken shops sit side-by-side with bakeries, breweries and a pedestrianised square.聽聽
It was a transport scheme that built a stronger, more connected community.聽
And, it was transport that made the difference down the road in Lewisham too.聽聽
We transformed it 바카라 사이트� relocating and improving a bus station, moving a roundabout, redesigning the roads, creating land for new homes, new public spaces and new opportunity.聽
And when I say 바카라 사이트渨e바카라 사이트�, I mean the hundreds of people from different organisations who made it happen 바카라 사이트� people like you.聽
When a few years later I became the Member of Parliament for Lewisham East, transport was always right at the top of the list of my constituents바카라 사이트� concerns.聽聽
The longer train station platforms that were worse than useless without the longer trains to stop at them.
The toxic air being pumped into homes around the South Circular.
And when I later became Deputy Mayor for Transport in London, I had the privilege of working on those concerns more closely than I had ever done before.聽聽
Look, London is big.聽
So yes, naturally, I바카라 사이트檓 proud of the big stuff:聽
Straining to keep the capital moving through Covid.聽
Working on the Elizabeth line to deliver the jewel in the crown of the UK바카라 사이트檚 rail network.聽
Sticking to my guns on the Silvertown Tunnel, a new river crossing that enables London바카라 사이트檚 red double-deckers to go under the Thames to the east of Tower Bridge for the first time.
But honestly, big doesn바카라 사이트檛 always mean beautiful.聽
Transport isn바카라 사이트檛 just about the price tag on the project.聽
It바카라 사이트檚 about delivering a better everyday experience 바카라 사이트� buses that come on time, accessible stations, well managed road works.聽
I바카라 사이트檓 just as proud of the smaller projects that made a big difference 바카라 사이트� many delivered in London by my good friend and then colleague Will Norman 바카라 사이트� segregated cycle lanes on Jamaica Road and Evelyn St, more secure cycle parking, slower speeds on roads with high KSIs, a direct vision scheme to improve visibility from the cabs of HGVs.
These were transport interventions which ultimately delivered better public health, as well as better public realm.
So when I moved back to Swindon a couple of years ago, I wasn바카라 사이트檛 just carrying a dream about becoming the MP for my home town.
I arrived with baggage 바카라 사이트� determined to deliver for Swindon in a similar way to London.聽
Not the same solutions 바카라 사이트� as every place is different, but to give people options and opportunity.
There isn바카라 사이트檛 something in the water that makes Swindonians love their cars more than Londoners.聽聽
Just a reality that public transport is better in London.聽聽
And I think it바카라 사이트檚 a failure of imagination, as much as a failure of policy, that young people in Swindon don바카라 사이트檛 have better options than I had decades ago.聽
Because change is possible.聽聽
Across the country 바카라 사이트� from Swindon to Shrewsbury,聽 Rotherham to Peterborough 바카라 사이트� we have underused transport assets.聽
Unloved railway buildings 바카라 사이트� land surplus to requirements or land that could be made so.聽
Neglected stations, like Brockley.聽聽
Potential that shouldn바카라 사이트檛 go to waste, but we know that, too often, it does.聽聽
And with vision, funding and collaboration, these could become hubs of regeneration, places that don바카라 사이트檛 just usher people through 바카라 사이트� but bring people together.聽
We talk about delivering 바카라 사이트淟ondon style바카라 사이트� transport to other places.聽聽聽
But I think we should talk more about 바카라 사이트淪windon style바카라 사이트� transport for Swindon, or 바카라 사이트淵ork style바카라 사이트� transport for York.聽
And I want to support the capability and capacity within councils and combined authorities to deliver regeneration, investment and tangible improvements.聽聽
We have great mayors.聽聽
We have great local leaders.聽聽
We have great organisations working nationally and regionally.聽聽
We have a lot of talent in this room and beyond.聽聽
So, the question for me, is how do we best harness that?聽聽
Obviously, this is a question that has vexed me particularly since I took a call from the Prime Minister at the tail end of November, asking me to serve as his Transport Secretary.聽聽
And as someone who has skin in the game as a local MP and a passion to build on the work started by the force of nature, Lou Haigh, I naturally said yes.聽聽
And here I am.聽聽
Full-circle in some ways, and trying to shape a new path in another.聽聽聽
And the task is to build a better decade for transport.聽
Towards a better railway바카라 사이트β�
Laying the foundations for reform 바카라 사이트� establishing Shadow Great British Railways and launching a consultation on the upcoming Railways Bill to unify track and train.聽
Towards public ownership바카라 사이트β�
Passing the Passenger Railway Services Act, with the first operators 바카라 사이트� Southwestern and c2c 바카라 사이트� moving into public hands in the coming months.聽
Towards better buses바카라 사이트β犅�
Introducing the Bus Services Bill, giving local authorities greater control over routes, timetables, and fares 바카라 사이트� backed by over 拢1 billion in investment to improve reliability and frequency.聽
Towards better roads바카라 사이트β�
Investing 拢1.6 billion in local highways, an uplift of 拢500 million on last year 바카라 사이트� enough to fill an extra 7 million potholes.聽
Towards fairer work바카라 사이트β�
Enshrining greater protections for seafarers in law.聽
Towards cleaner skies바카라 사이트β�
Introducing the Sustainable Aviation Fuel mandate and launching a consultation on the revenue certainty mechanism.聽
Towards a fossil-free future바카라 사이트β�
Supporting the installation of thousands of new EV charge points바카라 사이트攈elping to drive record electric car sales, with 31% of new cars sold in December last year being electric.聽
And towards a transport system that supports the aspirations of everyone in this country바카라 사이트β�
It바카라 사이트檚 why I am so proud to work with the ministerial team at the Department for Transport.
Like me 바카라 사이트� and like all of us 바카라 사이트� they바카라 사이트檝e seen the difference that good services make바카라 사이트β�
바카라 사이트hether it바카라 사이트檚 the tap-and-go trams and buses in Mike Kane바카라 사이트檚 patch, with fares capped at 拢2 on Greater Manchester바카라 사이트檚 Bee Network.聽
바카라 사이트r in Simon Lightwood바카라 사이트檚 patch, where the mass transit system will improve integrated travel options in West Yorkshire, improving access to opportunities for people in Leeds and Bradford.
바카라 사이트r, in Nottingham, where one of the local bus operators, Nottingham City Transport, has been voted UK operator of the year a record six times, with passenger satisfaction amongst the highest in the country.聽I hear Lilian Greenwood is a pretty good local MP too 바카라 사이트�
And as for Peter Hendy, who is his own walking museum of transport knowledge, he has a phrase that I would like to steal.聽聽
He talks about transport needing to be 바카라 사이트渂oringly reliable바카라 사이트�.
And he바카라 사이트檚 right.聽聽
If public transport options are boringly reliable, then it means day-to-day life is easier for everyone.聽
So, by 2035, I want public transport to play a greater role in national life, becoming the easiest, most attractive choice바카라 사이트� brilliantly and boringly reliable.聽聽
Enrique Pe帽alosa, a former mayor of Bogot谩, once said:
바카라 사이트淎n advanced city is not one where the poor have to own a car, but one where the rich choose to use public transport.바카라 사이트澛�
That바카라 사이트檚 a vision I believe in.聽聽
But I can picture the headlines now 바카라 사이트� so let me counter the column inches before they emerge: there is no such thing as a war on motorists.聽聽
I drive. I own a car and I love it 바카라 사이트� a racing green Mini Cooper convertible.
I walk. I cycle.聽聽
I take buses, trains, and taxis.聽聽
And I바카라 사이트檒l bet most of you do too.聽聽
No serious person is proposing to ask people like my dad, a self employed electrician, to swap their van for a bus, forcing them to lug all their kit around 바카라 사이트� I certainly am not.바카라 사이트犅�
Through his career, my dad was a professional problem solver, and I hope I바카라 사이트檒l carry the torch for that family tradition.바카라 사이트犅�
But I바카라 사이트檒l be focussing on solving the real problems, not wasting time on the invented ones.바카라 사이트犅�
Because I바카라 사이트檓 sure everybody in this room would agree that where you live shouldn바카라 사이트檛 determine what you can achieve바카라 사이트β犅�
바카라 사이트hat your hometown, no matter how big or how small, should provide the transport options to meet your aspirations바카라 사이트β�
바카라 사이트� and that 바카라 사이트� if transport doesn바카라 사이트檛 nurture young people with the opportunities they deserve, then our entire economy misses out on the talent it needs to grow.聽
That바카라 사이트檚 why we바카라 사이트檙e here today.聽
To have the conversations that bring us closer together.聽聽
I want to harness your talents, your expertise and your drive to solve real problems.聽聽
Because, no matter where people are travelling to, they should be proud of where they바카라 사이트檙e coming from.聽
Thank you, and have a lovely evening.