Does England need a national transport strategy?

The Conservative Party’s 2019 manifesto promised an ambitious plan for connecting towns and cities by road and rail and supporting electric vehicles, cycling and walking. But what evidence will the government use to shape its transport strategy and how can it ensure the system is customer-focused? How has England’s transport network held up under the dual pressures of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic? And how can a transport strategy support net zero goals? Following recent research from the Institute for Government and the Gatsby Foundation, which analysed the use of evidence in transport policy in the UK and compared it to four other countries, the IfG was delighted to bring together an expert panel to discuss whether England needs a single transport strategy, the challenges involved in putting such a strategy in place, and how the system can be resilient to shocks and crises whilst reducing carbon emissions and keeping the focus on user experience. On our panel to discuss these issues were: Lord Adonis, former Secretary of State for Transport Sue Kershaw, Managing Director for Transportation at Costain and APM President Bridget Rosewell CBE, Commissioner on the National Infrastructure Commission Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive at Transport for the North The event was chaired by Alex Thomas, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. We would like to thank Costain for kindly supporting this event.