Does transport policy need a nudge?
In his latest article for Passenger Transport Magazine, Jonathan Bray asks if spending on transport programmes that focus on influencing the brains of travellers, rather than infrastructure can be effective.
Blog
Our blog offers commentary, analysis and insights on the latest urban transport debates from our team of experts, as well as our Director’s regular column for Passenger Transport magazine.
Frank Pick honoured at last
In his latest article for Passenger Transport Magazine, Jonathan Bray explains how Londoners are never too far from the physical manifestations of Frank Pick’s influence, and yet his legacy is underappreciated.
2016 in transport
2016 has been a rollercoaster year in politics, entertainment and sports. We’ve had a referendum, a change of government, and a US election, to name just a few things. For me, this has been my first year at UTG (I joined in May), I’ve learned so much and lots of interesting things have been going on. So, I’m going to try and wrap up the big things that have happened in transport into this post.
Tyne and Wear Metro: urban rail unleashed
In his latest article for Passenger Transport Magazine, Jonathan Bray explains how the Tyne and Wear Metro is the bone structure of that region's identity, economy and daily life - and how it's Britain's innovation railway too.
Capitalising on emerging data
Consumer technology has radically changed how people live their lives. Take the example of how people navigate the road network: in the space of a few short years, drivers went from purchasing printed maps annually, to replacing them with satnavs that needed to be updated regularly, to replacing satnavs with free apps on their phones that show traffic conditions in real-time and, increasingly, predict what conditions may be later on.
Transport and the pursuit of happiness
In his latest article for Passenger Transport Magazine, Jonathan Bray asks how our sector can play the health card, as public transport makes a huge contribution to the nation's health and wellbeing.
The place dimension of transport policy
Urban Transport Group is supporting Landor's Better Places conference on 24 November 2016. In an article for Local Transport Today magazine, Jonathan Bray says 'If we are going to make progress on the place dimension of transport policy, we need to work in a much more co-ordinated way across disciplines and across sectors. Transport needs to be considered along with placemaking, the urban realm and the local economy'.
Do not underestimate the potential impact of the bus services bill
If the Bus Services Bill delivers on its promises, then it will give local government the powers to make the best use of existing subsidies to give the public a far better service than they get now, writes Jonathan Bray, director of the Urban Transport Group.
What do we want from our cities: the role of active travel
Active travel, largely cycling and walking, has been rapidly going up the national policy agenda, with the current government committing to developing a Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). Central to this is doubling the level of cycling and halting the decline in walking trips by 2025. The CWIS sets out a bold ambition which will focus largely on urban areas if it is to be achieved.