The Urban Transport Group, the UK’s network of city region transport authorities, has today responded to the Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

Stephen Edwards, Chair of the Urban Transport Group and Executive Director of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, said:

“We welcome the transport commitments in the Government’s plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and as the transport authorities for the largest urban areas in the country we look forward to working with Government to achieving these goals.

“If we are to decarbonise urban vehicle fleets then it is vital that we are at the top table in determining the right strategies for achieving this. From bus depots to charging points, and from smart grids to public information campaigns, we won’t be able to electrify and decarbonise urban vehicle fleets efficiently and effectively without city region transport authorities and local authorities being at the heart of the transformation. In order to fulfil this role we have recently put in place a series of working groups to share experience and work collectively across the city regions on decarbonising buses, freight, public service vehicles as well as on the supporting infrastructure and energy supply.”

Jonathan Bray, Director at the Urban Transport Group, added:

“We also welcome the Government’s ongoing commitment to more journeys being made by bike or on foot, and as transport authorities we are working together to implement high quality schemes as rapidly as we can. Supporting expanded public transport networks should also be part of the picture too, so it’s important that longer term and devolved revenue support arrangements are put in place for integrated rail, bus and tram networks that allows those systems to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic in good shape and able to play their full part in meeting wider decarbonisation goals.”