• The Big Intro
• Who's Listening?
• A - Z of Transport
• Fuel for Thought
• More Resources
• Transport Quiz

Who's Listening?

Stephen Hammond MP

Stephen is the Conservatives Shadow Transport Minister and will be debating transport issues with you in the forum. He has this message for you and some questions to think about before the forum starts:

"In my role as Shadow Transport Minister, hearing the views of the people who use our transport system is an essential part of my work. Whether you take the bus to school, cycle to the shops, or fly across the world, you have the right to expect a safe, reliable and affordable service. That is why I am keen to hear your views on what can be done better.
 
There are a number of issues I would be interested to hear about. For example, I personally think the case for expanding Heathrow Airport is very weak on both environmental and economic grounds – do you agree? I think we need to replace internal flights with a network of high speed trains – what do you think?

Do you believe the Government should discriminate against drivers? Clearly cars are the major cause of congestion and carbon emissions on our roads, but for some people the car is an essential means of getting about. How can we encourage more people onto public transport without motorists feeling they are being forced off the roads?

I am also interested to hear your views on improving local bus services, the provision of cycle lanes and facilities for cyclists, what can be done to make our trains better, and anything else related to transport.

I would encourage people to contribute to this exercise and I look forward to reading your submissions."

Norman Baker MP

Norman is the Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and he's looking forward to  debating with you in the forum.

"I am pleased to support the HeadsUp online forum on the future of transport. This forum is a great opportunity to hear your views on how transport services are working both nationally and in your area, and develop ideas about how they can be improved.

As transport spokesman for the Lib Dems, I am very keen to learn your views on what kind of transport system we want and how best we can deliver it. Is it really sensible to build a third runway at Heathrow? If, like me, you believe that it isn’t, what should we propose instead? What is good – and bad – about transport services in your area? What steps would you take to improve them?

And how should we tackle climate change within the transport network? We have the challenge of creating a transport system that allows people to travel freely and easily, but which is also sustainable and genuinely green. I’m sure many of you have opinions on how we can do that.

This initiative presents you with the opportunity to make a real contribution to the debate on the development of the British transport system. I’m looking forward to a lively and stimulating debate, and I’d like to encourage all of you to get involved."

Louise Ellman MP

Louise is the Chair of the Transport Select Committee in the House of Commons and she had this message for HeadsUp users:

"I am delighted that HeadsUp is providing a forum to engage young people in debate about issues that are important to them.

This is an important way of developing skills and bringing about change.

All the themes proposed for debate are important. Transport, for example, affects us all. What is the right age to learn to drive? What can we do to prevent the high deaths and accident rates of new, young drivers? How can public transport be improved? Should there be more concessionary fares for young people?

The website will encourage interaction between young people and legislation in parliament.

I urge everyone to make use of this opportunity to influence the situation.

It is part of democracy!

Paul Rowen MP

Paul used to be the Shadow Transport Minister for the Liberal Democrats and is the Chair of the Light Rail group in Parliament. He sent us this message before the forum starts:

"I'm delighted that the latest HeadsUp forum is on "Transport ... have the wheels come off? I know from my former role as a Deputy Head Teacher at a large Secondary School that young people feel very strongly about the need for safe, clean and  reliable public transport not just to school or college but also to get into town or visit friends. Young people feel more sharply some of the major issues that will confront us in the short to long term. Issues like extending Heathrow Airport, tackling climate change and adapting our transport system as the oil runs out. What is the mix of public and private modes of transport that is economic and substainable? We've seen an unparalleled investment in public transport in the last ten years yet paradoxically our trains are even more crowded. How do we tackle these issues at a price people can afford? Is there a role for trams in our cities and what do we need to do to join up our transport planning?
I look forward to a lively debate on these issues."

Lord Faulkner of Worcester

Lord Faulkner of Worcester is a Vice President of the Campaign for Better Transport, treasurer of the parliamentary all-party railways group, and the founder and chair of the all-party sustainable aviation group. Here is his message for you:

"Congratulations to HeadsUp on this really important initiative.  There is no more important political issue for young people than climate change - it is they who will be inheriting our planet and we all have a responsibility to ensure that the growing threat to our environment is countered. 

You are right to debate the contribution that sensible transport policies can make to improving our chances of survival.  My position on the issues you are considering is pretty well known: all my adult life I have campaigned for the railway's potential to be recognised and we are now within sight of a cross-party consensus which will commit to the construction of a new high-speed railway and for a substantial programme of electrification.  I am opposed to airport expansion in the south of England, especially the third runway at Heathrow, as I believe that this a discredited relic of the old "predict and provide" approach to civil aviation. We have got to recognise air travel's growing and damaging effects on CO2 emissions, and be willing to curb its growth."
 

Robert Gifford

Robert is the Executive Director of PACTS, an organisation that works with Parliament to make transport safer. This is what he had to say about transport safety:

"Transport is an important part of our everyday lives. It is the means by which we get to school, leisure or work. It matters enormously that it functions smoothly and cheaply.

Yet we seem to take it for granted, perhaps because it is the means to an end and not the end in itself.

It also matters that it runs safely. All of us know someone killed or injured in a road crash. And in the teenage years, road deaths are the biggest single source of accidental deaths for youngster, especially boys! So, society has a moral responsibility to make our roads safer.

In addition, we also know that transport contributes significantly to climate change. To what extent are we prepared to change our behaviour – do I really need to fly to Spain for the weekend? – to help save the generations to come? Should we be encouraging more people to walk or cycle, encouraging healthy behaviours and creating an environment in which people feel safer?

For politicians, transport is a difficult subject since changes take a long time to achieve, often beyond the life as an elected member. Yet the decisions taken affect all of us for years to come. Barbara Castle’s commitment to the seatbelt legislation in 1967 has saved thousands of lives: how many other MPs can claim as much?"

Alistair Goulding

Alistair is Project Officer at Sustrans, a charity that encourages people to use more sustainable methods of transport, particularly on the school run. He's really looking forward to debating with you in the forum and has this message for HeadsUp users:

"The Headsup debates are a great way for young people to engage with politicians and contribute their ideas and vision for the world. We know that the environment is an important issue for young people. 85% of them believe that climate change is affecting their lives.

Today’s young people are our future and so it is important that sustainable travel is encouraged in schools and colleges.  The school run is responsible for around a fifth of all cars on the road during the morning rush-hour. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted a year, from a typical school journey of 2.5 miles each way in a family car is around 1,400kg… and CO2 is the main contributor to climate change.

We need to ensure that healthy, environmentally-friendly travel to and from school becomes the norm, benefitting everyone for years to come and influencing life long behaviour. A recent survey of 11,000 pupils at 52 schools by Sustrans showed that nearly half expressed a desire to cycle to school, but nationally only about 2% do.

Walking or cycling to school can reduce risk of heart disease, obesity, stroke, diabetes and osteoporosis when you are older. Being physically active can improve how you perform academically in school too… and over the years, walking and cycling could save you thousands of pounds!

So what stops young people from walking and cycling to school? How would you like to see people getting around in your community? What is your vision for the future? We’d love to hear your views…"

Jim Boyd

Jim works for the Go-Ahead group that provides many of the train and bus services we all use. He's interested in hearing your thoughts about your public services and had this message for you:

“As one of the leading providers of public transport services in the UK we are delighted to support the Heads Up initiative.  It is very unlikely that you will have heard of us as a company – although you may well have heard of our many local companies like Southern railways, Oxford Bus Company, Brighton & Hove Bus Company and Meteor Meet and Greet – to name a very few. This is because we believe that public transport is best delivered at a local level and we believe that the decisions which affect our passengers should be made by empowered local managers who can make a difference to their services. Accordingly it is important that they know their local companies very well – as opposed to the Go-Ahead Group.

I would very much welcome your views on the key topics being raised and particularly, the Environment which is very important to us. We believe that Climate Change is the most pressing issue facing our generation. Buses and trains produce significantly less emissions per passenger journey than the equivalent journey by private car. As a public transport operator we have a responsibility to operate our services in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner, while at the same time ensuring we deliver high quality services that provide an attractive alternative to car travel.

As we can only grow our business if we provide the services that you as a passenger need your feedback and views are very important to us. We would love to hear your views.”

Conor Murphy MP, MLA

Conor is an MP in the Westminster Parliament and Minister for Regional Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly. He has this message for you:

"The Heads Up forum allows young people to express their views on key issues.  As Minister for Regional Development in the north of Ireland I am happy to support this forum discussing transport issues.

We need efficient transport arrangements to meet our economic needs in moving goods and services.  We need effective transport arrangements to enable people to travel to work and to leisure and to be connected to the wider community, ensuring social inclusion.  But we need those transport arrangements to be sustainable, in a way that protects the environment for future generations.  We must make the right decisions about transport which get the balance right in economic, social and environmental terms.

I am a firm supporter of sustainable forms of travel – walking, cycling and using public transport.  Those are the ways most of you travel when you are at school.  So I am particularly interested to hear your views on why travel habits change as you get older.  Is it still the case that the aim of many young people is to have their own car as soon as possible?  If so, why?

You will have views on this and on many other important issues related to transport.  I look forward to hearing them."

David Taylor MP

David is a member of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Select Committee and is looking forward to discussing the issues with you. He had this message for you:

"The Heads Up series of debates offer young people the chance to express their views on the important local and national issues of our time, whether in debate or simply to register an opinion and I am proud to be taking part in this politically positive forum.

All MPs are regularly contacted by professional lobby firms who request to meet to discuss policy matters on behalf of their paying customers – usually a large company or charity who want to influence government policy. The opposite of this legal but often dubious practice are movements on specific issues that start from discussion in people’s homes and on the internet. The campaign against climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest of these movements today.

We can travel further and faster than we’ve ever been able to. But this expansion of personal horizons comes with an environmental cost that could affect everyone. This is why any discussion of climate change must include transport, and why climate campaigners have focused on aviation as the prime example of unsustainable growth – Heathrow is the tip of the iceberg."

John Leech MP

John is the Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson and member of the Select Committee on Transport.Here is his statement for HeadsUp users:

"I really hope that as many people as possible take part in this debate and have the opportunity to air their views on transport and the environment.

Issues like the expansion of Heathrow airport and the implications for climate change have really mobilised people into protesting and taking action. I’m looking forward to hearing how you think the government should be tackling these problems and what you think could be done to halt environmental damage for the future.

Transport is one of my main parliamentary interests. I’d like to know what you think about public transport in your area. Is it too expensive? Is it safe? What can be done to encourage people to take buses or trains instead of using their cars?

I would like to see a ‘Future Transport Fund’, in part created from extra taxes on domestic flights, to help build faster, cleaner and cheaper rail links between the north and south of the country. I think we need to make travelling by train less expensive and more efficient than flying. How do you think the rail networks could be improved? What has been your experience of travelling by train?

These are all really important questions, as reducing the carbon emissions created by transport has got to be one of the government’s main priorities for the next few years. I hope to answer as many of your questions as I can over the course of this debate, and I think it will be really interesting to find out how you feel about this vital subject.”

Mark Lazarowicz MP

Mark is a Member of the Environmental Audit Committee in the House of Commons. He's looking forward to hearing your views.

"I am delighted to be asked to take part in the Heads Up debate and I am very keen to hear your views on transport and the environment. 27% of all our carbon emissions come from the transport sector so if we are serious in tackling climate change we all need to be more aware of the effect on the environment of the way that we travel.

For instance, the last few years have seen a rapid growth in air travel, especially for journeys within the UK. People often say that they would prefer to travel by train rather than take a plane but are sometimes swayed by the costs.  I travel every week between Edinburgh and London.
Sometimes the trains are very busy but at other times I see empty seats on the East Coast Line which could be filled if prices were reduced closer to departure when trains were not fully booked. I would be interested in any other ideas you might have to encourage people to take the train rather than flying.

At Westminster, I sit on the Environmental Audit Committee which examines Government policies in this area.  One issue that we have looked at is the exemption of jet fuel for planes from taxation under international agreement. In contrast, diesel for railways is taxed even though at a reduced rate.

In my own constituency in Edinburgh North and Leith I have just begun a campaign against cutbacks in local buses and to lobby the City Council to provide subsidies to maintain routes. Subsidies for transport both locally and nationally are another area where I would like to have your ideas.

One of the aims of my campaign is to get people involved in a debate on their local bus services. We won't have a transport system which helps to reduce climate change rather than increase it unless we can make our voices heard by local and national Government. This Heads Up debate is an ideal way to do just that and I am really looking forward to hear what you have to say."

Lord Soley of Hammersmith

Lord Soley is the Campaign Director of Future Heathrow, a coalition of organisations that are campaigning for the third runway at Heathrow to go ahead. He had this message for HeadsUp users about the third runway:

"It is vital that Heathrow retains its position as a premier hub airport. It can only do this if it is allowed to expand. Delays at Heathrow are frequently caused by lack of runway space. Other airports can clear the backlog of flights that build up as a result of bad weather or other serious incidents by increasing the number of flights taking off and landing. With 99% of its current runway capacity fully used Heathrow cannot do this.
 
It should be a matter of concern for all of us that the number of destinations served from Heathrow has been in decline. Other competing airports in Europe and elsewhere are expanding to provide that extra capacity and they are doing so by creating intermodal transport hubs. We are the only major country that is not yet doing so. It is time to catch up and if we don't the consequences for the British economy and particularly the economy of west London and the Thames Valley will be serious.

There are over 70,000 jobs on Heathrow and another 100,000 dependent on it remaining a premier hub airport. Are we really prepared to put jobs and prosperity at risk by allowing Heathrow to continue to decline? I believe the people in the 12 local authority areas around Heathrow are aware of this threat. The recent Populus poll showed over 50% in favour of expansion and this was echoed by the Evening Standard poll and the BBC online poll.

Because climate change is a very real problem we need a planned response - not a panic response. Moving flights to competing airports elsewhere in Europe does nothing to reduce climate change. Expansion will avoid the stacking of aircraft waiting for a space to land and as the drive to reduce emissions continues the already greatly improved environmental performance of aircraft will improve further. Neglecting the infrastructure of the British economy is  not a serious option in the fight against climate change."