Ministers are due to publish the long-awaited Integrated National Transport Strategy, now to be called a “Better Connected transport plan” on Thursday, it has emerged.
In a news story about ministers urging councils to sign up for the National Parking Platform (NPP) app, now run by the British Parking Association, the BBC reports:
On Thursday, the government will unveil its Better Connected transport plan, which aims to improve travel across the country.
This was confirmed by Danny Williams, who is both director for Integrated National Transport Strategy at the Department for Transport (DfT) and CEO at Active Travel England.
In a in a LinkedIn post referencing the story, he wrote:
On Thursday, the government will unveil its Better Connected transport plan [formerly known at Integrated National Transport Strategy], which aims to improve travel across the country.
Work on the strategy was launched in November 2024 by the then transport secretary, Louise Haigh, who was subsequently and perhaps consequently defenestrated by No 10 and replaced by the more car-friendly Heidi Alexander.
The BBC article appears to serve as an appetiser for the new plan and quotes Alexander as saying that the results of a trial of the NPP app prove “how much people value a simpler, more straightforward way to pay”.
Williams describes his work on the now downgraded strategy, as:
Developed and soon to publish disruptive national strategy that will make a tangible difference to people’s experience of transport, with an emphasis on empowering local decision-making, driving outcomes including a national public transport ticketing system, a new national approach to roads, alignment of transport and new housing, and opportunities including for EVs and Avs
Which is funny, because the BBC reports:
Ministers are now set to impose statutory guidance to accelerate take-up, with the aim of doubling the number of participating councils.
As the farce over the West Yorkshire Mass Transit shows, ministers only believe in empowering local decision-making when it provides the outcomes they want.
Transport Insights 
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