Speeches by Mayer.

“In my example, holding the bus for five minutes is genuinely a good thing; it is actively good, according to the whole suite of data. Further down the line, those benefits are good too, according to AI.”

“In our most recent evidence session, some witnesses suggested that there were several areas in which the strategy could be improved. One of those were clearer targets. You have talked already today about metrics and commitments, but not specifically about targets. Is there a reason why Better Connected does not have ta…”

“If you have given areas powers, tools and funding, does it not all just rely a bit too much on good will?”

“Is this strategy a one-off, or are you working on version 2? Is it going to last the test of time? What is the plan?”

“What would you do if you thought a local area was not delivering what the Government thought was a desired outcome?”

“Let us say that AI has said, “Look, the train is late. If only this bus would wait for five minutes, everything would be much better for the passengers.” It still involves someone having the ability and confidence to make that decision, and knowing that they are not going to get into trouble for making the decision, wh…”

“Some of the Department’s policies disincentivise integration. For example, the £3 bus cap encourages you to make one single journey by bus, not even changing to another bus, let alone a train. We also have a Bus Services Act that does not mention the railway at all, apart from rail replacement bus services. And we have…”

“When you have individual policies, will you be looking specifically to see whether they create a more integrated transport network?”

“Delivering good integration will rely on collaboration between Government, local authorities, transport operators, providers of infrastructure and services, and probably many more people. What role do you plan for your Department to have in supporting this collaboration and ensuring that it supports the ambitions set o…”

“This is really about integration and passengers. We had some evidence earlier on in the sessions. Fundamentally, if you are a passenger at a station, they sometimes hold the train because the one behind has been delayed for some reason or other. When we asked the bus company, “Is there ever an occasion where you might …”

“Page 39 of the report says that the college is hampered in its quest for reform by the constant attempts to try to reach consensus. In the light of that, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that the governance of the national police service will be fit for purpose?”

“In which case, should we not just move all your officers into a national scheme so that all this best practice could be shared, but you are on the ground?”

“Martin, please answer what we were just asking, and also, how should the Department ensure that the recommendations are practical for local highways authorities to implement?”

“Motorcyclists make up 1% of traffic but about one in five road deaths. Do you think that the strategy adequately addresses the infrastructure risks that they face and what can Project PRIME—Perceptual Rider Information for Maximising Expertise and Enjoyment—realistically achieve?”

“The strategy says that national targets are an effective way to achieve goals. Does it give enough guidance to the local authorities on what the effective implementation of safer road infrastructure actually looks like in practice?”

“You have told us about authorities that cannot or will not spend on improvements for road safety. You also said that there is money being spent on things that do not work. Is this an increasing problem because of the way that local government and devolution are working, or has it ever been thus?”

“Actually, when you end up with a mayor on top, the mayor then becomes the transport authority and the local councils are still the highways authority, so that would be a new problem.”

“Are you suggesting that, basically, that would be a national approach, so this must happen across the whole country?”

“The strategy will introduce a road safety investigation branch. Dan, in your written evidence you said that existing coalition data is useful, but actually, we want this to be a road safety investigation branch rather than an analysis branch. What powers do you think the body would need to be effective?”

“Do we need more pilots or should we just get on and roll it out?”