CONTENTS

politics first | Corridors
Delivering for everyday transport
users is my ultimate objective
Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport and Conservative MP
for Epsom and Ewell
54
“
I want to retain a sharp focus
on those to whom I am ultimately
accountable – the everyday
transport user
“
It is a decision we must get right, but also
one we must take quickly.
Discussion about big transport schemes
often invokes the opinions of businesses and
representative groups, including transport
organisations themselves. That is entirely
appropriate – businesses, for example, along
with their employees and customers, are
often immediate beneficiaries of investment.
But I want to retain a sharp focus on those
to whom I am ultimately accountable – the
everyday transport user. The commuter
catching his or her daily train to work; the
motorist who wants to avoid congestion; the
truck driver moving freight for a living; or the
retired person taking the bus to the high street
or to visit friends. My test for any transport
system will be whether it serves those people
effectively. And where I make changes, I will
always seek to act in their interest.
Of course, I am also conscious that new
transport projects can be controversial. It is
right that there is debate about where and
when new investment takes place. People
affected by development near their homes
deserve to be heard, and, if appropriate,
properly compensated.
But we must not imagine that decisions
about transport can be deferred forever, or
that the best location for new infrastructure
is always just over the horizon. The pressures
we face on our roads and railways, with traffic
and passengers at record levels and set to
increase still further, mean that action is
needed. The sooner we act, the sooner we
will reap the benefits.
So it is an exciting time to be starting my
new role in. My task is to build a transport
network fit for the twenty-first century – one
that supports a growing economy, a strong
society, and that delivers for transport
users. It is a task I will carry out with great
enthusiasm, ambition, and confidence in our
ability to get the job done.