Better Transport

Experience: I became Director of the Campaign for Better Transport in 1988, after working for a variety of voluntary and youth organisations. The last 20 years have had many highlights, including persuading the Treasury to cut the road-building programme in the 1990s. One of our busiest times was when we campaigned around the privatisation of the railways and against destructive road building in the early ’90s. And a more recent highlight was our Sardine Man campaign, which highlighted the overcrowded state of this country’s ‘sardine tin’ trains.

Why I work for the Campaign for Better Transport: People desperately need real travel choices. Our over-reliance on the car is ruining our towns and countryside, with town centres dying and acres of space being swallowed up by car parks.

Biggest transport gripe: The failure of authorities to put in place the simple measures that can greatly improve people’s travel choices. Cycle parking, for instance, is cheap and easy to install and can cut the number of journeys made by car, but it’s lacking in so many places.

Favourite means of transport: The train journey from London to Exeter is a real treat, passing through some of the country’s most beautiful scenery.