Who runs transit in your city? In many places, this is a complicated answer that involves a mix of different levels of government, transit agencies, and departments of transportation. In London, the answer is slightly more straight-forward. Leon Daniels is former Managing Director, Surface Transport at Transport for London (TfL). In this episode, Leon tells the story of what happened after the London government took responsibility for its transportation program in 2000 back from the central government. This maneuver resulted in many aspects of transportation such as taxicab regulation and bus service planning to be brought under one roof. Since that reorganization, Londoners have benefitted from increased frequency and improved service on public transit routes. In turn, TfL has also been rewarded with historic shares of transit mode share over the years. Finally, Leon shares some lessons from his experience at TfL as US transit agencies like New York’s MTA undergo their own reorganizations.
“Cities are full of people who like to complain about they currently have, but don’t want the disruption about anything that they might have instead. And you just have to keep plugging away…and do what you think is right.” - Leon Daniels
Disclaimer: Political views raised by guests on the podcast do not reflect the views of TransitCenter.
You can read more about the trajectory of London and New York City transit for the past couple of decades here.
Click here to learn more about the recent TransitCenter event that Leon spoke at.
Music: “Comma” - Blue Dot Sessions
Hosted by Kapish Singla
Produced by TransitCenter
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