Minister declares end to transport 'culture wars', pledges unified road safety approach

1 day ago7 min read

Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood has declared an end to the era of 'transport culture wars', criticising the previous government's strategy for heightening tensions and compromising road safety. In a significant policy shift, she condemned the past approach of framing debates as a 'war on motorists' while promoting cycling, which she said created confusing and adversarial divisions among road users.Greenwood, whose ministerial brief includes road safety and active travel, pledged a new, unified system designed for all. She emphasised that most people are multimodal—driving, cycling, and walking at different times—and that governing by dividing these identities is both pointless and dangerous, fostering resentment on congested roads.This political pivot aims to depoliticise road safety, treating it as a matter of public health and practical engineering rather than electoral battleground. The challenge ahead will be to translate this rhetoric into funding and infrastructure that genuinely balance the needs of all users, overcoming entrenched narratives and designing streets that safely accommodate diverse travel modes. Greenwood's statement signals a campaign not against any group, but for a safer, more coherent transport policy grounded in common sense and collective safety.

#lead focus news

#transport policy

#road safety

#cycling

#culture wars

#Department for Transport

#Lilian Greenwood

#Conservative Party