The Freewheeling Podcast

• Bike Sharing with Caroline Seton

  Caroline Seton is the co-founder of the London bike share firm Forest.They’re in unambiguous second place to Lime, the great global bicycle behemoth - but, famously, being second makes a firm try harder.In today’s episode, we talk about the challenges of being a shared mobility firm in a municipal environment, the realities of whether cities actually want sustainable transport and the changes she would make to transport policy.Above all - more bike parking and less car parking please!

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• BUDGET SPECIAL with Sir Michael Holden

  The Budget has finally been unveiled.But what does it mean for transport?In this week’s episode, I review the budget with Sir Michael Holden, former Chairman of Directly Operated Railways.We discuss the impact on railway economics (and whether there’s money for the fares freeze), whether the fuel duty increases will actually happen, the Government’s commitment to capital investment and - above all - the need for an overarching strategy.

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• The National Bus Strategy Four Years On, with Leon Daniels

  The world’s moving faster than ever, and policy changes with dizzying pace.It was only in 2021 that the Conservatives issued the most pro-bus policy document probably ever published by a British Government.The National Bus Strategy was something of a marvel for those of us who want to see better public transport.It promised a vision of bus lanes in every town, coordinated networks and exceptional quality - all backed up by billions of pounds of new investment.Today, Leon Daniels and I look back in time to publication day and review how it’s gone since then.

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• The North-South Divide with Tom Forth

  Data City Founder Tom Forth has been told some extraordinary reasons why the North underperforms the South.Including that it’s down to Northerners being stupid. Or drunk. He’s even read academic papers outlining these theories.In a fascinating episode of the podcast, we get into a discussion on the real reasons. They go back a thousand years but transport and our hyper-centralised way of making decisions are right at the heart of it.I really hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.

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• Feast-Famine Electrification with Noel Dolphin

  Why does electrification in the UK cost so much more than in the rest of Europe?And why does it always seem to go wrong?In today’s episode, I talk to Managing Director (UK) of Furrer+Frey, the leading Swiss engineering company.We delve into the root cause of the problem: the way HM Treasury makes funding decisions, which results in a feast-famine environment in which teams are trained, mobilised, demobilised and the skills lost. Repeatedly.We also discuss whether it’s going to get any better…

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