A message to the Transport Secretary... from Martina Juvara

Local Transport Today asked contributors and commentators what one thing they would advise new Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan to bear in mind when making decisions in her new role. Here's a message to Anne-Marie Trevelyan from Martina Juvara, masterplanning director, URBAN Silence

You need no more hints than the current energy, droughts and abnormal heatwaves to know that this is the time to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable way of life. We need a new pattern of living and working, and with it a new approach to mobility. Not just promoting electric cars in place of standard ones: we need to reverse the mindset of commuting that has dominated the development of the past 100 years and forced people in long daily journeys.

You need to champion a radical change in our built environment to promote local jobs and services that can be accessed on foot or bike. As a first step you need to order a complete review of how transport schemes are assessed and funded: a system that leaves no choice but building roads and giving enormous space to cars. This change is necessary and inevitable: it will be cheaper and more effective to start now. The technical expertise is all there – we need your political will.