Transport mobility at our London City Hall forum
We are delighted that Milton Keynes Council's Head of Transport, Steve Hayes, will be joining our discussions at our London City Hall forum this June. Milton Keynes is the UK's fastest growing city and a leading hub for transport innovation.
Steve is directing an innovative department which is leading the debate on mobility in cities and is ensuring that Milton Keynes' transport infrastructure can accommodate super-growth. He is working with the private sector to support transport innovation, including Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, transport electrification and 'demand responsive' solutions.
Improved national connectivity is fundamental to support the growth of Milton Keynes, so maintaining strong relations with Highways England and Network Rail has been essential as plans develop for the Oxford - MK - Cambridge Expressway, East West Rail and ensuring the city benefits from HS2.
Steve joins the Delivery Director of the Infrastructure Projects Authority, Stephen Dance, and the Head of Policy, Katie Black from the National Infrastructure Commission - which has just released guidance to ministers to ban the sale of new diesel HGV lorries by 2040 and challenged the government to ensure that its National Infrastructure Strategy, due to be announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer this autumn, is sufficiently ambitious.
In other moves, Milton Keynes Council is collecting data through a technology parking contract to understand which drivers are using the 21,000 available car parking spaces and the pattern of their journeys in and out of the city. Smart ticketing on buses is being pioneered to allow for joined up mobility in the city and over the summer 30 electric minibuses will be available to passengers. Testing is being carried out on a variety of self-drive cars.
Milton Keynes Council has been working with the big car manufacturers in the Midlands, such as Mercedes and Ford, to increase its knowledge and information on drivers' habits and behaviours.
Steve has worked at the council for two years, his role including the development and delivery of the city's transport strategy and policies, management and regulation of parking and taxis and promotion of sustainable transport services through fostering strong partnerships and innovation with stakeholders.
Before joining Milton Keynes Council, Steve worked as Network Development and Delivery Manager for the West Midlands Combined Authority and at Centro (now Transport for West Midlands) as Network Support and Partnerships Manager. His work on bus travel, smart ticketing and infrastructure, culminated in the award wining West Midlands Bus Alliance (National Transport Awards 2016). During his time as a Senior Transport Planner for Oxfordshire County Council, he successfully made the case for an £80 million funding from public and private sources to upgrade ring-road junctions and increase rail capacity.