Peter Hitchens questions transport orthodoxy as countdown begins to September debate with Rory Sutherland

Highways Voices continues its summer series of archive editions this week with a conversation that remains as thought-provoking today as when it was first recorded five years ago.

Journalist, author and Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens joins the podcast to challenge conventional thinking on transport policy, from electric scooters and electric vehicles to the UK's long-term reliance on the private car.

Originally recorded in 2021 as e-scooter trials were being introduced across Britain, the interview explores far more than the merits of the vehicles themselves. Mr Hitchens argues that transport policy has become too focused on road travel and questions whether technologies promoted as environmentally friendly always deliver the benefits claimed for them. He also discusses the future of public transport, walking and cycling, while setting out his vision for a transport system built around railways and trams rather than private cars.

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Throughout the discussion, Mr Hitchens questions the environmental credentials of battery-powered mobility, raises concerns about safety and enforcement surrounding e-scooters, and argues that policymakers should fundamentally rethink Britain's transport priorities. The interview offers a perspective that continues to resonate as many of the same issues remain at the centre of transport policy in 2026.

The episode follows last week's archive edition featuring advertising executive and behavioural scientist Rory Sutherland's keynote speech at the JCT Traffic Signals Symposium. Together, the two programmes provide a fascinating insight into how two of Britain's best-known commentators approach transport from very different angles – one through the lens of behavioural science, the other through politics, history and public policy.

They're also the perfect introduction to a special Highways Voices series coming in September, when both Peter Hitchens and Rory Sutherland return to debate many of the biggest questions facing transport today, offering contrasting perspectives on mobility, behaviour, public policy and how Britain should tackle the challenges of moving people and goods in the decades ahead.

Highways Voices is brought to you with our podcast partners the Transport Technology Forum, LCRIG, ITS UK and ADEPT.