The new chair of the Urban Transport Group has welcomed the Tees Valley Combined Authority as a new associate member and is looking to expand the group further.
Tobyn Hughes, managing director of transport operations for the North East Combined Authority, has taken over as chair of the group, formerly pteg, which represents Britain's largest urban areas.
He succeeds Dr Jon Lamonte, chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester, after his two-year term.
Mr Hughes said: ‘The priority for my term as chair will be to consolidate the role of the Urban Transport Group as the voice of UK urban transport. An organisation which makes the case for urban transport, which provides thought leadership for the sector and which as a professional network learns from each other whilst saving money for its members through co-procurement.’
Mr Hughes said he was very pleased that the Tees Valley Combined Authority had joined the group as an associate member and said it ‘has much to offer that we can learn from – for example on freight, given the rapid expansion of Teesport and the strengths of the local industrial economy’.
He added: ‘We now have seven full members and four associate members which between them serve around 24.5 million people. We are always open to dialogue with colleagues in other local transport authorities, which have a significant urban dimension, about the benefits of becoming part of our influential and growing network.’
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