Dear Reader

THE sorry fate of former Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan reminds me of footballers who are brought on as subs in the 89th minute. They appear bouncy and ready to make a vital contribution, when everyone knows they’ll be heading back to the dressing room before even kicking the ball.

Except we didn’t quite know Trevelyan would have such little time on the bumpy pitch that has become travel in all its guises. The poor woman must have only just unpacked her crayons before being told: ‘Thank you but no thank you.’

So in comes Mark Harper, the third transport secretary in less than two months, making the highly original point that ‘transport affects us all’ and how he ‘can’t wait to tackle the challenges we face’.

I bet he can’t wait to tackle — even from the sidelines — the striking RMT union. And trying to sort out the battles at Heathrow, pictured, should be lots of fun as the airport and BA continue to justify their respective positions. Certainly, a repeat of the August chaos is unthinkable. Car and

lorry users, meanwhile, would love it if, finally, we had a transport chief determined to end the British tradition of monthson-end road closures, complete with battalions of cones standing guard, when no work is being done.

The deadly fiasco of smart motorways also needs addressing with a firm commitment to scrap them — as promised by Rishi Sunak during the Tory leadership race this summer.

The encouraging news is that Harper chaired the Covid Recovery Group of Tory MPs,

which pushed the Government to lift lockdown restrictions sooner rather than later.

Let’s hope he engages wholeheartedly with the travel industry, which means listening, fighting its corner and recognising what a vital contribution it makes to the economy.