We are asking authorities whether they want to volunteer to provide an English site for the demonstration and work with us and our colleagues in Scotland who are taking a similar initiative. We also want industry to start thinking of their involvement in the programme and we will be seeking expressions of interest from consortia wishing to supply the systems for the demonstrations and to make the relevant bids. This is a practical example of the applicability of research and demonstration in British conditions of an idea that has been researched and developed elsewhere. As well as research on the roads we will, as I say, be starting new, off-road work to look into matters such as the behavioural responses, fraud and security, health and safety, ergonomics and the integration of road user charging technology with other aspects of transport systems. The third Session will look at the research needs to support the delivery of sustainable transport.
Sustainability is a much used word.
We all have a slightly different understanding of what it means. My own interpretation of the word sustainable at a simple level is lasting, capable of lasting. Or at a higher level it means a system that is not brought down or brought to a halt by its inherent contradictions. However we define it, we have to recognise that delivering sustainable transport means that we have to understand the economic and the social dimensions to transport and the environmental dimensions of the work that we undertake and the transport systems we put into place. The transport system in our country makes a vital contribution to the success of the economy at a local, national and international level.