Transport secretary Ruth Kelly’s decision to step down from the Government has received a mixed reaction in the transport industry.

Kelly, who was appointed transport secretary in June 2007, announced on Wednesday that she would leave her post at the next government reshuffle. In her resignation speech she also announced £25M for the Government’s Kickstart programme to provide new and improved bus services across Britain.

Stephen Joseph, executive director of Campaign for Better Transport, said her speech revealed ‘the inconsistency at the heart of government transport policy – Kelly supported Heathrow Airport’s expansion yet the third runway would undermine any carbon cuts made elsewhere’.

Rosemary Beales, director of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said Kelly’s approach ‘did not deliver the dialogue we had hoped for’.

But Brian Smith, president of the County Surveyors’ Society, said he was disappointed by her resignation. ‘I believe she is someone who started to engage with the industry. We now need someone who can get their head around difficult issues and feed them into the heart of government.’

Referring to the Local Transport Bill, Kelly said in her speech: ‘I am proud that from this autumn, councils will have new powers to plan bus routes, fares and frequencies across their borough.’

Kelly also oversaw the Government’s response to the Eddington transport study, approving £6bn for motorway expansion, and the latter stages of the Crossrail Bill.