Reports:
10 Year Transport Plan - second assessment report
Chapter Four: Conclusions
The review of the 10 Year Plan is an opportunity
to look afresh at the use we make of our transport
corridors, to consider the role transport policy (relating
to both supply and demand) needs to play in
facilitating the society we want; to look for the right
balance between the needs for movement, the needs
for enhancing our quality of life and for environmental
protection; and to consider which modes (and their
interactions) are best placed to deliver the diverse
needs for movement. Getting this wider context in
focus is a prerequisite of delivering the objectives
of the Integrated Transport White Paper.
In summary
CfIT view: focusing on tackling bottlenecks and
reducing congestion, without sufficient emphasis
on measures to reduce car dependency would work
against the long-term aims and objectives for an
integrated sustainable transport by facilitating more
dispersed trip patterns.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
Is current policy implementation consistent with the Integrated Transport White Paper?
CfIT view: it is vital that the social inclusion aspects
of transport policy, specifically the provision of
alternatives to the car and access to key services are
addressed explicitly as the plan is rolled forward.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
How does the Government strike the right balance
between improving quality of life for everyone and
meeting people's need or desire to travel?
CfIT view: the key underlying principle is to aim to
reduce the traffic intensity of economic growth,
allowing economic activity to flourish while minimising
the attendant growth in traffic. Coupled with measures
to improve access to key services and better coordination
between land use and transport planning
to support integration, this will be the key to
achieving sustainable economic growth. This should
include full consideration of the role of properly
integrated demand management measures to retain
the service level improvements associated with any
new road capacity over the medium to long term.
A necessary precursor to the possible introduction
of nationwide congestion charging after 2010 is a
fundamental review of how motorists pay to use the
road network, aimed at focusing more effectively on
payment at the point of use, as an essential starting
point in balancing supply and demand.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
Is the Government committed to the use of effective
demand management measures (including road
pricing)? If so, how are these to be co-ordinated with
capacity improvements in the transport network, to
maintain the benefits into the longer term?
CfIT view: more public subsidy is needed to support
the bus industry, targeted to best relieve congestion
and to counter social exclusion. This should be focused
on improving access to key services and reducing
fares to the full range of socially excluded groups.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
How will the transport barriers to social inclusion
(particularly the growing differential between private
and public transport costs) be overcome?
CfIT view: to sustain the benefits of improved engine
efficiency and better fuel consumption over the long
term, the existing focus on technological improvements
needs to be supplemented with measures to address
traffic growth, particularly in the most congested
and polluted areas. Without these measures, there is
a danger that the benefits associated with improved
efficiency will be negated by traffic growth.
There also needs to be a greater emphasis on reducing
CO2 emissions from lorries and buses, in particular LGVs,
which are not covered by existing voluntary agreements.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
Will improvements in vehicle and fuel technology
alone deliver the more challenging carbon targets set
out in the Government's Energy White Paper or will
measures be needed to reduce traffic, especially at
the local level?
CfIT view: the review of the 10 Year Plan provides an
opportunity to re-examine local transport funding
mechanisms to ensure that they allow local authorities
to plan and deliver sustainable programmes of work.
Appropriate incentives are needed to ensure that
authorities place the same importance on transport
as an area of expenditure as the Government, by
rewarding those that set (and meet) stretching targets.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
How will the Government ensure that money
provided to local authorities for transport contributes
towards meeting national targets?
CfIT view: It is vital that cost escalation in the rail industry is
brought under control and that the public receives
good value for money on rail investment. However,
there are areas of the transport market where rail has
the advantage over other modes and a bright future
for rail. In planning for the longer term, the policy
focus should be concentrated in these areas.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
How do we get the best from the rail network?
CfIT view: the creation of DETR was positive in
terms of the integration of transport, planning and
land use and was integral to the development of the
ITWP and delivery of its objectives. Since the break
up of DETR, a key component in the ability of
Government to join up its policies has been lost,
and there is a danger that individual departments
may become less co-ordinated. In order to address
this, CfIT recommends a review of the current
departmental Public Service Agreement (PSA)
targets, to ensure they are sufficiently widely based
to deliver cross-cutting objectives.
A strong role for regional transport planning is
essential to bridge the gap between the national
strategic planning and delivery at the local level.
Challenge for the 10 Year Plan review
Are the existing Departmental arrangements and
PSA targets effective in ensuring that transport plays
its role in delivering the Government's cross-cutting
objectives? Are there lessons on regional structures
and functions to be learnt from Europe in delivering
integrated transport at the regional/local level?
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