Press Notices

30.03.07:
Combine roads and public transport powers to improve city transport, says Government advisor

The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) today called for the creation of more powerful single strategic transport authorities in the English City Regions outside London, bringing together responsibilities for roads and transport currently split between the existing Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs) and local metropolitan district councils.

CfIT's report, Moving Forward: Better Transport for City Regions, says the strategic transport authorities would enable a more unified approach to transport delivery, particularly in the emerging approach to road pricing which inevitably requires a city-wide approach to both managing demand for travel and improving public transport. The new authorities would have responsibility for all strategic highways, traffic and transport powers associated with:

• managing and maintaining road networks and keeping traffic moving (including traffic management, traffic signals and parking responsibilities);
• public transport procurement and sustainable travel development (including bus, heavy & light rail, cycling & walking development, school & workplace travel planning and so on);
• planning, prioritising and delivering major transport infrastructure (including both road and public transport projects).

CfIT would also like to see what it calls traditional 'chair and committee' structures in the existing PTAs replaced with more modern 'executive' governance arrangements that would see the appointment of a single person with overall political responsibility for delivery, providing stronger leadership and increasing accountability for transport outcomes.

These proposals follow on from the Department for Transport's recent green paper (Putting Passengers First), which said the forthcoming Draft Road Transport Bill would include "reform of the Passenger Transport Authorities and Executives to enable a more coherent approach to transport in our major cities."

CfIt's proposals also build on recommendations in the recent Eddington Review of Transport and Productivity which said the Government should consider "to what extent powers should be vested in a single decision-making body at the sub-national level, including, for example, highways and traffic powers over local strategic roads, including road pricing; and powers for buses."

Commission Member Garrett Emmerson, who led the work for CfIT, said today:

"It is clear that the current structure just isn't working as effectively as possible to deliver much needed transport improvements in the English city regions. We believe our proposals would do that, and we will be urging ministers to consider them carefully at what is an interesting time for the future of local government.

"Whilst our analysis focused particularly on metropolitan areas, it is based on core principles of good transport governance that could and should apply everywhere. For much of the country, this is already the case, however there are some larger metropolitan areas where the local travel planning area is split across a number of unitary and / or county areas. We believe the principles outlined in our report could equally apply in these areas."

The report has been submitted to SoS Douglas Alexander. It also concluded that:

• some form of primary legislation would be needed to create the proposed authorities, which could either be a development of the existing PTAs or entirely new bodies;
• CfIT's preferred model would be for a form of political 'executive' decision-making structure which would benefit from the strong and consistent leadership and ownership that comes from a single person with executive responsibility. Whilst this would improve political accountability, decision-making and governance, it is the combination of the right functions that will most improve transport delivery;
• there are potentially several ways in which such a transport leader could be appointed but there needs to be security of tenure to enable 'tough' political decisions to be made. The role would need to be supported by an appropriate 'board' structure, containing both political representation and external appointees;
• while environmental and social objectives are important to the Government's overall ambitions in the city regions, with respect to transport it is economic considerations that dominate. CfIT therefore believes that congestion management and access to jobs and services should be the over-riding objectives of the new authorities;
• while authorities would not require fundamental change in funding mechanisms, their ability to deliver would be enhanced by: directly negotiated revenue and capital settlements from central Government; the ability to directly precept through council tax bills; and the overall power to coordinate and allocate Local Travel Plan capital resources, and delegate revenue transport resources across the conurbation.
 

Notes to editors:

1. Garrett Emmerson is available for interviews - contact Lara Alden or Luke Blair on 020 7612 8480. The report will be available at www.cfit.gov.uk/docs/2007/moving/index.htm from 30 March.
2. The Commission for Integrated Transport was set up by Government to provide it with independent advice on strategic policy issues.
3. CfIT is chaired by Peter Hendy and has 16 other Commission Members drawn from a broad spectrum of transport expertise. See www.cfit.gov.uk/about/index.htm.