Policy Futures for Urban Transport report
Urban Transport Group (UTG), which represents the seven largest urban transport authorities in England, has set out its vision for a partnership between national government and transport authorities to deliver high quality and integrated transport networks which support sustainable and inclusive growth, ahead of the party conference season.
The organisation’s new report, entitled ‘Policy Futures for Urban Transport’, published on September 18, claims that with more focused governance in place, city regions are delivering major investment programmes including on public transport, highways and active travel, and smart- ticketing.
The report argues that – with the right national policy framework – further and faster progress can be made. This includes ensuring that the benefits of transformative technological change are maximised, including new ways of paying for access to transport, connected and autonomous vehicles and data; and seeing that barriers between different sectors are broken down so the benefits transport can bring to achieving wider policy goals – in areas like health, employment and education – are fully realised.
Tobyn Hughes, Managing Director of Nexus and the Chairman of UTG, said: “From the expansion of tram and light rail networks to the promotion of active travel and the introduction of smart-ticketing, transport is changing for the better in our major urban areas.
“However, we want to go further and faster and this report sets out how. It builds on the expertise of the transport authorities for our largest urban areas and turns that into a route map for what an effective working relationship between government and the city regions should look like on transport.
“A key immediate priority has to be ensuring that the 2017 Bus Services Act is fully implemented as soon as is practicable to give the city regions a more effective set of powers to transform bus networks – in particular through smart and simple ticketing.”
On buses specifically, the report states: “Franchising powers are automatic where there is a Mayoral Combined Authority and at the Secretary of State’s discretion elsewhere. Although the primary legislation is in place, there is still a need to implement all the secondary legislation and guidance to make the new legislation fully usable.
“Powers to plan bus services are one part of the equation, adequate funding is another and the way in which bus services are funded does not reflect the cross-departmental and cross-sectoral benefits that buses bring. Indeed, revenue for supported bus services comes via wider Department for Communities and Local Government funding for local government. Furthermore, all the main sources of support for bus services are under severe pressure which is leading to widespread cuts in supported services, which will only get worse if the funding system carries on as it is.”
Among the 16 policy changes the vision advocates are:
- Greater stability and a more long-term approach to local transport funding;
- Moving quickly to fully implement the 2017 Bus Services Act to give transport authorities more powers;
- A more ambitious national policy framework on air quality;
- A national active travel strategy that accelerates growth in the number of trips made on foot and by bike, while recognising the need for adequate funding for its devolved delivery; and
- More effective strategic and operational partnerships between the city regions and Highways England / Network Rail.
