Report catalogues council’s urban transport failings

12 November 2009

Local authorities have been urged by the Government to improve the way they implement integrated urban transport systems amid calls for a shared long-term vision.

A new cross-governmental department report has accused authorities of shortcomings when it comes to implementation, and called for better alignment between departments.

The Cabinet Office strategy unit’s Analysis of urban transport – carried out in conjunction with other departments including the Department for Transport – claimed unco-ordinated programmes and agencies working in isolation were common.

A DfT paper – The future of urban transport – released alongside the Cabinet Office report suggested the promotion of wider travel choices, including walking and cycling, as well as recognising the importance of good urban street design.

The Cabinet Office also aired concerns that councils may not make best use of mechanisms made available to them, such as those afforded under the Local Transport Act 2008 and the forthcoming Local Democracy Economic Development Bill.

The unit accused councils of focusing on large capital projects instead of cheaper revenue interventions and claimed authorities failed to exploit opportunities to package smaller measures together into broader coherent programmes when bidding for funding. ‘In some places this has helped frustrate attempts at innovative transport policy,’ the Cabinet Office said.

The CSS welcomed the report’s ‘cross-cutting view’ and said it supported the need for more to be done but pointed towards the current system of funding as a problem.

‘[This system] tends to discourage innovation and integration of policy drivers in urban areas,’ said Tony Ciaburro, chair of the CSS transport committee. ‘Other priorities prevail because urban realm improvements are often seen as “nice to have” rather than critical for resolving pressing congestion and environmental problems arising from traffic.’

The unit was charged with investigating how transport can be used to make urban areas more successful following Manchester City Council’s failed congestion charging proposal under the Government’s transport innovation fund.

John David, transport consultant and director of Amnick, said: ‘Local authorities have to wake up to the concept that the world does not end at their boundaries and they are a part of a bigger picture, and to paint that picture they have to share and work together.’ He claimed few in senior management had actually heard of the Local Transport Act 2008.

‘In a nutshell, the Government is saying the right things, what it is actually doing and putting into practice is where the challenge lies. This is where a formal framework needs to be put into place to make it happen.’ The Cabinet Office strategy unit’s analysis has revealed the total costs of urban transport to society – poor air quality, ill health and road accidents – stands at £40bn a year, a figure that dwarves the cost of congestion, estimated at £11bn.

It has called for decision-makers to define a long-term policy for urban transport in order to rebalance competing demands. ‘New policy should consider the broad finding that congestion is not the only, or most important, transport cost in urban areas.’

Tony Ciaburro, chair of the CSS transport committee, said: ‘The research findings will help build the case for more holistic interventions in urban areas being given higher priority, and it is expected that authorities will welcome this new information and the early results from some of the “soft measures” trials.’ He added that it is also hoped this will follow through into the funding allocation procedures exercised by government departments.

Richard Hebditch, the Campaign for Better Transport’s campaigns director, said: ‘The Government urgently needs to set out a new policy direction on transport in urban areas, and we’re very pleased that the strategy unit’s urban transport report begins to do that. ‘It shows how important a good transport system is for the health and quality of life of people living in towns and cities.’

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