The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) has outlined a five-point plan of 'necessary steps' to be delivered on the back of the latest Budget from chancellor Rishi Sunak.
The leading professional body's five priorities are:
1) Refocusing transport to become the enabler to achieve net zero
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CIHT chief executive Sue Percy CBE
The CIHT called on the Government to develop guidance for how planning and transport should be integrated to achieve sustainable outcomes.
'This includes realising the opportunity to embed active travel and accelerating carbon reduction with innovative policies. If changes are not made to this area the cost from poor health, climate change and congestion will continue to rise.'
The CIHT plans to launch a climate change action plan later this year.
2) Levelling up: empowering transport to be an enabler for change
The CIHT urged the Government to manage the local highway network differently, including making changes to transport appraisal, maintaining it at an appropriate level and creating healthier places for people to use.
3) Creating a national transport vision and strategy
'The creation of a vision and strategy would give a clear focus for everyone involved in (and dependent upon) transport as to how to plan and invest for the future. Without one there is a real risk of business not investing or investment being wasted in the development of approaches that are not required. This includes integrating planning policy and transport to deliver the outcomes people need at a local and devolved level.'
4) Improving skills and capability
The CIHT called for the Government to work with it and the wider highways and transportation sector to produce a clear plan for developing the workforce to deliver a National Transport Strategy.
This would require companies to invest appropriately and enable the UK to export these skills and capability internationally, increasing opportunities for expansion into the global transport infrastructure market.
5) A long-term strategy to improve road safety
The CIHT called for the Government to develop a long-term strategy for significantly reducing the number of people killed and injured on our roads. This will require re-introducing casualty reduction targets to drive policy and behaviour change.
Chief executive Sue Percy CBE said: 'From getting key workers to jobs to the roll-out of the vaccine how we move people and products around the UK is central to the response to the pandemic. Transportation is critical to economic performance and productivity and addresses many of the government’s key policy areas including carbon reduction, health, and inclusion.
'CIHT welcomes the focus on supporting apprenticeships and the announcement of £3,000 for each new apprentice hired between 1 April and 30 September 2021. We must do more to support the development of skills in highways and transportation. We have called for the Government to work with the sector to develop a clear plan to enable the development of the right skills to deliver the infrastructure we need.'
The organisation added that the construction sector would benefit from the '130% super-deduction' policy, whereby companies can cut their taxes by up to 25p for every pound they invest, helping firms with investment in plant and equipment.
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