“Whither transport planning?”

1. Heriot-Watt School of the Built Environment seminar, 29th October 2004 “Whither transport planning?” Colin Howden TRANSform Scotland

2. Background to TRANSform Scotland • Set up in 1997 as Scottish equivalent to Transport 2000 & as member of European Federation for Transport and Environment • Created as not-for-profit limited company • Membership is made up of rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities, environment groups, local transport campaigns. Individuals can join as Supporters • Funded entirely from membership contributions

3. Aims of TRANSform Scotland • Campaigns for shifts to sustainable transport (walking, cycling, public transport, rail and sea freight) and away from unsustainable modes (cars, road freight, air transport) • Crucial policy objectives must include: road traffic reduction, modal shift to sustainable modes, measures to reduce the need to travel • Wants to see Scottish transport deliver for public health, social justice, the environment & more sociable patterns of development • Believes that a mix of policy measures (information and persuasion, regulation and enforcement, technical improvements, infrastructure, and economic instruments) can and should be used to achieve sustainable transport policy objectives.

4. Recent & forthcoming activities • ‘Healthy Transport’ policy briefing launched at Parliamentary seminar in June 2004 • Working with City of Edinburgh Council on its congestion charging proposal; gave supporting evidence to Local Inquiry • Opposing inappropriate large new infrastructure proposals: urban M74, Aberdeen western bypass, second Forth road bridge • Monitoring Scottish Executive policy & delivery: white paper, SPP17, CSTCS Delivery Issues Group, road traffic stabilisation targets, Home Zones advisory group • ‘Taking Charge’ conference on road pricing held on 4th October 2004

5. Topics 1. Unsustainable trends in transport 2. The sustainable transport critique 3. The “Integrated transport” policy framework from 1998 to date 4. ‘Business As Usual’ implementation? 5. Demand management 6. Financing and implementing change 7. Conclusions

6. 1. Unsustainable trends in transport

7. Unsustainable trends in transport • Road traffic growth • People are travelling further and further to do the same things • Unsustainable modes taking over from sustainable modes as the norm

8. A long-term increase in car mileage Source: DETR White Paper consultation, 1997

9. ...and further increase in car mileage forecast Source: DETR White Paper consultation, 1997

10. Increases in distance people travel Source: Scottish Office White Paper, 1998

11. Car trips overtaking walking as most common mode of travel Source: National Travel Survey

12. Yet most travel is still local • Half of all trips are less than 2 miles • 70% of all trips are less than 5 miles even car trips are mainly local: • a quarter of car trips are less than 2 miles • 56% of car trips are less than 5 miles

13. Most transport is local - even car trips Source: DETR White Paper consultation, 1997

14. 2. The sustainable transport critique

15. Where are we trying to get to? Key objective: Reduce road traffic and reduce the impact of the traffic that is left This means: • Less traffic • Transfer to sustainable transport modes - walking, cycling, public transport • Reduce the need to travel

16. Dead ends ... 1. Trying to build your way out of gridlock “We acknowledge that the ‘predict and provide’ approach to road building is unaffordable, unsustainable and, ultimately, self-defeating. New road capacity can generate more usage and add to congestion.” [ our emphasis] Donald Dewar, Scottish Transport White Paper, 1998 “Before including major new schemes in their strategy, local authorities should be able to demonstrate that they have looked at alternative or complementary solutions, such as public transport improvements and traffic management measures, and that the road scheme is consistent with an integrated transport strategy.” [our emphasis] Paras 6.44 & 6.46, "Guidance on Local Transport Strategies and Road Traffic Reduction Reports", Scottish Executive Development Department, February 2000

17. Dead ends ... 2. Making private transport cheaper

18. Private motoring is becoming ever cheaper - public transport is not

19. ... this remained the case even while the Fuel Duty Escalator was being applied

20. 3. The “Integrated Transport” policy framework

21. The “Integrated Transport” policy framework The key policy documents: • UK Transport White Paper (DETR: July 1998) & various daughter documents • Scottish Office Transport White Paper ‘Travel Choices for Scotland’ (Scottish Office: July 1998) & various daughter documents • DETR Ten Year Plan for Transport ‘Transport 2010’ (July 2000) • Scottish Executive Transport Delivery Report ‘Scotland’s Transport: Delivering Improvements’ (March 2002)

22. The “Integrated Transport” policy framework Important supporting policies: • Fuel Duty Strategy (part of UK Climate Change Strategy) • Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997 & Road Traffic Reduction Act (National Targets) 1998 • National Air Quality Strategy • National Planning Policy Guideline 17 & Planning Advice Note 57 (Scottish Executive: 1998) • ‘Strategic Trunk Roads Review’ (Scottish Executive: November 1998) • Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 (Scottish Parliament: January 2001) • Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) (Scottish Executive: August 2001) • Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies (CSTCS) Ministerial Decisions (Scottish Executive: January 2003)

23. The “Integrated Transport” policy framework Since May 2003 Scottish Parliament elections: • Labour/LibDem Partnership Agreement (May 2003) • Consultation on SPP17 ‘Planning for Transport’ (April 2004) • Scottish Executive Transport White Paper ‘Scotland’s Transport Future’ (June 2004) • Scottish Executive Transport (Scotland) Bill - introduced to Parliament on 27/10/04 • Consultation on Statutory Regional Transport Partnerships - issued on 27/10/04 • Strategic transport projects review - forthcoming

24. Views on the 2004 consultation draft of SPP17 • Omits policy context material that was in NPPG17. Fails to make clear necessary connections with health, education and social inclusion policies. • Focuses on ‘major transport projects’ rather than accessibility and social inclusion • Removes requirement for there to be strategic assessment of the need for airport developments • Fails to set Maximum Parking Standards for residential development

25. Views on the 2004 Scottish transport white paper ‘Scotland’s Transport Future’ • Welcome description of ‘context and challenges’ inc. road traffic stabilisation, climate change strategy, need for demand management, health & social inclusion policy linkages. Will provide good policy basis for forthcoming ‘national strategy’ • However, concern over political and media support for this policy agenda: much attention still aimed at reducing fuel prices & increasing road-building - despite these being the antithesis of a sustainable transport programme • Remain to be convinced about new transport agency: e.g. failure of SRA, concern that it will focus on mega-projects • No guarantee that statutory regional transport partnerships will be any more sustainable in their policies than current voluntary partnerships • Proposed involvement of business groups in regional partnerships is entirely undemocratic & will further skew transport policy.

26. Content of the 2004 Transport Bill • create regionally based Transport Partnerships • enable certain transport functions currently carried out by Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority to be carried out by the Scottish Ministers • create the office of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner to monitor the quality of road works • improve the co-ordination of road works by making the Scottish Road Works Register a key planning tool • introduce stricter requirements for reinstating roads and new provisions on resurfacing roads • make further provision for enforcing road work offences • empower the Scottish Ministers to introduce national concessionary travel schemes and modify or revoke any existing schemes run by transport authorities • permit local authorities to establish, alter or remove pedestrian crossings without notifying the Scottish Ministers • streamline the administrative process for supporting shipping services in the Highlands and Islands • amend the procedures for dealing with applications for harbour orders • enable local authorities in the current Strathclyde Passenger Transport Area to establish quality partnerships, quality contracts and joint-ticketing schemes.

28. 4. ‘Business As Usual’ implementation?

29. M74 Northern Extension • 1998 Trunk Roads Review recommended Multi-Modal Study be carried out. Glasgow refused. • SE confirms in 2000 that it will fund part of the road (£214m of total 245m) • Price escalates in March 2003 to £375-500m • Public inquiry held December 2003 - March 2004 • Inquiry hears that road could be £750m-£1bn PFI scheme • Inquiry result due imminently http://www.jam74.org

30. Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route • Business lobby campaigns get commitment from Jack McConnell in January 2003 • Projected cost of £120m - but likely to be much higher • Linked in to Local Plan proposals for development in western Green Belt • 50+% of NESTRANS ‘Modern Transport System’ is on new road-building

31. SE spending on Motorways & trunk roads: 1991/92 - 2005/06

32. Major road spending commitments from 2005/06 onwards: • Almost all cost of second Kincardine Bridge - £60m+ • Almost all cost of M77 - £130m PFI • Almost all of cost of M74NE - £375-500m or £750m-£1bn PFI • Aberdeen Western bypass - a minimum of £120m • M8 & A80 proposals from Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies

33. A Second Forth Road Bridge? • Scottish Office proposal in 1990s kicked out as being unsustainable • Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) have come back with exactly the same plan • Consultation on FETA’s draft Local Transport Strategy ended in September • FETA will decide its future strategy at December meeting http://www.feta.gov.uk http://www.forthrightalliance.org

34. Scottish Executive roads programme - conclusions: • Current spending on repairs & maintenance on trunk road network is at high level. • Committed spending for year 2003-04 will take spending on new roads back to level seen in final year of Tory administration. • Most expensive roads given go-ahead (e.g. M74NE) have yet to enter spending plans so level of new roads spending will rise further. • SE collapse on roads has generated demand for even bigger roads programme - it has failed to head off demands.

35. Edinburgh Airport Rail Link • Driven by assumption that Edinburgh will become major hub airport • Route chosen by SE in 2003 • Due to cost £505 million • Parliamentary Bill due to be submitted in 2005 • Consultation due to begin later this year http://www.earlproject.com

36. Edinburgh trams • Tram Lines 1 & 2: Parliamentary Committee considering Private Bills • Tram Line 3: Bill due for submission by end of 2004 • Funding: SE has promised £375 million http://tt.tiedinburgh.co.uk/

37. Summary of views on the Scottish transport expenditure programme • Too much of Executive’s expenditure programme is devoted to mega-projects (e.g. M74, AWPR, EARL) that do not fit with - or work against - policy objectives • The claimed “70% on public transport” figure is misleading: it is a creation of the PFI procurement of the roads programme • Subsidies to air transport operators is in direct opposition to a sustainable strategy towards tackling climate change • Too little investment is devoted to ‘soft factors’ (see Goodwin et al, July 2004) despite recognition of importance of these in the policy context • ‘Annual Evaluation Report’ provides inadequate and incoherent set of ‘key performance targets’ for evaluating delivery against the policy framework set out in the white paper.

38. 5. Demand management

39. Congestion charge • We need road traffic demand management as well as investment • Road user charging is based on the Polluter Pays Principle • Edinburgh proposals have received popular support in city-wide consultations in 1999 and 2001 • Referendum due in February 2005

40. 6. Financing and implementing change

41. Financing change • Scottish Executive has come through with funds for part of the tram system - but not all of it (unlike road schemes around Scotland) • Private sector is being pressured to make financial contributions - but with mixed results • Congestion charge income is vital - but should not be seen as the main reason to implement it

42. Implementing change • Cross-boundary conflicts between local authorities (e.g. IKEA, congestion charge) • Coordination undermined by lack of region-wide body - little evidence that ‘voluntary partnership’ approach to transport planning has worked • Remains to be seen whether Transport Bill’s proposals for ‘statutory regional transport partnerships’ will do any better • German regions have single body responsible for planning transport and accessing funding

43. 7. Conclusions

44. Double standards in delivery: M74 Northern Extension • directly contradicts government policy • independent analysis demonstrates that it will generate massive amount of road traffic • gets £375-500m million of SE money upfront Borders railway • fits well with transport policy rhetoric • doesn’t get £73 million of SE money • instead another £1.9 million is spent to study the matter some more...

45. Conclusions: • The Executive’s policies and accompanying rhetoric are generally welcome • Spending on sustainable transport has increased - albeit from negligible level. This has however not been accompanied by reductions in spending on unsustainable interventions • It is disturbing that Scotland’s largest transport project is an urban elevated motorway. Spending on unsustainable transport is heading back to the worst days of the 1990s. • There has been a failure to win majority of media and politicians towards sustainable interventions - despite their recognition of need to turn round long-term trends • Delivery hampered by parochial concerns of many politicians - CEC being honourable exception