Last week the government set out its stall on transport planning, although its ideas will not come into force before 2014 because the budgets until then have already been set. And the biggest change will be an integrated approach to transport investment, which will see road and rail considered together rather than in isolation. The Department for Transport (DfT) report 'Towards a Sustainable Transport System, supporting economic growth in a low-carbon world' responds to the issues raised by the
Stern and Eddington reports.
Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly says: "We must increase our understanding of the needs of international and domestic freight transporters. Our policies must improve every part of their travel experience. If we are to achieve that, we must understand the end-to-end journey." The report outlines five broad goals:
The report states that integrated strategies at a regional level, multi-area agreements and local area agreements will ensure more effective integration of transport. It adds that reliability must be a key issue because it is important to passengers and freight customers the costs associated with delays should be factored into any investment.
The report also says: "We need to consider changing patterns in the way logistics and freight services are consumed. Increased levels of internet shipping with home delivery and increased consumption of imported goods are two examples of major shifts in distribution patterns that are expected to have significant impacts on transport movements."
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) believes the proposals are now in line with the views of industry, but it remains concerned that the pace of delivering improvements to the infrastructure is too slow and will result in an enormous waste of man-hours and money caused by worsening levels of congestion. Chief executive Theo de Pencier says any government transport policy that has identified maximising the competitiveness of the economy as its priority will need to have supply chain interests near the top of its agenda. "The fact the government has done so is a measure of how far it has travelled towards recognising the role of freight transport in the economy.'
The FTA has welcomed the government's alignment of transport planning to improve inter-urban corridors, intra-urban centres and international gateways the alignment of planning timelines for all transport modes and the mix of policy measures, including investment in pinch-points and the importance of reliable journey times. De Pencier says: "We agree with the measures required to reduce congestion, improve competitiveness and achieve higher social and economic aspirations. However, we cannot wait until 2014 before action is taken. The FTA has identified other actions which could yield quick wins, including trialling higher-capacity trucks, lifting delivery curfews and introducing further gauge enhancement on key rail routes."
Roger King, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), says the report and subsequent consultation period "give us the opportunity to present the reality of road haulage as efficient, flexible, responsive and the main mode of goods transport for the future". But the RHA is also concerned about the timescale. King says: "We are extremely concerned that the UK's creaking infrastructure will jeopardise growth in the years ahead. We fully support the aims and objectives set out by government, but remain concerned that time is not on our side."
November-December 2007: The DfT communicates to the industry why and how it is proposing to change the transport planning system and runs seminars around the country. January-April 2008: The DfT holds discussions with transport users as well as policy makers in local and regional government to find out whether any other issues should be covered in the policy.
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