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PART II |
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LOCAL TRANSPORT |
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Local transport plans and bus strategies |
| Local transport plans. |
92. - (1) Each local transport authority must-
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(a) develop policies for the promotion and encouragement of safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities and services to, from and within their area, and |
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(b) carry out their functions so as to implement those policies. |
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(2) The transport facilities and services mentioned in subsection (1) are-
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(a) those required to meet the needs of persons living or working in the authority's area, or visiting or travelling through that area, and |
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(b) those required for the transportation of freight;and include facilities and services for pedestrians. |
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(3) Each local transport authority must prepare a document to be known as the local transport plan containing their policies under subsection (1).
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(4) In this Part "local transport authority" means-
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(a) a county council in England, |
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(b) a council of a non-metropolitan district in England comprised in an area for which there is no county council, |
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(c) a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area in England, or |
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(d) a county council or county borough council in Wales. |
| Further provision about plans. |
93. - (1) A local transport authority must keep their local transport plan under review and alter it if they consider it appropriate to do so.
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(2) The authority must replace the plan not later than five years after the date on which it was made.
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(3) As soon as practicable after any occasion when they prepare a new plan or alter their plan, the authority must-
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(a) publish the plan or the plan as altered (their "current local transport plan") in such manner as they think fit, and |
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(b) send a copy of it to the Secretary of State (in the case of an authority whose area is in England) or the National Assembly for Wales (in the case of an authority whose area is in Wales) and to such other persons (if any) as may be specified in guidance under subsection (5). |
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(4) The authority must also-
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(a) cause a copy of their current local transport plan to be made available for inspection (at all reasonable hours) at such places as they think fit, |
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(b) give notice, by such means as they think expedient for bringing it to the attention of the public, as to the places at which a copy of it may be inspected, and |
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(c) supply a copy of it (or any part of it) to any person on request, either free of charge or at a charge representing no more than the cost of providing the copy. |
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(5) In carrying out their functions under section 92 and this section, a local transport authority must have regard to any guidance concerning-
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(a) the content of plans, |
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(b) the preparation of plans, |
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(c) the alteration or replacement of plans, and |
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(d) the publication and making available of plans or altered plans,
issued from time to time by the Secretary of State (as respects England) or the National Assembly for Wales (as respects Wales). |
| Bus strategies. |
94. - (1) Each local transport authority must prepare a document to be known as the bus strategy containing their general policies as to how best to carry out their functions (or, in the case of a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area, as to how the functions of the Passenger Transport Executive for their area would be best carried out) in order to secure that-
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(a) bus services meet such of the transport requirements of persons within the authority's area as the authority consider should be met by such services, |
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(b) bus services meeting such requirements are provided to the standards to which the authority consider that they should be provided, and |
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(c) such additional facilities and services connected with bus services are provided as the authority consider should be provided. |
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(2) The bus strategy is to form part of the authority's local transport plan.
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(3) In developing their bus strategy, the authority must have regard to-
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(a) the transport needs of persons who are elderly or who have mobility problems, and |
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(b) any measures the authority are required or propose to take for meeting transport requirements in carrying out any functions of theirs as a local education authority or any social services functions (within the meaning of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970) of theirs. |
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(4) In developing their bus strategy, a Passenger Transport Authority must seek and have regard to the advice of the Passenger Transport Executive for their area.
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(5) In this Part "bus services" means services using public service vehicles.
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| Consultation and publicity about bus strategies. |
95. - (1) In complying with section 94, a local transport authority must consult-
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(a) every other local transport authority, every metropolitan district council (except, if the authority is a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area, a council for a metropolitan district comprised in the area) and any council in Scotland, whose area may, in the opinion of the authority, be affected by the bus strategy developed by them, |
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(b) if the authority is a county council in England, the councils of the districts in the county (if any), |
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(c) either operators of bus services which are provided within the authority's area or organisations appearing to the authority to be representative of such operators, and |
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(d) organisations appearing to the authority to be representative of users of such services. |
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(2) When an authority publish a statement of a new bus strategy or their strategy as altered (their "current bus strategy") in accordance with section 93(3)(a), they must send a copy of it to each authority, council, operator or organisation consulted under subsection (1) on the occasion in question.
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| Role of metropolitan district councils. |
96. - (1) The duties imposed on a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area by sections 92(1)(a) and (3), 93(1), (2) and (4), 94(1) and 95(2) shall be performed by-
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(b) the councils for the metropolitan districts comprised in the area,
acting jointly. |
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(2) The duties imposed on a Passenger Transport Authority for a passenger transport area by sections 92(1)(b), 93(4) and (5) and 94(3) are also duties of each of the councils for the metropolitan districts comprised in the area.
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Bus services: quality partnership schemes |
| Quality partnership schemes. |
97. - (1) A local transport authority, or two or more such authorities acting jointly, may make a quality partnership scheme if they are satisfied that the scheme will to any extent implement the policies set out in their current bus strategy or strategies and will-
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(a) improve the quality of local services provided in the whole or any part of their area, or combined area, by bringing benefits to persons using those services, or |
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(b) reduce or limit noise or air pollution. |
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(2) A quality partnership scheme may not be made unless the authority or authorities have complied with the notice and consultation requirements imposed by section 98.
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(3) A quality partnership scheme is a scheme under which-
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(a) the authority or authorities provide particular facilities in the whole or part of their area, or combined area, and |
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(b) operators of local services who wish to use the facilities must undertake to provide local services of a particular standard when using them. |
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(4) The facilities which may be specified in a scheme-
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(a) must be facilities provided at specific locations along routes served, or proposed to be served, by local services within the area to which the scheme relates, or facilities which are ancillary to such facilities, but |
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(b) may not be facilities which are required to be provided as a result of section 120 or 121. |
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(5) The standard of services which may be specified in a scheme-
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(a) include requirements which the vehicles being used to provide the services must meet, but |
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(b) do not include requirements as to frequency or timing of the services. |
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(6) If the provision of any of the facilities requires the making of a traffic regulation order in respect of a road or other place in a metropolitan district, the scheme must be made by the local transport authority or authorities and the metropolitan district council for the district acting jointly.
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(7) In carrying out their functions under this Part in relation to quality partnership schemes, local transport authorities must co-operate with one another.
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(8) In considering whether to make a quality partnership scheme, a local transport authority must have regard to the desirability, in appropriate cases, of making a scheme jointly with another authority.
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| Notice and consultation requirements. |
98. - (1) If an authority or authorities propose to make a quality partnership scheme, they must give notice of the proposed scheme in at least one newspaper circulating in the area to which it relates.
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(2) The notice must either contain full details of the proposed facilities and standards of services or state where such details may be inspected.
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(3) If any of the proposed facilities would affect a road for which the Secretary of State or the National Assembly for Wales is the traffic authority, the authority or authorities must consult him or it before giving notice of the proposed scheme.
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(4) After giving notice of the proposed scheme, the authority or authorities must consult-
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(a) all operators of local services who would, in the opinion of the authority or authorities, be affected by it, |
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(b) such organisations appearing to the authority or authorities to be representative of users of local services as they think fit, |
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(c) every other local transport authority or metropolitan district council, and any council in Scotland, any part of whose area would, in the opinion of the authority or authorities, be affected by it, |
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(d) the traffic commissioner for each traffic area covering the whole or part of the area to which it relates, |
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(e) the chief officer of police for each police area covering the whole or part of that area, and |
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(f) such other persons as the authority or authorities think fit. |
