Insfrastructure Bill [HL]

Written Evidence submitted by The Transport Planning Society (TPS) (IB 05)

1 Introduction

1.1 The Transport Planning Society (TPS) provides professional development and a meeting place for all those working in the transport sector and leads the response to emerging policy challenges. We are dedicated to facilitating, developing and promoting knowledge and understanding, and best practice, in transport planning.

1.2 Our work includes:

· Running the industry standard TPS Professional Development Scheme (PDS) for transport planners.

· Jointly with CIHT running the qualification for transport planners (TPP) equivalent to those for engineers.

· Supporting regional and national TPS groups who hold their own events as well as participating in wider activities.

· Holding events in central London with speakers from DfT, TfL and other Government departments.

· Running the annual TPS bursary scheme for young professionals to prepare research papers on that year’s topic.

· Responding to key national consultations on transport and planning.

· Taking a pro-active role in transport planning issues, including skills as well as policy.

2 The Highways Agency consultation

2.1 The Transport Planning Society submitted a response to the DfT consultation on transforming the Highways Agency into a government-owned company in December 2013.

2.2 The key TPS recommendations were that there should be:

· enhanced use of available data to assess and make transparent Strategic Road Network (SRN) performance and enable comparison with networks which feed into the SRN

· a proper balance between interventions of different types – infrastructure, technological, operational and management

· robust appraisal of major schemes, including independent auditing of modelling work

· improved democratic scrutiny of highway proposals at local and regional level

· improved management of traffic in the aftermath of an incident, including predictive forecasts of delay

· careful specification of environmental outcomes to take into account legislative requirements as well as the views of interested parties

· annual reporting of the carbon outputs from the SRN in relation to the national transport targets for reduction, to also include construction, maintenance and operations

· a "user" watchdog which pays heed to the interests of non-motorised users of the network as well as other impacted parties such as frontagers

· better co-operation with local highway authorities, to include operations, joint funding of mutually beneficial projects, demand management and an involvement in land-use planning

· development of a network wide assignment model to allow impacts of economic growth to be assessed more accurately and avoid double counting.

3 Suggested changes to the Bill

3.1 We recognise that some of these elements will need to be included in the detailed guidance which the Department for Transport will issue to the new company, but consider that the Bill as drafted is too vague in setting the general framework for such guidance. We therefore suggest the following detailed amendments to Part 1 of the draft Bill as follows.

Road Investment Strategy

3.2 In relation to Section 3, sub-section 5, which begins:

"In setting or varying a Road Investment Strategy, the Secretary of State must have regard, in particular, to the effect of the Strategy on

(a) the environment, and

(b) the safety of users of highways"

We suggest deleting the "and" after (a) and adding:

c) people affected by the exercise of those functions who are nevertheless not users of the Strategic highway network, and

d) the achievement of national targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This needs to be reflected in the sections which follow:

Functions

In relation to General duties, Section 4, Sub-section 1) which begins:

"A strategic highways company must, in exercising its functions, co-operate in so far as reasonably practicable with other persons exercising functions which relate to-

(a) highways, or

(b) planning."

We suggest adding a new b) transport planning or and retaining planning as a new c).

In relation to General duties, Section 4, Sub-section 2) which begins:

"A strategic highways company must also, in exercising its functions, have regard to the effect of the exercise of those functions on

(a) the environment, and

(b) the safety of users of highways"

We suggest deleting the "and" after (a) and adding:

c) people affected by the exercise of those functions who are nevertheless not users of the Strategic highway network, and

d) the achievement of national targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Oversight

In relation to monitoring, Section 9, sub-section 2) which begins:

"Those activities may include investigating, publishing reports or giving advice to the Secretary of State on-

(a) whether, how and at what cost a strategic highways company has achieved its objectives under a Road Investment Strategy, and

(b) objectives for a future Road Investment Strategy"

We suggest deleting the "and" after (a) and adding:

(c) whether the forecasts for traffic, environmental and economic impacts have been:

i. conducted in a manner compliant with published appraisal guidance

ii. accurate and reliable both locally and across the Strategic network in terms of their evaluation after implementation, and

(d) how far targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas have been achieved

This also needs to be reflected in Section 11, sub-section 2) which covers the general duties for monitoring, by adding the following to the list, between e) and f):

how far targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas have been achieved

the maintenance and improvement of technical competence and of professional standards in planning, design, appraisal, project management and evaluation

4 Conclusions

4.1 While some of the detailed comments must await the issuing of detailed guidance, we consider that amendments such as those set out above are essential to provide a coherent framework within which that guidance can be developed. We continue to engage with the Department for Transport on this matter and would seek an assurance from them that they will respond to the serious issues we have raised in relation to setting out clear objectives for the new company.

December 2014