The draft Local Transport Bill consists of a package of measures intended to promote stronger joint working between local authorities and bus operators, to support the introduction of local road pricing schemes and to enable changes to be made to local transport governance. This report follows the structure of the draft Bill. Although the remarks are related to specific clauses some of the recommendations have a more general application. Included with the report is consideration of the Transport Innovation Fund, which is closely linked to congestion and the draft Bill. The Committee is however unhappy that at the end of their inquiry the Secretary of State announced further consultation on parts of the Bill related to the powers and status of the traffic commissioners on reform of the Bus Service Operators' Grant and transitional arrangements for quality contract schemes.
In this report the Transport Committee calls on the Government to implement the vision for transport - including improved traffic flows on motorways, rail electrification and high speed rail, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport - that has been established under the current Secretary of State, Lord Adonis. The Department has made progress in a number of important areas, both recently and over the past decade, and has also established a new sense of direction, despite a too-frequent change of ministers. The Committee reviews progress against the Government's integrated transport plan, 'Transport 2010', which was adopted in 2000. Whilst much has been achieved, the ambition to build up to 25 light rail lines has not. It calls on the Government to publish a comprehensive progress report against the targets that it set itself. It also calls for strong action on local bus services which, outside London, are still not integrated with other local transport services. Bus use outside London continues to decline, apart from a slight increase after the introduction of free bus travel for older and disabled people. The Committee calls for full implementation of the Local Transport Act which gives local authorities powers to introduce bus quality partnerships and quality contracts; and for the Traffic Commissioners to be given adequate resources to carry out punctuality monitoring.
The Draft Marine Navigation Bill was published on 6 May 2008. (Cm. 7370, ISBN 9780101737029 ). A supplementary consultation on the ratification of the Nairobi Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, for which the draft Bill includes the necessary statutory provisions, was published at the same time by the Department for Transport. The Bill covers four main areas: (a) port safety, including measures relating to pilotage, National Occupational Standards for Harbour Masters and pilots, and extending powers of general direction to more harbour authorities; (b) the closure of harbours, and the subsequent relinquishing of the legal rights and duties of the harbour authority; (c) the role of the General Lighthouse Authorities, including their powers of enforcement, the territorial extent of their operations, their commercial work and their pension schemes; and (d) the ratification and implementation of the Nairobi Convention. The introduction of new powers to issue directions to port and harbour authorities and to specify minimum standards of competence for harbour masters and pilots is supported. The provisions relating to General Lighthouse Authorities are a sensible package intended to clarify their powers and put beyond doubt the legal validity of much of the essential work which they have been carrying out for centuries. The provision in the draft Bill to give statutory effect Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks will remove from the UK taxpayer a significant potential liability in respect of wrecks in UK waters.
The snowfall on 1 and 2 February 2009, the heaviest since 1991, had a drastic impact on transport in London, which had no bus service for most of the morning of 2 February. Overground trains and London Underground services were also affected by delays and cancellations. Disruption to services also affected other areas of the country and continued for several days. This report looks at why public transport had been disrupted and whether this disruption was handled better or worse by different authorities, whether planning and preparation by local authorities and the Highways Agency was sufficient, and whether co-ordination between the bodies involved in responding to the heavy snow was adequate. Local authorities and agencies need to examine any weaknesses or potential improvements to emergency plans that may have emerged from the events on 1-2 February. Responses to heavy snow and its impact on traffic can be improved, but these are to do with planning and co-ordination, not increased spending: extra money, increased salt stocks or more snow ploughs are not the solution. The report finds that three key elements are required for a successful response to severe weather: the relationship between all the bodies involved in ensuring that the road network and public transport systems can operate; emergency recovery plans and winter maintenance plans should give a clear indication of what the priorities for salting and gritting should be and that these priorities have been agreed with public transport operators and the emergency services; the presence of good leadership. Co-ordination, prioritisation and visible leadership are vital to the success and speed of recovery following severe weather.
A critical overview of the nature, evolution and contemporary challenges of transport policy and planning at the national and local scale while expanding on procedural mechanisms and forging much-needed links with the related discipline of spatial planning.
This report from the Transport Committee, examines London Underground and the Public-Private Partnership Agreements. The Government originally announced proposals for modernising the London Underground network system via Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreements in 1998. Three contracts were drawn up with: (i) Tube Lines for the maintenance and renewal of the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Northern Lines; (ii) with Metronet Rail BVC for the maintenance and renewal of the Bakerloo, Central, Victoria & Waterloo & City Lines; (iii) with Metronet Rail SSL, responsible for the maintenance and renewal of the "sub-surface lines": the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan & East London Lines. These PPP Agreements, 30 years in duration, were arrangements to maintain, renew and upgrade parts of London Underground by private sector infrastructure companies (Infracos), whilst London Underground is responsible for services to customers. The PPP Agreements also set out a performance-related incentive and penalty scheme to remunerate the Infracos for the improvements they make to the network. In May 2007, Metronet admitted an overspend of £1 billion and was refused access to loan facilities by the banks. It then made a reference to the PPP Arbiter, which in turn triggered an Extraordinary Review (which occurs when extra costs are incurred above the level allowed for the bid). Metronet put in a bid for £551m but the PPP Arbiter provisionally concluded that a sum of £121m was appropriate. Metronet subsequently went into administration on 18 July 2007. The report sets out a number of conclusions and recommendations, including: contracts that were supposed to deliver 35 station upgrades, in fact delivered only 14, 40% of the requirement; stations that were supposed to cost Metronet SSL £2m, cost £7.5m, with only 65% of schedule track renewal accomplished; the Committee criticises the consequences of the imposition of PPP on Transport for London, as a "lamentable state of affairs", with the future of most of London Underground's upgrade and maintenance work in doubt; the Committee states, that the Government should remember the failure of Metronet before it considers entering similar arrangements; that the Government should publish a candid analysis of the events preceding Metronet's collapse and its consequences; the Committee believe that the PPP model was flawed and probably inferior to traditional public-sector management; that the Government needs to prioritise transparency and clarity to taxpayers and ensure that any future contracts result in clear accountability.
This is the 8th report from the Transport Committee (HCP 249, session 2007-08, ISBN 9780215521941) and focuses on freight transport. The Committee has set out 29 recommendations, including: that the Government needs to adopt a more proactive freight strategy, given there are significant economic and transport benefits to be gained; the Department of Transport should produce a national freight plan, setting out aspirations for the reduction in congestion and transport emissions, freight infrastructure and job opportunities and the development of future technologies that maybe beneficial for the freight business; that rail and water freight must be able to compete on a an equal footing with road transport; that the Government could do more to encourage waterborne freight transport; that Network Rail must recognise the importance of freight instead of treating it as the poor relation of passenger services; that the Government needs to engage with European freight schemes to ensure that UK business is not disadvantaged and further, highlight the importance of the UK air freight operators' competiveness with continental operators; the Government needs to discuss a way forward with the UK haulier industry, which the Committee sees as being unfairly treated through subsidising their continental competitors through high levels of taxation on fuel.
Update on the London Underground and the public-private (PPP) partnership Agreements : Seventh report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written Evidence
In a report out today (HCP 352 session 08/09 ISBN 9780215529206), the House of Commons Transport Select Committee tells education and transport ministers they must do far more to produce a modal shift away from cars towards public transport, dedicated school transport including ’Yellow Buses', walking and safer cycling schemes for British school children. The Transport Committee Chairman Louise Ellman MP says: "Young people deserve safe and affordable travel to education, leisure and employment. The journeys people make when young will influence their preferences and habits in adulthood." Also "Both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Transport urgently need to identify how they are going to ensure children and young adults are not denied opportunities because public transport is either inadequate or too costly. In particular, travel should not present a barrier to accessing the new Diploma courses. For similar reasons much more should be done to identify children eligible for free school transport." The Committee recognise in their report that no single model will suit all situations and that car travel to school can be the most suitable method in some circumstances. However, they call on ministers to: provide high quality guidance and examples of best practice to illustrate when a dedicated school bus system is appropriate; top up the Education Maintenance Allowance for students from low income families and extend similar support for young people engaged in the new 14-19 diplomas; do more to encourage local authorities to identify pupils eligible for free school transport; consider the viability of a concessionary scheme offering reduced fares to young people; ensure that the Department for Transport, Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families work together so that national policy and practical implementation at the local level deliver both value for money and a greater number of joint initiatives that promote walking and cycling; help local authorities address the inherent tension between school choice and travel impact by raising awareness of sustainable school travel issues amongst parents and young people when they are selecting schools; in rural areas, review whether the maximum travel distance under which free transport may be provided allows for sufficient choice of schools; monitor the effectiveness of School Travel Plans. The Committee also calls on local authorities to consider new ways to fund and run innovative schemes that integrate transport, health and educational objectives for school travel.
In the light of anecdotal accounts of accidents involving the vehicles, but little hard evidence, MPs urge the Government to collect better data on the use of scooters as well as incidents and injuries where they are involved. To develop sound policy, we need a comprehensive evidence base detailing the number and nature of incidents involving mobility scooters on the UK's pavements and roads. Only by doing so, will issues such as the legal status of mobility scooters, the appropriateness of proficiency tests and the rights of users to take the vehicles on public transport be adequately addressed. The Committee's report notes that the Department for Transport has launched a consultation on many of these issues, but is concerned that after a similar review in 2005, Ministers failed to act on many of its findings. With a growing number of mobility scooter users on the UK's pavements and roads, the MPs call on the Government to take decisive action where necessary.
