EU policy on urban mobility - one size fits all?

Transport policy in European cities: experiences, challenges, options:

Merseyside, UK

Neil ScalesChief Executive and Director General, Merseytravel

14th February 2008

The context: Merseyside and Merseytravel

• Merseyside population ~1.4 million• Focus is City Of Liverpool (440,000) • Public transport co-ordinated by

Passenger Transport Authority• Delivered by Executive

– Bus and rail infrastructure– Multi-modal tickets and information– Bus and rail concessions– Operates Mersey Tunnels and

Mersey Ferries – Socially-necessary bus services– Franchise Holder for Merseyrail

Electrics (suburban network)

The context: Merseyside and Merseytravel

The context: Merseyside and Merseytravel

• Important to note:– Merseytravel does not operate buses or trains– No formal responsibilities for land-use planning– No control over public highway (a district function)

• Partnerships are essential

Merseytravel’s successes:A snapshot

• First Local Transport Plan (LTP) was delivered between 2001 and 2006 – “excellent”

• Centre of Excellence for Transport Planning, Public Transport and Delivery of Public Transport Schemes

• Only PTA to have received accreditation to ISO 14001• Effective scheme delivery:

– Major improvements to the City Centre and main towns – 59 fully refurbished train units and pioneering local rail franchise– 5,000 park and ride spaces– Liverpool South Parkway Interchange– Workwise – helping people into work– Travelwise – promoting sustainable travel– City Centre Movement Strategy

Creating the Single Integrated Public Transport Network

Context: Key policy prioritiesin Merseyside

• Economic growth and city renaissance (Objective 1)

• Economic restructuring• Tourism / Capital of Culture 2008• Population growth and housing

market renewal• Access to jobs, training and

services• Regeneration thus a key issue

Context:The Local Transport Plan

• Local Transport Plan provides sub-regional transport framework

• Produced and delivered by partnership of Merseytravel and 5 Districts

• “Excellent” status• Integrated strategy for managing

transport and new investment• Closely aligned with Regional Spatial

Strategy and city regional social and regeneration strategies

• Stretching targets, scrutinised by DfT

LTP targets

• Examples of what we want to achieve:– Growth in bus patronage: 1% overall bus growth – City centre traffic growth cap: 7% limit vs forecasts of 12%– Better levels of bus punctuality– Improved satisfaction with bus services– Better accessibility to work and education– Better bus quality – Growth in levels of cycling– Cap on levels of publicly available car parking in city centre– Road safety targets for reduction in numbers of children and

adults killed and seriously injured

• Consistent with broad EU objectives

Typical current funding sources

• The district levy• The Local Transport Plan Settlement• Regional Funding Allocations (major schemes)• Tunnels tolls revenue (Mersey Tunnels Act)• Transport Innovation Fund

The challenges in Merseyside

• More jobs, more people, more homes, growing economy = more trips + more congestion

• Region has high trunk road congestion

• Essential to grow share of sustainable travel

• Between 1995 and 2005, rail patronage grew by 52% - but we’re reaching capacity

• Growing local bus patronage remains a challenge

• Poor air quality, but limited weight attached to the issue by UK government

• Pockets of acute worklessness and deprivation, linked to EU Lisbon Agenda

• Need to support tourism and Capital of Culture, but investment and scheme development takes time

• Congestion will harm regeneration and competitiveness

• No clear policy on demand management in UK

The challenges:Merseyside Traffic Forecast

The underlying challenges:Equity and Environmental issues

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110

120

130

140

150

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5

1995

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1996

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1997

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1998

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2000

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2002

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Year

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exed

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Merseyside

London

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English PTE Areas

Great Britain

Challenges: Recent bus transport trends

Merseyside’s decline in bus patronage

Annual Bus Passenger Journeys

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120

140

160

180

200

220

240J

ou

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ys

(m

illi

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TOTAL

Linear (TOTAL)

TREND

But continued growth in rail patronage

Annual Rail Passenger Journeys

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

Jou

rne

ys (

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's)

Journeys Linear (Journeys)Trend

Options: New UK government thinking on transport policy

• “Towards a Sustainable Transport System” published October 2007

• Sets framework for future transport policy in UKLTP• Transport vital to the economy• Climate change a real issue, catastrophic

consequences if no action taken• But targeted approach needed – focus on most

seriously congested parts of urban, national and international networks

• “Make best use” (especially rail)• CO2 reduction and economic growth objectives

mutually supportive• Support for measures to change travel behaviour

and reduce need to travel• Support for local road user charging pilots (TIF)

Some perspectives on these challenges

• There is a lot of money of new money on offer through TIF – Over £2bn per year by 2013/14

• But there is a cost – Road User Charging measures must be taken forward to access TIF by scheme promoters

• Are local road user charging pilots workable?– Technology?– Compatibility from city to city?– Political acceptance?

• An area where principles of subsidiary don’t really work

Some perspectives on these challenges

• Rail capacity become scarce, leading to overcrowding, but:– Limited, leased rolling stock– Shortage of funds to deliver new capacity– No commitment to major new railway line development in

UK• Aviation – a growth area

– Compatible with carbon reduction / air quality objective?– High speed rail could replace many internal flights

• Buses – deregulated since 1986– Local Transport Bill potential?

Challenges with transport financing

• LTP delivers capital funding (£ multi-million)• But capital not revenue funding

– Cannot be used to pay for bus services– Cannot be used to pay for ‘smart’ measures (e.g. marketing)– Cannot be rolled forward

• Funds for major (>£5M) schemes priorities held regionally– Heavily road-based schemes– Regional funding pot does not include rail funds

• Centralised funding in the UK– Ability to raise local funds?– Business Rate Supplement?– Community Infrastructure Levy

Options on the horizon:The Local Transport Bill

• Bill currently going through UK parliament

• Allows bus regulatory reform• Allows for reform of Passenger

Transport Authorities:– PTAs to become Integrated

Transport Authorities– Governance review and review of

powers and responsibilities– Access to new funding sources?– Address current division of

powers?

• At an early stage, but potentially many opportunities to address Green Paper priorities