...And the Ugly - MM#605
How a lack of objectives is holding back revolutionary transport policy
Good day my good friend.
When I started writing this newsletter earlier this week, I had something very different in mind. But this week at the Conservative Party conference has forced me to re-write this and make it about something ugly that I have been meaning to write about for some time. If you want to read about the Good and the Bad that I have written about this week, feel free to check out the back catalogue!
If you like this newsletter, please share it with someone else who you think will love it. I will love you forever if you do. ☺️
James
What are we trying to achieve?
The UK Government has been on a transport policy binge during the last week. The Plan for Drivers I covered in my previous newsletter. We now have Network North, a new Future of Mobility: Rural Strategy, a Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, and HS2 north of Birmingham cut back. Whatever you think of the relative merits of each announcement is up to you. But this points to a much more substantive problem in transport in the UK. One that the House of Commons Transport Committee is investigating.
Namely, we have no idea what we want the transport network and services to achieve.
Looking through the Department for Transport’s policy papers on the website and you will see a massive collection of transport strategies and policies. Just from a quick look, in addition to the above, there is:
Each of these plans, still in force, have different objectives. They have different outcomes, different actions, and in many respects they are diametrically opposed to one another. Try reconciling the objectives and aims of the decarbonisation plan with the plan for drivers.
This poses an ugly problem when it comes to delivery. If you have no idea what you want to achieve, what the overall outcome and goal is, then it leads to two things. One, you have no idea what the direction of travel is. And second, anything can be justified because somehow, somewhere, you can align what you are doing with some objective or another.
The guidance of the development of business cases states that one of the key tests is the strategic case for the scheme. But when your objectives are all over the place, this means that any project can be justified strategically, and consequently schemes move onto other elements of the business case to determine their worth.
In the UK, doing this means that highways expansion schemes tend to get favoured in the business case process, as their costs are benefits are more easily quantified and have a record of being approved by the Treasury. They also tend to favour new schemes in London and the South East.
Due to the levelling up agenda, there has been a focus on increasing the importance of the strategic case for projects. The Green Book Review in 2020 focused on this specifically. The problem is that in transport, what we are trying to achieve is a mess. If you don’t know what you want to achieve, or the advice is contradictory, anything can be justified. Even awful things that we should not be doing. And it is high time that we as professionals sort that out if we want to achieve a just and sustainable future.
What you can do: Make sure that in your area, there is a strong local transport plan that sets a clear policy direction. Alignment with local policy is a key part of a strategic case to get funding, so make sure yours is a good one.
Want good examples? Birmingham and Leeds are just that. If you want to know how they come up with them, contact them and ask.
🎓 From academia
The clever clogs at our universities have published the following excellent research. Where you are unable to access the research, email the author - they may give you a copy of the research paper for free.
Uncertainty in vulnerability of metro transit networks: A global perspective
TL:DR - If you have more single points of failure on a system, its more vulnerable to attack.
E-biking within a transitioning transport system: the quest for flexible mobility
TL:DR - E-bikes make cycling more enjoyable.
Transportation and emissions in Latin American cities
TL:DR - Lots of people walk in these cities, so maybe there is hope to reduce emissions.
TL:DR - People support more pedestrianisation once they see it in action.
✊ Awesome people doing awesome things
Sometimes, a simple post to remind you of something simple is all you need. And well done to Steve Hayes of Transport for the West Midlands for saying what needed saying this week. Remember, lower speed limits and prioritising walking and cycling are popular.
Oh, and he is working on a bonfire of the bus tickets to simplify bus ticketing across the West Midlands. Which is not bad either!
Keep it up, Steve!
📼 On the (You)Tube
Gareth Dennis has, for a long time, been the go-to person on HS2 matters. With this week’s news, he is on fine form again. A must-listen.
🖼️ Graphic Design
The visualisation doesn’t need to be grand to tell the story. From this map, across most of Melbourne in Australia, people do not commute that far really.
📚 Random things
These links are meant to make you think about the things that affect our world in transport, and not just think about transport itself. I hope that you enjoy them.
Confronting deep uncertainty in the forest carbon industry (Science)
A few economists are starting to think seriously about industrial policy (Noahpinion)
Global evidence of rapid urban growth in flood zones since 1985 (Nature)
Bears, birds and kangaroos: Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards (BBC) - Come on, we all need a laugh.
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