Mobility Matters Daily #64
We had a bit of a change over the weekend. But it's still the same content.
Highways England are in a spot of bother over FOI
I try to be unbiased. But this does not look good. Highways England have been accused of operating a ‘cover-up’ culture over treating Freedom of Information Requests for the minutes of meetings between contractors and Highways England on the Rimrose Valley highways scheme. Which were ironically revealed in an FOI request from a local MP.
Reading the email trail - it looks horrific. With objectors and stakeholders being seen as annoying pests to be frustrated, and not people to engage with. While FOI laws do allow authorities to refuse requests should they be considered vexatious, there is a difference between adversarial stakeholders and being a pain. When you are dealing with big projects, there is going to be controversy, and people will use this (generally excellent) legislation to get more information. Get used to it.
Write up in New Civil Engineer | The offending emails (warning, the website has a stated bias against HE, but it’s the only link to the emails i could find)
The travel patterns of new migrants could prompt new approaches to planning transport in high-migration cities
A recent academic study of Xiamen in China gave an interesting insight into how new migrants into cities vary in their commuting patterns compared to the local population. Generally, migrants tend to work in close proximity compared to where they live. Compared to long time residents who commute further. Wider evidence shows that migrants are more likely to use public transport and walk and cycle when they first arrive, but over time their choices begin to closely resemble the native population. But there is a lack of evidence of impact in the UK.
Migrants are diverse in background, but the most vulnerable in these groups are extremely vulnerable. Transport plays a significant role in improving their outcomes on access to work (which is typically low paid), improving health outcomes, and even their experience of detention. With migrant populations concentrated in cities, planning with these vulnerable groups in mind is increasingly important.
Do migrants and locals differ in commuting behaviour? | Report by RAND to the Migration Advisory Committee on migrant transport | Report on the experience of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the UK
Forgotten corners of a diverse Europe need investment too
A common complaint of cost-benefit analysis in transport is how it re-inforces existing high-value investments in a cycle where areas where returns on investment are good keep getting invested in, and peripheral areas need political clout to get anything. In Europe, one such area is the Balkans where for reasons of geo-politics, topography, and lets say armed disagreements, it is relatively isolated as a corner of the European continent.
Recently, the EU and the World Bank have taken an interest in opening up the region to low-carbon forms of connectivity. The World Bank is financing loans to reform the railways of Serbia to speed up upgrades. The EU is investing in integration with the European Rail Traffic Management System, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, and reducing border check points for transport. But there is no economic assessment of these plans. Just investing in the idea that improving connectivity in the area is good. Perhaps this should be done more often.
Blog from the World Bank on its loans to Serbia | The Western Balkans Economic Investment Plan
On a personal note, yesterday I succeeded in booking my first COVID-19 vaccination at my local vaccination hub. When booking through the NHS website, whilst it pointed out where my vaccination hub was, what was missing was the simple matter of how to get there.
The effort needed to spring up a mass vaccination programme this quickly has been nothing short of amazing. But personal access to transport has a huge bearing on use of health services. Access to and from sites is being delivered locally (mine is served by a bus from the centre of the village, with new temporary bus stops outside the hub itself), but needs to be presented nationally as that is how people are booking their vaccinations. Booking extra transport to an important vaccination is an added stress few need.