TPS appraisal work recognised

The House of Commons Library has just released a new Research Briefing which sets out the key elements of transport appraisal, and the major issues concerning its use. The document and summary refer frequently to the continuing TPS work on appraisal and our critique of the process, both in terms of the strategic objectives and the technical failings.

The latest round of work on this started in 2017 at the LTT Local Transport Summit, and led to engagement with DfT and a detailed submission to the consultation on appraisal in 2018. The resulting changes were less than hoped but engagement continued and a new initiative by TPS, LOTAG, CIHT and RTPI working together, launched in 2020, is ongoing. Our joint letter can be accessed here.

Our views were reflected in the Treasury Green Book Review in 2020 and now in the House of Commons Research which recognise many of the profession’s profound concerns – over emphasis on time savings and the consequent BCRs, bias against sustainable options, and the need to prioritise policies such as carbon reduction, health and safety and levelling up. The idea of creating a Strategic Case “showstopper” for schemes which fail to support these policies is a key part of the TPS approach and referenced in the HoC Briefing. It also uses the TPS “State of the Nation” transport report as an important source document throughout. Overall this document sets out the key issues clearly and provides an excellent statement of “where we are now” in terms of using and reforming the transport appraisal process. It can be found on:

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9495/