TPS RESPONDS TO DfT CONSULTATION ON LRT

TPS has a duty to make the professional voice of transport planners heard. One important way of doing this is to respond to Government consultations on transport issues. The Society has submitted a response to the recent DfT consultation on LRT.

Key points of the response were :

• LRT has a key role to play in UK cities. Urban Rapid Transit was voted one of the top five investment priorities by TPS members in the 2018 Annual Members’ Survey. By attracting car users and improving local accessibility, LRT has an important role to play in improving local air quality and reducing carbon emissions, as well as encouraging economic regeneration.
• There is widespread “grassroots” support for LRT but there are many obstacles to its implementation. No new systems have been opened in the past 15 years and the only new lines have been extensions to existing systems.
• Our planning and legislative processes coupled with lack of availability of funding present many obstacles to LRT investment, and produce lengthy timescales for implementation when schemes are brought to fruition.
• In contrast, continental cities seem to streamline progress of LRT schemes. This is due to strong civic leadership, better integrated land-use and transport planning where LRT is an integral part of city region development, and regulation and control of public transport services at a city region level so that other modes can be modified to optimize the role of LRT.
• To move LRT forward in the UK requires a shift in attitude towards the necessity of reliable, rapid urban transit combined with a strengthening of the powers and resources of City Regions and Combined Authorities. They need to be in a stronger position to purposefully promote schemes and ensure that LRT is fully integrated with land-use planning and the rest of the transport system.

TPS Policy Group Member, Tim Morton, commented : “It is right for the Society to set out its professional views on matters like this and ensure that our professional knowledge and experience is brought fully into play. We hope our contribution will further support the cause of LRT”

To read the response click on TPS response to DfT Consultation on LRT