What the Transport Planning profession needs from the King’s Speech

By Nicola Kane, Chair of the TPS 

As Parliament prepares for this week’s King’s Speech, transport planners will be watching closely for signs that the Government remains serious about delivering a more integrated, people-focused transport system.

The publication of Better Connected earlier this year was widely welcomed across the profession. The strategy recognised many of the issues transport planners have long been raising, including the need for simpler and more joined-up journeys, empowered local leaders, integration between transport and housing development, better use of data, and a greater emphasis on health outcomes.

For the Transport Planning Society, the direction of travel is encouraging, but strategies alone do not change outcomes. As we have consistently said, the real test is whether the frameworks now evolve to support delivery in practice.

Over recent months, political and fiscal conversations have understandably shifted toward defence spending and economic security. Debate around public borrowing rules has also changed significantly, signalling a willingness to revisit fiscal rules to respond to the pressures of today, but not necessarily to support long-term infrastructure investment.

If the Government is serious about delivering economic growth, new housing, healthier communities and successful new towns, transport cannot sit at the margins of policy – it has to be central to it.

As we all know, transport is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It determines whether people can access jobs, education, healthcare and other opportunities. It shapes whether new housing developments succeed or become isolated and car-dependent, and it influences economic productivity, public health and the viability of town centres and local high streets.

Better Connected acknowledged many of the principles the profession has long argued for: integrating transport and development, planning around people and places, and creating networks that support wider economic and social goals. The question now is how we turn those principles into consistent policy and delivery.

The profession wants to see long-term transport funding settlements that give local authorities and combined authorities the confidence to plan strategically rather than bid competitively for fragmented short-term funding pots. Stable multi-year settlements would give organisations the ability to build expertise, retain skilled people, develop stronger delivery capability and deliver coherent programmes over time, while also providing the financial certainty needed for long-term planning.

Alongside long-term capital investment, the profession would also emphasise the importance of long-term revenue funding certainty. Infrastructure alone will not deliver the outcomes the Government wants to see if local transport networks lack the ongoing support needed to provide reliable services, affordable fares and high-quality passenger information. In particular, stable revenue funding for local bus services and wider network operations will be critical if the Government is serious about reducing car dependency and delivering genuine transport choice.

There is growing recognition that transport policy cannot be separated from wider national priorities. The TPS has consistently argued that transport planning must work alongside land-use planning, climate policy, health and wellbeing, and economic development. Yet too often, decisions are still taken in silos, with different funding streams, governance structures and policy objectives pulling in different directions.

The King’s Speech therefore presents an opportunity not simply to announce projects, but to create stronger alignment across government.

The profession will also be looking for continued momentum behind planning and appraisal reform. The shift toward vision-led planning is welcome, but it must now be backed by practical guidance and policy frameworks that give practitioners confidence to deliver differently.

Equally important is recognising that infrastructure alone will not deliver the outcomes the country wants. Better transport systems also depend on public trust, local leadership and helping people make different travel choices.

There is, of course, a political reality underpinning all of this. National priorities shift quickly, and political attention is finite. Transport has moved in and out of focus many times before, and it will again. But good transport planning has always required longer-term thinking than the political cycle typically allows.

Whatever the political landscape over the coming years, the case for integrated transport systems that support economic growth, healthier communities and better places will remain strong. The role of the profession is to continue making that case clearly, consistently and constructively.

This week’s King’s Speech is an opportunity to reinforce that direction. Transport planners will be hoping not just for ambition, but for the policy certainty, institutional alignment and long-term thinking needed to turn that ambition into delivery.