Following its written submission to the Regional Development Committee on public transport governance in Northern Ireland, TPS was invited to give oral evidence on the 8th May.  Newly elected TPS Board member Tim Morton made his presentation to the Committee and answered questions on behalf of the Society.

In his presentation Tim emphasised that 

• Transport planning had made a difference in Great Britain in terms of increasing value for money in investment, and permitting a range of solutions to be developed.
• Transport planning was underrepresented in Northern Ireland and consequently had less influence on transport decisions than in GB.  The Committee expressed sympathy with this point.
• The make-up of any public transport authority would need to include both transport experts and planners, and a procurement team.  TPS suggested that one should draw on experience of existing models in London and elsewhere, but tailored to suit the NI situation.

The full written submission advised that deregulation of the bus network in the UK outside London had resulted in a severe fall in use in the deregulated areas, by about a third.  In London by contrast there had been strong growth, with bus patronage doubling over the same period.

TPS contacts:
Tim Morton, TPS Director: tpsmorton@o2.co.uk
Keith Buchan, TPS Director of Policy: kb.tps@mtru.com