Local transport plans settlement: national overview

A reliable, efficient and safe transport system is essential in a modern society. People rely on it. Business relies on it.

The 10-Year Plan for transport published this summer set out the Government's strategy for modernising our transport network to provide an integrated system, covering all modes of transport and backed by £180 billion of public and private investment.

A third of this money -£59bn - goes towards local transport for the next ten years, made up of £30.6bn public revenue expenditure, £19.3bn public capital investment, and £9bn private investment. This is additional to transport in London, which is being funded separately.

The 10-Year Plan provides the long-term framework for investment, which is now being implemented. It will put right the effects of years of under-investment that this Government inherited.

The Local Transport Plan settlement allocates the first 5 years' worth of the £19.3 bn public investment. It provides £8.4 billion of Government investment over the next 5 years to be spent locally on target projects identified at local level.

There will be £4.4bn available for public transport, integrated transport and smaller schemes and up to £4bn available for spending on new and existing roads, of which £3bn is for maintenance (announced last month) and £1bn for major roads schemes.

In 2001-2002 Local Authorities will get some £1.3 billion - double what was spent last year.

The Local Transport Plans are dictated by local authorities ranking proposals according to local priorities. The settlement builds on the framework set out in the Urban and Rural White Papers for improving the quality of life and building prosperity in town and country alike.

A Government Green Light goes to:

(firmly and provisionally accepted major schemes, valued at more than £5m)

• 2 new light rail lines in Birmingham. Consideration of 5 more lines in Leeds (3), Bristol and South Hampshire is well advanced and we hope to make further announcements about these by the Spring.
• 26 other major public transport schemes, including guided buses schemes, bus priority measures and new public transport interchanges. Crawley Fastway is a guided bus scheme providing a fast link to London Gatwick airport. Bus priority schemes in the West Midlands will provide more reliable journey times along Hagley Road and Outer Circle routes. Tyne and Wear Centrelink features a dedicated busway which connects a new public transport interchange at the MetroCentre with Gateshead and Newcastle. There is also an ambitious pilot project to develop a new and safer scheme to provide transport for children attending primary schools in Surrey.
• 39 road improvement schemes, helping to provide safety and regeneration benefits. This includes 14 new bypasses to relieve traffic in our towns and villages - in a number of cases assisting rural regeneration. Examples of bypass schemes include the Rearsby bypass in Leicestershire, the Chilton bypass in Durham and the Rugeley bypass in Staffordshire

The £2.8bn for smaller transport schemes will provide benefits:

• for everyone, through improved integration between different types of transport, with better bus services to rail stations, improved pedestrian access to bus, rail and light rail stations, improved waiting facilities at stations;
• for people using public transport, with up to 4,500 km of faster and more reliable bus routes, with up to 1,500 small-scale bus improvements such as better lit and raised bus stops;
• for drivers, through up to 2,700 schemes to ease congestion such as improved road junctions and better signalling on local roads;
• for vulnerable groups, particularly children, through safer roads, with up to 8,200 local safety measures including 20mph zones outside schools, traffic calming measures, safer routes to school, and school travel plans;
• for cyclists, with up to 4,300 kilometres of new cycle routes, improved safety arrangements and better integration with public transport for pedestrians, with up to 650 kilometres of pedestrianisation and footway improvements, improved personal security (eg better lighting and CCTV surveillance), and the replacement of subways with street level crossings;
• for commuters to town and city centres through 120 or so new and improved park and ride facilities

Investing in what people want

We're investing in what people want locally. Local problems need local solutions. That's why we've asked local authorities to work in partnership with local people and local transport providers to draw up plans which identify and meet the needs of their own areas. The Government is now giving local authorities the funding to implement these plans.

There will be a proper balance between spending on roads - with about £3 bn going on improving existing roads - and spending on public transport. Our approach looks at transport as a whole and matches specific solutions to specific problems by assessing all the options. Any new major schemes - road or public transport - have been examined against the Government's transport criteria of safety, environment, economy, accessibility and integration using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA). This ensures that all relevant factors were taken into account when making decisions to give the go ahead to schemes, including any impact of a scheme on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). NATA ensures that the environmental impact of all major schemes is fully taken into account.

Recent statistics suggest the start of a shift towards public transport use and recent experience with light rail schemes demonstrates that where an attractive alternative is provided people will use their cars less. We can see clear scope for well designed schemes to repeat existing successes in towns and cities around the country.

We've listened to local people. Now we're delivering local solutions. This is a government investing in the priorities and delivering on its promises.