West Midlands
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Monday 8 October 2007 11:57
Department for Transport (West Midlands)
Local Authorities praised for plans to keep traffic moving
Almost three-quarters of local authorities have a 'Good' or 'Excellent' understanding of their duty to deliver the efficient flow of traffic on their road networks, results published today by Transport Minister Rosie Winterton reveal.
In a speech to a Local Government Association (LGA) conference on integrated transport, the Minister congratulated the successful local authorities for developing plans to beat traffic jams and keep roads flowing.
More than 70% of the Local Transport Plans (LTPs) for English local authorities outside London show a 'Good' or 'Excellent' understanding of Network Management Duty, assessors found.
Rosie Winterton said:
"I would like to congratulate all those authorities who have done well. Their performance should inspire others to improve.
"We recognise the importance of local action and innovation and the overall good results of this study bear this out.
"Our assessors found 71% of the 82 Local Transport Plans show 'Good' or 'Excellent' understanding of the general requirements and philosophy behind Network Management Duty.
"This will be a useful tool for others to make improvements in the future".
The Traffic Management Act (TMA) 2004 incorporates a Network Management Duty which imposes a responsibility on local traffic authorities to deliver efficient movement of traffic on their road network.
Initial key LTP assessment results were published in December last year. DfT has today published detailed reports into the LTPs of traffic authorities across England, not including London.
The best authorities had many strengths including strong incident, contingency and emergency planning.
Rosie Winterton also told the LGA conference in London that building an integrated, sustainable, efficient and secure transport system that can support a growing and globally competitive British economy and tackles social exclusion was vital.
She said central Government could not achieve those goals alone, instead local authorities need to concentrate on what is most effective in delivering solutions best tailored for local needs.
The draft Local Transport Bill will help tackle congestion and give local authorities far greater flexibility to develop the right transport solutions for their own areas, the Minister said.
Herefordshire Fair Shropshire Good Staffordshire Excellent Stoke on Trent Good Telford and Wrekin Fair Warwickshire Excellent West Midlands Excellent Worcestershire Good
The detailed regional reports are available on the GNN website:
http://www.gnn.gov.uk
or at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/tma2004/ltp2006nmd
Notes to Editors
1. The Traffic Management Act 2004 was introduced to tackle congestion and disruption through the effective management of all activities on the local road network.
2. The Act incorporates a Network Management Duty, the overarching aim of which is to facilitate the expeditious movement of traffic, and hence tackle congestion through effective management of the road network. The duty came into force in January 2005.
3. Authorities must have regard for the Network Management Duty Guidance (published by the Department for Transport in November 2004). The Department's Guidance on Intervention Criteria, which came into force in March 2007, describes how the Secretary of State will determine whether an authority may be or is failing to properly perform its network management duties.
4. The 82 Local Transport Plan authorities include all the county council, unitary and metropolitan authorities in England. The total does not include any of the 33 London local authorities because LTPs do not apply in London.
5. The detailed regional reports are available on the GNN website: http://www.gnn.gov.uk
or at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/tma2004/ltp2006nmd
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
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