Information for local authorities

Table of contents

• Introduction
•  Local transport plans
•  Major schemes
•  Transport Innovation Fund
•  Accessibility
•  Buses and local transport
•  Cycling and walking
•  Travel plans
• Road safety
•  Roads, traffic management and traffic calming
•  Streetworks and highway maintenance
•  Freight and sustainable distribution

Introduction

Welcome to our menu page designed specifically for staff within local authorities to access transport related guidance aimed specifically at them.

Publications are categorised under the following headings:

• Local Transport Plans
• Major Schemes
• Transport Innovation Fund
• Accessibility
• Buses and Local Transport
• Cycling and Walking
• Travel Plans
• Road Safety
• Roads, Traffic Management and Traffic Calming
• Streetworks and Highway Maintenance
• Freight and Sustainable Distribution
• WebTAG (Transport Analysis Guidance)

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 Local transport plans

DfT requirements:

• Local transport plan - process and initiatives
  Information regarding the production of local transport plans and annual reviews. Includes examples of good practice, technical guidance, accessibility planning, major schemes, performance indicators and details of all annual capital settlements to date.
• Local transport plans - Guidance and good practice
  Guidance for producing full Local Transport Plans and annual progress reports.
• Local Transport Plan guidance
• Producing local transport plans and annual progress reports in accessible format
  Guidance to authorities on preparing LTPs in formats that are accessible for disabled people.
• Local Transport Initiatives
  Information about travel plans, cycling, school travel, home zones and other community initiatives.
• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) guidance for transport plans and programmes (Transport Analysis Guidance) (2004)
  (http://www.webtag.org.uk/webdocuments/2_Project_Manager/11_SEA/index.htm)
  

 Major schemes

• Guidance to Local Authorities seeking DfT funding for transport Major Schemes 
  This draft document for consultation contains expanded and updated guidance for Local Authorities on Major Schemes. Published: 8 April 2005.

The following additional guidance is currently available for local authorities on LTP Major Scheme bids.

• Major Scheme Appraisal in Local Transport Plans is available on WebTAG (TAG Unit 1.4) and covers the required contents of the appraisal and the process to be followed.
• Detailed Guidance on Major Scheme Appraisal in Local Transport Plans (TAG Unit 3.9) contains additional detailed material on the appraisal process and framework
• Preparatory Costs for Major Transport Schemes
  This Guidance aims to assist local authorities that consider they may be eligible for a contribution towards preparatory costs.

Additional guidance on Major Schemes is included in the current LTP Guidance (paras 4.25 to 4.26) and APR Guidance (2005) (paras 26 to 33).

For further information please contact Bob Collins on 020 7944 2622 or by e-mail at: Bob.Collins@dft.gsi.gov.uk.

 Transport Innovation Fund

• Transport Innovation Fund
  'The Future of Transport' (July 2004) set out our intention to establish a Transport Innovation Fund to give our delivery partners incentives to develop and deploy smarter, innovative, local and regional transport strategies.

 Accessibility

• Accessibility planning
  A process designed to help authorities ensure that people, particularly those from disadvantaged groups and areas, are able to access jobs and other vital services.
• Accessibility Planning: draft guidance for consultation (2004)
  Draft guidance on accessibility planning in Local Transport Plans.

 Buses and local transport

Explanatory guidance from DfT:

• Guidance on Decriminalised Parking Enforcement Outside London
  Guidance for local authorities outside London about the scope for them to set up and operate a decriminalised parking enforcement regime under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1991 (RTA 1991).
• Enforcement of Bus Stop Clearways: Letter to Local Authorities (2003)
  Local authorities in England with decriminalised parking enforcement powers and authoritiies outside London applying for these powers.
• Bus operator licensing and registration of local bus services
  The bus industry is subject to two principal regulatory regimes: Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licensing, which governs professional competence; and bus registration, which deals with services and routes.
• Concessionary bus fares (2005)
  Guidance note and Frequently Asked Questions designed to assist local authorities implementing the national minimum standard for concessionary travel schemes.
• Concessionary fares: guidance for local authorities (2001)
  This guidance note assists local authorities implementing the national minimum standard for concessionary travel schemes.
• Guidance on concessionary fares for disabled people (2001)
• Taxis and private hire vehicles - consultation on draft Best Practice Guidance (2005)
  This guidance is issued with the aim of assisting those local authorities in England and Wales that have responsibility for the regulation of the taxi and private hire vehicle trades.

Best Practice guidance from DfT:

• Tendering of bus services
  Best practice guidance for local authorities securing the provision of local bus services by bus operators.
• Quality bus partnership and contract schemes
  A Quality Partnership scheme in effect represents an authority's commitment to providing certain facilities to improve local services and an obligation amongst participating operators to meet required quality standards when using the facilities.
• Bus grants
  Information and guidance on Bus Service Operators Grant, Rural Bus Subsidy Grant, the Rural and Urban Bus Challenges and Kickstart.
• Increasing bus use for journeys to school: a guide to best practice (2001)
• Get on Board: an agenda for improving personal security in bus travel guidance- good practice case studies (2002)
• Protecting Bus and Coach crews (2004)
• Bus Priority: The Way Ahead (Bus Priority Organisation) (2004)
• Bus-Based Park & Ride Traffic Advisory leaflet (2001)

Best practice guidance from outside DfT:

• Quality Bus Partnerships: A best practice guide (TAS Partnership) (2001)
  (http://www.tas-passtrans.co.uk/Quality+Bus+Partnership+2002)
• Nottingham Express Transit (Nottingham City Council) (2004)
  (http://www.nottinghamexpresstransit.com/default.asp)
• Park & Ride (City of York Council) (2003)
  (http://www.york.gov.uk/roads/excellence/parkandrideintroduction.html)
• Non web-based publications available:
• Keeping Buses Moving: Local Transport Note 1/97
  (The Stationery Office, ISBN 0-11-551914-9)

 Cycling and walking

• Walking and Cycling: an action plan
  The action plan sets out measures from across government to increase levels of active travel by creating places to walk and cycle in and influencing travel behaviour through training, education, marketing and promotion.
• Encouraging walking and Cycling: Success Stories
  Companion guide to the Walking and Cycling: an action plan, containing 50 examples of successful schemes illustrating the benefits of reduced congestion, improved public health and enhanced quality of local streets and spaces.
• Local Authority Cycling Grant Toolkit
  Model conditions and assessment criteria for local authority grants schemes for cycling.

Procedural guidance from DfT:

• Framework for a local walking strategy (2000)
• Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations: Circular (1997) (PDF 38 Kb)

Best practice guidance from DfT:

• Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces (1998)
• Traffic Advisory Leaflet 06/00: Monitoring Walking (2000)
• Traffic Advisory Leaflet 01/01: Puffin Pedestrian Crossings (2001)
• Inclusive mobility: A guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure (Traffic advisory leaflet) (2002) (PDF 849 Kb)

Traffic Advisory Leaflets on Cycle facilities:

• Cycle facilities: Traffic Advisory Leaflets

National Cycling Strategy leaflets:

• Series of National Cycling Strategy Leaflets (2004)
  (http://www.cyclingengland.co.uk/)

Guidance from outside DfT:

• Walking: The Way Ahead (Transport 2000 - DfT supported) (2003)
• City of York COE information (2003)
  (http://www.york.gov.uk/roads/excellence/cycleintroduction.html)
• Guidelines for Cycle Audit and Cycle Review (IHT) (1998)
  (http://www.iht.org/publications/technical/cycleaudit.asp)
• Guidelines for Providing Journeys on Foot (IHT) (2000)
  (http://www.iht.org/publications/technical/journeyonfoot.asp)

Non web-based publications available:

• Cyclists at Crossings and Junctions: Local Transport Notes 1/86
  (The Stationery Office/HMSO, ISBN 0 11 550782 5)
• Shared Use by Cyclists and Pedestrians: Local Transport Note 2/86:
  (The Stationery Office, ISBN 0 11 550783 3)
• Signs for Cycle Facilities: Local Transport Note 2/87
  (The Stationery Office, ISBN 0 11 550834 1)
• Making Way for Cyclists: Local Transport Note 1/89
  (The Stationery Office, ISBN 0 11 550908 9)
• The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings: Local Transport Note 1/95
  (The Stationery Office, ISBN 0 11 551625 5)
• The Design of Pedestrian Crossings: Local Transport Note 2/95
  (The Stationery Office, 1995. ISBN 0 11 551626 3)
• Cycle-friendly Infrastructure - Guidelines for Planning and Design.
  (CTC, 1996. ISBN 0 902237 17 9)

 Travel plans

Best practice guidance from DfT:

• School travel strategies and plans: a best practice guide for local authorities (1999)
• School travel strategies and plans: case studies report (1999)
• Travelling to School - a good practice guide (Joint publication with DfES) (2003) (PDF 549 Kb)
• Travelling to School - an action plan (Joint publication with DfES) (2003) (PDF 469 Kb)
• Using the planning process to secure travel plans (Joint publication with DCLG) (2002)
• Making travel plans work: Lessons from UK case studies (2002) (PDF 750 Kb)
• School travel advisers toolkit
  The joint DfT / DfES Travelling to School initiative aims to develop a strategic approach to school travel issues, promoting the use of walking, cycling and public transport and reducing car dependency for journeys to school.

Road safety

• Winter Maintenance and Operation of Highways (2005)
  This note gives advice to English local authorities on the maintenance and operation of highways during the coming winter of 2005/06.

DfT requirements:

• Tackling the road safety implications of disadvantage (2003)

Good practice guidance from DfT:

• Guidelines for evaluating road safety education interventions
  Guidance to assist road safety officers and other practitioners in conducting road safety education evaluations (2005)
• Local authority guidance (a number of documents aimed at informing, guiding and highlighting good practice for local authorities)
• Road Safety Good Practice Guide (2001)
• Guidance on local authority child safety audits (2003)
• Urban Safety Management Guidelines (Joint publication with TRL/IHT) (2003) (PDF 6603 Kb)

Good practice guidance from outside DfT:

• Driving at work, managing work-related road safety (HSE) (2003) (PDF 233 Kb)
  (http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg382.pdf)

 Roads, traffic management and traffic calming

Technical and explanatory guidance from DfT:

• Signs and signals: Traffic advisory leaflets
• Various Circulars (includes various guidance notes on road maintenance, traffic signs, vehicle and pedestrian crossings, bridges, road humps)
• Public local inquiries into road proposals (2002)

Good practice guidance from DfT:

• Traffic advisory leaflets
• Managing the accidental obstruction of the railway by road vehicles (2003) (PDF 442 Kb)

Good practice guidance from outside DfT:

• Home Zone Design Guidelines (IHIE)
  (http://www.ihie.org.uk/index3.asp?cat=6&d=2&pageid=17132)

Non web-based guidance from DfT:

• Getting the Right Balance: Local Transport Note 1/87
  (HMSO, ISBN 0-11-550841-4)
• The Design and use of Directional Informatory Signs: Local Transport Note 1/94
  (HMSO, ISBN 0-11-551610-7)
• Directional Informatory Signs Interim Design Notes: Local Transport Note 2/94
  (HMSO, ISBN 0-11-551700-6)
• The Installation of Traffic Signals and Associated Equipment: Local Transport Note 1/98
  (HMSO, ISBN 0-11-552008-2)

 Streetworks and highway maintenance

• Winter Maintenance and Operation of Highways (2005)
  This note gives advice to English local authorities on the maintenance and operation of highways during the coming winter of 2005/06.

Good Practice Guidance from Outside DfT:

• Well-maintained Highways (UK Roads Liaison Group)
• Well-lit Highways (UK Roads Liaison Group)
• Management of Highway Structures (UK Roads Liaison Group)

DfT Guidance on Best Value Performance Indicators for maintenance:

• Best Value Performance Indicators
• Best Value Road Condition Surveys 2003/04 (2003)
• Production of TTS-based BVPI report for BV96 (2003)

Street Works Codes of practice:

• Code of practice on co-ordination of street works and works for road purposes (2003)
• Code of practice for recording of underground apparatus in streets (2003) (PDF 263 Kb)
• Code of practice on safety at street works and road works (2002)
• Code of practice for inspections (2002) (PDF 749 Kb)

Technical guidance from DfT:

• Revision of specification for the reinstatement of openings in the highway (2002)
• Street works Regulations (2004)
• Street works Orders (2003)

Best Practice guidance from DfT:

• Best practice in street and highway works (2001)

Non web based best practice information (links to abstracts only)

• Footway and Cycle Route Design: Construction and Maintenance Guide (TRL) (2003) (PDF 11 Kb)
  (http://www.trl.co.uk/abstracts/AG26(v2)summary.pdf)

 Freight and sustainable distribution

• Freight Quality Partnerships (2004)