Public transport in the South West: threats and opportunities

1. Public transport in the South West: threats and opportunities Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive Campaign for Better Transport

2. Campaign for Better Transport • Charitable trust promoting sustainable transport • Support from wide range of interests • Co-ordinates environmental and other NGOs concerned with transport • Commissions and publishes research • Conducts public campaigns • Promotes pilot projects and good practice

3. Current transport patterns have many impacts • Noise • Air quality: new research shows worse impacts • Landscape and biodiversity • Road casualties • Health impacts from less physical activity • Community severance • Social exclusion • Many of these result from car dependence – where car use is a necessity not a choice

4. And there is also climate change…

5. Car dependence is promoted by current policies • Carbon reduction and sustainability generally is about technology, not related to travel behaviour or transport infrastructure decisions • Key transport decisions – for example on fares, pricing, infrastructure and funding – don’t take account of impacts on car dependency or other sustainability issues • Transport not joined up - to land use planning and other government decisions • And at present in politics short term economic growth trumps everything else

6. Car dependence is a problem for… • Those with cars (who have to drive more) • Those without cars, who are excluded from society • And it leaves us all vulnerable to oil price shocks • Car dependency scorecard shows that towns and cities vary enormously

7. Threats: investment in major roads…

8. South West roads investment • Part of new England-wide Road Investment Strategy, £15bn 2015-2020 • Smart motorways and expressways • But: • Not multi-modal • Limited funding for local roads so potholes get worse

9. .. major cuts in public transport funding

10. Cuts in public transport spending • Bus Service Operators Grant • Underfunding of concessionary travel • Cuts in local authority funding • Buses in Crisis report: • £44m cut in funding, 2000 routes cut since 2010 • South West spend per person £6.44 2010 - £5.49 2015, 16% cut since 2010

11. And bus and rail getting dearer • Past trends show motoring and aviation costs have fallen in real terms, public transport costs have increased • Government policy is still RPI+1% annual increase for rail fares • Bus fares have increased by a third in cash terms over the last five years

12. Opportunities • Changes in transport trends • New forms of transport funding • Evidence of what works • New organisations • Public transport oriented development

13. Changes in trends: forecasts versus reality • -Car use has peaked, or at least lessened its increase, and young people are driving less than their parents did • -Rail use has been growing, even through the recession • But DfT forecasting doesn’t reflect this

14. New forms of transport funding • “Total Transport”: bids for pilots now being assessed • Workplace parking levy • Developer funding • Connectivity fund • Tax benefits • Road funding – “integration” • Need revenue funding, not just capital

15. What works: Sustainable Travel Towns 2004-8 show that car use can be reduced

16. Local Sustainable Transport Fund helps the economy • Help for employers (travel plans) • Helping unemployed people into work • Local public transport improvements (new services, lower fares) • Promoting active travel • Community involvement • Improving the public realm

17. Evidence shows that these are working – and are good value for money • North Somerset “kickstart” project: 21-24% increase in patronage • Swindon-Westbury rail service: 160,000 passengers in year 1 (forecast was 45,000) • Nottingham: half price “Kangeroo” card for jobseekers, 32,000 a month by Sept 2013, 17% of card holders found employment • Telford town centre box road, turning one side into “urban street” 20 mph zone – attracting £250m regeneration scheme

18. What works - walking and cycling • 60% of car journeys are under 5 miles, so encouraging walking and cycling could make a difference. This means • Safe routes • Signing • Cycle parking • Street design (e.g. advanced stop lines at lights) • Speed management where people live

19. New organisations • The push for devolution: • Rail North/ Transport for the North • Combined authorities/ PTEs • Transport partnerships • Bring LEPs and authorities together • Need joint transport/ land use/ economic plans, as in London

20. Public transport oriented development Link public transport and new development Joint rail/development projects Use developments to fund rail investment Develop rail stations as gateways/hubs Create town-wide transport partnerships Local and national planning policies should support this

21. Southern Leighton Buzzard development • “Dash Direct” bus • Station Travel Plan • Cycling and walking • Household screens • Limited car parking • Modal shift 2012: 24.2%; • Bus users with car: 48%

22. Tavistock and Devon • Railway closed in 1960s • Proposal to reopen 5 miles of line to connect with rail network • Paid for by a town extension of 750 houses, built round the rail line • In development plan, planning permission given • Part of other rail-based development in Devon

23. Network St Albans • An area wide voluntary partnership, with 5 bus operators, 2 train operators, district and county council • Network map • More frequent services • New buses • Multi-operator (BUSnet) ticket and now mobile e-tickets • Real time information • Better bus stops • Now rolled out to Watford and Hemel Hempstead

26. Bringing it together: door to door public transport Information: needs to be high quality, accurate, real time and easily available Network-wide ticketing/ smartcards Guaranteed connections Marketing: “metro” maps, branding etc Personal security: CCTV, policing priority Good interchanges and access to stops/stations End to end bus priority Above all treat public transport as a priority network that decision-makers and car users might want to use (and by the way, competition law can’t stop this)

27. Bringing it together -cutting car dependence? Measures to help people and businesses change travel behaviour, including working with the main travel generators (employers, schools, hospitals) Improve public transport, promote walking and cycling Smarter parking and roads policies Link transport and planning: locate development next to public transport, accessibility planning Smart transport infrastructure

28. Technology can help: transport is getting smarter… • Information • Payment • Management • Planning: “Big Data” • Vehicles: electric? Autonomous?

29. Smart growth not dumb growth… Economic growth doesn’t mean more and more roads and cars: Vienna: car use has fallen from 40% - 36%, 30% of journeys are now on foot or bike, 34% public transport Los Angeles: 90% car, 10% rest London: 1993- car 46% public transport 30%; 2010- car 34% public transport 42%

30. Conclusion • Transport and planning needs to promote “smart growth”, not “no growth” or “dumb growth” • Car dependence is bad for those with cars and those without, and for the wider economy, environment and society • Travel behaviour can change and reliance on cars is not inevitable • There are examples of business and council initiatives that can offer good models • Many technical tools and models are out of date and rely on past trends continuing • The challenge is to make transport decisions and funding support rather than undermine sustainable travel

31. For more information • Campaign for Better Transport • www.bettertransport.org.uk • stephen.joseph@bettertransport.org.uk • 020 7566 6480