Transport |
RECOMMENDATION | COMMENT |
79. Young people must be made aware of the benefits of modern public transport. This lesson must be taught to present and future generations of Scots in the classroom. | The Executive has commissioned research on Young People and Transport, which explores young people's transport requirements and expectations. We will use this work to develop our Travel Awareness Campaign, which already provides information (leaflets and website material) for young people. |
80. The Parliament should avoid being too prescriptive in charting the way forward on implementing an integrated transport policy for Scotland. It is ultimately for partnerships, sometimes national, more often regional and/or local, to decide on appropriate practical solutions that address the issues. | The Executive published its 1st Transport Delivery Report for Scotland in March 2002, based on Local Transport Strategies. This outlined how the Executive intends to deliver a sustainable, and integrated, transport system for Scotland and what has been achieved to date. The focus will be on working in partnership to deliver, in particular with the Regional Transport Partnerships and the private sector. |
81. There needs to be an holistic approach to transport policy, bringing together land and strategical planning and building control policies, education policy and economic growth policies. | The TDR integrates transport policy with other relevant policy areas including planning, education and economic development policies. |
82. There is a need to develop a national transport information service by 2000, with one national freephone number for Scotland. There is also an urgent need to develop a fully flexible, integrated fares and ticketing system for public transport, including a standard concessionary fare scheme for the elderly, the disabled, the visually impaired, the unemployed and those receiving full-time education. | Traveline become operational on 1 January 2001 and provides national travel information. Calls cost the same as a local call.
We will introduce free off-peak local bus travel, within existing concessionary scheme areas, in October 2002. We are also taking action to equalise the age of eligibility for concessionary travel at the pension age for women. |
83. Road bridge strengthening to upgrade key arterial routes for 40-tonne lorries to comply with European Union requirements must be given top priority, supported by new legislation if required. | Local authorities are planning to survey their local roads to assess the backlog of repairs and maintenance and establish future priorities for investment. They estimate the backlog of repairs, and maintenance of local roads and bridges to be up to 1.5bn. The Executive requires to work with local authorities on a medium-term plan to address the backlog. |
84. The Group proposes the early launch of a Scottish Transport Bond to raise leveraged funding from securitised income streams. The Group see the net proceeds from congestion pricing schemes on selected roads around the major Scottish cities being used to generate capital funding which would then be immediately available for new transport investment. | The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 gives powers to local authorities to introduce road user charging schemes, subject to the approval of Scottish Ministers. The income from which can only be used to fund local transport improvements. This is the only charging stream open to government and it is administered by local authorities.
The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 provides for urban road use charging and for hypothecation of all of the proceeds to fund transport improvements. |