« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Section 2: Guidance
A: Purpose of the regional transport strategy
12. The broad purpose of regional transport strategies ought to be consistent across the country, though each partnership will have discretion to determine its own regional objectives according to the challenges and circumstances it faces. All strategies should contribute to the overall vision, aim and objectives set out in the white paper Scotland's Transport Future of June 2004 - these are attached for ease of reference at Annex C. Strategies should also contribute towards Ministers' wider policy goals including their top priority of growing the Scottish economy.
13. All strategies should be based on, and plan for, strong partnership working: between the members of the RTP, between the RTP and its constituent councils, neighbouring RTPs, health boards, other regional stakeholders and with the Scottish Executive and other relevant national bodies.
14. The Executive expects all regional transport strategies to serve the following purposes:
- To provide a vision and objectives for transport in the region over a long-term (10-15-year) time horizon and communicate these to stakeholders and the wider community.
- To provide an analysis of the current situation, covering transport needs and problems in the region.
- To set out a programme of activities, projects and interventions by the RTP, its constituent councils and other stakeholders, that is prioritised and costed, and which will contribute to the achievement of regional transport objectives.
- To inform the RTP's implementation and investment planning, setting out how the strategy will be achieved and its programme of activities delivered using funding at the RTP's disposal, including funding already committed from stakeholders (including the Scottish Executive).
- To identify any additional measures that would be dependent on further contributions from a range of possible stakeholders and to make the case for any additional contributions from those stakeholders (including the Scottish Executive).
- To provide a key steer for local transport strategies by setting regional transport objectives, outlining how the exercise of functions is to be shared between the regional and local levels.
- To support the National Transport Strategy and provide an important input to the Strategic Projects Review.
15. Regional transport strategies should be aspirational but also realistic. Ambition needs to be tempered by affordability - RTPs are independent statutory bodies and it is for them to set their budgets , to agree their priorities and to take often difficult decisions. However, the RTPs should aim high and seek to deliver real improvements: for users of personal transport including public transport, for users of freight transport and for people whose travel needs are not currently being adequately met. Where an RTP identifies interventions that require additional funding from the Scottish Executive, or the exercise of Ministerial functions, for their implementation, the RTS should be used to make the case for such interventions to the Scottish Ministers.
16. Regional transport partnerships will need to focus their strategies on particular outcomes and activities. This prioritisation should be driven by the vision and objectives of the strategy (see following sections), and the need to meet the statutory requirements set out in sections 5(1) and (2) of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005. These provisions are set out in full in Section B.
« Previous | Contents | Next »