TRAVEL CHOICES FOR SCOTLAND

CHAPTER 7: RESOURCES AND POLICY TOOLS

Resources

7.1. Non-housing capital baselines and revenue support levels have been set for the next three years and, although expenditure will be under the control of the Scottish Parliament from 1 July 1999, councils should work on the basis of the existing plans. Local authorities must be realistic in their expectations of additional resources for implementing local transport strategies. Indeed, it is in the interests of authorities to devise short-term strategies that can be afforded. Realism in proposed implementation plans will be an important factor in the allocation of additional Government resources. A necessary condition for any allocation of Public Transport Fund resources in the period up to 2001/02 will therefore be that local authority support proposed should not go beyond the levels of resources available to the promoting authority or authorities.

7.2. Given that levels of central government support to local authorities after 2001/02 will depend on decisions by the Scottish Parliament and will not be known for some time and the uncertainties affecting possible new funding streams, local authorities may wish to consider constructing their forward looking 10 and 20 year visions on the basis of a range of different funding levels from 2002/03 onwards. These should take account of possible new sources of local revenues and the timescale on which these may become available, albeit any such estimates will necessarily be highly provisional, particularly at the interim strategy stage. The resulting longer-term visions should encompass both a trends continued scenario projecting forward present funding levels and one or more scenarios illustrating the transport outputs that might be possible with somewhat greater levels of expenditure, whilst recognising the likely continuation of affordability and other constraints.

Additional Sources of Funding

7.3. Consistent with the measures announced in Travel Choices for Scotland to encourage greater usage of public transport, the Government decided to set up a Public Transport Fund to assist value for money developments to the public transport network, with £90 million being made available over three years. Once accepted, major schemes will be funded with earmarked resources through the Public Transport Fund. From 1999/2000, projects of £200,000 or more seeking funding through the Public Transport Fund will need to be developed as part of a Local Transport Strategy. (Authorities within the Strathclyde Passenger Transport area will also need to have the support of the Passenger Transport Authority for the project.)

7.4. Over-bidding is likely to mean that the Public Transport Fund will be insufficient to fund all major schemes contained in strategies. Phasing may be necessary where authorities conclude that significant major schemes are unaffordable within the strategy period.

7.5. There are a number of other possible sources of funding options where schemes cannot be funded commercially: Funding for rail schemes requiring public sector support, but which have wider social benefits, will, in future, be available from the Rail Passenger Partnership fund (RPP) to be administered by the OPRAF/SRA. Local authorities will be required to submit scheme applications to OPRAF/SRA. Details of how RPP will be administered and the planning criteria involved will be announced by OPRAF/SRA shortly. Projects for which RPP funds are sought should be included in local transport strategies, consulting OPRAF/SRA and The Scottish Office as necessary; The Infrastructure Investment Fund, also administrated by OPRAF/SRA, is available to support strategic rail investment projects aimed at addressing capacity constraints at key infrastructure "pinch points". OPRAF/SRA will not fund capital costs (which is for Railtrack) but will use the resources to supplement Railtrack’s commercial investment to help ensure that sufficient capacity is available both for existing demand and for new demand; The three year Rural Transport Funding Package announced in the 1998 Budget provides £3.5 million per annum for new bus, rail and ferry services; £600,000 per annum for Community Transport Projects; and £400,000 per annum for rural petrol stations; and Possibility of securing sponsorship from transport operators and other commercial concerns.

Costs of Strategy Preparation

7.6. The preparation of Local Transport Strategies is voluntary (albeit local authorities are statutorily required to prepare road traffic reduction reports under the 1997 Act). Their production may result in some additional costs. For instance, local authorities may need to commit more resources to consultation/partnership working and the development of performance indicators (including traffic reduction targets). But the phased production of developed strategies over two years should make this manageable.

Traffic Data

7.7. Local authorities may already be collecting road traffic data in order to meet other statutory obligations (for example under the Environment Act 1995 to undertake assessments of local air quality) or as part of their general traffic management responsibilities. Where this is the case these authorities may be able to use this data to assess existing levels of road traffic in their area. However, we are aware that some authorities will have little or no usable road traffic data available to them and because of this would be unable to prepare a comprehensive report on existing road traffic levels by July 2000.

7.8. Where appropriate, local authorities should use road traffic information collected by The Scottish Office for its Scottish Road Traffic Database (SRTDb). This database, which has been maintained in its present form since 1992, was introduced to enable The Scottish Office to monitor general trends in traffic growth based on information collected on a link based network covering all motorway, trunk, principal and B class roads.

7.9. SRTDd will be available on the Internet in the near future. There will be no charge for local authorities accessing information the database contains. Scottish Office officials will be available to assist or advise any local authority wishing to use the database.

7.10. Information extrapolated from the SRTDb should provide the authorities with accurate and up to date data on which to base their assessments of traffic levels within their areas. However, there would be nothing to prevent an authority expanding on the data in SRTDb and using any other information available to it in order to draw up a more comprehensive picture of road traffic levels. To ensure consistency of approach when preparing traffic data, local authorities should have regard to SRTDb where appropriate. See the attached Annex for further details.

Traffic Modelling

7.11. Appraisal of alternative traffic schemes can be assisted by modelling as this can provide a consistent basis for comparison, and measures of traffic, in terms of flows on specific links (vehicle per hour) and throughout the model network (vehicle hours per hour; person per hour; vehicle kilometres per hour; or person hours per hour). Area-wide modelling will aid understanding of the likelihood of intense local effects versus less intense widespread effects.

7.12. The Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997 also requires authorities to give a forecast of expected traffic growth in their areas and this will require a degree of modelling in some form. Again some authorities may have models available to them which they can use; but many will not. The development and calibration of models is time consuming and expensive and it may not be feasible or practical for many authorities to design models which can provide results by July 2000.

7.13. Since 1997 The Scottish Office has been developing the Central Scotland Transport Model to provide robust forecasts of future traffic levels. Although designed primarily for forecasting traffic levels on trunk roads, it can be used equally for the local road network. The model covers some 20 local authority areas across the most heavily trafficked roads in Scotland and it will be available for use by those authorities. Scottish Office officials will be available to assist or advise any authority wishing to use the model. See the attached Annex for further details.

7.14. Using the model will provide a low cost solution to traffic forecasting. Apart from data preparation, authorities will only have to pay for the time taken to run the model with their traffic input data. Those authorities not covered by the model should look initially at very low cost "off the shelf" modelling packages before embarking on the development of new models which should be regarded as a last option. It many also be possible to make some reasonably accurate, subjective forecasts of expected traffic growth based on structure plans and other local plans.

Relevant Guidance/Publications

Scottish Office

Travel Choices for Scotland, 1998, Scottish Integrated Transport White Paper, The Stationery Office

Strategic Review of the Trunk Road Programme in Scotland: The Appraisal of Trunk Road Investment, 1998, The Scottish Office

Consultation on Regional Transport Partnerships and the National Transport Forum for Scotland, 1999, The Scottish Office

The United Kingdom National Air Quality Strategy 1997, The Stationery Office

Air Quality and Traffic Management LAQM G3(97), 1997, The Stationery Office

Air Quality and Land Use Planning LAQM G4(97), 1997, The Scottish Office

Cycling into the Future - cycling policy document, 1995, HMSO

Scottish Transport Statistics (Annual Digest), 1998 Edition, Government Statistical Service

Travel Patterns in Scotland 1997: Results of an Analysis of Travel Diaries: - System Three & The Central Research Unit. CRU Research Paper. 1998, The Stationery Office

Review of Scottish Travel Data Sources (1998) - Julian Hine et al, Napier University Transport Research Institute. Summary only: Development Department Research Findings Number 52

Sustainable Transport Study for Aberdeen: - Oscar Faber in association with ERM. CRU Research Paper. 1998, The Stationery Office

Car Dependence in Rural Scotland: - John Farrington et al, University of Aberdeen. CRU Research Paper. 1998, The Stationery Office

Petrol Stations in Rural Scotland: - Karen Raymond and Henry Collin, Environmental Resources Management and Roger Sidaway, Research Consultant. 1998, The Stationery Office

New Ideas in Rural Development No.2: Action on Scottish Rural Transport- Helping Local Communities Tackle Their Transport Problems: Stephanie Herbert CRU Research Paper. 1996, The Stationery Office

Scottish Rural Transport Action Guide: Practical advice on how to address your community’s transport needs: Stephanie Herbert. CRU Research Paper. 1996, The Stationery Office

Getting Around — Travel Choice and Behaviour - The Scottish Consumer Council. CRU Research Paper. 1998, The Stationery Office

Dispersion of Traffic Pollution from Street Canyons in Edinburgh: Alison Searl and Duncan Buchanan, Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh (1998)

Summary only: Environment Group Research Findings No.3

The Older Child Pedestrian Casualty Carole Millar Research. CRU Research Paper. 1998, The Stationery Office

Review of The Scottish Office Road Safety Research Programme 1989-1997: Janet Ruiz, Transport and Road Safety Research Branch. CRU Research Paper. 1997, The Stationery Office

Impact of the Road Network on Scotland’s Accident Rates: The MVA Consultancy. CRU Research Paper. 1997, The Stationery Office

Linking Road Traffic Accident Statistics to Census Data in Lothian: Ibrahim M Abdalla, Robert Raeside and Derek Barker, Napier University. CRU Research Paper. 1997, The Stationery Office

The Pedestrian Casualty Problem in Scotland: Why So Many?: Gordon Harland and Derek Halden, Transport Research Laboratory. CRU Research Paper. 1996, The Stationery Office

Accidents at Signal Controlled Junctions and Pelican Crossings in Glasgow: Halcrow Fox. CRU Research Paper. 1996, The Stationery Office

Running the Red - An Evaluation of the Strathclyde Police Red Light Camera Initiative: The MVA Consultancy. CRU Research Paper. 1995, The Stationery Office

Fitting Roads: The Scottish Office/COSLA, 1997, The Stationery Office.

Rural Road Hierarchy and Lorry Routing: The Scottish Office/COSLA, 1997, The Stationery Office.

Traffic Calming on Through Routes — Review for Discussion: The Scottish Office/COSLA, 1997, The Stationery Office.

Rural Road Management and the Environment: The Scottish Office/COSLA, 1997, The Stationery Office.

Cost effective Landscape: Learning from Nature: The Scottish Office, 1998, The Stationery Office.

Guidance for Applicants for Freight Facilities Grants, Scottish Office

DETR

A new deal for transport: Better for everyone 1998, UK Integrated Transport White Paper The Stationery Office

A New Deal for Congested Areas: The Government’s Consultation Paper on Road

User and Workplace Charges, 1998, The Stationery Office

Accessible Public Transport Infrastructure DETR

Audible and Tactile Signals at Pelican Crossings, 1991, DETR

Audible and Tactile Signals at Signal Controlled Junctions, 1991, DETR

Parking for Disabled People, 1995, DETR

Design manual for roads and bridges, DETR

The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, 1995, HMSO

Encouraging Walking: the National Strategy (to be published early 1999)

Guidance on the use of tactile paving surfaces DETR

Getting the Right Balance, 1987, HMSO

Guidelines for the Design of Interchanges, Terminals and Stops DETR

Design Criteria for Footbridges, 1987, DETR

National Cycling Strategy, 1996, The Stationery Office

Places, Streets and Movement: a companion guide to Design Bulletin 32 residential

roads and footpaths, 1998, DETR

Transport Trends, 1998, The Stationery Office

Village speed control working group - Final Report, DETR

DETR & London Transport Traffic Impact of highway capacity reductions,1998, DETR

Other

Abbott P, Taylor M and Layfield R, The effect of traffic calming measures on vehicle and traffic noise, September 1997, Traffic Engineering and Control.

Chartered Institute of Transport, Passenger interchanges, 1998, CIT

Civic Trust, County Surveyors Society, Department of Transport Lorries in the community 1990 The Stationery Office

Civic Trust, County Surveyors Society, Department of Transport, Lorries and Traffic

Management, A Manual of Guidance for Local Authorities and others, 1990, The Stationery

Office.

Colin Buchanan and Partners, Transport interchange - Best practice 1998.

County Surveyors’ Society, Department of Transport, Association of Metropolitan District

Engineers, Association of London Borough Engineers and Surveyors, Association of Chief

Technical Officers Traffic calming in practice.

CTC Bike Frame: A Model Cycling Policy, 1997, CTC

Institute of Highways and Transportation Cycle Friendly Infrastructure, 1996, IHT

Institute of Highways and Transportation Cycle Audit and Cycle Review Guidelines, 1998,

IHT

Institute of Highways and Transportation Guidelines for developing urban transport

strategies 1996, IHT

Institute of Highways and Transportation Reducing Mobility Handicaps - Towards a barrier

free environment, IHT

Office of the Rail Regulator - Meeting the Needs of Disabled People, ORR

Railtrack, Network Management Statement, 1998

Ross Silcock & DETR Better places through bypasses - Report of the Bypass Demonstration

Project, 1995, The Stationery Office

Transport 2000 Changing journeys to work, 1997 Transport 2000

Transport 2000 The healthy transport toolkit, 1998, Transport 2000