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Does the UK Government have a joined up plan for investing in transport? Committee launches new inquiry

17th Jul 2023

The Transport Committee has launched a new inquiry that will examine how the UK Government develops strategic objectives for transport policy.

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This inquiry was inspired by proposals that were pitched to the UK's Transport Committee during its Our Future Transport campaign, which saw experts and academics present ideas to the MPs on what subjects they should investigate next.

CIHT strongly welcomes this new inquiry on strategic transport objectives as this chimes with CIHT's pitch of the call for a National Transport Strategy that they made to the TSC Our Future Transport, stating:

CIHT calls for the government to provide a clear vision and strategy that sets out how transport will contribute to key policy areas. CIHT will work with government, other national bodies and sub-national transport groups to develop the vision and strategy.

CIHT welcomes the new inquiry that will investigate how Government sets strategic transport objectives. According to the TSC they state that this inquiry builds on pitches from former CIHT President, Martin Tugwell of Transport for the North and Malcolm Brown of Angel Trains.

The inquiry will examine how effectively the Government works across departments to set strategic transport objectives, and how these objectives do — or should — influence decisions on investment in services, networks and infrastructure.

According to the TSC for the inquiry on strategic transport objectives they note that future investment planning is mostly done on the basis of individual transport modes or specific programmes, often with local and regional government and arms-length bodies advocating for new infrastructure, revenue funding or powers to support and improve services in their area. Funding for some modes is both short-term and in short supply, with resources often allocated by competition.

CIHT in their response to the TSC Our Future Transport campaign/inquiry stated:

The transport sector in England is currently fragmented, with separate strategies for our trains, [1] buses, [2] active travel, [3] and roads. [4] This has created a lack of coordination at a spatial level across the UK - from local and central governments and regional transport partnerships implementing policies, to businesses and individuals taking account of their actions. Hence, we are seeing increasing problems to do with siloed working which hinders the Government from delivering its long-term goals such as Net Zero [5] and Levelling Up, [6] to name a few.

A national transport strategy would remedy this by setting a clear framework of requirements over a minimum 10-year period for all elements of our transportation networks. This strategy should include the strategic and local highway networks, rail, aviation and ports and set out how those networks integrate with one another by setting long-term direction that covers urgent and immediate priorities for all these key stakeholders.

MPs will investigate the extent to which the Government takes a long-term, national and multi-modal approach to predicting, providing for, maintaining and developing the country’s transport needs. They will also assess what difference the adoption of clear, national strategic objectives for transport could make.

CIHT in their response to the TSC Our Future Transport campaign/inquiry stated:

It [The NTS] should also include a pipeline of infrastructure investment that would encourage business to invest in the resources needed to deliver in a wide range of government policy areas – equality, health, sustainability and developing a prosperous economy.

As part of an integrated transport strategy CIHT highlights the need to improve the links between planning and transport – too often we build first and then think about transport infrastructure afterwards. Both our ‘Better Planning, Better Transport, Better Places’ [1] and ‘Fixing a failing planning and transport system’ [2] advice highlights how this could be done.

The creation of a vision and strategy would give a clear focus for everyone involved in (and dependent upon) transport as to how to align planning and investment for the future. Without one there is a real risk of business not investing or investment being wasted in the development of approaches that are not required.

[1] Better Planning, Better Transport, Better Places, Chartered Institute for Highways and Transportation, 2019

[2] Fixing a failing planning and transport system, Chartered Institute for Highways and Transportation, 2022

Chair comment

Transport Committee Chair Iain Stewart MP said:

“I am delighted to reveal that one of two inquiries we have launched, following a host of impressive Our Future Transport pitches, will examine the Government’s strategic transport objectives.

“We will ask the overarching question — what are the Government’s strategic objectives for the transport sector and how are they prioritised? From there, we will examine how those objectives do, or should, influence decisions on investment in services, networks and infrastructure. Inspired by the proposals submitted by Transport for the North and Angel Trains, we plan to dig into the extent to which the Government takes a long-term approach to joining up different modes of transport, and works effectively across Whitehall, for the benefit of communities across the whole country. Our own objective will be to recommend changes that help the Government ensure its future plans dovetail and aren’t made in siloes.

“My colleagues and I are extremely grateful to all those who submitted proposals to us, and especially to the 12 who journeyed to Parliament and pitched to us in person. It was an eye-opening experience that I’m sure will inspire and shape our scrutiny over the rest of this Parliament.”

Terms of reference

We welcome submissions of written evidence that address any or all of the following themes. We are also interested in receiving submissions that draw on international comparisons to address these questions. Visit the Committee’s website to submit.

Defining objectives

What is your understanding of the Government’s strategic transport objectives? Are they the right ones, and if not, how should they be changed?
How well has the Government articulated the outcomes and objectives it seeks from the country’s transport network? How could this be improved, and what impact would better-defined objectives have on transport planning and investment?

Using objectives to guide investment

How well does the appraisal and decision-making process for new transport investment meet the Government’s strategic transport objectives? How should this be improved?
How should wider economic, environmental and social impacts be appraised and valued, including when the gains will largely be felt in policy areas other than transport?
How can longer-term certainty in planning be achieved in order to promote greater private sector investment from a range of sources?

Improving coordination and alignment

How effectively is strategic transport planning and investment coordinated across and between transport modes, including with reference to achieving modal shift?
How could planning for transport infrastructure across government and coordination of policy (for example, with policy on energy, digital or planning) be made more coherent and streamlined?
How effectively is strategic transport planning and investment coordinated between national, devolved, regional and local government and other public bodies? Do the current division and distribution of powers help or hinder?