The transformation of transport policy in Great Britain? 'New Realism' and New Labour's decade of displacement activity

In a 1999 paper, Goodwin announced ‘the transformation of transport policy in Great Britain’. His central point was that consensus was emerging among policy makers and academics based on earlier work including Transport: The New Realism, which rejected previous orthodoxy that the supply of road space could and should be continually expanded to match demand. Instead a combination of investment in public transport, walking and cycling opportunities and – crucially – demand management should form the basis of transport policy to address rising vehicle use and associated increases in congestion and pollution / carbon emissions. This thinking formed the basis of the 1997 Labour government’s ‘sustainable transport’ policy, but after 13 years in power ministers neither transformed policy nor tackled longstanding transport trends. Our main aim in this paper is to revisit the concept of New Realism and re-examine its potential utility as an agent of change in British transport policy. Notwithstanding the outcome of Labour’s approach to transport policy, we find that the central tenets of the New Realism remain robust and that the main barriers to change are related to broader political and governance issues which suppress radical policy innovation

Defining a common set of indicators to monitor road accidents in the European Union

BACKGROUND: currently road accidents are mostly monitored through mortality and injury rates. This paper reports the methodology and the results of a project set forth by the European Union (EU) and coordinated by the WHO aimed at identifying and evaluating a core set of indicators to monitor the causal chain of road accident health effects. The project is part of the ECOEHIS (Development of Environment and Health Indicators for European Union Countries). METHODS: a group of experts (WG), identified 14 indicators after a review of the information collected at the EU level, each of them representing a specific aspect of the DPSEEA (Driving, Pressure, State, Exposure, Effect, Action) model applied and adapted to the road accidents. Each indicator was scored according to a list of 16 criteria chosen by the WG. Those found to have a high score were analysed to determine if they were compatible with EU legislation and then tested in the feasibility study. RESULTS: 11 of the 14 indicators found to be relevant and compatible with the criteria of selection were proposed for the feasibility study. Mortality, injury, road accident rate, age of vehicle fleet, and distance travelled are the indicators recommended for immediate implementation. CONCLUSION: after overcoming the limitations that emerged (absence of a common definition of death by road accident and injury severity, underestimation of injuries, differences in information quality) this core set of indicators will allow Member States to carry out effective internal/external comparisons over time

The Journey Experience of Visually Impaired People on Public Transport in London

The use of public transport is critical for Visually Impaired People (VIP) to be independent and have access to out-of-home activities. Despite government policies promoting accessible transport for everyone, the needs of VIP are not well addressed, and journeys can be very difficult to negotiate. Journey requirements can often differ from those of other categories of people on the disability spectrum. Therefore, the aim of this research is to evaluate the journey experience of VIP using public transport. Semi-structured interviews conducted in London are used. The results show that limited access to information, inconsistencies in infrastructure and poor availability of staff assistance are the major concerns. Concessionary travel, on the other hand, encourages VIP to make more trips and hence has a positive effect on well-being. The findings suggest that more specific policies should be introduced to cater to the special needs of particular disabilities rather than generalising the types of aids available. It is also concluded that the journey experience of VIP is closely related to an individual’s independence and hence inclusion in society

Governing urban accessibility: moving beyond transport and mobility

Access to people, goods, ideas and services is the basis of economic development in cities. The better this access, the greater the economic benefits through economies of scale, agglomeration effects and networking advantages. The way in which cities facilitate accessibility also impacts directly on other key aspects of human development, social inclusion and well-being. Accessibility is created through a complex interplay of urban form and transport systems. Thus, governing urban accessibility requires moving beyond conventional urban transport considerations linked to mobility and movement. Such a re-framing implies a far greater recognition of urban form characteristics like land use, distribution of densities and urban design, in addition to transport characteristics like infrastructures, service levels and travel speeds. A new interface between these characteristics has emerged as a result of shared mobility systems, putting additional pressure on city governments to act as system integrators. Based on a literature review, empirical insights from a global survey and the case-study cities of London, NYC and Berlin, this paper explores the institutional capacities of shifting from governing urban transport to urban accessibility. The evidence shows that there are entrenched misalignments which may impact negatively on the capacity to pair planning and policies essential for delivering better accessibility. Furthermore, it is clear that “hierarchies” and “networks” are not mutually exclusive when it comes to integrated governance of accessibility. The findings also suggest that cities may be better equipped to integrate shared mobility and consider mobility as a service than to pursue more wide-ranging metropolitan accessibility policies

Market Access, Trade in Transport Services and Trade Facilitation [electronic resource] /

This ECMT Round Table, hosted by the Hellenic Institute of Transport in Thessaloniki, Greece, focused on regional integration in the context of multilateral trade liberalisation, the effects on market structure of liberalising trade in transport services, interaction of the liberalisation of trade in transport services and national competition policies, and demand for the coordination of international transport infrastructure policies, transport security, and logistics policies.INTRODUCTORY REPORTS The Role of Market Structure in the Transport Sector on the Effects of Liberalisation: The Case of the World Trade Organization by Pierre Latrille, WTO 1. Introduction 2. Structure of the WTO and Decision-making 3. WTO Rules 4. Opportunities Offered by GATT for Land Transport 5. Opportunities Offered by GATS for Land Transport Transport’s Role in Regional Integration Processes by T.R. Lakshmanan and William P. Anderson, USA 1. Introduction and Overview 2. Physical Transport Infrastructure and Regional Integration 3. Non-physical Transport Infrastructure and Regional Integration 4. Concluding Comments Market Structure in the Transport Sector and the Effects of Liberalisation by Joseph F. Francois, The Netherlands, and Ian Wooton, United Kingdom 1. Introduction 2. A Theoretical Model 3. A Factor Analysis of Regulatory Structures 4. Conclusions Liberalisation of Air Transport and Competition Concerns in ASEAN by Deunden Nikomborirak, Thailand 1. Transport Liberalisation in ASEAN 2. Transport Sector Liberalisation and Competition Concerns 3. Competition Problems in the Transport Sector in ASEAN 4. Competition and Regulatory Regimes in ASEAN 5. Conclusion Transport Infrastructure, Trade and Economic Growth by Panicos Demetriades, United Kingdom 1. Introduction 2. Infrastructure, Specialisation and Economic Growth 3. Infrastructure and Trade 4. Factors That May Explain Underinvestment in Infrastructure 5. Concluding Remarks Security and Transport by D. Stoyanov, Bulgaria 1. Introduction 2. Transport Security as a Present Day Problem 3. The International Community: Policies and Actions to Improve Transport Security 4. Some Transport Security Problems in South-East Europe 5. Achievements and Current Tasks in Transport Security Development 6. General Conclusions Enhancing Transport Security and Efficiency. Contradiction or Challenge? by Vassilios Sarigianndis, Greece 1. Introduction 2. Key Policy Developments in Transport Security Since 2002 3. Key Questions Emerging from the Current Policy Context 4. Conclusions Facilitating Trade Along Pan-European Corridors Nos. X, V and Adriatic Ionion via Planning of Freight and Logistics Centres: The IMONODE Project Recommendations by Georgia Aifadopoulou, Greece 1. Introduction 2. Major Considerations for Intermodal Transport Development and Trade Facilitation in SE Europe 3. The IMONODE Approach and Scope for Intermodal Transport Development in SE Europe 4. Bridging Regional Socioeconomic Development of SE Europe and Transport Logistics Development (Transport Supply Side) for Achieving Efficiency of Intermodal Transport Operations 5. Assessment of Intermodal Network in SE Europe 6. Proposals for New or Upgraded Transport and Logistics Terminals (TLT) Development in the CADSES Area 7. IMONODE Pilots and Demonstrators – Business Case Assessment 8. Conclusions SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS LIST OF PARTICIPANTSThis ECMT Round Table, hosted by the Hellenic Institute of Transport in Thessaloniki, Greece, focused on regional integration in the context of multilateral trade liberalisation, the effects on market structure of liberalising trade in transport services, interaction of the liberalisation of trade in transport services and national competition policies, and demand for the coordination of international transport infrastructure policies, transport security, and logistics policies