Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans: Second Edition
Contents Front Cover...... 4 Foreword by Charlotte Atkins MP, Minister for Local Transport...... 5 Introduction ...... 6 Aims of this Guidance...... 6 Changes from the first edition...... 6 Summary: Key Elements of a good LTP...... 8 Part 2: Developing a High Quality LTP...... 8 Part 3: Priorities for Local Transport Planning...... 8 Part 4: Value for Money...... 10 Part 1 - The Government's approach to delivering better local transport...... 11 The Government's Transport Strategy ...... 11 Performance management and direct engagement...... 13 Part 2 - Developing a high quality LTP...... 15 Setting Transport in its Wider Context ...... 15 Locally relevant targets...... 20 Indicators and Trajectories...... 25 Key outcome indicators subject to mandatory LTP targets ...... 27 Annual Progress Reporting ...... 29 Reviewing and maintaining the LTP ...... 29 Part 3 - Priorities for local transport planning...... 30 The Shared Priority for Transport...... 30 Shared Priority - Tackling Congestion...... 31 Shared Priority - Delivering Accessibility...... 35 Shared Priority - Safer Roads...... 40 Shared Priority - Better Air Quality...... 44 Other Quality of Life Issues...... 47 Part 4 - Value for money...... 51 LTPs to show the value to be delivered for a known amount of money...... 51 Value for money and DfT decision making...... 52 Forecasting, Modelling and Analytical Tools for LTPs...... 53
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Block allocations for integrated transport - and 'planning guidelines' ...... 54 Achieving Value for Money through Major Schemes ...... 56 Affordability and prioritisation of major schemes...... 56 Exceptional schemes...... 60 Achieving value for money through buses ...... 61 Delivering value for money LTP solutions through railways...... 62 Value for money and light rail ...... 62 Achieving value for money by managing car use...... 63 Achieving value for money through asset management ...... 63 Efficiency in Highway Maintenance...... 64 Transport Asset Management Plans...... 64 Block allocations for maintenance...... 66 Achieving value for money from revenue-funded programmes ...... 66 Part 5 - Local transport plan practicalities...... 68 Preparing and presenting the new LTP...... 68 Principles of LTP Assessment ...... 68 Advice and help available from Government and other sources ...... 70 Setting out the scheme and policy implementation programme ...... 72 Environmental Implications - Strategic Environmental Assessment...... 72 Consultation on new LTPs...... 73 Arrangements for authorities rated 'excellent' by the Audit Commission...... 73 Rights of Way Improvement Plans ...... 76 Taxis and private hire vehicles...... 77 Supplementary bids...... 78 Centres of Excellence in Local Transport Delivery...... 78 Submission deadline ...... 79 Availability, publication and accessible formats ...... 79 Annex A - Mandatory and Best Value Performance Indicators...... 80 Annex B ...... 84 Sources of guidance and best practice ...... 84 Annex C - LTP assessment ...... 94 Element 1 - Quality of Planning ...... 94 The assessment criteria and sub-criteria ...... 94
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Element 2 - Impact of LTP targets...... 98 Element 3 - Deliverability...... 101 Integration of the three elements of LTP assessment...... 101 Annex D - Timetable and planning guideline illustration ...... 102 Timetable for second round of LTPs ...... 102 Planning Guidelines - an illustrative fictional example ...... 104
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Front Cover Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans Second Edition December 2004
4 Full Guidance on Local Transport Plans: Second Edition
Foreword by Charlotte Atkins MP, Minister for Local Transport I am delighted to present the second edition of Guidance on Local Transport Plans. This is the long- form version, aimed principally at transport planning professionals. As professionals, you will all know that until a few years ago local transport had suffered from decades of inadequate and unpredictable investment, leaving local transport planners unable to make realistic plans for the long term. For too long, local transport planning was a demoralised and undervalued profession, marginal to the wider planning and policy agenda. This Government's local transport policies, built around sustained investment combined with real devolution of responsibilities to local authorities, have begun to transform expectations. We are now seeing more ambition, more focus, more innovation and more effective delivery. The first round of Local Transport Plans has been a success, for both central and local government. The local transport community must now build on that success. We have, together, made a good start, but we must not slow the pace of reform. Transport is still, too often, seen as something separate and peripheral - something that can be ignored until it becomes a problem. Even the best local transport planners can still find it hard to make the case for transport to their colleagues and partners. The Department for Transport wants local transport planning to be seen as a vital and essential public service - a service that can be relied upon not just to solve problems, but to deliver opportunity for all, and to enhance quality of life. Transport planners must be focused on people, their needs and expectations. They must be clear about what they are trying to achieve, and able to show how their work helps everyone. They must work with people, and value skills, from outside the transport professions. They must be able to show they can offer real value for money. They must be expert, enthusiastic, energetic and enterprising. Above all, they must be able to plan effectively, and deliver what they have planned. This Guidance is just one element of our work to deliver a modernised, professional local transport service. DfT will be providing a range of help and assistance to individual authorities - from practical transport planning tools to high-level advice on strategy and support for potentially controversial measures to manage demand for road space. We intend to provide real strategic leadership, an effective LTP framework, continued stable investment funding, and as much help and support as we can. I am very much looking forward to seeing the new set of provisional Local Transport Plans next summer and the final LTPs in spring 2006. Charlotte Atkins MP, Minister for Local Transport
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Introduction 1. This document sets out the Government's guidance to local authorities on the approaches and methods they should adopt when drawing up their next Local Transport Plans (LTPs). Local transport authorities in England, outside London1, are required by the Transport Act 2000 to prepare a new LTP, and to take account of this Guidance in doing so. The exceptions are certain areas whose local authorities were classed as 'excellent' under Comprehensive Performance Assessment (see Paras. 5.37 - 5.42), and the two areas that produced new LTPs in 2003.2 2. This Guidance, in draft form, was subject to consultation from August to October 2004. A large majority of those responding to the consultation welcomed the overall approach and principles. The main areas of concern from local authorities were around the administrative process and timetable for delivering new LTPs, and around the proposed formulaic funding approach. DfT has made a number of changes to this final version, to address these concerns. As a result of these changes, the Department therefore requires complete new LTPs to be produced by the end of July 2005, but will regard these as provisional; authorities will have the opportunity to produce revised and finalised LTPs by the end of March 2006.
Aims of this Guidance 3. This guidance's overriding aim is to facilitate the delivery of better local transport as quickly as possible, by: