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Putting it
simply, this book could be read as a description of the Governments’ failure,
when it comes to transport policy over the last decade. For many transport users
the signs of failure are all around us, rising road, rail and air travel
congestion.
For others
this book could be read as surprising how much has the government achieved,
given that transport has not enjoyed a high political and budgetary priority.
One thing you can say about the complaints of rising traffic congestion is that
it is a symptom of the government’s success in managing the economy over the
last decade until the recent world economic down turn.
Even so, the
Government has made mistakes, but this book reveals many of the operational,
resources, bureaucratic and regulatory obstacles that have hindered in
implementing policy, and interestingly I have found face decision makers in
other European countries.
For many
transport users outside the major cities or Scotland and Wales, many would be
surprised that there is a transport policy at all. Travel times to work have
increased as congestion has grown.
This book
reveals many of the poor decisions that have been made from the failure to
create integrated regional transport authorities with powers to award local
franchise services to potential operators as is the case in London, by Whitehall
throughout the land, to the strange resistance of some pro-car local highway
authorities to actively facilitate public transport usage.
The writers
reveal that there is propensity by Department for Transport (DFT) decision
makers to seek a road policy solution as against alternative transport modes.
This perhaps explains why the DFT strange reluctance to implement the 25 tram
networks long promised, by 2004 only two new schemes had opened in Nottingham
and Newcastle, elsewhere London still awaits the go ahead on long promised
Crossrail scheme while the twenty year wait for the East West Rail link
continues for the South East region, with the DFT ordering yet another report on
this vital strategic scheme.
What this book fails to answer?
The analysis
reveals that there is a clear failure of leadership and responsibility by the
powers that be. Though what I found missing from this book was given that
transport policy will likely to continue to enjoy a low political and budgetary
priority, whoever wins the next election, what would be the writers solution’s
given the political, economic, operational, funding, institutional and
regulatory environments that exists in Britain in meeting the demands from
transport users for costly electrification, rail loading gauge enhancement, more
light rail and high speed rail schemes, sea and airports, road tolls and
congestion charging.
Would they
support the creation of a national strategic transport authority, for instance, to
implement national and international transport policy, together with the establishment of independent integrated regional
transport authorities to direct matters at a more local level?
Who is this book for?
It
is aimed at transport policy students and academics, but it does tend to be
analytical this book, rather than suggest politically and financially viable
solutions that a future transport minister could implement.
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