We are a nation of suburbanites. However, the ubiquity of suburban living is often not reflected in transport policy. And there can be no decarbonisation of transport without specific measures to decarbonise transport in the suburbs.
This report presents four foundations of suburbs for a new era – one which offers all suburbanites the promise of the ‘Good Life’ whilst addressing the climate crisis. These foundations should help people to access more of what they need locally; provide family-friendly sustainable transport choices: prioritise gentle densification around sustainable transport infrastructure; and provide reliable, convenient connections to the nearest town or city and key employment sites.
This report from the Transport Safety Research Centre at Loughborough University reviews the regulatory framework for bus safety in England outside London and makes comparisons with the safety regime in place both elsewhere and for other modes. It also includes the findings from interviews with Local Transport Authorities and other key bodies on their experience of the current bus safety regime. The report finds there is a strong case for significant reform including around standards and the organisation and resourcing of leadership and oversight on bus safety.
This report finds that if Government’s Covid-related financial support to urban public transport outside London ends (in March 2022), buses would soon be less frequent and more expensive, and patronage would be substantially lower than pre-Covid levels, potentially up to 30% lower.
Further financial support however would halt the decline of bus (and light rail) patronage and has the potential to get patronage levels back towards their pre-pandemic levels. It would also create the opportunity for Government to reform its approach to supporting public transport funding so it can be used to the best effect.
The report recommends that the Government’s Covid-related support to urban public transport is maintained for at least a further 12 months.
We are a nation of suburbanites. However, the ubiquity of suburban living is often not reflected in transport policy. And there can be no decarbonisation of transport without specific measures to decarbonise transport in the suburbs.
This report presents four foundations of suburbs for a new era – one which offers all suburbanites the promise of the ‘Good Life’ whilst addressing the climate crisis. These foundations should help people to access more of what they need locally; provide family-friendly sustainable transport choices: prioritise gentle densification around sustainable transport infrastructure; and provide reliable, convenient connections to the nearest town or city and key employment sites.
This report from the Transport Safety Research Centre at Loughborough University reviews the regulatory framework for bus safety in England outside London and makes comparisons with the safety regime in place both elsewhere and for other modes. It also includes the findings from interviews with Local Transport Authorities and other key bodies on their experience of the current bus safety regime. The report finds there is a strong case for significant reform including around standards and the organisation and resourcing of leadership and oversight on bus safety.
This report finds that if Government’s Covid-related financial support to urban public transport outside London ends (in March 2022), buses would soon be less frequent and more expensive, and patronage would be substantially lower than pre-Covid levels, potentially up to 30% lower.
Further financial support however would halt the decline of bus (and light rail) patronage and has the potential to get patronage levels back towards their pre-pandemic levels. It would also create the opportunity for Government to reform its approach to supporting public transport funding so it can be used to the best effect.
The report recommends that the Government’s Covid-related support to urban public transport is maintained for at least a further 12 months.
This report makes the case for bus revenue funding and reform of how it is provided.
It aims to arrive at a realistic assessment of the revenue funding that will be needed to support the ambitious transformation in bus services envisaged by the National Bus Strategy. It also looks at how the way in which funding is provided could be reformed in order to offer better value for public money and enable it to be targeted in the most effective way locally.
The report:
As the network of transport authorities serving the largest city regions in England, we worked together to keep the wheels of public transport turning during the lockdown so that key workers could get to where they needed to be.
In this paper we set out how, with the right policy framework from Government, we can meet the challenge of ramping up public transport and prioritising cycling and walking to support a green and just recovery.
(Updated version June 2021)
This report, produced by transport consultancy Steer for the Urban Transport Group, warns that the future of local public transport services is at serious risk without continued COVID-19 financial support from Government.
It highlights how Government support allowed public transport to continue during the national lockdown (enabling key workers to travel to and from work) and to provide a more comprehensive service at lower socially distanced vehicle capacity following the end of the lockdown.
But the report paints a stark picture for both bus and light rail systems should this support be withdrawn prematurely.
This research - conducted by transport consultancy SYSTRA on behalf of the Urban Transport Group - uncovers valuable insights into how passengers spend their time while travelling by bus, and sets out the implications for future bus design and promotion.
The research was based on surveys of over 1,100 people on two different bus routes in Leeds and Nottingham. The two routes both provide a high frequency service and operate with double decker buses with leather seats, WiFi and USB ports - some of the best on-board facilities available. However, the profile of passengers between the two routes was somewhat different, with passengers in Leeds tending to be older, working or retired, whilst a higher proportion of respondents in Nottingham were students, due to the bus route travelling along the university corridor.
This research, by Transport for Quality of Life, identifies the underlying conditions that best predict levels of bus use in local areas. It points to six conditions which, when combined, are used to define the ‘Intrinsic Bus Potential’ (IBP) of a local authority area. These include the Index of Multiple Deprivation, the proportion of students, and rush-hour traffic travel times.
The report also identifies additional factors which may explain why some areas exceed expectations with higher levels of bus use than predicted, such as a pre-existing culture of bus use, high levels of bus provision, and local factors such as poor rail connectivity.
The research has a number of important implications, including the need for radical change on bus policy to enable more areas to do significantly better on bus patronage.
This report - published to coincide with the 2019 Autumn Party Conferences - identifies four urban transport challenges and four solutions needed to overcome them.
It also details what transport authorities need from Government to bring about these changes.
On launching the report, Stephen Edwards, Chair of the Urban Transport Group and Executive Director of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, said: "There is much more that needs to be done if transport is to contribute effectively to meeting the many challenges that city regions face, from the climate crisis to public health challenges associated with a lack of physical activity. The right policies can help overcome these challenges."
We are living in rapidly changing times. Big shifts are taking place in urban transport trends.
Number crunch 2019 is the second in our Number crunch report series and provides an updated overview of the key trends over the last ten years, as well as taking a look at what the new and most recent data is telling us. The report also investigates some new issues – including housing need and social inclusion.
In these changing times, the case for coordinated and integrated transport planning at the city region level is stronger than ever. So is the case for long term funding frameworks for local urban transport rather than stop-start funding as is currently the case.
Transport has a key role to play in shaping a new and sustainable era for the suburbs, a new report from the Urban Transport Group says.
Responding to the Queen’s Speech, Jonathan Bray, Director of the Urban Transport Group, said:
Responding to today's DfT's funding announcement Chair of the Urban Transport Group, Laura Shoaf, said:
The Urban Transport Group has today welcomed the announcement that Government will extend its COVID funding support for local transport for a further six months.
The number of bus passengers in city regions outside London could be up to 30% lower than before the pandemic – a “similar magnitude” to the direct impact which COVID-19 itself has had on demand - if the Government does not extend its financial support for the bus.
Responding to today’s Spending Review, Jonathan Bray, Director of the Urban Transport Group, said:
The Government will fail to meet its objectives around carbon reduction and levelling up unless it increases spending on local transport as part of the Spending Review.
‘Spending Review will decide whether bus strategy aspirations will be met’
Report shows current funding falls well short of what will be needed for levelling up
Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford will be in conversation with Jo Field, Chief Executive of JFG Communications and President of Women in Transport for the seventh in the Urban Transport Next series of events, hosted by Urban Transport Group.
The Urban Transport Group, the network of UK transport authorities (which serve the areas where the vast majority of bus trips are made), has today welcomed the national bus strategy.
