The Resource Centre holds all our documents (briefings, consultation responses, press releases and reports). Signed-in members also have access to projects. You can search the Resource Centre by topic or by type of document.
Resources
Resources
Submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2020
September, 2020
This is our submission to HM Treasury's Comprehensive Spending Review 2020. In our submission, we call upon the Government to move on from its current 'patch and mend’ approach to closing the COVID-19 funding gap for public transport towards longer-term, secure arrangements. We argue that this should form the basis for wider reforms of the funding and powers of city region transport authorities. In practice, this would mean providing long-term funding packages for local transport similar to those already in place for national rail and roads, as well as upgrading the powers of city region transport authorities so they are more in line with those in London. This would ensure that transport authorities are fully empowered and funded to meet the challenge of a green and just recovery from COVID-19.
Consulting body:
HM Treasury
The Covid-19 Funding Gap: The Case for Continuing Support for Urban Public Transport
September, 2020
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But the report paints a stark picture for both bus and light rail systems should this support be withdrawn prematurely.
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Towards an appropriate legal and regulatory framework for smart futures on transport
September, 2020
Commissioned from consultants Steer, this report seeks to provide an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses the current UK legal and regulatory framework for smart transport futures in relation to the key challenges that UK transport authorities face. It also explores the potential for anticipatory regulation, principles that could underpin any changes to the framework and recommendations for priority areas in need of reform.
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Transport Decarbonisation Plan
August, 2020
This is our response to the Government's Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which requested ideas about the next steps to reducing emissions in transport and creating a plan to ensure the UK meets its net zero emissions by 2050 target.
Consulting body:
Department for Transport
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Action stations: How devolution is transforming rail stations for the better
August, 2020
This report focuses on the benefits of the involvement of devolved authorities in rail stations.
It does so by looking at over 35 case studies of how and why devolved authorities have improved stations for the better in recent years – and the wide range of different kinds of benefits that this has brought for passengers and the places the railway serves. These benefits include helping to meet local housing need and sparking regeneration, turning run-down stations into gateways and places to be proud of, and improving the accessibility and environmental performance of station buildings.
The report goes further by looking at the potential to achieve even greater results through devolving more responsibilities for stations, such as delivering common branding with the rest of the local public transport network, through to ensuring plans and funding for stations is integrated with wider plans around housing, economic development and decarbonisation.
The key COVID-19 challenges for urban transport and the support we need from Government
August, 2020
This overarching briefing sets out the key issues facing urban transport authorities in their response to the coronavirus crisis. It also sets out the four things we need from Government so that transport authorities can support a safe and achievable phased release from lockdown. Updated 18 August 2020.
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Future of Transport Regulatory Review
July, 2020
Our response to the Department for Transport's consultation focusing on the potential for regulatory reform around micromobility; flexible bus services; and Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
Consulting body:
Department for Transport
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Supporting bus services in the COVID-19 recovery period
July, 2020
This briefing makes the case for a more robust and cost effective format for funding support for the bus sector for the recovery period.
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e-scooters: pavement nuisance or transport innovation?
June, 2020
Our response to the Transport Committee's inquiry into the safety and legal implications of electric scooters, their impact on congestion, and potential contribution to reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Consulting body:
Transport Select Committee
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Legalising rental e-scooter trials
June, 2020
Our response to the Government's proposals to allow trials of rental e-scooter services.
Consulting body:
Department for Transport
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Policy Futures - Seamless public transport
September, 2014
This policy futures paper highlights the growing appetite for giving larger cities outside London more of the benefits that London enjoys on public transport, and brings together the ideas from the other policy futures papers.
Policy Futures - Rail
September, 2014
This Policy Futures paper sets out the changed needed to ensure that modern commuter networks compliment enhanced national and inter-regional services in a way that meets the needs of the city regions.
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Policy Futures - Urban Transport outside London
September, 2014
This Policy Futures paper sets out the overarching policies needed to transform transport provision in the city regions in a way that supports wider objectives for growth, society and the environment.
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Policy Futures - Highways
September, 2014
This Policy Futures paper sets out the changes needed to better co-ordinate national and local highways policy to achieve wider economic, environment and social goals.
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Policy Futures - Air quality
September, 2014
This Policy Futures paper sets out the policy changes needed to better tackle the air quality problems caused by transport in the city regions.
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Policy Futures paper - Buses
July, 2014
This paper sets out the policy changes needed for the bus to play its full part in creating wider modern, cost effective and integrated public transport networks for the city regions.
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Rail in the North of England
June, 2014
A briefing on Rail in the North - and the case for investment and a growing railway.
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Multi operator ticketing comparison
May, 2014
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Government proposals to ban CCTV enforcement of parking and implications for buses
January, 2014
On 6th December 2013 the Government issued a consultation document on local government parking strategies. The stated aim of the proposals is to help with the cost of living and to support local shops. In this briefing we concentrate on the CCTV enforcement proposals – and in particular the implications for buses.
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HMT 2013 Spending Review: transport number crunch
October, 2013
Briefing analysing what the 2013 Spending Review means for transport. It takes a closer look at the overall funding envelope for the UK government and the Department for Transport and how this has evolved, before looking at the balance between resource/revenue and capital budgets and the specific challenges facing local transport over the next couple of years.
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Total Transport: a better approach to commissioning non-emergency patient transport?
March, 2017
‘Total Transport’ schemes pool resources and vehicle fleets from across the public sector which are currently used to provide separate mainstream, social services, education and healthcare transport provision. Through pooling and coordination a better overall service can be provided at less cost to the taxpayer. However, it is proving challenging to get NHS non emergency patient transport services to participate in such schemes despite the major savings that could accrue from doing so. This briefing explains the scale of the potential opportunity from Total Transport schemes which include the NHS.
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Getting Smart on Data
December, 2016
Emerging data will mean transport users will become far more fully informed about their travel choices whilst at the same time it will transform the ability of transport authorities to plan and manage transport networks and services more efficiently and effectively. The report finds four key challenges for transport authorities in fully realising the benefits: sharing and integration; ownership and privacy; quality and standards; skills, capabilities and capacities.
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The Case for Active Travel
November, 2016
This report sets out the fivefold economic benefits of greater investment in active travel: saving costs to the health sector; the economic value of active travel trips; the economic benefits of an improved urban realm; promoting inclusive growth; and direct employment and spend.
The report also sets out a concise and accessible summary of the wider evidence base for investing in active travel which urban transport planners and practitioners can use as a basis for building the case for policies and projects.
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Policy Futures for Urban Transport - our vision and roadmap
September, 2016
This report sets out our vision for how future UK urban transport policy could unfold in a way that enables the nation’s urban areas to deliver smart and sustainable growth that has far-reaching benefits. It looks at the great strides our city regions have already made and proposes fifteen ways in which national government and transport authorities can work together to create the transport networks urban areas need in order to fully realise their potential.
Devolution, Integration and Franchising: Local Public Transport in the Netherlands
April, 2016
This report provides an overview of how local public transport has been devolved in the Netherlands in a way that still maintains a national integrated public transport network. It also analyses the different approaches that have been taken to the franchising of local public transport networks and the lessons that can be learned.
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A new era for urban transport
January, 2016
This supplement to Passenger Transport magazine marks the transition from pteg to the Urban Transport Group. It includes interviews with our Chair, Jon Lamonte, our Director, Jonathan Bray, TfL's Richard de Cani on joining the network as a full member, and a retrospective on 50 years since the Act that created the PTEs.
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Horizon scan of implications of technological and social change
November, 2015
This report aims to provide decision makers with a guide to the implications for urban transport of transformative social and technological change and how they can best respond.
The report (which was produced in collaboration with Arup Foresight) identifies four key overarching trends:
- Changes in demographics and lifestyles and the rise of the sharing economy alter mobility choices
- Urbanisation, climate change and the need to improve air quality put pressure on transport systems
- Advances in technology and increased digital connectivity make transport infrastructure smarter and more efficient
- More powers are devolved to cities and city regions which results in more innovation and leadership in responding to urban challenges in locally appropriate ways
Destination Growth: the case for Britain's regional railways
October, 2015
This report sets out the success of regional rail over the past decade and a half despite limited investment when compared to other rail sectors. The report then goes on to develop two hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate how investment in regional rail could deliver even greater benefits, significantly reducing subsidy and growing the benefits delivered to our city region economies.
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A Bumpy Ride for Local Highways Maintenance
September, 2015
The funding and economics of highways maintenance on local roads in the English city regions.
This report reveals a growing gap between spending on road maintenance on national roads when compared with local roads.
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Our vision for Smart Ticketing in the City Regions
June, 2015
This document sets out the progress we have made and the barriers that need to be overcome if the city regions are to get ticketing that looks and feels more like Oyster.
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Rail Infrastructure Investment Inquiry
January, 2018
Consulting body:
Transport Select Committee
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National Infrastructure Assessment
January, 2018
Consulting body:
National Infrastructure Commission
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Air quality: Additional measures to support individuals and businesses affected by local NO2 plans
January, 2018
Consulting body:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
TSC inquiry into Mobility as a Service
December, 2017
Consulting body:
Transport Select Committee
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Improving Air Quality
November, 2017
Consulting body:
Transport Select Committee
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Network Rail's consultation on its methodology for allocating fixed costs to train operators in Control Period 5 (CP6)
November, 2017
Consulting body:
Network Rail
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Network Rail's consultation on variable charges and station charges in Control Period 6 (CP6)
October, 2017
Consulting body:
Network Rail
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ORR's consultation on the overall framework for regulating Network Rail (PR18)
September, 2017
Consulting body:
Office of Rail and Road
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Improving air quality: reducing nitrogen dioxide in our towns and cities
June, 2017
UTG response to DEFRA and Department for Transport's consultation on air quality.
Consulting body:
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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ORR Charges and incentives
March, 2017
UTG response to ORR's December 2016 charges and incentives consultation.
Consulting body:
Office of Rail and Road
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Statement on the DfE Return to Schools Policy
Thursday, July 2, 2020
More funding support will be needed as part of collaborative approach to getting pupils safely to school.
Stephen Edwards, Chair of the Urban Transport Group, said:
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Urban Transport Group expands reach as Transport for Wales joins ranks
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The Urban Transport Group is marking a major milestone today as Transport for Wales, the not-for-profit company driving forward the Welsh Government’s vision of a high quality, safe, integrated, affordable and accessible transport network, is joining the network as an Associate Member.
City regions welcome e-scooter trials but highlight need for safeguards
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
City region transport authorities have welcomed Government plans to bring forward trials of e-scooters to explore the role they might play in the future of urban transport and to inform future decisions around the legislative framework.
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Open letter from transport authorities to Minister on urgent need for restart funding
Friday, May 15, 2020
City region transport authorities have sent an open letter to the Transport Minister Baroness Vere on the urgent need to cover the gap for the city regions outside London on COVID-19.
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How Urban Transport Group is responding to the coronavirus crisis
Monday, March 23, 2020
The Urban Transport Group’s number one priority is to support our members (the public sector transport authorities for the largest city regions) in responding to the coronavirus crisis in the best way they can for the users of their services, their people and the places they serve.
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Uncertainties around pace & scale of autonomous vehicle rollout laid bare in new report
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
‘Considerable uncertainties’ about how fast and how far the rollout of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) will go in the UK has been outlined in a report from the Urban Transport Group, the UK’s network of city region transport authorities.
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Urban Transport Group responds to NHS campaign to tackle climate change
Monday, January 27, 2020
The Urban Transport Group has welcomed the launch of the NHS’ campaign ‘For A Greener NHS’ designed to tackle the climate “health emergency”, which it announced this weekend.
UTG welcomes new government’s commitment to invest in urban transport
Friday, December 20, 2019
Responding to the outcome of the election, and the Queen’s Speech, UTG Chair, Stephen Edwards, said:
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