This informed and lively book offers a timely analysis of the UK government's sustainable - or subsequently 'integrated' - transport policy 10 years after the publication of "A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone". Written by prominent transport experts and with a foreword by Christian Wolmar, the book identifies the modest successes and, sadly, the far more significant failures in government policy over the last decade. The authors also uncover why it has proved so difficult to adopt a more sustainable approach to transport and break Britain's love-affair with the car.The book reviews the links between the idea of sustainability and transport policy, and provides an up-to-the-minute analysis of the political realities surrounding the delivery of a sustainable transport agenda in the UK. It picks up on the principal components of "A New Deal for Transport" and evaluates to what extent these have, or haven't, been delivered in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The contributors analyse why delivering sustainable transport policies seems to present particular difficulties to ministers across the UK, and considers the UK's experience in an international perspective. The book draws lessons from the last 10 years in order to better inform future policy development. "Traffic Jam" is an indispensable analysis of the difficulties involved in turning policy ideals into practical reality, and as such will be of interest to scholars, students, planners, policy analysts and policy makers.
Author(s): Iain Docherty, Jon Shaw
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 272
Traffic jam......Page 2
Contents......Page 6
List of tables, figures and boxes......Page 7
Foreword......Page 9
Preface and acknowledgements......Page 12
List of acronyms......Page 17
Notes on contributors......Page 20
1. New deal or no new deal? A decade of ‘sustainable’ transport in the UK......Page 26
Sustainable transport as a political issue in the UK......Page 29
From radicalism to pragmatism: 10 years of a ‘sustainable’ transport policy......Page 33
What future for transport under Labour?......Page 40
2. Devolution and the UK’s new transport policy landscape......Page 52
‘Rescaling’ transport governance......Page 53
Policy divergence and convergence......Page 54
‘National’ transport policies......Page 55
Subnational transport planning......Page 60
Conclusions......Page 67
3. Roads and traffic: from ‘predict and provide’ to ‘making best use’......Page 74
Breaking the addiction to roads? Policy 1997-2003......Page 75
Towards a more sustainable roads policy?......Page 77
Future prospects for ‘modal neutrality’......Page 87
Conclusion......Page 92
The railway under New Labour......Page 98
Financial and economic sustainability......Page 103
Social sustainability......Page 109
Environmental sustainability......Page 111
Is Labour really delivering a sustainable railway?......Page 112
The UK bus industry......Page 120
Light rail......Page 130
Conclusion......Page 136
6. Walking and cycling: easy wins for a sustainable transport policy?......Page 140
The importance of walking and cycling......Page 141
The sustainability benefits of walking and cycling......Page 143
Obstacles to walking and cycling......Page 146
The changing UK policy context for non-motorised transport......Page 149
Walking, cycling and the sustainable transport agenda......Page 152
Conclusions......Page 156
7. UK air travel: taking off for growth?......Page 162
The future of air transport in the UK......Page 163
Trends in UK air travel since 1998......Page 165
The policy context since 2003......Page 174
Air transport, economic development and the UK environment......Page 178
Conclusions......Page 179
8. Economic versus environmental sustainability for ports and shipping:charting a new course?......Page 184
Scale, complexity and momentum......Page 185
Port expansion and coastal ecological degradation: a relationship decoupled?......Page 188
Water and air pollution......Page 190
Hinterland integration and sustainability......Page 194
Balancing the books: credit, debit and the New deal for transport......Page 196
9. Transport for London:success despite Westminster?......Page 206
Major developments under Transport for London......Page 207
Transport for London under Transport for London......Page 209
Railways and the Public–Private Partnership......Page 218
Some concluding observations......Page 222
10. Mind the gap! The UK’s record in European perspective......Page 228
Factors that bring about a change in people’s travel behaviour......Page 229
Changes in local transport planning and funding......Page 231
Continental experience in local transport......Page 234
Comparisons at the national level......Page 237
Differing cultures, policies and vested interests?......Page 241
Conclusions......Page 248
11. Traffic jam? Policy debates after 10 years of ‘sustainable’ transport......Page 254
Policy provenance......Page 257
Towards a sustainable transport system: the current crossroads......Page 259
Index......Page 264
