Regional strategies - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 296

revisions are involved, an Examination in Public (EIP) then follows undertaken by a
Panel appointed by the Secretary of State (22.2).
18.4 Regional Transport Strategies
Guidance on the transport component of RSS is contained in Annex B of PPS 11 and
in a separate guidance note from DfT (DfT 2006g).
Purpose
The declared purpose of the Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) is to
• set out how national transport policies and programmes will be delivered in the
regions
• outline the transport and related land use policies and measures required to
support the spatial strategy
• provide a long-term framework for transport in the region
• steer the development of local transport plans and local development policies.
In relation to Local Transport Plans the RTS has a specific role by focusing on
policy priorities at the sub-regional level (including addressing intra-regional and
cross-boundary issues) and by identifying transport measures of a regional significance
to be taken forward as part of the LTP process. The aim of RTS should also be to 'add
value' to the national guidance on LTPs and emphasises that local authorities should
consider the feasibility, affordability and value for money of measures identified in the
RTS before including them in their LTPs.
Form and content
RPBs are advised that the requirement for RTS to be 'an integral and clearly identifiable
part of RSS' is likely to be best served by making them a separate chapter with cross-
references to policy material in other chapters and contextual material, analysis etc.
set out in a background document. The list of requirements concerning content is
given in Box 18.2.
Objectives should be focused on the wider policy priorities of the spatial strategy
and not on narrow transport issues. They should also be regionally-specific and add
value to national policy.
The RTS is required to set out policies and proposed solutions for addressing the
identified problems and objectives, with in each case a brief explanation of their
rationale and analytical basis. The DfT guide is careful to point out that RPBs should
consider first a range of options for ensuring the effective use of existing transport
assets and for influencing patterns of travel through demand management and
alternative land use strategies. They should also consider the scope for encouraging
investment by the private sector. Where public sector investment is being considered,
attention should not simply be focused on major items of new infrastructure but on
network management and small-scale infrastructure enhancements. However we
should note that except where measures of this can 'bundled' into a package which
the DfT is prepared to consider as a major scheme, there can be a perverse incentive
for local highway authorities to pursue the 'big bang' approach of bidding for a