The immediate agenda - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 388

When in March 2008 Ruth Kelly announced the study of Active Traffic
Management on motorways she commented that arguments about nationwide road
pricing had become 'sterile' and that the action she was proposing would give 'a
more immediate and pragmatic focus for the debate' (LTT 489). Much of the press
interpreted this gladly as signalling the end of the idea of national pricing (LTT
490). In fact she maintained the mantra that 'it would be unwise to rule out national
road pricing in the long term'. However the reality is that the practical and political
challenges represented by a national scheme are so great that unless it is deliberately
planned for, it is extremely unlikely ever to happen. Her statement can be seen
as another example of 'policy layering' whereby an established feature is neither
explicitly progressed, amended nor abandoned but is merely overlain (buried?) by a
more eye-catching initiative, leaving an overall policy fudge.
A serious consequence of the continued prevarication over national charging
is the limbo into which it places planning for the national highway network, since
forecast traffic demands (and prospective congestion levels) over the longer term
are obviously different with and without charging. We return to this issue in the
following chapter.
23.4 The Transport Innovation Fund
Since 2004 the Government has followed the recommendation of the Road Pricing
Feasibility Study that, rather than do nothing in advance of a national scheme, local
authorities outside London with congested road conditions should be encouraged to
introduce local schemes using cordon or area pricing.
The Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) announced in the 2004 Comprehensive
Spending Review is intended to support:
• innovative local transport packages that combine demand management measures
such as road pricing with measures to encourage modal shift and better bus
services
• local mechanisms which raise new funding for transport schemes, and
• regional, inter-regional and local schemes that are beneficial to national
productivity.
TIF becomes available from 2008/09 with planned funding increasing from
£290m in that year to £2.5bn in 2014/15. (Eligibility for TIF is confined to
authorities in England but proportional additional funding has been given to
Wales and Scotland.) Schemes are being considered in two categories 'Congestion
TIF' and 'Productivity TIF' with priority being given in both cases to proposals
which are most effective in securing a financial contribution from significant
beneficiaries (DfT 2006k).
Suggestions for the use of Productivity TIF were invited from Regional Development
Agencies and consist mainly of rail freight schemes and traffic management on main
motorways (DfT 2006j). All proposals in this category are being assessed for their
contribution to wider economic benefits and GDP as an additional dimension of the
standard economic appraisal (DfT 2006m). About £360m has been allocated to date
but uncertainty surrounds possible future rounds (LTT 491).
In relation to Congestion TIF £18m was made available in 2005/06-2007/08 to
support preliminary scheme development by local transport authorities.