Smart Transport Conference – ITWG Roundtable Review

At the outset, the roundtable discussed the recent policy shifts by the Prime Minister in terms of the UK’s response to net zero, and the delaying of the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035. Following on from this speech was the King’s speech and the introduction of several draft bills. Given these developments, the roundtable reiterated the importance of continuing to develop quality places and healthy local environments, as an implication of the path we are on could be the potential worsening of these.

Attendees opted to discuss ‘Quality of Place and the Environment’ and touched on the other topics throughout. The roundtable considered how we can fundamentally change citizens’ behaviours to use public transport and active travel when they prefer personal motorised transport.

Impact on Public Transport Usage, Connectivity, and a Technology-lead Solution

As the roundtable consisted of a mixture of industry, government, and academic participants, the discussion explored many areas. It began with discussing implications for traditional transport services. The issue of losing funding from the end of 2024 for bus fares was discussed and if operators can match that funding to continue to encourage public transport use or do so through non-financial incentives. Along with the financial incentive, speed of service, duration of a journey, etc. are also important to encourage public transport use. It was felt that operators could flip it around from the car being seen as the better alternative, particularly through encouraging an economic shift of people’s mindset away from cars being the cheaper form of transport. Digitisation was identified as a key tool for encouraging public transport usage and growth. It does provide some solutions to the issues that operators are facing, but it needs more trialling, especially around what happens when it does not work. There may still be a need for a person to assist. The recent decision to cancel the scrapping of ticket offices was discussed, but it was felt that this has probably not gone forever; there has just been a slowing of the pace of change rather than it not happening at all. It was felt that the closure of ticket offices is not a terrible thing necessarily, but it was too extreme and too quick for customers to adapt to it presently.

Attendees identified the key ingredients that are needed for a connected, reliable service: a mix of technology and behavioural change from users. Policymakers and other stakeholders need to make it a transition so people can properly adopt, employing small steps of change towards big steps in the end. Attendees also discussed the role of connected and autonomous vehicles as a transport solution. They identified that there is a risk of a future where it is easier and more convenient to travel by personal mobility. These forms of transport can still present issues in the form of the space they accept, raw materials they need, etc. Getting cars off the road can help improve the quality of place and the local environment. It was felt that often the concepts of connected and autonomous are lumped together, but they are very different things. Connectivity is particularly useful for creating a liveable space and making multi-modal transport better i.e., making traffic lights more responsive, eliminating the ability to crash, etc.

Impact on Reallocation of Road Space, “Designing out Cars” and Reducing Car Dependency

The discussion moved on to the future of liveable streets, where a variety of modes can co-exist. Recent national policy statements emphasise personal freedom, but people also want liveable spaces, so what is the role of behaviour change in creating the space we want to see? The Government is saying we should not do it, but behaviour change is key for delivering these places. It was felt that Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone was effective in reducing air quality and improving the quality of place in the city centre but not a landslide difference. People are in electric cars now still doing the same things as traditional car drivers, continuing to affect the liveability of streets. There were also questions about moving towards an ultralow emission zone since we need to be moving towards decarbonisation. The group discussed the notion that people equate freedom with the car, and this link needs to be broken. Public transport users cannot always trust their phones or if the train is going to turn up on time. People feel like they have more control over their journeys when they are in a car. Messaging from the governmental level is key to change this behaviour. Particularly with regards to women’s safety, they have significant concerns on all modes of public transport. The car appears to have greater personal safety for women and vulnerable groups. Policy makers need to understand better the motives for staying in the car to influence behaviour change.

Impact on Planning for Sustainable Transport Modes

It was identified that some infrastructure, for example canal bridges, could be improved which could help facilitate micromobility use. There are safety concerns in certain areas, which could be improved with better lighting, better paving, and other solutions. A significant amount of people drive to business parks, but there can be train stations nearby and other PT connections. There needs to be a joined-up effort by the businesses there to make more sustainable choices. It is a key economic area in the region that is often missed plans for sustainable travel, and these plans need to be more coordinated. With electric scooters, the government has legislated in certain ways, but the public are still using illegal ones. Policy makers need to consider if the public are trying to say something to us. The data is not there however to help us really understand the extent of private e-scooter ownership and what it means for mobility.

Attendees were asked if all these issues are part of wider problems within the planning system. There are legislative tools that could be used to help, such as workplace parking charging levies and reducing parking requirements for new developments. It does however depend on the government in power and what they are willing to do. There is a need for dramatic interventions with significant financial impacts. Currently it was felt that we are just employing small nudges. The Government is not really sorting out planning, micromobility and other transport legislation because we tend to listen to the groups that are the loudest, but this will not necessarily represent the needs of the wider population.

Impact on Behaviour Change and making Smarter Travel Choices

It was felt that communicating the benefits of new transport and mobility schemes has not been done effectively. Within the transport industry we use terminology that someone outside the industry knows nothing about. Explaining what we have done in terms that everyone understands makes a significant difference. For instance, with the Clean Air Zone there is no representation of where the money from charges goes to, but local governments could start demonstrating how the money is used to help pay for transport improvements and improve health outcomes. Nottingham is doing well at showing where the workplace parking levy is being invested, which is aiding in public acceptance of the scheme. Another big issue is trust in government. There really is not any currently which has become a reason that conspiracy theories around Low Transport Neighbourhoods, LTN’s and other policies develop. Policy makers must make brave decisions that are not always accepted by the public. We need to change the narrative around things to get public consent and consensus, but it is difficult to build this as an industry.

Finally, attendees explored how to better communicate how funding is being invested and who they need to work with to get the message across. It is especially important for funds raised from transport schemes such as the CAZ, to be communicated where they are being invested. Cohesive branding like TfL and the Bee Network was suggested. We need a similar local sense of pride in the West Midlands and its transport system. It is beneficial to listen to what business and industry have to say about new transport projects. Transport innovation must be policy driven, and responsive to what people need and want. This could be achieved through the ITWG, as well as collaboration with other TfWM-organised working groups. The influencing and leadership roles of this groups should also be considered. A final comment suggested that rich people and their impact on climate change should be a bigger part of these discussions. They are major contributors to climate change so behaviour change within this group can have a significant impact on these issues