Agenda item

[Alex Greatholder,Principal Policy and Strategy Officer (TfWM)]

The Acting Chair invited Alex Greatholder, Principal Policy and Strategy Officer (TfWM) to present the report. The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised the panel that David Harris, Transport Strategy and Place Manager, would also be contributing to the presentation.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised that the presentation was an update to a report presented to the panel on 3 March 2023 which focused on the Core Strategy in the West Midlands Local Transport Plan (LTP). The LTP sets out what needs to change to achieve a rapid and sustainable shift to more sustainable forms of transport and accessibility across the region.

The LTP Core Strategy places a greater emphasis on acting alongside long-term planning, while also considering the impact on the citizens across the West Midlands region.

The presentation today would cover the overall implementation plan for the LTP and progress on developing four area strategies and key linked work since the Core Strategy was agreed in 2022-2023 and the Government Green Paper was published.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer gave a brief outline of the key principals which have informed the development of the LTP, and how it links to the strategic priorities in the Our City: Our Plan and the 5 Motives for Change document.

There is a statutory requirement to publish a LTP which ensures that the transport needs of Wolverhampton citizens are represented and to support applications to Government for funding for the local transport initiatives.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised the panel that the aim of the LTP is to focus on investing in improving accessibility to help people thrive without a car.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer referenced a map of the region showing jobs accessible within 45 mins without a car compared to people with a car, highlighting the number of people who do not have access to a car. It was reported that between a quarter and a third of households in Wolverhampton have no car at all and other households that have a car but the use of it shared.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on lower levels of car ownership among women, ethnic minorities, and young people. The LTP is aimed at providing investment in alternative transport options to the car for these specific groups who do have this option.

A panel member commented on the colours used in the maps and suggested they should be changed to reflect public understanding where ‘green’ which is generally understood to be positive rather than ‘red’ which is negative and help avoid any confusion about the strategy.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer accepted the point and agreed to make the change to avoid possible confusion.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the aims of the LTP, and core principles and the elements outlined in the inclusive growth diagram which refers to the ‘5 Motives for Change’, for example, sustaining economic success. 

These broad goals selected, or ‘Motives for Change’ have been further refined to three Primary Transport Outcomes to provide a way of assessing progress and impact of the changes.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented that the three primary outcomes are improving accessibility, reducing traffic, and electrifying transport to help address the external impacts of transport.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented that if these things are being done then this will show that the strategy is on the right track to achieving the priorities in the Our City Our Plan for achieving inclusive growth. The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer gave further details about the plans for improving accessibility between those citizens who do have access to a car and those citizens who don't.

The current work is focused on developing high-level principles and area strategy guidance which will inform the area strategies for each of the authorities across the West Midlands. The guidance will consider the local characteristics of a different places and communities and what actions will be effective.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the need for the area strategies to be resilient to the level of uncertainty affecting the future of transport, for example, lower or higher levels of transport funding.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer advised the panel that a transport user hierarchy model has been developed to help inform the assessment of the impact of changes in the policy on the lives of different groups.  The need to change behaviours without compromising what people can access was highlighted.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on plans to tackle the effects of traffic such as air and noise pollution and road safety for other users. There is an acceptance that electrifying transport, shifting to zero emission vehicles (ZEV) is not going to achieve the objectives in the LTP and that fast action will be needed to identify what can be done in short term to deliver the required level of behaviour change. 

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the need for a simultaneous action requiring investment in alternatives to the car, as well as managing demand for the car usage. The progress on reducing managing demand was considered to be limited.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on work done on two future scenarios, where a balanced programme of transport policy initiatives is being delivered locally and nationally that achieves those aspiration levels of service that the public want to see in terms of improvement in connectivity, quality and frequency of services and the alternative where current pressures on public service provision continue.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the current transport priorities, for example, multi modal corridors, and the key local issues to be considered in relation to these priorities.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on how the LTP is supporting Wolverhampton and consideration has been given to how resilient the proposals might respond to the different scenarios outlined earlier. The LTP document recognises that what might work in one local authority may not work in another area.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the next steps in the development of the LTP and the key dates to note. The analytical work and area strategy drafting work is expected to be completed in November 2023 and in January 2024 a report on engagement options will be presented to Strategic Transport Board (STB) to consider and approve.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented that further timescales for action were dependent on the publication of Government LTP Guidance, which is now expected to be published after the general election. There is relative confidence that the draft LTP will be aligned to government policy guidance when it is published.

The Implementation Plan for the LTP will not be published till after the Mayoral election in May 2024.

The panel were invited to comment on the report.

The Chair thanked the presenter for report and invited panel members to comment on the report.

A panel member acknowledged the complexity of the issue and commented on the risks of reducing car use and the impact of the policy if the expectation is that cars will be cleaner and suggested there is a need to consider a mix of vehicle use.

A panel member queried what consideration has been given in the strategy to impact of the development of new technology and alternative fuels such hydrogen in 20 – 30 years and wanted further details about the broader strategic thinking in the development of the LTP on these issues.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer agreed that the issue is complex which presents a challenge in communicating the ideas in the LTP and there was a need to consider how terms such as managing traffic demand will be perceived by the public.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the future issues and how this was considered following publication of the Green Paper in 2021 and the acceptance of the different ways of transporting people. There is acceptance that the transition from one method of transport to another will be painful as it will involve change. The reduction in traffic is a core pillar of achieving inclusive growth and this links to work being done to improve accessibility, reduce traffic, and electrify transport. The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the importance of communication and the challenge in articulating the choices and the consequences of these decisions. The LTP does pick up on future changes in the green transport revolution and new innovations. 

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the how climate change declaration has affected the focus of thinking to act sooner rather than later to meet the objectives in the LTP.

A panel member welcomed the plan and highlighted the range of benefits of having a good coordinated public transport network supported by the long-term strategic investment in other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy, France.

A panel member highlighted the issue of poor bus provision in terms of frequency and the cancellation of services to areas outside of Wolverhampton. The alternative public transport option would involve a longer travelling time compared the bus option.

A panel member welcomed the document which sets out the framework for the plan to achieve the goals but was concerned about the lack of detail in the report about how this would be done.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer apologised the lack of detail and responded that the detail content was not available when the document was drafted. However, the work on drafting the area strategy guidance is expected to be completed in November 2023 which will give more details.

A panel member queried if the decision to develop a Black Country LTP was a top-down decision and the highlighted the smaller areas covered by other local authorities which have their own individual plans for their area. The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer reassured that the panel that the service has been working with the local authorities across the region based on developing a Black Country Area Strategy guidance. There have ongoing conversations with colleagues in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, and Sandwell to pick up local issues.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the advantages of developing a Black Country plan based on the individual areas strategic plans, for example, sharing the challenge about the differences between the local authority areas and help support more collective thinking about the issues.

Marianne Page, Head of Strategic Transport, offered reassurance in response to the concerns made that Wolverhampton intends to develop its own Local Transport Plan which will provide an interpretation of the issues and how they will be addressed. The report will be shared with the panel at a future meeting.

A panel member acknowledged that the report was a high-level strategic document and supported the principals outlined but wanted further details about the financial costs to residents and the benefits of transport plans being considered to change the way people travel. The panel member also queried how current plans have considered the recent impact nationally of public response to encourage a change in car usage such as the extension of ULEZ in London, and the national policy Government changes such as the delay in the timeline for proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer welcomed the comments and advised the panel it is difficult to provide the level of detail required without information about the level of funding. The plan is based on the past resources and what is considered to be a plausible future in terms of the resources that will be available to help get back on track towards the climate change targets.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented on the work being done to interpret the proposed changes, specifically the delay in banning of the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles. However, the mandate for manufactures to stop producing vehicles has not changed.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer acknowledged the uncertainty created by the announcement and the effect on the case to be made by the region for funding to Government in the future and the possible impact on the views of the public.

A panel member welcomed priority to be given to people who either walk or use cycles in reference to the Transport for West Midlands Sustainable Transport User Hierarchy diagram. The panel member queried how peoples methods travel has changed since the pandemic and how this has been factored into the assumptions made about the future transport trends.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented that changes in behaviour in terms of home working and less commuting has affected thinking about the issue highlighted, for example the past focus on the commute as a key cause of traffic congestion at peak times. The development has led to a broader re-think about the reasons behind why people travel and the need to update current assumptions about transport models used to predict changes. The Principal Policy Officer added that there is acceptance of the need to think more about people’s changing travel needs.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer highlighted the impact of the pandemic on public transport bus and rail usage, which has not recovered to the levels pre-pandemic, compared to road traffic which has been increasing. There was specific concern that bus use is about 80 to 90% of pre COVID levels which has occurred at a time of extra operating costs which has put the bus network under further financial pressure.

A panel expressed concern about the lowest priority being given in the Transport User Hierarchy to motor traffic and the impact of current parking restrictions on local business getting their goods delivered on the financial viability of businesses and the city centre if shoppers are encouraged not to use their cars.

There was also concern about the impact in the reduction in bus service provision on residents and local businesses.

The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer commented that the hierarchy diagram in the slide is intended to act as a guidance tool to help people to think about the impact of the suggested ideas on supporting behaviour changes and reducing the possible negative effects in the long term.  The Principal Policy and Strategy Officer reassured the panel that plan will also consider the impact on shoppers, businesses, and that the position of car users in the table does not mean that their needs will not be considered in the plan, but priority will be given to people who have less choice about their travel options.

The Principal Policy Officer and Strategy Officer commented that the reference to blue badge users is in recognition that the needs of disabled people and people with non-visible disabilities should be considered before other car users and to think about how people with a disability might be supported to use other forms of transport.

The panel thanked the presenters for the report.

Resolved:

1.    The Principal Policy Officer and Strategy Officer to provide responses to queries from the panel about the Local Transport Plan in the next 10 days.

2.    The panel comments on the West Midlands Local Transport Plan to be considered.