Strengthening local delivery

Book excerpt: This draft Local Transport Bill (which comes in 4 volumes: Vol. 1: A consultation; Vol. 2: The draft Bill; Vol. 3: Explantory notes; Vol. 4: Regulatory impact assessments), seeks consultation on a series of proposals to tackle congestion and improve public transport in England and Wales, with some smaller measures applying across Great Britain. It sets out an agenda to empower local authorities to develop local solutions to local transport challenges, for example improving the quality of local bus services, by building on the ideas outlined in the "Putting Passengers First" document. (Available as a pdf on the Department of Transport website, published December 2006, http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/secputtingpassengersfirst/pdfputtingpassfirst). There are proposals to reform the way local transport is managed in major urban areas, through review and proposed changes, if necessary, to existing transport governance. Further the Bill proposes that the existing powers and duties of the Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs) should be updated outside London, to provide for a stronger process for planning transport. The Bill also provides support for the introduction of local road pricing, allowing local authorities to develop their own local road pricing schemes. This Draft Bill invites views from interested parties, the consultation closing on Friday 7 September 2007.