1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
Plans to create board of TCs are shelved
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Local Transport Bill unveiled in Queen's Speech gives road pricing the go-ahead, but abandons board of TCs idea. Roanna Avison reports.
THE GOVERNMENT HAS dropped plans to create a board of Traffic Commissioners (TCs) to oversee 0-licensing, but has given the go-ahead to local road pricing schemes.
Last week's Queen's Speech outlined the Local Transport Bill. Initial drafts had included a change from the currentTC system to one in which a 'board of TCs' would operate on fixed-term contracts, as well as plans to create standards for local road pricing schemes.
The bill outlined by the Queen did not incorporate those ideas but included plans to force local authorities to consider freight rather than just passenger movements.
James Firth, regional policy manager for Northern England at the Freight Transport Association (ETA), says: We are particularly pleased that local authorities will be required to consider freight movements and the Passenger Transport Authorities will be renamed Integrated Transport Authorities that might help remind them that it's not just passengers they are concerned about."
Firth says the FTA was hoping for the standardisation of road pricing schemes, "but it seems the Department for Transport will only step in if it thinks standardisation is necessary which suggests that Manchester [which is pressing ahead with a road pricing scheme] could dictate what happens elsewhere".
The FTA's call for CVs to be excluded from road pricing schemes does not appear to have been included in the primary legislation,Firth says.
However he adds: "We are very pleased the idea of having a board of Tes on fixed-term contracts has not been taken forward."
'The Road Haulage Association (RHA) agrees that the government's decision not to include this plan in the bill is a welcome development. Director of policy Jack Semple says: "We are keen for their independence to be retained."
He adds that the RHA is glad freight will now be aligned with other transport planning through the Integrated Transport Authorities.
However, on the issue of road pricing, Semple says he is disappointed that freight has not been given an exemption, adding the RHA would continue to campaign for this to happen.
FOR MORE ON TRIO AND RELATED SUBJECTS
www roadtransport.com/cm