General Media
Transport Professional Magazine– February 2018
Senior academics are about to begin exploring the reasons behind England’s continued decline in bus use, in an effort to help Government improve its policy making around public transport. A 12 month study will begin at Easter, led by the Independent Transport Commission research charity and supported by a donation from the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund.“Our aim is to understand the factors that are driving the decline,” explains the Commission’s director Dr Matthew Niblett
Daily Mail, Nick Enoch – 3 November 2016
Mr Hayes, who is responsible for Highways England, said there is ‘something profoundly elitist’ about the way that ‘ugliness has been imposed’ upon transport architecture. He also warned of the ‘descendants of the brutalists [who] still each day design and build new horrors from huge concrete slabs’.’ We have a precious opportunity to do more and do better. Transport is the perfect medium for leading the way to the public realm of the beautiful,’ he told the Independent Transport Commission this week.
Daily Mail, Press Association – 2 November 2016
Road and rail constructors urged to take the scenic route for travellers
Road and rail infrastructure should be “beautiful”, a transport minister has claimed. John Hayes, the minister responsible for Highways England, said there is ” something profoundly elitist” about the way that “ugliness has been imposed” upon transport architecture. But the current investment in transport projects, such as HS2, Crossrail and new roads, “offers a way forward”, Mr Hayes told the Independent Transport Commission.
The Times, Graeme Paton – 28 April 2016
Children are chaperoned to school
(Subscription required) Only a quarter of children travel alone to primary school, compared with nine out of ten in the 1970s, a study has found. The sharp decline has been blamed on the difficulty of finding places at nearby primary schools, as well as parental fears over “stranger danger”. Almost two thirds of outings by children, including leisure and shopping trips, are made with an adult, up from four in ten a generation ago, the report commissioned by the Independent Transport Commission said.
The Guardian – 23 October 2013
How can we use technology to create sustainable city transport?
The rise of e-commerce means that the amount of goods purchased online is increasing, which according to a report released earlier this year by the UK Independent Transport Commission, could mean approximately 1.7m additional van journeys per year in the UK.
BBC News – 19 July 2004
Call for suburban transport plan
The Independent Transport Commission (ITC) warned of an increase in journey-to-work times in coming years. Without congestion charging in the suburbs, commuting times could rise 10 minutes on average by 2021, it said.
The Guardian, Matt Weaver – 14 October 2002
Transport plan ‘threatens urban revival’
The government’s 10-year transport plan could hamper efforts to regenerate Britain’s inner cities, by encouraging long distance commuting and urban sprawl, according to a report today by an influential government adviser, Sir Peter Hall. Written for the Independent Transport Commission thinktank, it predicted that the government’s £180bn planned road and rail investment will encourage people to move out or urban areas and commute to work from much greater distances.
The Planner, Laura Edgar – 20 July 2017
Labour force a key concern for transport industry in Brexit negotiations
Think tank Independent Transport Commission’s (ITC) report How Will Leaving the EU Affect EU Transport? Key Issues considers the concerns the British transport industry has arising from the vote to leave the European Union. It includes feedback received from an ITC consultation with the transport industry, including responses on aviation, bus, maritime, rail, and road transport interests.
Handy Shipping Guide – 20 July 2017
Think Tank Issues Report on Key Issues for Transport Industry Brexit Talks Must Address
The Independent Transport Commission (ITC), a think tank that addresses long-term strategic issues in the fields of transport and land use, has issued a report addressing key Brexit concerns for the UK transportation industries to assist policymakers and representatives to champion the UK transport industry in the ongoing EU-UK negotiations. The paper – ‘How will leaving the EU affect UK transport? Key issues’ – explores the key issues for the British transport industry arising from the UK leaving the European Union (EU), reflecting the feedback received by an ITC consultation with aviation, bus, maritime, rail and road transport interests.
The Economic Voice – 20 July 2017
Cross-sector consultation establishes key Brexit concerns for the UK transport industry
A wide-ranging survey and report by the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) crystallises the core transport industry concerns – people, customs, regulation, finance and funding – while calling on policymakers to champion the UK transport industry in the ongoing EU-UK negotiations. The think tank occasional paper – “How will leaving the EU affect UK transport? Key issues” – explores the key issues for the British transport industry arising from the UK leaving the European Union (EU), reflecting the feedback received by an ITC consultation with the transport industry.
Transport Network, Chris Ames – 29 April 2016
Children are ‘neglected’ in transport policy and provision
Independent travel by children is falling and often actively discouraged, leaving children ‘neglected in transport provision’, a new report argues. Children and Travel, a paper from think tank the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) says that children are travelling much less independently than 40 years ago, and child walking has declined dramatically, replaced with travel by car.
Road Safety GB – 29 April 2016
Report highlights ‘dramatic decline’ in levels of walking among children
A new report by the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) has highlighted a ‘dramatic decline’ in the levels of walking among children, in part due to concerns about road safety. The report, ‘Children and Travel’, has uncovered ‘striking changes’ in children’s travel with the balance of power shifting from walking to travelling by car. Authored by social research expert Kris Beuret OBE, the report also found that children are travelling much less independently than 40 years ago.
Passenger Transport, Mary Bonar – Issue 122, 20 November 2015
The current government, like its predecessor, has made a commitment to increasing national wealth and to narrowing the productivity gap between London and the South East and the rest of England. Following the recommendations of Lord Heseltine in his report, No Stone Unturned in Pursuit of Growth (2012), which argued strongly that local decision making leads to better decisions than those made centrally, George Osborne made his Northern Powerhouse speech shortly after the May 2015 general election.
Transport News Brief – 5 November 2015
Transport Devolution and its impact on the CV sector
The Independent Transport Commission has published a report exploring the issues surrounding the government’s planned devolution of public transport operations. The paper, Devolution in England and Transport: Key Issues, was authored by transport legal expert and ITC commissioner, Mary Bonar. It highlights key issues such as the problems of balancing local and national needs, integration of transport services and the impact on transport funding.
CIHT News – October 2015
Transport planning takes centre stage
Professor Jones was followed on stage by Social Research Associates director Kris Beuret who talked through the results of a piece of research on behalf of the Independent Transport Commission looking at attitudes to travel.
Transport Xtra – 10 July 2015
Hendy sets out funding lessons
(Subscription required) Newly-appointed Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy used his pre-arranged speaking slot at the summer annual lecture meeting of the Independent Transport Commission at City Hall to flag-up key issues going forward in major rail investment based on his experience as commissioner for transport in London. He urged his audience to learn from the Crossrail experience – both in terms of how the project was brought to life and funded.
Transport Xtra, Peter Headicar – 6 February 2015
Buchanan was right about traffic, but wrong about towns
(Subscription required) Fifty years ago many cities in the UK were embarking on new-style ‘land use/transport studies’ prompted by the publication of the Buchanan Report Traffic in Towns concerned with the long-term consequences of the transition to mass car ownership. That transition has since materialised largely as anticipated but the physical restructuring of towns thought necessary to accommodate the resulting traffic increase for the most part has not.
Transport Xtra, Lee Baker – Issue 569, 21 April 2011
Policy changes to improves access to 24-hour society urged by think tank
(Subscription required) Forty senior experts agreed that an ITC discussion paper highlighting the failure of the transport sector to provide for the seven million people shopping and using leisure facilities between 6pm and 9am had identified a neglected area for policy-makers.
Transport Xtra – Issue 19, 15 March 2011
24/7 society will pose new customer service challenges
(Subscription required) The Independent Transport Commission has published a new paper showing that in the near future, bus and train operators will need to respond to a new set of customer expectations as the UK becomes a 24/7 society.
Transport Xtra – Issue 555, 1 October 2010
Think-tank seeks changes to make NATA fit for today’s challenges
The Independent Transport Commission calls for a series of changes to the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) in the short-term to meet immediate pressures and a “root and branch” review of procedures in the longer-term.