Economic Growth

The current global economic downturn has focused attention on the potential role of transport infrastructure in stimulating and facilitating economic growth.

The key to doing this successfully is selective investment, as transport infrastructure and services vary in their effectiveness in contributing to economic growth. 

The majority of transport expenditure is untested against the achievement of national objectives (such as economic growth) and there are no quantified forecasts of the likely effectiveness of national programmes. 

Value for money

Cost benefit analysis is vital and assists in ranking options in terms of value for money  performance.

However, cost benefit analysis based only on transport operational factors (mainly time and vehicle operating costs) has a number of limitations and other factors need to be taken into account during the decision making process.

Current procedures could be made more consistent, comprehensive and objective to help deliver better value for money

Integrated planning

One particular current issue in transport is the need to implement complementary measures that work towards a common goal, for example:

Ø  Land use planning together with supportive transport provision
Ø  Public transport planning together with supportive parking policies
Ø  Increased road capacity together with associated priority measures

Try this link for an illustration of some integrated planning issues: