Friends of the Earth Birmingham Action Briefing Oct-Nov 97

Action from the Fireside

I would like anyone interested in transport to read this

My name is Richard Branson. I saw British Rail passenger trains. I was so impressed, I bought the company! Seriously though, I want to take you into the world of the 'Transport Policies and Programme' document (TPP). I also want to ask you to put LOCAL TRANSPORT DAY in your diary: Saturday 7 March 1998.

Local Transport Day is being coordinated by Transport 2000, CPRE, and Sustrans. The aims of the day are to encourage cooperation between local environment and transport groups and to achieve a positive influence on the next round of TPP's and Package bids. The day will be to celebrate progress made and to plan for the future. First comes the fun and effort of getting transport changed.

Whether you want to make a personal input into the TPP or help FOE Birmingham by assisting, I should like to facilitate. Drop me a line, 'John Davison', at The Warehouse. If you need word processing facilities and cannot make a Monday evening, arrangements can be made.

I quote extensively from the CPRE booklet entitled 'Improving Local Transport Policy'.

Local transport policies are made by the local council - in Birmingham it is Birmingham City Council, elsewhere it is usually a County Council. That authority then publishes what it wants to do in the local TPP document. TPP's are rarely well publicised. The TPP performs two main functions

1. As a policy document which states the transport policies of the authority and the priorities which it attaches to different transport programmes.
2. A bidding document seeking funds from central government to help the council implement the transport plans contained within it.

Responsibility for producing the TPP lies with the council department which normally deals with transport issues.

In Birmingham this is:

The Director is David Pywell.

Transportation Department plans based on design of highways usually look towards expansion of transport provision. Additionally the Lancaster Circus office is supplied with car parking and some staff might never use a bus or ride a bicycle. Your ideas might be very valuable. A TPP will include measures in a wide spectrum of areas - cycle and pedestrian facilities, speed limits, traffic management and calming measures, parking policies, road building, bridge strengthening, and public transport provision.

While the TPP is produced by council staff, it needs to be discussed and agreed by the elected councillors on the committee. You can ask the council for a list of those councillors and write to them. You might wish to encourage the council to ensure that communities retain facilities such as schools, swimming baths, post offices, shops, quiet green spaces and even facilities for local people to study the environment. An absence of facilities may lead to additional journeys. Those additional journeys, especially if they are by polluting transport might be made reluctantly and be unwelcome to those affected at the roadside. You might even suggest that Demand Management for car journeys be included in the TPP.

After Birmingham City Council has submitted their TPP to the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM) staff there will assess which parts are eligible for funding. The criteria by which the decisions are made include Government Policy, the GOWM's perception of the needs of the area, and public opinion. Accordingly, I urge individuals to raise their concerns with the Government Office. The alternative to having the public writing to the GOWM with their views is for the views of business organisations such as the Chamber of Commerce to prevail. Remember that Dudley Chamber of Commerce support the BNRR toll motorway.

Useful addresses are :
Government Office for the West Midlands, 77 Paradise Circus Queensway, Birmingham, B1 2DT Tel : 0121-212-5050

Remember that CPRE booklet: it really helps. Please send me copies of your TPP correspondence. I do need you to be involved. Thank you.

John Davison