Commuter habits have changed significantly as a result of
Coronavirus – and government investment in transport and
infrastructure must evolve accordingly, says the CBI.
Significant government
interventions have been needed to maintain commuter routes amid
the decline in public transport demand, including grant support
for bus services and emergency funding for
railways.
The CBI has welcomed these
measures, but in a new report published today, is now urging the
government to use the upcoming Spending Review to make commuter
connectivity fit for the future across the UK. This will mean
going further to support the delivery of well-integrated
investments that will create more flexible, reliable and
low-carbon commutes
nationwide.
The report, entitled
Connecting Communities by the CBI and KPMG UK, argues
there has never been a better time to reshape the UK’s transport
network to help level up across the regions and work towards a
zero carbon future.
The paper outlines a series
of recommendations to government on how to rethink the ways it
invests in the nation’s commuter networks. The proposals
include:
-
Making longer-term funding
allocations for regional infrastructure, to enable strategic
planning and improved infrastructure
maintenance.
-
Taking a fresh approach to
decision-making about investment in commuting infrastructure –
focusing on how whole programmes of projects can interact to
transform regional economies and meet national ambitions
including net-zero.
-
A sharper focus on driving
delivery, as well as increasing investment, through improving
planning capacity and capability within local
areas.
These recommendations follow
extensive consultation with infrastructure delivery firms,
transport operators and the wider business community. They are
designed to increase strategic clarity, focus funding and
accelerate delivery of transport
improvements.
Matthew Fell, CBI
Chief Policy Director,
said:
“Commuter behaviours have
undergone a sea-change this year, and the likelihood is they will
never revert to past patterns or previous
numbers.
“This has created challenges
for operators, but opportunities too for the UK to reassess its
transport investment.
“Commuters of the future will
want flexible, reliable and green travel options. If the UK is to
deliver the world-class infrastructure needed to meet the
changing patterns of demand tomorrow, it must embed long-term
shifts into its policymaking
today.
“The upcoming Spending Review
offers a golden opportunity to improve the commuter experience,
shift the dial on levelling-up and accelerate progress towards
net-zero.”
Richard Threlfall,
Global Head of Infrastructure at KPMG,
said:
“While COVID-19 has had a
significant impact on travel patterns, and lobbed a huge
uncertainty factor into planning models, we should seize the
opportunity to reform our approach to transport
investment.
“This is our chance to move
away from short-term, centralised, and siloed decision-making.
Government policy and funding should support local authorities to
develop multi-year programmes of investments that will drive
local jobs, growth and quality of life, consistent with net zero
and levelling-up
objectives.
“Transport should be at the
centre of these programmes, but integrated with spatial planning,
housing and place-making strategies, so that ultimately everyone
in the UK has the same life chances, regardless of where they
happen to live.”
