PEER REVIEW FINDINGS

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PEER REVIEW FINDINGS
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1. SUTP and Sustainable Development Strategy

• We found
• Many ambitious Sustainable Development
  Strategies.
• However
• Tendency that Sustainability is only a catch
  phrase with no substance
• Non-existing SDS or existing and not integrated
  with the overall strategies and SUTP
• Recommendations
• Integrate SDS with SUTP!
• Put words into action!

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2. Responsibility for SUTP

• We found
• A good start for inter-sectoral cooperation
• However
• In some cases lack of responsible person to
  coordinate SUTP
• Lack of clearly defined roles and
  responsibilities for assigned persons ? lack of
  inter-sectoral cooperation (esp. social and
  economic)
• Lack of understanding that the municipality need
  to take the responsibility for the development of
  the city.
• Recommendations
• Define roles, responsibilities, timescale and
  resources.
• Involve all relevant partners.
• Assign a politician with SUT
• Steer the development of the city the future of
  the city is in your hands!

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3.Citizen participation and stakeholder
consultation

• We found
• Universal commitment to principles of citizen
  participation with some excellent examples
• Widespread recognition of the need to extend
  consultation to involve hard to reach groups
• All are struggling to share results within
  municipalities, to provide feedback and to move
  up the participation ladder
• P C is often project orientated usually
  initiated within one department, and often
  disconnected from policy evaluation.
• Most are failing to hear a balance between Big
  Business pro-car, pro-roads shouts and the
  whispers for cycling walking and buses
• Recommendations
• PC needs to be based on a recognition that
  without stakeholder involvement and support most
  policies will fail.
• PC needs to be part of the partnership agreement
  on SUTP between the municipality and citizens and
  businesses, with appropriate structures,
  resources and professionalism.

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4.Policy coordination through actor cooperation

• We found
• A recognition of the need to improve
  interdisciplinary thinking, understanding and
  working between the essential policy sectors
  (transport, land use, spatial development,
  environmental protection, economic development,
  social equity, health etc), but only slow
  progress in doing so
• A widespread disconnection between departments
  and individuals responsible for policies and
  those implementing action programmes.
• Frequent confusion amongst people and
  organisations over their role and
  responsibilities in SUT Policies (the
  municipality, agencies and private companies)
• Widespread competition, rather than coordination
  between neighbouring authorities leading to
  unsustainable transport and development
• Recommendation
• Review the roles and responsibilities of the
  essential actors involved, agree to redesign and
  reallocate their functions and provide adequate
  resources to deliver..

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5.Gender Equity

• We found
• the complete implementation of the benchmark with
  some best practice examples for others!
• Great diversity! From a commitment to the
  principles but with little understanding of what
  it means
• A need to do more work with ethnic minority
  groups to understand their cultural perspective
  on transport and mobility and to use this in
  developing polices.
• A lack of reference materials and tools to help
  deliver gender equity in SUTP work
• Recommendations
• Decide who is responsible, understand your
  weaknesses, identify best practice from other
  partners, set some targets for improving gender
  and minority involvement..

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6. Capacity building

• We found
• Motivated and competent staff
• Positive examples of internal training
• Positive examples of systemativ institutional
  learning (e.g. building up the administrations
  knowldedg through piIot projects)
• However
• Many cities lack staff in the SUTP-field
• Capacity and know-how of stakeholders could be
  improved
• Many cities lack a strategy for further
  professional training
• Staff and politicians need more possibilities to
  learn about sustainable development and SUTP
• A lack of continuity that leads to loss of gained
  experience
• Lack of knowledge and experience in some
  SUT-fields, e.g. cycle planning
• Recommendations
• Provide possibilities for training and experience
  exchange (BUSTRIP), for staff, politicians and
  stakeholders
• Systematically learn from pilot projects, create
  continuity

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7. SUTP scope and definition

• We found
• A good understanding of what a SUTP is
• However
• A lack of understanding how the SUTP needs to be
  made, implemented and monitored in order to be
  sustainable
• Transport management is dealt with but
  coordination with land use planning and the
  consequences for environment and society is not
  addressed
• No ambition to break economic transport growth
  link and to move away from car based societies
  (one exception maybe)
• Lack of long term visions for the cities
• Recommendations
• Build the SUTP on facts of actual drivers and
  impacts
• Build on existing plans and further develop and
  integrate them through stakeholder cooperation
• Make a common vision as a starting point for your
  work!

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8. Analysis of baseline scenario

• We found
• Many cities with comprehensive data and
  indicators
• However
• Some cities lack a full understanding the
  transport situation and trends
• Indicators and measurement data sometimes
  fragmented and not systematically collected,
  analysed and used in decision making
• Lack of data and strategies on the climate impact
  of transport
• Lack of understanding and analysis of the impact
  of climate change on the city and the transport
  system
• Recommendations
• Systematically collect and analyse data and
  trends
• Include climate impact in data collection and
  analysis
• Use a set of SUTP-indicators that can be followed
  over time
• Analyse the impact of plans and strategies

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9. Definition of visions, objectives and targets

• We found
• Many cities have or have started to work with
  future visions on transport
• However
• Visions are not always followed by clear
  objectives, measurable targets and the necessary
  actions are not reflected in the budget
• Development visions in different areas are not
  always coordinated and can be conflicting
• Some cities lack transport vision
• Objectives and targets often lack time aspect
• Visions and objectives do not focus on the causes
  of unsustainable transport but on the symptoms
• Recommendations
• Work on a long term vision for transport based on
  sustainability principles
• Check existing visions for conflict
• Use targets that are Specific, Measurable,
  Appropriat, Realistic, Timed
• The actions needed to achieve objectives need to
  be integrated in the budget

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10.Implementing actions allocating finance

• We found
• Some great actions with obvious progress towards
  targets and committed people
• However
• A widespread focus on disconnected projects and
  actions often in response to EU funding calls
  - with varying evidence that they were helping
  towards the achievement of short and long term
  targets for sustainable transport.
• Widespread lack of integration of soft measures
  with investment in infrastructure.
• Widespread and significant investments in new
  infrastructure, often made without the necessary
  understanding of its contribution to SUTP
• Reinvention of the wheel - Best practise projects
  ( e.g. Civitas and many done by partner cities)
  rarely copied.
• Cost benefit assessments and similar tools are
  rarely used to make the argument for larger
  budgets for work on SUTP.
• Recommendation
• Actions need to be focused on dealing with the
  causes of unsustainable transport in urban areas,
  to be decided on the basis of cost benefit and
  technical research and be accompanied by the
  controls necessary to achieve targets.

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11. SUTP policies and measures - General
principles

• We found
• A good understanding of the implications of
  transport arising from all developments in the
  region
• Integration of transport- and spatial planning
• However
• Understanding is not effectively managed
• lack of responsible personnel dealing with
  sustainable urban transport
• Economic concerns are given higher priorities
  (e.g. external shopping centres, economic
  settlements in the periphery)
• The principle of the polluter pays and that users
  of transport infrastructure pay the actual and
  external (environmental and social) costs is
  generally not implemented.
• Recommendations

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12. Reducing the need for transport

• We found
• Some cities Plans, policies and actions are
  supporting compact city structures
• However
• Most cites have policies that are supporting
  urban sprawl..
• Most cities are struggling to implement the
  principle through spatial planning
• Many new out of town shopping centres are
  increasing the need to travel
• Urban extensions and new settlements lack
  reservation of land for sustainable transport
  modes (Bus lanes, tram lanes, etc.)
• Recommendations
• Understand and use the principle in spatial
  planning
• Provide sufficient PT, cycling and walking
  infrastructure and reserve space for sustainable
  transport modes in new development

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13. Transport management

• We found
• Public transport, cycling and walking are not
  always considered as alternative to the car, but
  only for those that do not own a car.
• Poor PT services (e.g. ticketing, integration,
  capacity etc), a lack of prioritisation and a
  reluctance to use restrictive measures (e.g.
  parking management)
• Many cities risk of loosing the relatively high
  PT share in modal split due to poor PT services
  in urban sprawl and new developed residential
  areas.
• Freight management is not a high policy or action
  priority for many cities but is perhaps one of
  the biggest threats - noise and air quality
  impacts, evidence of difficulty in finding
  solutions - attempts to consolidate and
  coordinate distribution activities failed.
• High ambitions to become a logistics centre
  without understanding the implications arising
  from increasing logistics activities
• Recommendations
• Combination of restrictive measures for car usage
  (e.g. parking management) and incentives for
  using alternative transport modes (improve PT,
  cycling and walking)
• Research freight and its implications.

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14. Clean transport system

• We found
• In some cities a modern PT vehicle fleet with low
  emission levels using alternative fuels.
• However
• In many cities still old PT vehicles with poor
  emission standards and limited use of alternative
  fuels
• Few cities are leading by example with their own
  fleets and fleets of their contractors
• Recommendations
• Modernize PT vehicle fleet
• Use alternative fuels for PT vehicle fleet and by
  this start building a fuel infrastructure that is
  open for private cars and trucks as well.
• Give incentives for and promote clean vehicles
  and alternative fuels (e.g. parking management,
  implementation of an environmental zone for
  trucks)

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14. Fair transport system

• We found
• Elderly, children mobility impaired people and
  people who do not own a car are faced with
  limited mobility (limited access to working,
  leisure, cultural activities, etc.)
• Some cities in face high numbers of accidents
  with high causalities among pedestrians and
  cyclists. This is also a reason for
  underdeveloped walking and cycling.
• Recommendations
• Clear commitment to reduce car dependence.
  Recognize PT, walking and cycling as full
  transport modes for ALL users and as alternative
  to private car.
• Actively work on the safety issue Consider
  safety when designing streets, run safety
  campaigns, educate car drivers

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15. Detailed assignment of responsibilities and
resources

• We found
• Clearly allocated responsibilities and resources
  on project level
• However
• Lack of assignment of responsibility for
  SUTP-work on a strategic and political level
• Lack of instruments to monitor progress and goal
  achievement
• SUTP-plans and strategies are not always
  reflected in the city budget
• In some cases Responsibility is divided
• Recommendations
• Clearly assign responsibilities for all levels
  and aspects of SUTP-work
• Improve dialogue with budget department,
  strengthen the connection between the SUTP- and
  the budget process
• Monitor progress regularly and give feedback

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16. Monitoring and evaluation arrangements (1/2)

• We found
• Some cities have good indicators thata re
  effectively used to drive policy e.gLA21
• Environmental impact assessments and monitoring
  of mobility patterns and urban development
  impacts
• However
• There is a lack of an indicator set measuring
  sustainable urban transport trends
• Existing monitoring and evaluation are
  stand-alone procedures and are incomplete to
  monitor all relevant implications of transport
  arising from all developments in the region
• There is a lack of resources for monitoring and
  evaluation

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16. Monitoring and evaluation arrangements (2/2)

• Recommendations
• Develop and agree on a core set of indicators to
  monitor the achievement of strategic transport
  objectives
• Provide the necessary resources for
  systematically evaluating the outcome of
  transport related projects against this indicator
  set to monitor the contribution to the cities
  SUTP goals.

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17. Plan adoption, approval and assessment

• We found
• Some partners are still considering how to adopt
  and approve their (new) SUTP, whilst some remain
  confused about how to adapt and update their
  existing transport plans to be SUTP
• Few partners have looked at the requirement for
  their SUTP to comply with the EU directive on
  Strategic environmental assessment.
• The success of most partners existing transport
  policies and plans are already assessed but not
  as frequent or in as comprehensive or logical way
  as the benchmark
• Recommendation
• Complete the work for work package 2 mapping your
  existing plans and work against the SUTP
  benchmark.
• Understand the provisions of the SEA directive
  and make sure you meet them
• Include ongoing assessment into the programme
  for the adoption, approval and review of your
  plan.