Review transport priorities – ICE

Funding

A rapid review of major transport plans is needed to reassess priorities in the aftermath of Covid-19, the Institution of Civil Engineers has said. 

“It would be prudent to conduct a rapid review of the phasing of major programmes, particularly within transport, to ascertain what should be reprioritised in the medium-term,” says the ICE. This should be conducted within two years.

The ICE?has just published a call for evidence alongside a Green Paper about how Covid-19 could change public attitudes and behaviours. 

Lockdown restrictions have shown that connectivity can be delivered effectively for many people by technology such as broadband rather than transport networks, it says. 

Meanwhile, current public attitudes “describe a future picture of working and engaging in social activities more remotely, with reduced appetite for travel and spending time in large towns and cities”. 

The ICE?says there is “demand for transport provision that continues social-distancing measures and is designed specifically to prevent the spread of disease”. Within towns and cities it expects this will lead to more emphasis on walking and cycling. 

The ICE’s work will help the Infrastructure Client Group develop a recovery plan as part of the Construction Leadership Council’s industry recovery plan. 

The call for evidence runs to 14 June.