General Election: outcome will shape raft of future transport decisions

The General Election is expected to bring a new government faced with a substantial set of major transport decision making challenges.

Though it has been widely forecast that there will be a Labour administration in charge, the party’s policies on many transport issues are yet to emerge.

Whilst public ownership of rail and bus provision has been a clearly stated mission, little has been said about policies on a range of local transport issues, from traffic and speed management, air quality, new mobility regulation, the introduction of automated vehicles and road user charging.

A number of decisions on major infrastructure projects will fall to the new government in the near future, and are likely to indicate its approach, potentially triggering controversies. These include the Lower Thames Crossing, the Road and Rail Investment Programmes, and potential airport expansions.

Meanwhile, there are hopes that the long-awaited revised guidance on Local Transport Plans will at last be issued.

* The next issue of LTT will include full details of new ministerial appointments and early indications of their policies, plus a wider analysis of the implications of the new government for local transport.