Process: Developing a Strategy

The process of developing the strategy follows many of the same steps as an appraisal. Local authorities may wish to refer to STAG as a useful tool but to bear in mind the guidance was not written for the purpose of developing a LTS. It is nonetheless, important to set out the problems and opportunities, objectives (that can be measured and monitored), and consideration of options as part of this process.

Local authorities may wish to refer to the structure of the NTS when considering how to approach and structure their strategy. The NTS sets out a vision with four priorities, each of which has outcomes, which are then supported by policies or enablers. The delivery plan then sets out the specific actions or schemes to achieve this.

Analysis – Transport Problems and Opportunities

The strategy should collate an analysis of the current and future transport problems in their local authority area. This analysis may overlap with the LDP Evidence Report, so depending on the order in which local authorities are preparing their LTS and LDP, these may be prepared in conjunction to avoid duplication of work. Other plans and strategies, including those of neighbouring local authorities and community planning partners, should also be taken into account as part of this process.

Setting outcomes

Having analysed the current situation, looked to the future and identified transport opportunities and problems, the authority should determine what it wants its transport strategy to achieve through a set of well-defined outcomes that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART).

The outcomes set out in the LTS should align with the LDP, RTS and NTS, as well as other local objectives. They should consider what the local authority sees transport as enabling within their community: what do we want to ensure people have access to – employment, education, leisure, family and friends, healthcare. Neither the outcomes nor the solutions need to be specific to transport: framing the strategy more broadly around access allows the local authority to consider non-transport approaches such as triple access (spatial, mobility, and digital) and A-S-I approaches.

The outcomes should present a clear answer to the question above, but should not be delivery-focused or technology bound. Local authorities should also be mindful that a transport solution (or wholly a transport solution) may not always be the best way to deliver the outcomes. Taking this approach allows delivery plans to be updated as technology and circumstances change, without needing to go back and amend the strategy.

Robust engagement and impact assessments are critical to ensuring political and local support for the outcomes set out in the strategy. This is the point at which local authorities may wish to take the draft strategy and the outcomes it sets out to council, to ensure that decision makers agree with the outcomes set out, before significant progress is made on the delivery plan.

Developing a Delivery Plan

Choosing options

Chapter 4 of STAG identifies option generation and sifting as a crucial element of any appraisal. This equally applies to the development of a transport strategy. For the LTS outcomes, there may be a number of different ways in which they could be achieved. A strategy needs to identify the best means to meet that end.

Some of the options identified to support the LTS will have been assessed elsewhere, such as through the LDP process, and there is no need to duplicate work unless further assessment is helpful to the delivery of the LTS. The level of evidence/assessment which is appropriate and proportionate will depend on local context – for example, what level of evidence will be expected and required by the local community and decision makers to adopt options. Therefore this guidance is not prescriptive on what level of evidence is needed. The assessment of NTS enablers may be a helpful resource for local authorities to refer to during their own assessment.

Implementation

Once it has been decided what needs to be done, the strategy should set out a delivery plan for achieving this. While strategies should be dynamic and capable of being adapted to changing circumstances, it is useful for a strategy document to provide an outline plan of what needs to be done, by whom and when, and to include indicative costs. We anticipate that local authorities would review, and update as necessary, their delivery plans on an annual basis.

Following sifting and appraisal of options, local authorities are likely to have identified a broad package of measures necessary to achieve their established objectives. These measures are likely to encompass capital projects, revenue spending and initiatives to be delivered in partnership with other bodies. A delivery plan should then be drawn up detailing how these are to be achieved. The delivery plan should be consistent with an infrastructure-first approach, which supports a more sustainable use of infrastructure, making better use of existing assets and prioritising low-carbon infrastructure, and the sustainable investment hierarchy.

The delivery plan will need to set out clearly who will be responsible for delivering each element of the strategy and identify sources of funding, other delivery partners and any further appraisal work that will need to be commissioned. The delivery plan should be clearly related to the objectives underpinning the strategy and should also show linkages to transport strategies at a regional and national level. We anticipate that local authorities would review, and update as necessary, their delivery plans on an annual basis.

Monitoring and evaluation

The Delivery Plan sets out what activities we are going to undertake to achieve the outcomes set out in the strategy. A Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will enable local authorities to understand if they are on track to achieve those outcomes. It should set out the evidence pathway between the delivery of activities and the intended outcomes set out in the Strategy. This enables local authorities and others to judge whether they are achieving their outcomes and whether the strategy needs to be adjusted to reflect changing circumstances or the experience of implementation.

Strategies should include a set of indicators, targets to monitor performance (where appropriate) and intended outcomes which will be used to measure whether the Strategy is being successfully delivered. The National Transport Strategy (NTS) is a good example of the interaction between a high-level strategy and monitoring and evaluation; where each outcome of the NTS has related indicators to evidence whether those outcomes are being achieved, and these are reported on annually. 

It will be up to local authorities to determine the precise package of indicators and targets which best reflect their particular local circumstances drawing on local evidence. Targets should be unambiguous, based on existing evidence (where possible) and quantified – both behaviour and attitudinal data. Indicators should be meaningful, reflecting local circumstances and policy context and can draw on both quantitative measures and qualitative measures. There will be some areas where numerical targets are essential.

Tools, Resources and Considerations

Sustainable Travel Hierarchy

The NTS embeds the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy in decision making by promoting walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport and shared transport options in preference to single occupancy private car use for the movement of people.

It is inevitable that there will at times be tensions between modes of transport, and competing demands for resource whether that is investment, prioritisation, space on the roads/pathways, or safety implications. This is where SMART objectives with demonstrated support from the local community and local leaders will become so critical.

To meet our climate change targets we need transformative change. For example, kerbside roadspace is valuable and in-demand. The default assumption for many people is that this is parking – whether controlled or uncontrolled. However using the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy and the objectives set out in their strategy, local authorities may consider the best use of kerbside space – bike storage (including e-cargo bikes and charging), bike lanes, bus lanes, communal recycling/bins, green space (parklets), space for loading/unloading, disabled parking, or pedestrian crossings.

Impact Assessments

Local authorities will be aware of their public sector equality duty to

• Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation;
• Advance equality of opportunity;
• Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The statutory duty requires consideration of the protected characteristics:

• Age;
• Disability;
• Sex;
• Pregnancy and Maternity;
• Gender reassignment;
• Sexual orientation;
• Race;
• Religion and Belief; and
• Marriage and Civil Partnership (with regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination in employment).

To support Scottish public authorities in meeting their equality duties, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced technical guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland and a range of non-statutory guidance, including on equality outcomes, evidence, and making fair financial decisions. Local authorities are encouraged to consider this guidance on how public authorities can fulfil their duty and to use latest and accurate equalities data and research to help inform LTS priorities and outcomes.

Local authorities are expected to demonstrate how findings from an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) have translated into priorities and outcomes in the LTS, with an active intention to look for opportunities to promote equality. As part of their EQIA process, local authorities should consider the impacts on children’s rights and wellbeing and guidance on the preparation of a Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment is available on the Scottish Government website.

The statutory requirement for a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is likely to apply to all local transport strategies. While local authorities are likely to be familiar with the requirements and guidance on undertaking an SEA, the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) provides more detailed guidance on its application to transport.

Local authorities should give due consideration to the Fairer Scotland Duty which came into force in April 2018. This duty places a responsibility on the public sector to reduce inequalities of outcome, caused by socio-economic disadvantage, when making strategic decisions. Guidance for public bodies on the Fairer Scotland Duty is available on the Scottish Government website. 

Additionally, local authorities are encouraged to work with their local NHS Board public health department in developing the LTS and to complete further assessments such as a Health Inequalities Impact Assessment to identify potential impacts on populations and health determinants likely to be affected by the development of the LTS.

Engagement and Consultation

Everyone has an interest in transport and consultation is a vital element of the local transport strategy process. Local authorities will need to actively involve a wide range of people in the development and implementation of their strategy, including (but not limited to): local people and communities, children and young people, businesses and business groups, private and community transport operators, health and education providers, the enterprise networks, relevant representative bodies and user groups and the emergency services.

Public involvement in a genuinely inclusive approach to the development of strategies will be vital if authorities are going to achieve the widespread support necessary to implement any difficult and potentially contentious measures, especially as policies to support the national 20% car km reduction are implemented. Moreover, local people will have knowledge and insight about existing problems that may be helpful in formulating strategies.

Local transport strategies need to fit within a local authority’s community plan and it may be appropriate to use community planning mechanisms (such as citizens’ panels or forums) as a vehicle for consultation.

Local authorities may also wish to make use of the stakeholder networks and consultative processes established by their RTP.

The LTS document, alongside any supporting documents such as consultation and impact assessments, should be accessible and easy for the public to understand.