PUBLIC OWNERSHIP COORDINATION The Mayor is also responsible for coordinating a complex, multi-modal institution across multiple layers of governance in the city. The London Plan and Transport Strategy play a key role in coordinating transport with other sectoral perspectives, in accordance with local social, economic and environmental needs. The GLA Act requires that the Mayor’s Transport Strategy incorporate three themes: equality of opportunity, people’s health and sustainable development.8 These are coordinated with other components of the Mayor’s urban development plans, including economic development, health, biodiversity, waste management, air quality and culture.9 Examples of coordination of transport strategies include TfL’s transport action plan for health and its 2016-20 Action on Equality. The health plan integrates transport strategy with public health by promoting walking and cycling, as well as improving green and public spaces.10 The Mayor’s Transport Strategy aims to reduce car usage by funding and encouraging public transport, walking and cycling. Major investments in footpaths and cycleways are made, despite the loss in revenue that results from reduced public transport usage.11 The equality plan brings the focus of transport policy away from mobility and towards accessibility. It involves consultations with groups to understand how to make the network more inclusive and accessible.12 This has led to measures such as clear maps, improved access and tackling sexual harassment. Cross-sector coordination allows 8 GLA Act 1999, Sections 33 and 41: legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/29/section/33 9
GLA Act 1999, Section 41.1
10 TfL. Improving the health of Londoners. 2014: content.tfl.gov. uk/improving-the-health-of-londoners-transport-action-plan.pdf 11 London Assembly Budget and Performance Committee. 2018: london.gov.uk/about-us/london-assembly/london-assembly-committees/ budget-and-performance-committee 12 TfL. Action on Equality: TfL’s commitments to 2020: content.tfl. gov.uk/action-on-equality-tfls-commitments-to-2020.pdf
the authority to make plans that incorporate other societal and environmental issues, such as health, equality, air quality and sustainability, and that prioritise public values over revenue generation. INTEGRATION TfL’s power to integrate all transport modes into one network allows it to plan for major issues like rapid urbanisation and the climate emergency. Integrated ticketing systems allow passengers to travel on multiple services using unified fares. Control over road traffic allows TfL to take measures to reduce car usage and encourage public transport by regulating congestion charging, cycling and taxis.13 TfL has also begun to adopt decarbonisation plans, introducing over 200 electric buses and 20 hydrogen-powered buses.14 In contrast, the limited transport powers and funding for local governments outside London have left a fragmented, deregulated system that is very difficult to integrate and plan. London’s integrated transport system makes it one of the only cities in the UK that has successfully met the challenges of growing urban density. While public transport use in the rest of the UK has been in decline for over two decades, in London it has increased. Over half of people who work in London mainly rely on public transport for their commute, compared to only 16 per cent in the rest of England and Wales.15 PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT One feature of TfL is the separation of functions of overall coordination and planning from day-to-day operations and service delivery. While the Mayor and GLA 13 Centre for public impact. London’s congestion charge. n.d.: centreforpublicimpact.org/case-study/demand-management-for-roads-inlondon/ 14 TfL. World-first hydrogen double decker buses to help tackle London’s toxic air. 2020: tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2019/may/ world-first-hydrogen-double-decker-buses-to-help-tackle-london-s-toxic-air 15 Department for Transport. Transport Statistics Great Britain 2016: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/661933/tsgb-2017-report-summaries.pdf
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