ICE submission to the Built Environment Committee’s inquiry on public transport in towns and cities

Key points from the submission:

• Future infrastructure planning should still be driven by existing long-term challenges, including population growth, rebalancing the economy, meeting carbon emission reduction targets and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• It is too early to assume that behavioural change will lead to completely different patterns of infrastructure use long term. Given these demand uncertainties, intelligent use of scenario planning will be vital, with operators taking a more adaptive approach and making best use of data gathering and analysis on which to base their decisions.
• Improving connectivity will require government and industry to make best use of data to provide passengers with information on their travel options across various modes and routes and providing enabling infrastructure such as sufficient secure bike storage across all interchanges.
• Place-based decision-making and a stronger role for subnational actors is vital. The government’s plans to devolve further powers needs to be accompanied by strategic decision-making on planned investment into levelling up, to ensure the most in-need communities can access services and economic opportunities.
• Potential barriers to improving urban public transport include the need for a new approach to sustainable long-term public transport funding; getting the right policy framework; and ensuring transport infrastructure is resilient to the impacts of climate change.