Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“Relevant Background Information

 

      In August 2008, Atkins consultants were appointed to review and update the current Council’s Transport Policy to help support the Council’s civic leadership role for this important City and regional issue. The Policy seeks to provide the Council with a basis for facilitating the promotion and introduction of sustainable transport approaches or initiatives in respect of both Council operational activity and transportation generally.

 

      The overall approach to the review was to build on the success of the existing Policy, develop a refined understanding of effective current policy and identify best practice. The work sought to provide an effective up-to-date Policy which would begin to integrate internal operational transport initiatives and actions with the broader policy aspirations for more sustainable approaches to transportation.

 

      The Council requires an up-to-date, coherent Transport Policy in order to consistently engage in transport policy developments, such as the reviews of the Regional Development and Transportation Strategies, and influence specific policies or strategic transport infrastructure initiatives planned for the region. In parallel with this engagement there is also increasing recognition that the Council must continue to address and manage the transportation implications of existing operational activity across the organisation. Council has already accepted reducing the City’s impact on climate change and improving air quality as a Key Objective within the 2008-2011 Corporate Plan.

 

      A cross departmental steering group comprising Council officers was set up to oversee the revision of the current Transport Policy and the following stages were carried out in the first phase of the review:

 

-    a review of the current Policy and the Environmental Policy package;

 

-    background research and consultation with a range of stakeholders including Council officers, Elected Members, the private sector, statutory bodies and community/voluntary bodies; and

 

-    a review of existing travel patterns and practices within Belfast City Council

 

      The first phase of the review was completed in December 2008 and a report of the findings submitted to Committee in December. The Committee endorsed the consultant’s conclusions from their initial work that the current vision and objectives of the Transport Policy remained broadly valid but would benefit from being updated and more effectively aligned with the Council’s emerging approach and objectives within the Corporate Plan. The second phase involved the following stages:

 

-    the refinement of  Policy options for a strategic Council Transport Policy

 

-    the initial exploration of the potential options for a draft Workplace Travel Plan to address the organisational transportation implications for the Council.

 

Key Issues

 

      This report outlines the proposed Draft Transport Policy for the Council which incorporates a recommendation in respect of the proposals for the move towards the development of a Workplace Travel Plan to integrate the actions to address the transport implications of the organisation, including the potential operational, efficiency and sustainability benefits arising from a coordinated planed approach.  Both documents are available on Modern.gov

 

      Draft Transport Policy

 

      The Draft Transport Policy is appended for consideration by Committee as the basis for an adopted revised Transport Policy. The revised and updated vision for the Policy is detailed below:

 

‘To support and promote the development of a modern, safe, accessible and integrated transportation system to enhance the connectivity for Belfast and its wider regions, which benefits the environment; supports sustainable development; and enhances the quality of life of all those who live, work, visit and do business in the City.’

 

      The proposed new strategic objectives for the Policy are outlined below aligned with their associated Council corporate themes. It should be noted that, for the purposes of the Transportation Policy, the additional theme in relation to the City centre has been introduced in recognition of the pivotal role the centre has for transportation infrastructure, services and interchange at a City and regional level.

 

      Key Theme: City Leadership - Proposed Strategic Objective 1

 

‘To provide a strong civic leadership role for the promotion of a modern, safe, accessible and integrated transportation system for the City of Belfast and its wider regions.’

 

Key Theme: Regeneration Growth and Prosperity –

Proposed Strategic Objective 2

 

‘To support the sustainable economic development of Belfast to ensure the future prosperity of Belfast City and its wider regions and to facilitate the continued development of its economic and physical regeneration through achievement of economic, tourism, leisure, good relations, environmental, educational and health objectives for the City.’

 

Key theme: Environmental Responsibility –

Proposed Strategic Objective 3

 

‘To secure the long term viability of Belfast City and its environment by seeking to ensure that all transportation arising from the wider proposals take into account and mitigate against their adverse impact on the environmental and the quality of life of local neighbourhoods’

 

Key Theme: People and Place - Proposed Strategic Objective 4

 

‘To support local people and communities by ensuring a community plan approach that integrates transportation to enhance connectivity for local neighbourhoods by making them safer, healthier and more inclusive’.

 

Key Theme: Value for money customer focused services - Proposed Strategic Objective 5

 

‘To seek to ensure that BelfastCity Council services and facilities are accessible by sustainable modes of travel, such as walking, cycling and public transport’.

 

Key Theme:  An organisation fit to lead and serve –

Proposed Strategic Objective 6

 

‘To promote the positive effects of sustainable travel and to lead by example by implementing sustainable travel initiatives within its own organisation’.

 

Key Theme: BelfastCity Centre –

Proposed Strategic Objective 7

 

‘To support the sustainable economic development of Belfast City centre, as a key regional asset – to seek to provide an urban environment that supports a more dynamic and competitive centre and to improve its presentation and environmental quality as befits a first class European city.’

 

      The key objectives/priorities for each Key Theme have been differentiated within the appended Draft Transport Policy between external policies (those outside the control of the Council) and internal policies (those within current Council activities). The Committee is requested to consider the Draft Transport Policy and, if appropriate, agree the revised vision alongside the vision and strategic objectives detailed above.

 

      Workplace Travel Plan

 

      The implications of the Council’s organisational transport impacts arising from operational and fleet activities were considered as part of the review and the Draft Transport Policy. The work highlighted the range of activities with direct and indirect transport impacts and the necessity for a coordinated approach to guide the process of aligning this activity with corporate and strategic transportation policy objective for the Council.

 

      The recommendation arising from the work was that the Council should move towards the adoption of a formal Workplace Travel Plan to encourage travel by more sustainable modes and address the potential for operational and efficiency improvements.  This approach would also align with the with the Council’s corporate objectives of ‘better leadership’ and ‘better care for Belfast’s environment’.

 

      The draft Workplace Travel Plan provides a basis for the exploration of a formal Workplace Travel Plan for the Council. The Committee is requested to consider the approval of the principle of a Workplace Travel Plan approach as an integral element of a Council Transportation Policy.

 

      The development of a Workplace Travel Plan will have operational and resource implications. The approval of the Travel Plan approach is sought on the basis that the future resource implications are brought before the appropriate Committee for approval in the context of an integrated plan, including the evaluation of whether or not the Council may seek to appoint a full?time Travel Plan Co-ordinator with responsibility for developing, implementing and monitoring the Council’s travel plan policy.

 

Resource Implications

 

      There are no direct resource implications arising from this report. The future potential resource implications arising from the revised Transport Policy implementation, including the Workplace Travel Plan, will be brought before the appropriate Committee for future consideration in parallel with the relevant specific implementation activities.

 

Recommendations

 

Members are requested to:

 

1.   consider the Draft Transport Policy and, if appropriate, agree the revised Policy in line with the vision and strategic objectives detailed in the body of the report.

 

2.   endorse the principle of a Workplace Travel Plan approach for the Council and the refinement of the implications arising from the integration of this element within the Transportation Policy.

 

Decision Tracking

 

1.   Following ratification the draft Transport Policy will be formalised into a policy document for the Council. 

 

      Time frame:  August 2009.  Reporting Officer: Shirley McCay

 

2.   Following ratification work will be initiated on the Workplace Travel Plan concept to further refine the potential operational and resource implications with a report brought back to the appropriate Committee.

 

      Timeframe:  October 2009.  Reporting: Shirley McCay.”

 

            In answer to a Member’s question, the Director indicated that the need to create a post of Travel Plan Co-ordinator had been identified by the Consultant who had been appointed to facilitate the development of the Plan.  However, she was not, as yet, convinced that such a post was necessary.  She assured the Committee that, when the Workplace Travel Plan had been completed, a report would be presented which would contain any staffing implications.

 

            Following discussion, the Committee noted the information which had been provided by the Director regarding the post of Travel Plan Co-ordinator, adopted the Draft Transport Policy, a copy of which is available on Modern.gov, and agreed that a Workplace Travel Plan approach be an integral element of the Council’s Transport Policy.