This post is a restart of a series that commenced on the Transport Futures blog. Its intent is to give an insight into the goings on inside Mobility Lab, and the sorts of things that we are up to and who we are talking to. You can see the previous posts by following the below links. Weeknotes #1 | Weeknotes #2 | Weeknotes #3 | Weeknotes #4 | Weeknotes #5 | Weeknotes #6 We'll be honest. We spent most of this week not trying to be completely broken by the record-breaking heat here in the UK. Not helped by the small fact that we had meetings on the hottest day :(. But we still managed to get a fair amount done, and some projects progressed.
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ProYesterday, in among some minor announcements, the Department for Transport issued its guidance to local authorities for applying for local pinchpoint funding. In a change welcome to local authorities who did not like having to prepare a full business case in record time, the fund is staged, with expressions of interest sought by 31st January 2020, with entries chosen by the Department then moving onto a second phase to prepare the business case. Did we mention there is £150m up for grabs? Even then, we know that putting together bids of this size can take a lot of effort. Modelling, scheme design, public engagement, liaising with the Department. It all takes its toll. Naturally, we want to help! We will deliver a successful Expression of Interest (EOI) for your pinch-point scheme
Throughout all of this we will collaborate closely with yourselves, sharing our learning and expertise with your team members. We highly recommend a blended project management team approach, integrating the expertise that we apply to this project with your own. We are offering to do all of this, equivalent to 100 days effort, for a flat fee of £30,000 per scheme (excluding VAT). There is no commitment to continue after the EOI stage. If this sounds interesting and you would like a chat, then email us on james@mobilitylab.org.uk. For the recent Transport Practitioners Meeting in Oxford, our founder James Gleave collaborated with Hannah Budnitz, Nic Cary, and Teresa Jolley on a paper that established the context for a new way of delivering transport planning. Listening to the debates that took place over the two days at TPM, it was clear that there is the appetite for doing transport planning differently. But how? Our paper sets out that opportunity. At the core of our thinking is that we should not necessarily seek a completely user-centred approach to transport planning, nor is the current status quo able to deliver against the challenges set out by the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. There must be a two-way dialogue between equals. As much as the city authority cannot solely own the vision for the city, nor can citizens or operators be expected to deliver the whole strategy. Everyone has a stake in the future of their area. With transport being in such a state of flux, there is a question about the validity of forecasting specific futures. Whilst new data sources and new operational models can provide more insight, this does not necessarily translate into better foresight, giving uncertainty as to whether specific actions will result in transport planners meeting specific policy goals. But they do provide a range of opportunities, notably:
Regardless of this, We should challenge the validity of a single organisation having sole responsibility for a vision of the future. Everybody has a stake in the future of their area. It is therefore reasonable for them to expect that their voice will be heard and to hold people accountable for any decisions made on their behalf. Visions for the future of mobility therefore need to be established through highly collaborative engagement exercises, including understanding user needs, so that the resulting vision is shared, even if delivery responsibility rests on a few organisations. You can read the full paper online right here. And please provide comments in the comments section below. |
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