[article] New transport authority needs centralised powers

Navan Junction

23/08/2006, ireland.com

Planning, procurement and regulation of transport needs to be integrated into one agency. David Labanyi reports

Responsibility for traffic-management initiatives in the greater Dublin region will shortly be transferred from local authorities to the new Dublin Transport Authority, (DTA) which is to be set up in shadow form this autumn.

One of the top priorities facing the new agency - to be headed by Trinity College Professor Margaret O'Mahony - is dealing with the chronic congestion in Dublin. The cost of this gridlock is estimated to be costing businesses in the region more than €2 billion a year. The new Authority will incorporate the functions of the exiting Dublin Transport Office (DTO) and take responsibility for the planning, regulation and procurement of public transport in the greater Dublin area.

Prof O'Mahony and an establishment team including John Lu***en and Pat Mangan, assistant secretary generals at the Department of Transport, and Colin Hunt, Mr Cullen's special adviser, have drawn up a report on the new Authority, which was submitted to the Minister for Transport and is awaiting publication.

John Henry, director of the (DTO), said the development of the Authority would see planning, procurement and regulation of transport in Dublin centralised into one agency.

"The DTO is doing and has done very well since it was established in 1995. But it has only a planning role and has no real powers. It can only work by consensus and agreement."

Mr Henry said much of the DTO's work "was behind the scenes negotiations between different parties. Acting as an arbitrator and trying to make consensus."

He says the process of transferring power from local authorities, semi-state transport companies and Government Departments to the new Authority is going to be a challenge.

"We met with the DTA establishment team and got into the whole process of how you go about transferring power from one agency to another. Because if the new Authority is to be quite powerful it has to take power from somewhere else."

Another immediate task facing the new Authority is resolving the issue of bringing private bus operators into the Dublin market.

Mr Henry criticised the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, for the current hiatus. "We need additional buses now. Either get on and get the private sector in quickly or give Dublin Bus the buses they are seeking. But don't leave this vacuum in which people are being very badly served."

He said a funding request from Dublin Bus for new buses had not been accepted becasue the Government was "trying to reserve some additional future capacity, to restrain Dublin Bus from growing and leave space for private firms to come in." However, he said the process had dragged on and was now leaving commuters with a substandard service.

Another key challenge for the DTA is to finally roll out integrated ticketing. Mr Henry says the system "could be rolled out in the morning" and that the delays are because of squabbling between the various state agencies and also the Luas over how to allocate the money collected from an integrated ticketing system. "The Rail Procurement Agency have been unfairly criticised. The system is essentially ready. This project is an example of the need for a Transport Authority with wide ranging powers."

The project to provide an integrated ticket allowing passengers buy a single ticket for buses and trains in Dublin was first mooted in 1999. Although it was due to be introduced in 2002 the project has been hampered by delays.

Mr Henry did raise one cautionary note about the new Transport Authority - which appears to be proceeding without having a land-use function. This would have given it a say in planning decisions with the goal of encouraging higher-density developments better suited to public transport.

"This land-use function appears to be politically difficult and the current thinking is that it will not be included. With a car, as anyone who commutes knows only too well, there is a maximum density that roads can handle. And a reliance on cars creates low-density housing. The problem with this is that low density areas are difficult to serve with public transport."

He added that the weakness of Dublin's public transport system explained why the city has effectively abandoned participation in Car-Free Day.

"We just don't have the supply of public transport for it to be viable."

© The Irish Times

Winters

Navan Junction wrote:

Another key challenge for the DTA is to finally roll out integrated ticketing. Mr Henry says the system "could be rolled out in the morning" and that the delays are because of squabbling between the various state agencies and also the Luas over how to allocate the money collected from an integrated ticketing system. "The Rail Procurement Agency have been unfairly criticised. The system is essentially ready. This project is an example of the need for a Transport Authority with wide ranging powers."

That was between Dublin Bus and the RPA I've been told. Dublin Bus wouldn't back down on their plan to launch their own type of smart card. I believe it was to be a temporary charge card type system and argued that they carry more people than the RPA and so should be allowed to implement what they see as the best solution even though the RPA were charged by the DoT to solely implement integrated ticketing. Doesn't it seem that CIE only bother to get going on improvements to their service when competition comes on board? Hmm

John R

Winters wrote:

That was between Dublin Bus and the RPA I've been told. Dublin Bus wouldn't back down on their plan to launch their own type of smart card. I believe it was to be a temporary charge card type system and argued that they carry more people than the RPA and so should be allowed to implement what they see as the best solution even though the RPA were charged by the DoT to solely implement integrated ticketing. Doesn't it seem that CIE only bother to get going on improvements to their service when competition comes on board? Hmm

They wanted to switch some/all of their current range of bus-only paper tickets to the smart card and possibly introduce "credit" type cards to further discourage on-board cash payments.

One mode ticket options will still be needed after integrated ticketing is introduced.

The hardware has been fully installed in the fleet for months now and is lying idle while the magnetic readers are prone to failure and are open to misuse and fare-evasion.

Unlike the RPA who were given over €30m to implement the integrated card DB's plans were to be financed within their current budgets.

The RPA introduced a similar scheme on the Luas and it was only after it became clear that integrated ticketing was being delayed by years that DB decided to introduce a bus only card.


There are a huge number of issues to be sorted before a successful integrated product can be brought out. The revenue split is just one of a number of unresolved problems.

IMO it would be preferable for just one smart card system to have been introduced but in the continuing absence of the integrated product is it really a bad thing if DB introduce their own system?

John R

Planning, procurement and regulation of transport needs to be integrated into one agency. David Labanyi reports

There was a very good programme on earlier this week presented by the former London Transport Commissioner dealing with this very subject.

It is repeated tomorrow night at 2.20am on Channel 4.

Winters

Thanks, referring to London solely?

John R

Winters wrote:

Thanks, referring to London solely?

No, a number of examples good and (mostly) bad from across the UK.

The emphasis is on how good government policy is essential for any decent transport solutions.

It does give a good insight into why the "London model" that is often thrown about here is very unlikely to succeed in our political cliamte.

antoinolachtnai

Don't have a telly, what are the reasons?

(Although no one in DoT or DTO has ever officially suggested the London Model for Dublin, as far as I know. They just sort of alow the idea to ferment in the public arena.)

DerekP11

John R wrote:

The emphasis is on how good government policy is essential for any decent transport solutions.

Hammer, nail and head.

Winters is quite right in pointing out how the RPA and DB found themselves at an impass in relation to integrated ticketing. But it was the lack of "good Government policy" that put both organisations in that position. In my opinion, the RPA don't want the integrated ticketing remit and should never have been placed in a situation where they had responsibility for it.

The Transport act that created the RPA is full of very many defects. One example is where they have responsibility for the "interconnector". Seriously. Both the RPA and IE sorted this one out between themselves. But what does that say about the Government who drafted and passed the said act?

We can only anticipate that a new DTA will be given the powers to make real change. While its still a long way from actual realization, I personally believe that its "board" should be made up of representatives from established voluntary organizations such as the Dublin Cycling Campaign, Platform 11 and any other public based body that contributes to the development of transport in Dublin.