Regional Transport and the Economy Iain Docherty Professor of Public Policy and Governance University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School

Structure of presentation First principles: what is transport for? The Edinburgh City Region’s choices What to do? Some conclusions

First principles: what is transport for?

Reality Checks

Transport economics 101 Transport is a derived demand

Transport economics 101 Transport investment is more likely to move economic activity around rather than stimulate genuine growth

Transport economics 101 Transport investment is more likely to move economic activity around rather than stimulate genuine growth (SACTRA, Eddington et al)

But… “transport creates the utilities of place” White and Senior (1983)

… or, in other words, we need to ask… What kinds of places do we want to live in?

The Edinburgh City Region’s choices

A very short lesson in transport history

‘Rubber’ Edinburgh

What kind of place do you want Edinburgh to be in future?

Edinburgh’s competition

… Edinburgh

What to do?

Where are we now? Transport investment since devolution has been overwhelmingly dominated by *(inter-)regional* investment M80, M8, Queensferry Crossing, Airdrie – Bathgate Line, Borders Railway, EGIP etc etc etc *Very* little attention paid to urban connections This is the obvious area where the SEStran area needs to catch up

Provocation If you want to be a first class European city region then start acting like one

Provocation If you want to be a first class European city region then start acting like one (in transport terms)

… embrace changing connectivity demands

Dutch and/or German streetscape

Henniker.org.uk

Some conclusions

None of this is conceptually difficult (!) Eddington was right! We do need a ‘sophisticated policy mix’ of new infrastructure, *but also* integrated planning, and difficult things like the right pricing (and possibly demand restraint) Decide what kind of place you want and work out how to get there The stark truth is that *everybody* else is rebalancing between the car and other modes *quickly*

Regional Transport and the Economy Iain Docherty Professor of Public Policy and Governance University of Glasgow Adam Smith Business School