Policy and strategy
The Transport Planning Team is responsible for the long term
planning of the transport network in Perth and Kinross. This
includes the following modes, in the following order.
This order is known as 'The Hierarchy of Transport' and puts the
sustainable modes of walking and cycling ahead of all other modes.
The team also covers both freight transport as well as passenger
transport.
Transport policy is governed by the National Transport Strategy (NTS), produced by
the Scottish Government. This sets out the priorities that the
Scottish Government has for transport as a whole across the
country. Regional policy is set by Regional Transport Partnerships
(RTPs). Perth & Kinross Council is a member of TACTRAN the RTP
that covers the Angus, Dundee City, Stirling and Perth &
Kinross Council areas. TACTRAN produce a Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) that covers
a 15 year period and is refreshed every four years.
Local policies and strategies must take account of both the NTS
and the RTS as well as the
Development Plans drawn up by the Planning Service that look at
land use issues. Current policy issues that the Transport Planning
team have been considering include the following.
- A possible third Tay Crossing
- Improvements to the A9/A85 junction at Newhouse Road
- The development of the Perth Western Edge
- Wider transport issues in Perth City
- The possible redevolpment of the Railway and Bus Stations in
Perth
- The possibility of more Park and Ride Sites around Perth
- Improved rail services between Inverness, Perth and
Edinburgh
These policies and strategies all have to be appraised and
evaluated according to procedures set down by the Scottish
Government's transport agency Transport Scotland. In order for any
proposed scheme to qualify for Government money then the appraisal
process known as the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG)
must be carried out. This sets out a very rigourous evidence based
appraisal programme that should be followed before any proposed
scheme can be taken forward towards the impementation stages.
The Transport Planning team also tries to predict the future
growth of traffic on the transport network using transport
modelling software such as S -Paramics to determine where future
bottlenecks might occur. This information is then used to help
determine future strategies for transport within Perth and
Kinross.
