Your chance to cut red tape. (DfT press release 10/11/2011)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the Department for Transport:

Rail passengers and businesses are set to benefit as Rail Minister Theresa Villiers today pledges to crack down on unnecessary red tape.

Nearly 200 rail transport regulations have today been placed on the Red Tape Challenge website ^ a Government-wide site aimed at reducing bureaucracy. They will remain there for consultation for four weeks. The Challenge asks everyone whether they think that a regulation is well designed and provides vital protection or is badly designed, badly implemented or simply a bad idea.

Among the regulations that the Government is asking the public to comment on are the National Rail Conditions of Carriage ^ the terms and conditions passengers must adhere to when travelling on a train.

Other examples include the requirement for the Secretary of State to approve train operations on all sections of a line, the speed of those operations and a variety of other conditions for tramways and other minor railways including heritage operations.

The review also targets a number of arcane and obsolete regulations on the statute books that could run the risk of eroding public confidence in regulations. For example, there are regulations in force covering closures on railway lines which no longer exist and various exemption orders which have expired.

Theresa Villiers said:

^We want everyone - including passengers, businesses and volunteer groups - to get involved and help reduce the number of badly thought out and obsolete regulations in our country.

^The Red Tape Challenge is an ideal opportunity to consider innovative ways of delivering better rail services. We are already working on delivering less prescriptive rail franchises and taking forward reforms to help the rail industry to reduce costs.

^By reducing red tape, we can also free businesses to compete, create jobs and unleash a private sector-led recovery.^

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said:

"Since the Red Tape Challenge was launched in April, we have received more than 25,000 comments and proposals made by the public and businesses. Already this has resulted in plans for significant changes to legislation ^ we have looked at 378 pieces of regulation and announced plans to remove or simplify 220 of these.

"I look forward to seeing the results of the 200 rail transport regulations under the spotlight. This process can only result in a more efficient rail network, which will be good news for all rail users and growth in the wider economy."

Experienced ^Sector Champions^ will provide expert knowledge on the issues faced by those on the shop floor during the Red Tape Challenge.

Graham Smith, Secretary of the Rail Delivery Group said:

^An expanding railway also has to be an efficient railway. The rail industry is tackling a range of initiatives that will increase efficiency and improve value for money for the passenger, freight shipper and taxpayer that will unlock further growth in rail use.

^Many of the barriers to that greater efficiency can be found in the bureaucracy, red tape and regulations that delay, or even prevent, improvements to Britain^s railways. Removing the bureaucracy, discarding the red tape and scrapping unnecessary regulations will help the rail industry to provide an even better service to its customers.^

David Morgan and Mark Smith of the Heritage Railway Association said:

"The Heritage Railway Association fully understands that regulation is as essential for us as for any sector of the industry. Our challenge will be to identify that which is appropriate for our operations and retain it whilst the inappropriate, unnecessary and redundant is dismantled."

The overall aim is to remove barriers to economic growth and increase individual freedoms. The presumption is that regulations will go, unless it can be justified why a regulation should be kept.

The Red Tape Challenge can be found here: http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/home/index/

[ellendune]

How about the unfathomable ticketing system.

[grahame]

It's interesting to spend a few minutes looking through some of the things on the site ... yes, I'm sure there is plenty of "badly thought out" stuff there, I'm sure, but the site lacks information / background on the legistlation that it targets - just the bald acts are there via links, so I suspect that inputs may very largely be as equally badly thought out.

I did find one interesting act that appears to exempt harbourside railways, rides such as the "runaway train" at Alton Towers, railways purely within someone's garden such as the one at Shiplake, the Becton branch of the DLR^▸ (Docklands Light Railway) and some other similar from (?) the usual formal closure procedures ... but I feel that they were probably passed for a reason and that to say "scrap it" without knowing the reason would be unwise

[eightf48544]

Agree with ellendune regarding the fares system , but then what would bignosemac do?

What could be done is scrap all the "bean counters" working on delay attrribution and payments system. But I don't suppose tha's on the list unless you can find the paragraphs in  an ACT or Regulation covering it.
 

[JayMac]

Agree with ellendune regarding the fares system , but then what would bignosemac do?

I'm only confident enough to work within (occasionally around!) the current system. I wouldn't begin to attempt formulating ideas for a 'better' system. The most difficult thing to do would be to devise a new system that is revenue neutral. That is, one that doesn't cost the passenger, taxpayers, or the operators any more than at present.

The existing system has many faults, but I think these should be worked on, rather than wholesale change.

[ellendune]

Agree wholesale change is difficult so would advocate evolutionary change towards a better system. The better system should make it possible to support prepayment cards like Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) though.