Job Vacancy - Senior policy adviser (transport), National Infrastructure Commission
https://nic.org.uk/vacancies/were-recruiting-senior-policy-adviser-transport/From
https://nic.org.uk/themes/transport/Transport
Well planned and integrated transport investment can be an important ingredient in driving economic growth and improving quality of life.
The Commission undertakes research into specific transport proposals when asked to do so by government, but also advises on broader questions of policy and approach to planning upgrades and new investment in road, rail, and other transport modes.
The Commission transport work covers road, rail, and other modes of transport. We focus on what different these modes each do best and how they integrate with other types of transport to create the most efficient and user friendly systems for passengers and support the economic geography of the country and, in particular, its towns and cities. Our work seeks to anticipate future usage trends, such as the impact of the recent pandemic on public transport, to help inform robust recommendations for investment and policy making.
With a long term perspective, the Commission also considers likely developments in technology and what investment should be made to prepare our networks for the future.
With almost a quarter of the UK▸ ’s total greenhouse gas emissions currently coming from surface transport, we actively consider the importance of decarbonising the UK’s travel by developing lower emission public transport systems and preparing for the widescale use of electric vehicles. Tackling urban congestion and other barriers to growth where travel solutions – in particular, better public transport – can play a role are significant challenges shaping our work.
The Second National Infrastructure Assessment, published in October 2023 states that improving transport provision is crucial to the goal of levelling up economic opportunities in all parts of the country and improving the quality of life. To this end, the Assessment addresses two key challenges: how improved urban mobility and addressing congestion, and how multimodal interurban transport strategies, can both support regional growth.
The Assessment shows that getting more people making more trips into and around city centres is essential for English cities outside of London to have any chance of succeeding in levelling up their regional economies. To do that, cities will need flexible strategic transport plans that can adapt to a range of future transport demand scenarios; to avoid adding to existing congestion and undermining net zero efforts, they’ll need to actively shift more of those additional journeys from cars onto other modes of transport. So, cities will need to make improvements that ensure public transport and active travel are more attractive and reliable options for more travellers, while also giving serious consideration to some form of demand management.
Our work on interurban transport recommends a transport strategy built around a single vision to drive economic opportunity and narrow disparities between regions and protect and enhance the environment. This needs to incorporate strategic roads and major roads as well as heavy rail projects.
The decision to cancel HS2▸ north of Birmingham leaves a major gap in the UK’s rail strategy around which a number of cities have based their economic growth plans. While government has committed to re-allocate all the released funding to improve transport, including rail links, in the North and Midlands, it is not yet clear what the exact scope and delivery schedule is for the proposed new rail schemes. A new comprehensive, long term and fully costed plan that sets out how rail improvements will address the capacity and connectivity challenges facing city regions in the North and Midlands is needed.
The job is based in Leeds - the most desparate place for a mass public transport system.
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