Scrutiny to look at final TIF report

The findings from a detailed study to investigate innovative ways of reducing congestion and improving public transport in the county town will be considered by Shropshire County Council’s Scrutiny panel next week (Monday 10 December).

The recommendations to Scrutiny are based on the final report of the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) study, undertaken with support from the government’s Department of Transport.

The report shows that a package of transport measures including road pricing, a new north-west relief road (NWRR) and big improvements to public transport could produce significant benefits for Shrewsbury by reducing the amount of traffic entering the town centre.

However it also sounds a note of caution. Any road pricing scheme would have to generate enough income to cover both its own costs and the costs of new public transport services. The study confirms that even with a toll on the new NWRR as well as the town centre, a scheme would be difficult to balance in cash-flow terms.

For this reason, Scrutiny members are being recommended not to take the TIF package any further.

Alternative ways of funding a NWRR are still being considered, and a feasibility study has been started to see if it could incorporate an innovative flood risk management scheme.

Alan Mosley, Shropshire County Council’s Chair of economy and environment scrutiny panel, said: “There has been widespread public concern about whether a road pricing scheme and the NWRR are the right ways to meet our transport objectives for Shrewsbury, and it now seems that the scheme would not work in terms of cash flow.

"The TIF study will have cost the County Council over £600,000 from our own funds, whilst the government has contributed over £800,000 to the study. The County Council will also have spent £1.4 million this year on developing the Shrewsbury North-West Relief Road scheme.

“Therefore, questions will need to be asked about this project, including whether the financial outcomes could have been predicted sooner, whether consultation with the public and stakeholders has been adequate, whether the results are reliable and have been fully appraised, and how the risks have been assessed.

“I am sure that we will also want to see progress on the review of alternative ways to reduce congestion and encourage use of more sustainable forms of transport, which was asked for by Council in July.”

Scrutiny will be making their recommendations to Council on Friday 14 December.

Further information

Ten areas of the UK have been undertaking similar studies, and so far just two, Cambridge and Greater Manchester, have decided in principle to implement charging schemes.

5 December 2007