Alex Macaulay:Regional transport is suffering neglect and must modernise

WE OFTEN overlook things that are important because they are so much a part of everyday life that we scarcely notice they exist - until that is, something goes wrong.

Nowhere is this more often the case than with transportation. It is only really noticed in the breach - when the bus doesn't come, when the train breaks down, when the flight is delayed.

But invisibility should not equate to neglect. Keeping transportation systems running costs millions every year and expenditure cannot simply be confined to patching up obvious signs of wear and tear.

Regional transport must develop to meet the changing needs of our communities. New solutions must be found to problems of traffic congestion and pollution and existing systems must adapt to take account of population growth, changes in transport technology and the need for new, cleaner methods of mass transit. All of this costs money, yet today regional transport is facing death by neglect.

In 2007 as part of the local authority concordat, ring-fencing of local authority funding was removed and the LAs given the task of deciding how to spend their own budgets. SEStran (the South East Scotland Transport Partnership) ceased to be directly funded as a consequence of the concordat, and regional transportation in SE Scotland immediately went from having a capital budget of 20 million, spent directly by SEStran, to one where the local authorities allocated barely 42 per cent of the same amount.

Worse still, revision of priorities by local authorities has led to funding being diverted towards other service areas. What transport finance remains is spent largely on local projects, to the detriment of regional priorities.

Quite simply, regional transportation is being grossly underfunded. This will have major implications for the economic future of the whole region.

SEStran's sole purpose is to develop a sustainable transportation system for south-east Scotland. In response to the lack of direct funding we have had considerable success in identifying alternative revenue streams to enable us to take our objectives forward.

We recently won 868,000 in backing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), out of a total project cost of 2,305,000, to enable roll-out of Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) in East Lothian, Scottish Borders and Fife.

Elsewhere we have succeeded in winning additional European Funding of over 1 million and private sector funding of 600,000 to progress projects as diverse as a project which aims to promote improved movement for food products across the North Sea; revitalising under-utilised ports; improvements to local ferry services using hovercraft; or providing a freight distribution hub serving eastern Scotland and a range of east coast ports.

These projects have the potential to bring real economic benefits and major improvements to transportation ranging from increased employment opportunities to expanded trade links, less traffic congestion and a smaller carbon footprint. But EU funding is given with the expectation that it will be match funded by the recipients. If this is not forthcoming, Scotland is quite simply not holding up her end of the bargain.

Regional transportation is not an optional extra. It can't just be left to flounder until better economic days. In fact, properly funded, transportation will play a key role in the success of any plan to revitalise the Scottish economy. •Alex Macaulay is Partnership Director of SEStran