Delivering a Sustainable Transport System (DaSTS) was the process set out by the UK government to align transport, economic development, social, environmental and land use strategies in England.
A series of wide-ranging policy framing initiatives (including ‘The Eddington Transport Study’ and ‘Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change’) were drawn on in developing the DaSTS philosophy, which can be summarised as the transport system needing to support sustainable economic and social development, whilst taking account of the need to reduce CO2 emissions.
The aim of the DaSTS Swindon Transport Strategy Study was to develop a transport strategy for the town that identified transport policies and interventions aimed at ensuring the transport network supports the regeneration and economic potential of Swindon town centre and new housing areas.
Halcrow worked with Swindon Borough Council to undertake this study, building on an existing strategy for Swindon that needed to be updated to reflect the changing landscape suggested by DaSTS.
Project challenges and goals
The key challenges and goals in developing the strategy for Swindon revolved around reconciling the potentially conflicting wider study objectives, in particular the tension between tackling climate change at the same time as a dynamic encouraging economic growth agenda. Value for money solutions were required, deliverable within likely available resources.
Halcrow’s role
We supported Swindon Borough Council in all technical aspects of the study, including developing a new and bespoke multi-criteria analysis tool for Swindon – INTRA-SIM. This allowed the strategy to be developed taking full account of the potential effects on a variety of impact criteria. In particular, INTRA-SIM can illustrate the effects of potential interventions on CO2 emissions at the same time as other criteria such as journey times.
Outcomes and achievements
A deliverable transport strategy that was incorporated into Swindon’s Local Transport Plan and local/regional development plans. The INTRA-SIM model for Swindon provides the Borough Council with a tool to consider a variety of approaches and future transport interventions. INTRA-SIM is discussed further in the ‘Transport Planning – Influential Research’ area of expertise.