Presented to Dublin Chamber of Commerce

24th March 2010

Introducing the National Transport Authority

Gerry Murphy

STATUTORY BACKGROUND

Enabling Legislation

• Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008

• Public Transport Regulation Act 2009

DTA Act

• Created a Dublin Transport Authority• Range of functions in the Greater Dublin

Area– Transport Planning– Co-ordination of Capital Investment– Contracts for Public Transport Services– Integration measures in the interests of

public transport passengers– Traffic Management– Input into planning processes

PTR Act

• Added national area for purposes of awarding subvented public transport services contracts

• Added national bus route licensing– Section of Act not yet commenced – Will be transferred from Dept. of Transport to NTA this

Summer

• Allowed for Taxi Regulator to be assimilated– We are working on establishing a date for that

• Added NTA planning inputs into Regional Planning Guidelines outside the GDA area

Full DTA functions reside in the NTA

NTA

DTA

• DTA was established on 1st December 2009

• NTA was established on same day

• DTA became NTA!!

• DTO was dissolved on that day

• NTA now has 33 staff (ex DTO) plus 10 staff (Dept. temp. assignees)

• CEO and 4 Director posts approved by DoF

• 14 staff (Dept temp. assignees) to come across with bus licensing at end Summer

• 7 staff (RPA integrated ticketing team) to come early 2011

• Approx. 70 staff in total before Commission for Taxi Regulation joins

A look at NTA functions and activities within the Greater Dublin Area

NTA

Transport Planning

Public Transport Services

Integration for the

Transport User

Demand management

- Smarter Travel

Land use planning

Bus priority & traffic

management

Capital Investment

CAPITAL INVESTMENT

Capital Investment

• “secure the provision of or, to provide, public transport infrastructure” through– Irish Rail– RPA

• T21 grants are channelled through the NTA– In the order of €345 million in 2010– Rising to c. €1 billion per annum when Metro North and DART

Interconnector are under construction

• Grants also fund support measures such as – Bus Priority, Public transport support measures, Traffic

management• 45 projects being funded this year

– Real Time Passenger Information, and Smarter Travel programmes

Capital Investment

• NTA as a sanctioning authority needs– To be satisfied that projects are well

managed– To be informed on all key project matters so

as to make sound decisions on funding

• NTA needs to find the space that “adds value”

Capital Investment

• NTA is introducing a suite of ‘high level’ Project Management Guidelines to set out detailed reporting and Gateway processes for its partners

• The 1st Guidelines document has been issued to RPA and Irish Rail– covers conventionally procured projects, either employer-designed or

Design & Build– addresses

• Governance arrangements and roles and responsibilities• Requirements for regular interactions between the agencies and the

NTA• Standardised structuring of projects into phases• The Gateway process by which a project moves from one phase to

another and obtains authority to do so

• A 2nd Guidelines will issue in April and will add particular requirements appropriate for PPP projects

• A Costs Management and Reporting Guidelines document is under preparation and will issue in May

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES

Public PassengerTransport Services

• 3 “direct award contracts”- Dec 1st 2009– Dublin Bus (5 years)– Bus Éireann (5 years)– Irish Rail (10 years)

• New contractual arrangement for delivery of services– Performance parameters– Reporting

• Total subvention in 2010 – c. €276 million

• Act recognises exclusive rights of Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Irish Rail but as embodied in public service contracts

Direct Award Transport Contracts

• Time limited• Can be reviewed and unilaterally changed by

the NTA at any time• NTA may enter into subsequent direct award

contracts subject to establishing that: “adequacy of the public bus passenger services … can only be guaranteed in the general economic interest”

• Review and decision on subsequent contracts– Submissions to be sought– NTA to publish report

Passenger Services Gaps

• NTA may identify need for public passenger transport services where a Public Service Obligation is needed– Fill need by contract

• Rail services to be provided by Irish Rail via contract

• Light Rail and Metro services by open tendering– RPA to perform procurement functions

Budgetary pressures on public transport services

• Economic downturn– Average drop in patronage of 10% across bus and

rail• Subvention drop in 2010

– 12%• Loss of fuel duty rebate• Cost recovery plans underway• But how best to target subvention for society’s

general economic interest?– Need an analytical tool– NTA is developing a Social Benefit Methodology and

plan to have it ready by May

Developing a methodology

Define services in question

Identify primary

catchment status

Identify primary attractor

status

Identify alternative means of

travel

Value for money

judgement

Wider qualitative

issuesOptions Conclusion

THE TRANSPORT CUSTOMER

Integration

• Integrated Ticketing Scheme– Currently being developed by RPA– To move across to NTA within 12 months– 2010 will see significant developments in its phased roll-out

• Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) on buses– Funded by NTA– Currently being developed by DCC and Dublin Bus– Phased roll-out in 2010/early 2011

• Cork RTPI being developed as well– NTA funding– DCC and Cork City Council are delivery agents

Other Integration Measures allowed for

• Transport branding– NTA has started exploring this

• Integrated Information Scheme– NTA has started scoping this

• Access to bus stops, bus and railway stations

• Fares scheme

PLANNING

Transport Planning

• 20 year strategy– to be reviewed every 6 years

• 6 year implementation plan– within 9 months of strategy

• Strategic traffic management plan– to be reviewed every 6 years

Transport Planning … contd

• Strategy and Implementation Plans– Wide-ranging stakeholder consultation– Publication in draft for public submissions

• Approval by the Minister

• Role of elected Mayor yet to be expressly defined

Land Use Planning

• Amendments to Planning & Development Act 2000 to ensure consistency between statutory plans and NTA’s transport strategy

• In making RPGs Regional Authorities are to consult with NTA

• A statement is required in both the draft and final RPGs to explain how there will be effective integration of transport and land use planning– to indicate how Regional Authority proposes to

address NTA submission points

Development & Local Area Plans

• LAs to seek views of NTA at each stage

• Manager to recommend how NTA’s issues and recommendations are to be addressed

• As with Regional Guidelines, NTA submission to go to Ministers for Environment and Transport

• Minister for Environment may direct LAs to ensure consistency

• NTA is very active at present on land use planning front

• New Draft Regional Planning Guidelines issued by regional authorities

• New Development Plans in the Greater Dublin Area

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Traffic management plans

• Strategic Traffic Management Plan– Scope of Plan is broad

“identify the actions to be taken to secure the optimal movement of persons, goods and vehicles”

• Specifically to address– actions to ameliorate traffic impacts related to (i)

transport infrastructure (ii) utilities– also specific routes for Mobility Impaired and Disabled

Persons

• Local Authority to prepare local traffic plan within 6 months of NTA’s strategic plan

Towards a Traffic Management Plan

• Regional Working Group already in place– Local authorities and NTA– To manage the network of principal roads in the GDA region at a

strategic level, to ensure optimal mobility.

• Key outputs– Definition of the network of principal roads – Agreed objectives for the management of the network– Identification of key methods to achieve objectives– Prioritised programme of works – Co-ordinated implementation of this programme, and – Performance monitoring of the network against the agreed

objectives

• Group will greatly assist the creation of a robust Plan

Traffic Management … contd

• NTA may issue guidelines to LAs– On wide range of areas such as design and management of

schemes and traffic systems, etc

• NTA may give directions to LAs– to implement traffic management plan

• NTA may request road authorities to enter into agreements re Traffic Management

• NTA may make a demand management scheme– Reduce need to travel and use of cars– No powers in relation to congestion charging/road pricing

DEMAND MANAGEMENT

• A Platform for Change 2000

• Guidelines on Mobility Management 2001

• Travel Demand Management Study 2004

• One Small Step Public Awareness Campaign

Demand Management in the Greater Dublin Area

Targeted Programmes

Packages of incentives and deterrents

Smarter Travel Workplaces

• 51 large employers -65,000 people

• 18% reduction in car use

• 3 year plan– 100 biggest employers

• 250,000 people by 2012

• 14% of the national workforce

Results so far

Case Study - Mater Hospital

• 16% reduction in staff car use

• 50 off-site parking spaces dropped – cost €125,000 p.a.

• 10% of on-site spaces for car sharers

• Cycling increased by 76%

• Public Transport Tax saver increased by 500%

• 200 bikes cycle to work

Case Study-Eircom

• 300 bikes Cycle to Work scheme

• Improved lockers, showers, cycle parking

• 30% decrease in parking following relocation to Heuston

Potential Impact

10% reduction in Car Use to Work and School in the Greater Dublin Area

=

Smarter Travel Adamstown

300 households received personalised travel advice

• 59% increase of sustainable modes

• 33% reduction in car usage

• 35% intend to continue using sustainable modes on a regular basis

NTA

Transport Planning Public

Transport Services

Integration for the

Transport User

National Transport Contracts

Bus route licensing

Regional Planning inputs

Integrationmeasures in other citiesTaxi

regulation

Demand management

- Smarter Travel

Land use planning

Bus priority & traffic

management

Capital Investment

Add it all together!!