Iain Docherty

First published in 1999, this book contains case studies of rail transport policy-making in two UK Passenger Transport Authority areas and reviews the factors informing such policy-making. It contributes to transport geography by explaining why the actual policies implemented in Starthclyde and Merseyside were pursued, and to the continuing development of the political science theory of ‘the urban policy regime’ by analysing the differences in policy development attributable to the different ‘city-regional’ (Strathclyde) and ‘public choice’ (Merseyside) geographical structures of local governance. The book demonstrates that these differences in the spatial organisation of local institutions play a powerful role in determining the operation of the local ‘regime’ of policy-makers, the form of final policy outputs, and the level of public accountability achieved.

First published in 1999, this book contains case studies of rail transport policy-making in two UK Passenger Transport Authority areas and reviews the factors informing such policy-making. It contributes to transport geography by explaining why the actual policies implemented in Starthclyde and Merseyside were pursued, and to the continuing development of the political science theory of ‘the urban policy regime’ by analysing the differences in policy development attributable to the different ‘city-regional’ (Strathclyde) and ‘public choice’ (Merseyside) geographical structures of local governance. The book demonstrates that these differences in the spatial organisation of local institutions play a powerful role in determining the operation of the local ‘regime’ of policy-makers, the form of final policy outputs, and the level of public accountability achieved.

At a time when transport is high on the political agenda and government decision-making is being vigorously scrutinised, there is a need for an incisive and accessible analysis of the key policy issues. This book is a highly readable introduction to the transport debate from two experts in the field. The authors celebrate the advantages of a modern transport system, but argue that years of poorly conceived and executed transport policy have resulted in Britain’s transport system being far worse than it should be. They show that a substandard transport system creates economic, social and environmental costs, but demonstrate how these can be addressed through affordable and politically deliverable changes. Using a refreshingly novel approach, Shaw and Docherty use the familiar idea of the journey as the basis for their discussion. The book follows members of the Smith family as they uncover a wide array of transport issues, including why the problems we all encounter as we travel around actually come about; which policy trade-offs were responsible for creating them in the first place; what impacts we all have to suffer as a result; and what we can do to fix them. This lively and engaging approach will make the book ideal for a wide readership.