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Meeting rural transport needs Considering future challenges within a changing environment
Date Of Conference: 9/20/2005
Major changes are taking place to the way that rural transport is delivered. The National Environment and Rural Communities Bill will see the Countryside Agency’s policy responsibilities pass to a new body, the Commission for Rural Communities. Meanwhile, its rural transport funding has been devolved to the Regional Development Agencies. Questions remain about how high a priority the RDAs will give transport and whether they will see it transport as a standalone topic or as part of a wider agenda of accessibility to services.
Against this background of institutional and organisational change, local authorities face the continuing pressure of commercial bus service withdrawals; the new agenda of community rail partnerships and how to engage rural communities in service provision.
The conference will consider these changes and how they will affect rural transport delivery. Will funding for rural transport projects be continued by Regional Development Agencies and what is the future for Rural Transport Partnership Officers if funding is withdrawn? Focus will also be placed on the future, looking at alternative methods of transport and innovation in rural transport research and provision. Consideration will be given to servicing the needs of rural communities and creating services which accurately reflect their requirements as well as those of visitors to rural areas. Examples of best practice will be used to highlight the challenges and concerns that rural transport providers are facing and give delegates a chance to discuss recent developments and consider effective ways of delivering success.
Chair: Andrew Forster, Editor, Local Transport Today
Speakers: Trevor Cherrett, Head of Planning, Housing and Transport, Commission for Rural Communities
John Hodgkins, Vice Chairman, ATCO and Transport and Accessibility Manager, Buckinghamshire County Council
Fiona Bryant, Rural Renaissance Manager, East of England RDA
Peter Mogridge, Rural Transport Partnership Officer, Tynedale Rural Transport Partnership
Olivia Morris, Policy and Campaigns Officer, Communities and Development, National Trust
Frank Roach, Rail Development Manager, Highland Rail
Tracy Jessop, Deputy Head of Passenger Transport Unit, Norfolk County Council
Stuart Wrigley, Director of strategic planning and transport, Lancashire County Coucil
Peter Headicar, Reader in Transport, Oxford Brookes University
James Laid, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Transport Studies, University of Leeds
Peter Warman, Independent Public Transport Consultant, WarmanConsult and Kate Freeman, Independent Consultant
Format: A4 spiral bound
Our Ref No: CO167
© Landor Conferences, 2005
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