Designing public transport facilities into new and existing developments is difficult. While there is much experience and guidance available for designing for motorised traffic when designing for public transport, developers, planners, designers, highway and traffic engineers must frequently start from a less than ideal situation. Over recent years few developments have been designed or adapted to cater for access by public transport. These new IHT guidelines provide the advice that is needed.

Transport policy has changed significantly in recent years. There is a now consensus that we should encourage and provide for greater use of public transport. The Government sees provision for public transport as an integral part of an Integrated Transport Policy: "At the heart of the policies which we intend to develop are our aims of better and more integrated public transport systems". Furthermore in 1994 the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution recommended that the proportion of passenger-kilometres by public transport increased by 12 per cent in 1993 to 29 per cent in 2005 and 30 per cent by 2020.

There can be no doubt that conditions for public transport operators and users in Britain can be substantially improved. British and continental experience suggests that towns can significantly raise the level of bus-use, and that public transport use is compatible with modern prosperous economies and attractive environments. The question, therefore, is how can this best be achieved?

"Planning for Public Transport in Developments" will assist those seeking to make developments, both existing and new, more convenient for public transport. The main objective of these Guidelines is to describe best practice in linking developments to the existing public transport system and in providing for public transport within existing and new developments. The Guidelines are about the location and design of developments as they relate to public transport, not only about public transport facilities. They are intended to provide a reference for developers, planners, designers and engineers who need technical advice on how to locate developments and how to provide suitable access and facilities for public transport. Some of the material in the Guidelines is also relevant to providing for public transport on existing highways.

Application of these Guidelines should lead to public transport in developments that offers a better service and is less expensive to provide. They should also offer benefits and savings to developers. By improving public transport, it should be possible to increase the density of developments and reduce the cost of providing for car parking. In many cases, demonstrating good provision for public transport and agreeing to achieve a specified modal split for travellers to a development may be necessary to obtain permission for the development itself.

The emphasis in "Planning for Public Transport in Developments" is on planning, design and engineering - what to do and how to do it. Design includes many fundamental aspects of developments, such as the location and size, the density of housing or activities, mixtures of uses, hierarchies of roads and provision for car parking. Although the policy and planning framework is outlined, the focus is on the design process that is of crucial importance to the end result.

A hierarchical approach is recommended, with emphasis first on locating new developments where they can be easily served by public transport (existing or slightly extended services). The second stage of the hierarchy, design for outline planning permission, is to design the layout of the development so that it can be served efficiently by public transport and that the services provided will be attractive to passengers, including those who have the option to use a car. This involves the concept of selecting the locations of bus stops or stations to serve a development, designing a network of footpaths to the stops or stations, and only then locating buildings to be easily reached from the stops, stations and footpaths. This is a reversal of the normal practice today, in which buildings are positioned and then public transport and its associated network of pedestrian routes fitted into a ‘fait accompli’. The third stage, for detail planning permission, is to make sure the detail design of the roads, bus stops, footpaths and information sources makes the use of public transport as easy as using a car.

The Guidelines set out the policy and planning framework relevant to providing for public transport in the UK today, stressing the need for integration with strategic, local and development planning. Chapter 2 lists the features that make public transport attractive to its users and suggests ways to provide high-quality public transport, and Chapter 3 describes several activities, such as "Green Commuter Plans", to encourage its use. Chapter 4 provides methods for assessing public transport ridership and the transport impact of a development. Chapters 5 to 7 are concerned with the hierarchy necessary to make public transport work. Chapter 5 considers the locational and planning principles, one of which is to recognise the benefits of concentrating a mix of activities together to gain economies of scale in public transport operations. The application of these principles at the outline planning stage is considered in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 concentrates on the design and traffic management issues that are addressed for detailed planning permission. Chapters 5 to 7 are intended to provide a tool-kit of techniques and examples to help provide for public transport in developments. For local authorities, some of the suggested investments to improve public transport services and efficiency could also be used as possible subjects for developer contributions.

These Guidelines attempt to set out best practice. It is recognised, however, that it will not always be possible to meet these criteria and that compromises must sometimes be made. The Guidelines therefore try to indicate the desirable provision and also alternative approaches that may prove satisfactory in certain circumstances. It is the task of the professional planner or engineer to decide if a lower standard is acceptable in given circumstances or if another approach would be more beneficial.

The Institution commends this manual to all those with a professional interest in the future of our urban areas - transportation planners, highway engineers, traffic engineers, town planners and others. It will benefit many professionals: bus operators, highway authorities, county councils, district councils, unitary authorities, Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs), Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs), those involved in the rail industry, central government, Government Regional Offices as well as developers. This new guideline is a companion to the IHTs 1994 guidelines on "Traffic Impact Assessment".

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