Transport and in particular local public transport and traffic management have long been seen in Scotland as local government responsibilities. Various changes in transport and local government legislation over the past 30 years have created the landscape we have today.

Significant changes include the 1985 Transport Act which removed major local government powers over bus services, and rail privatisation under the 1993 Railways Act, which changed the way in which the UK Government provided passenger rail services, but maintained a key role in Scotland for Strathclyde Passenger Transport in the provision of rail services in their area.

The Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 abolished Strathclyde Regional Council and created 12 unitary authorities in the West of Scotland.

As councils felt that they needed to work together on transport issues, the first change post devolution was the creation of voluntary transport partnerships.

In the former Strathclyde Region, the 12 local authorities and Strathclyde Passenger Transport set up WESTRANS, the west of Scotland Transport Partnership. The other voluntary partnerships were HITRANS, NESTRANS and SESTRAN. WESTRANS was later joined by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, the first piece of devolved transport legislation, introduced new statutory powers for local authorities. These included powers to enter into quality bus partnerships and quality bus contracts for providing bus services, make binding ticketing and information schemes (aimed at giving more powers to local authorities without eroding the essentially market-driven character of bus services) and the introduction of road user charging schemes.

At that time the possibility of introducing more statutory arrangements for regional transport was considered, but it was concluded that the existing voluntary arrangements should be maintained, and that an additional layer of transport governance should not be introduced by the Scottish Executive (Scottish Government).

Following consultation in 2003, the Scottish Executive set out a commitment to create "new statutory Regional Transport Partnerships to facilitate the planning and delivery or our transport in a more strategic way within local government." This was part of the Scottish Executive's response to the significantly larger challenge facing transport delivery in Scotland over the coming decade. Since 2003, there have been a number a major government interventions in the transport sector:

In July 2003, the Scottish Executive published Transferability of Best Practice in Transport Policy Delivery, a report that studied best practice in the delivery of transport policy in Europe and assessed how these mechanisms could be transferred into Scotland.

In June 2004, the Scottish Executive published the transport white paper, Scotland's Transport Future. This sets out the Scottish Executive's vision and objectives for transport in Scotland, and a programme of action to support their achievement.

In April 2005, the UK Railways Act 2005 was passed. Through the act major new responsibilities were devolved to Scottish Ministers.

In June 2005, the Scottish Parliament passed the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005. This Act allowed the creation of statutory Regional Transport Partnerships, and charges those partnerships with the production of Regional Transport Strategies.

In January 2006, the new national transport agency, Transport Scotland, was launched. It is responsible for trunk roads, rail, public transport infrastructure projects, integrated ticketing and real-time travel information. It will act as a centre of delivery expertise to take forward the Scottish Executive's £3bn capital investment transport programme over the next decade and provide significant services including the national concessionary travel scheme.

The agency will also take forward Ministers' enhanced role in the rail industry: managing the Scottish rail franchise, specifying and financing rail infrastructure in Scotland and developing and implementing a Scottish rail strategy.

In December 2006 the Scottish Executive published its National Transport Strategy. The NTS maps out the long-term future for transport in Scotland and provides a framework within which Regional and Local Transport Strategies can work.

The Scottish Executive has also continued the previous Scottish Office approach of increased support to a large number of urban and rural transport projects and maintaining and improving the Scottish trunk road network. In 1999, the Scottish Executive's transport budget was £330m of which half was spent on roads. By 2008, this budget will have risen to £1,400m and around 70% of that will be spent on public transport.

Following the passage of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, Ministers proposed to create seven regional transport partnerships (RTPs) in Scotland. This was achieved by an Order under section 1(1) of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, the Regional Transport Partnerships came into existence in December 2005.

One of the first and most important tasks of each partnership has been to draw up a Regional Transport Strategy (RTS). This was a requirement of the legislation. Sections 5-9 of the Act are concerned with the RTS. Section 5 sets out in general terms the procedure for drawing up a Regional Transport Strategy and what it should include.

RTPs have been tasked to consider what transport provision, improvements and developments are needed in the region, thinking of both current and future needs. The various options for providing, improving and developing transport in the region should be prioritised, taking account of cost, available funding and practicability;

In performing this general task, they must give consideration to:

• Meeting the needs of people in all parts of the region, taking particular account of the needs of people and businesses in remote or sparsely populated parts of the region;
• Meeting the need for efficient transport links between heavily populated places such as cities and large towns;
• Addressing the objectives set out in the white paper: to promote economic growth, promote social inclusion, protect the environment and improve health, improve safety and improve integration;
• Encouraging equal opportunities;
• Facilitating access to healthcare provision;
• Consider transport links with neighbouring regions (and beyond);
• Take into account the National Transport Strategy when developing their regional strategies;
• Include in the RTS a plan for measuring and monitoring progress towards its achievement;
• Set out how the RTP will exercise its transport functions and whether it needs any additional functions in order to achieve its objectives;
• Set out how and in what areas the RTP will seek to influence its constituent councils in working towards the achievement of the strategy's objectives.

Section 6 of the Act sets out some requirements concerning the process of developing regional transport strategies. These are:

The RTP has to draw up its RTS in consultation with its constituent councils, all health boards wholly or partly within the region, and other interested parties;

The first strategy completed by 31 March, 2007. The RTP could then apply to Ministers for an extension to this deadline within eight months of their creation (i.e. as RTPs were created on 1 December, 2005 then a request for an extension should have been submitted to Ministers by 31 July, 2006);

Once finalised, the RTS must be submitted to the Scottish Ministers for approval. The strategy does not become effective until approval is given;

When considering whether to approve a strategy, the Scottish Ministers would consider, amongst other things, how far the RTS would contribute to the Scottish Government's own transport objectives, such as those set out in the national transport strategy;

When the RTS has been approved, Ministers would inform the RTP and the RTP must inform its constituent councils and send them a copy. The RTP must also publish the strategy.

Section 7 of the Act requires RTPs to keep their strategy under review and, as necessary, make modifications or draw up a new strategy from scratch. If Ministers think a strategy is overdue for renewal, they can instruct the RTP to do this.

When modifying or renewing its strategy, the RTP will need to go through most of the same steps as when it drew up its original strategy - in particular it will need to consult with its constituent councils and others and seek approval from Ministers. One difference is that there is no timescale fixed in the legislation but the Act does give Ministers the power, when requiring an RTP to draw up a new strategy, to set a timescale.

RTPs are also required to have regard to guidance from the Scottish Ministers. Guidance was issued by ministers in March 2006.

Once in place (drafted and approved) the strategy will need to be implemented. Whilst ultimate ownership of the strategy will rest with the RTP, in every region there will be a range of other public and private bodies who will need to deliver, or contribute to the delivery of, various parts of the strategy.