Graham James

The latest Local Transport Today #LTT covers the updates to the MHCLG Appraisal Guide, with some comments from me about its relevance for transport planners.

If you usually read it online via TransportXtra, the direct link is:
https://www.transportxtra.com/publications/local-transport-today/news/80414/new-edition-of-mhclg-appraisal-guide-offers-tag-parallels

Last week was busy with professional activities beyond the day job:

▶️ Teaching transport economics and appraisal on the PTRC ‘Principles of Traffic and Transport’ course
▶️ Organisational legwork for the Transport Planning Society's annual quiz
▶️ The TPS’ initial response to publication of the updated Treasury Green Book
▶️ Reviewing abstracts submitted for the Transport Practitioners Meeting #2026TPM
▶️ And finding out the results from the TPS Bursary Awards (I had been mentor for one of the bursarians). The results are embargoed so I won’t spill the beans…

This is all about giving back to the profession – but it’s enjoyable too!

Teaching last Wednesday, and explaining the role of the Green Book, I said there was a new version due out – but I didn’t expect it would appear the very next day!

My week at work (Great Chieftain edition):

Delivered a very well-received set of parking strategy recommendations to a local authority – ranging from the ‘big picture’ of supporting their high streets, through to the details of squeezing the best out of individual car parks.

Doing similar for another council next week.

Plus: how local government reorganisation is affecting another client’s medium-term planning.

Happy Burns Night if you’re celebrating this weekend.

My week at work (snow+sleet edition):

🌨️ What the local government transparency code requires
🌨️ Controlled parking zones
🌨️ And measuring transport connectivity

Photo from a snow-dusted sunny Cambridge at the start of the week. Two modes of transport (if you include flying).

Calling all Shakespeare fans in #transportplanning or economic #appraisal...

Tonight is Twelfth Night.

To celebrate*, I’ve hidden a phrase from that very play🎭 in my blogpost on the latest changes to #TAG. Can you spot it? Comment below if you do.

https://grahamjames.co.uk/whats-new-in-tag-for-december-2025/

* And definitely not as a contrived excuse for a blatant plug for my run-down of all the latest updates to the DfT 's Transport Analysis Guidance. Not at all.

Back to square one! (Or row one)

I was number 290. I wonder how many of the previous 289 had been in the early hours, on their way back from the fireworks, and how many had been a bit later, heading to the sales and the coffee shops.

With thanks to those at work...

Today's blogpost rounds-off the #Railway200 year with a thank-you to the people who make the railway happen - including over Christmas and the New Year.

Whether you are in the front line or the front seat, the signalbox, control, the response vehicle, the worksite, headquarters or wherever you may be on the railway at the end of this 200th anniversary year: Thank you, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

https://grahamjames.co.uk/with-thanks-to-those-at-work/

Brighton station looking lovely a few days ago. The transport system busy connecting people with friends, families, work, leisure and opportunity - that's what it's all about.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy Christmas. Thank you to all my friends, connections and followers for your posts, comments, likes and reposts over the course of the year. See you in 2026!

Tess and Claudia’s new gig?

My week at work (still Advent edition):
🎄The law on setting parking charges and spending the income
🎄The DfT’s connectivity metrics and tools
🎄Mapping parking demand
🎄And the value of conference papers – for both the audience and the authors.

Back at home (and thawing out) after two interesting, intensive days in Derby at the Local Transport Summit.

Always good to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

The conference theme was around harnessing the opportunities from strategic authorities - be they well-established, fledgling or yet-to-exist.

There are challenges. The newer ones have a particular challenge in being expected to deliver while simultaneously building up their institutional machinery. Some might have a touch of shotgun marriage to their geography.

And this is alongside all the other challenges and issues for everyone in transport delivery and governance. Plus the fact that transport devolution is a ‘delivery and funding deal’ rather than full-on decentralisation.

There are also positives and opportunities... (1/2)

My week at work (downpour edition ☔ ):
Lots of work coming in. Plus:
▶️ Getting the best from controlled parking zones in one local authority
▶️ A financial model for another
▶️ Customer-service options for a third
▶️ And a visit from a cute doggie 🐕

Yesterday for me involved three different Transport Planning Society activities!

First, I had an update from one of this year's TPS Bursary recipients. I'm their mentor as part of the bursary scheme. Their research is really worthwhile and interesting - but that's all I can say at the moment.

Then to London for the TPS Policy Panel meeting. A good chance to look back at all the work that the Panel's specialist groups have done over the last year, and look ahead to next year. (Another excuse to plug our piece on how the Green Book Review should be taken forward into transport planning! https://tps.org.uk/tps-policy/green-book-review )

Then back to Cambridge for the TPS Eastern Region celebration of Transport Planning Day. A.k.a. beer! Enjoyed chatting with everyone. Lovely way to finish the day.

“You’re the page 3 boy”, a colleague said…

That’s one way of putting it!

Today’s issue of Local Transport Today includes my piece on the new road freight values of time that DfT is proposing:
🔴 What’s the problem with the existing values?
🔴 Why does it matter?
🔴 What’s the proposal?
🔴 And what will it mean for appraisal results?

As a bonus, there’s a Graham ‘explainer’ on another topic too.

And there's a feature on the recent Transport Planning Society paper that I contributed to, about the Green Book Review.

So if you’re not already an LTT subscriber, this edition is a very good one to start with - but I'm biased!

#TAG #appraisal

Lots of technical updates on transport modelling and #appraisal coming out of #DfT recently.

My application to host #Strictly might have to wait until I've read all these and responded to the mini-consultation on road freight values of time...

#strictlycomedancing #keepdancing #TAG

This report👇 is worth reading - but I'm biased! Delighted to have been part of the team producing it for the Transport Planning Society.

If you want to know what the Treasury's 2025 Green Book Review really means for transport business cases, this report is for you.

We also have recommendations on how transport appraisal in England should evolve in response to the review - and indeed to better reflect Green Book principles. Many are for #DfT who produce #TAG and other guidance for England. But the issues and ideas will be of interest to sub-national transport bodies and local government too.

We also have some mythbusting!

And some suggestions for what practitioners can do on their own projects, to help decision-makers make better decisions and deliver the right things.

https://tps.org.uk/tps-policy/green-book-review