Strategic planning and the coordination of transport policies

The strategic planning of regional transport is the outcome of a process in which the projects of various government agencies are matched to the instruments each agency controls. Coordinated policies are needed to support this matching process, the success of which depends on the cooperation of the parties involved. Aspects of the policies that should be agreed upon are: a shared vision, the program of projects and measures, relevant instruments and the organization of the implementation stage. Cooperation involves several stages: (1) collaboration to achieve a shared vision, (2) negotiation for the program, (3) building trust when the application of the various instruments is involved and (4) the delegation of implementation responsibilities. The extent to which this can work is illustrated by a case study of a regional transport plan in the Netherlands.