Transport appraisal

The topic of this chapter is appraisal – the way in which decisions on when and where to undertake public investment in transport are made. The chapter in some ways builds upon Chapter 2 and first explains the theory underlying appraisal by making direct links to the economic theory outlined elsewhere in the book, before comparing different types of appraisal. It then goes into some detail about the use and drawbacks of one of the most common appraisal techniques, social cost-benefit analysis, and illustrates these points by reference to a case study of one of the first uses of SCBA in UK transport appraisal, the Victoria tube line in London (Foster and Beesley, 1963). Finally, it briefly compares appraisal techniques used in the UK with those from other European countries.