The following changes have been made to the STAG Technical Database following the meeting of the STAG Steering Group on 13 November 2009. These changes are effective from 15 December 2009. Superseded sections of the Technical Database are available at the Archives page.
Establishing Do-Minimum and Reference Case Scenarios
Revised guidance is provided on the treatment of uncertainty in model forecasting. To assist in the preparation of a do-minimum and reference case, factors influencing demand, supply and cost of travel should be analysed and used to construct an uncertainty log. Details are available here.
Additional related guidance on sensitivity testing to reflect the new do-minimum and reference case guidance is provided in Section 13.6 Sensitivity Analysis.
Embodied Carbon Impacts of Transport Appraisal
New guidance is provided on assessing the CO2 emissions associated with the construction of transport infrastructure. This guidance forms a new subsection of existing Global Air Quality guidance. Details are available here.
Reliability Benefits
A methodology is being introduced for assessing the reliability benefits associated with a transport intervention. This is based on measuring improvements in journey time variability. Details are available here.
The treatment of quality is unchanged but guidance is now provided separately in Section 9.2.2.8. Details are available here.
Scheduling Costs
Revised guidance is introduced to incorporate scheduling costs into the calculation of value of time impacts. The inclusion of scheduling costs will be especially important when appraising changes to ferry services. Details are available here.
Wider Economic Benefits - WB3, Increased Output in Imperfectly Competitive Markets
Guidance on WB3 – increased output in imperfectly competitive markets – has been updated to recommend an uplift factor of 20% is used in rural appraisal. This reflects recent evidence demonstrating higher cost price margins in rural areas. Details are available here.
The following changes have been made to the STAG Technical Database, following the meeting of the STAG Steering Group on 5th March 2009. These changes are effective from 1st April 2009. Superseded sections of the Technical Database are available at the Archives page.
Introduction of Walking and Cycling Guidance
Guidance is being provided for appraising walking and cycling schemes. The methods for physical fitness are described in Section 7.4.11 and related guidance can be found in the following areas:
Updated fuel price forecasts
Sections 9.5.18 and 9.5.19 have been updated to reflect the latest fuel price projections by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Details are available here.
Indirect taxation impacts for rail schemes
Section 9.5.22 Rail Operating Costs has been updated to include guidance on the calculation of taxation impacts associated with rail schemes. Details are available here.
Land-Use and Transport Integration in Scotland (LATIS)
Changes have been made to the Technical Database to reflect the launch of the new LATIS service. Details are available here.
The following changes have been made to the STAG Technical Database, following the meeting of the STAG Steering Group on 18th November 2008. These changes are effective from 5th December 2008. Superseded sections of the Technical Database are available at the Archives page.
Section 9.3.6 Reporting of Wider Economic Benefits
Further guidance has been provided regarding the requirements for reporting the methodology used to calculate agglomeration benefits. Details are available here.
Section 9.2.2.1 Benefits to Transport Users and Section 9.5 Appraisal Parameters
These sections have been updated to provide guidance on the calculation of road network effects in rail schemes. Details are available here.
Worksheets and spreadsheets
An updated version of the Agglomeration Spreadsheet - General Version has been provided to simplify agglomeration calculations in the absence of a detailed zonal model. The spreadsheet is available here.
The following changes have been made to the STAG Technical Database, following the meeting of the STAG Steering Group on 18th August 2008. These changes are effective from 4th September 2008. Superseded sections of the Technical Database are available at the Archives page.
Section 4.1.1 Do-minimum and reference case
An addition has been made to the text to clarify that, for an transport improvement to be included within the do-minimum, policy or funding commitment must come from the body responsible for changing any asset which will be affected. Details are available here.
Section 9.5.18 Vehicle operating costs (fuel) and Section 9.5.19 Rates of change in fuel VOCs
These sections have been updated to reflect the latest fuel price projections by the Department for Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform (BERR). Details are available here.
Section 9.3.1 Agglomeration economies
This section has been updated to provide guidance on when transport schemes are likely to have the potential for agglomeration economies. Previous guidance within Section 9.3.1 on the calculation of agglomeration economies can now be found in Section 9.3.5 Calculation of Wider Economic Benefits. Details are available here.
Section 17.3.5 Accessibility Modelling
The list of accessibility models in Table 17.8 has been updated. Details are available here.
As part of the STAG Refresh, the following Business as Usual updates have been made to the STAG Technical Database:
This guidance is effective from 28 May 2008 and should be applied to all new transport projects being appraised in accordance with STAG. A new project is defined as one including a first application for funding under STAG.
Monetisation of carbon
In line with UK guidance on climate change, the value of all carbon emissions must now be reported. Further detail is available in Section 7.4.2.
Introduction of Wider Economic Benefits
This introduces new guidance on how to capture the impacts of transport schemes on economic output and productivity. Further detail is available in Section 9.3.
Guidance on the application of Optimism Bias
This provides clear guidance on the treatment of risk and uncertainty. Optimism Bias should now be applied to both capital costs and risk assessment, meaning that there is no need for a contingency allowance. Further detail is available in Section 13.3.
Changes to reporting indicators
A new summary table has been introduced, which summarises an option's impact against all the STAG Criteria and the Government's Purpose. New indicators have also been introduced for each criterion which reports monetary impacts, but the BCR and NPV remain the key indicators. Further detail is available in Section 12.7.
