'Tomorrow's Transport' (2001), the Commission's first (downloadable) public statement, asked a series of questions which were used to shape a first research programme. The questions included:

• Why do people travel so much?
• What will be the effects of the Government's 10 Year Transport plan? *
• How should transport pricing be reformed? *
• What should be done about travel conditions in the suburbs? *
• How can streets in towns, villages and cities be made more liveable?
• How can the delivery of fuel-efficient vehicles be assured?
• What should be done about the growth of air travel and aircraft noise?

Work on the starred items was undertaken and the resulting reports, together with their underlying research, are downloadable.

Professor Sir Peter Hall and Dr Stephen Marshall looked at the land use effects of the Government's 'Ten Year Plan' for transport and showed how faster radial routes from cities, be they by road or rail, though intended to speed inter-city travel, had the side-effect of increasing the extent of commuter belts.

Professor Marcial Echenique and Mr Rob Homewood looked at housing costs and the travel times and costs of commuters and found that, the further outwards from city centres, the lower both costs and times tended to be. Only those living in villages and estates beyond the fringes of metropolitan areas experienced higher travel costs. On the strength of this finding the researchers argued that urban decentralisation is, in essence, an economic phenomenon. People move out because they get more for their money.

Professor Stephen Glaister and Dr Dan Graham worked for the Commission on national road user charging for several years. Their findings were based on a pioneering model covering first of all England and then Great Britain.

In 2004 the Commission published 'Beyond Congestion Charging' a first (downloadable) 'Occasional Paper' written by Simon Linnett, a Member of the ITC. He considered who might set the cost of road charges, what would happen to the revenue and whether or not franchises might be offered to road operators - as had happened in mobile telephony.

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