With cyclical variations in its importance, decentralisation continues to remain on the agenda of research and policy discussions. The decentralisation of transport policies forms part of this general discussion. Much of the recent impetus of the discussion is derived from the generally critical review of economic activities which have traditionally been assigned to the public sector. The need for such a review was often claimed on the basis of the expectation that the private organisation of these activities would lead to productivity gains and a reduction of the burden for the taxpayer.