People are travelling more these days than any previous generation, and a high quality transport system is essential to meet our social and recreational needs as well as ensuring the economic competitiveness of the region.

For many motorists, a typical rush hour on the motorways and commuter routes around Greater Manchester and Merseyside involves a fight with traffic. Gridlocks are increasingly more common as the sheer volume of cars and lorries exceeds the carrying capacity of our roads. For those commuters travelling by public transport, overcrowding, delays and cancellations are hardly an attractive alternative.

Actually, there is no ‘rush hour’ any more - peak hour speeds have slowed by a third over the last decade, journey times are much longer and have become more stressful for commuters. Most people would agree that the transport network in the North West needs a major overhaul, particularly around our towns and cities. To be fair, public transport is improving - we remember delays and cancellations but not the times we arrive at our destination on time. Modern buses and trains are much smarter and more energy efficient than earlier models. And, using the bus or the train instead of the car does take some of the pressure off the roads. But overall, as our need to travel increases, so the weaknesses in our transport system become more apparent.

What is particularly worrying about road congestion is the effect that this can have on our regional economy. A 1998 Press Statement from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) suggested that congestion on British roads costs the UK around £20 billion a year in lost time and business which undermines our competitive edge. Then there are the social costs - rural and suburban communities have experienced a decline in local facilities and services and are becoming even more dependent on having access to a car. Yet, almost 30% of households in the North West don’t have a car – that means one in three people are socially and economically disadvantaged in areas where public transport provision is inadequate. And what about the environmental costs? Most of us are concerned about the loss of landscape and wildlife habitats from extensive road building. And we can’t ignore the health warnings - more cars mean more pollution. Transport is the fastest growing source of climate emissions, and the largest cause of urban air pollution.

Our growing dependency on the car is well known. Until recently the policy of ‘Predict and Provide’ was the preferred choice of politicians and some transport planners - build more roads to cater for an anticipated growth in traffic and the problem will simply go away. The policy seemed to work - for a while. But in recent years it has become clear that building more roads generates more traffic and creates yet more congestion with inevitable consequences for the environment and the economy. Political realism and mounting public pressure has finally kicked the Predict and Provide model on to the hard shoulder. Constructing new roads to accommodate future traffic growth is still an option - but no longer the only option or even the preferred option.

Joined up planning

So what is happening now? In place of the Predict and Provide model is an ambitious regional strategy that links transport planning with land-use planning. It is common sense really – our travel patterns and transport demands are determined by where we live and work; the location of services and facilities we all use; and the road and rail services to get us there - and back.

The key to providing a good transport system can arguably be summed up in one word: ACCESSIBILITY. People are travelling more these days than any previous generation, and a high quality transport system is essential to meet our social and recreational needs as well as ensuring the economic competitiveness of the region.

One way to improve accessibility is simply to reduce the need to travel. An overriding aim of the Regional Planning Guidance for the North West (RPG13) is to promote an integrated approach to the development of homes, workplaces, infrastructure and other services. One example is bringing amenities closer to their users and encouraging development in areas that are well serviced by transport facilities. Planning can help to improve accessibility too, for example by regenerating towns and city centres to keep travel distances down, and preventing development from extending the boundaries of the major cities. This is simply good planning practice.More