There is also a chance to have your say - a new type of assessment is now required to assess the environmental impacts of regional transport strategies and local transport plans. In addition to making sure that environmental considerations are taken into account at an earlier stage, the assessment process offers considerable scope for people to express their views and take part in forming the future transport policies for the North West. Furthermore, RSSs will still have public consultation periods and examinations in public built in to the process.

Urban solutions

The physical geography and the location of major transport corridors in the region play a primary role in determining the need and demand for travel. Most of the towns and cities in the south of the region have good transport links, and are well connected by road and rail networks. This gives people the opportunity to work, study and shop where they like, but it also increases the total distances travelled. For example, the average person in Greater Manchester travels 200 kilometres every week, and 83% of this travel is made by car. Many of the main commuter routes in the North West suffer from high levels of congestion, with the M62 and M6 being the worst affected. If current trends continue, total urban traffic could increase by 40% over the next 25 years, with many bottlenecks bringing traffic to a complete halt.

Another option is to consider how different parts of the transport system can work together to solve a particular transport problem. This is the purpose of the ‘Multi Modal Studies’ (MMS) that were introduced to assess how different types of transport could contribute to solving particular problems associated with the transportation of goods, people and services along strategic road networks. Several MMS have now been completed for the North West, including the West Midlands to North West Conurbation Multi-Modal Study (MIDMAN), the M60 Junction 18 to 12 Multi- Modal Study (M60JETTS) and the South- East Manchester Multi-Modal Study (SEMMMS). The recommendations from these and other MMSs will feed directly into the new Regional Transport Strategy.

There is also a strong regional focus on discouraging urban sprawl, which is partly achieved through Green Belt areas – those areas around some of our towns and cities where planning permission is severely restricted. In areas where Green Belt has not been designated, local authorities are encouraged to focus on urban expansion and development along existing public transport corridors rather than on green field sites out of town.

The RTS for the North West emphasises that making the best use of existing road infrastructure should always be considered the preferred solution to addressing transport problem in the region. The construction of new roads should only be considered following a thorough assessed of all other possible options.

An important consideration here is that different types of transport take up different amounts of space. A double railway line, for example, is about 15 metres wide, compared to 35 metres for a three-lane motorway. The contrast is even more marked when you consider Railtrack’s estimate that a double track urban railway can carry 30,000 people per hour in each direction, whereas a two-lane motorway can only move between 3000 and 6000. A key consideration for planners is to ensure prime building sites are optimised for residential and commercial development.

Country miles

Most of the people in rural areas of the North West live either within commuting distance of the main urban areas, or in freestanding market and service towns. The more populated rural areas suffer from similar transport problems to those found in urban areas. There are generally fewer buses and they run less frequently and trains don’t exist in many rural areas. Consequently there are high levels of car ownership with most journeys being made by car leading to increasing levels of local congestion.More