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Mayors lead the way on fixing Northern transport

Northern Metro Mayors , , , Jamie Driscoll and have joined forces to stand up for passengers and set out their vision for transport in the North.

The Northern Transport Summit brought together business and political leaders from across the region to shape future plans to build a safe, efficient, clean, sustainable and accessible transport system which will form the foundations to rebuild the North’s full economic potential.

Experts rallied for investment in infrastructure and putting connectivity at the heart of the levelling up agenda. Including calls to build back better transport to reduce the inequalities between passengers in the North and South and improve access to job opportunities across the region. There was also a focus on accelerating a green recovery from the pandemic and investing in decarbonisation of road and air travel.

From improving buses to getting more commuters on bikes, experts discussed how to rebuild confidence in public transport and make it the green, clean and affordable option for both work and leisure journeys.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater , said: “We know that fully-integrated and accessible transport networks are the foundation for social and economic prosperity. That’s why I recently announced a transport revolution to deliver for the people of Greater Manchester.

“Affordable and reliable journeys, including daily caps where a single bus journey from Harpurhey in Greater Manchester should cost the same as one in Haringey, London. People should be able to move seamlessly across the city-region on buses, trams and trains with bike hire schemes and walking and cycling corridors. It is Northern Mayors who are making integrated transport a reality on the ground and it is this kind of levelling up that will make a difference to people’s day to day lives.”

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West , said: “One of my first priorities as Mayor is to give our communities the public transport network they deserve. Not only do we need to connect people to jobs and education but we also need to connect towns and cities across the North to drive inclusive economic growth.

“We need to make our buses simpler and cheaper to bring people away from the car and onto public transport to accelerate our transition to net zero. I will be keeping a close eye on Andy’s work in Greater Manchester with the hope of bringing buses back into public control in .”

Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield , said: “Transport is a central pillar for any serious attempt at levelling up. If the Government are as committed to that agenda as they say they are, the test is quite simple: are they providing the long-term, reliable, transformational investment we need to finally address the long neglect of our region.

“It’s vital for productivity, it’s vital for access to jobs, it’s vital for reducing carbon emissions, it’s vital for building better communities. We need to move from words to action not just for the sake of the North, but for the benefit of the whole of the UK.”

The Northern Transport Summit, organised by DevoConnect saw business and political leaders from across the region come together to be the voice of passengers in the north and set out plans for how transport can be built back better after the Covid – 19 pandemic. See live updates at twitter.com/DevoConnect.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

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For access to the Northern Transport Summit contact [email protected].