Transforming Journeys in the North | the Case for Investment in Roads
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TRANSPORT FOR THE Transforming journeys in the North The case for investment in roads 2 3 Transforming journeys in the North Transforming journeys in the North Foreword About our roads Roads are an integral part of the way we We all rely on a well-functioning road travel in the North. Almost all journeys start network to access jobs, goods and and finish on local roads and they play a services. Investment in and better major part in everyone’s life, whether as a management of our roads has a vital 80% 66% pedestrian, cyclist, bus passenger, freight role to play in providing a sustainable of distance of all trips operator, driver or passenger. transport system. travelled in the North It is these first and last miles that can make all the With a clear vision and objectives, supported by a in the North are made difference as to whether goods or people make it strong evidence base, investment in roads helps is by car by car to their destination efficiently and on time, which is to unlock economic growth, deliver new homes, why investing in our road network can deliver wide support active travel, and improve public transport. reaching improvements and benefits us in more ways than we may think. Years of underinvestment in the local network of major roads has led to slow journey times and poor The North is home to more than 15 million people and 1.1 reliability. This means our towns and cities struggle million businesses, so when these roads aren’t offering to work as one connected Northern economy, a reliable, efficient and practical way to move around, and our people and businesses are held back. there’s a considerable impact. East-West road connectivity is particularly poor, 76% Strategic investment to improve the reliability and with only one motorway or dual carriageway route of car trips are three miles or less. resilience of our economically important local roads linking the East and West of the country between It is these short trips where there is is vital to support growth in employment and housing, Stoke-on-Trent and Glasgow; a stretch of 250 miles. most often the greatest opportunity improve business-to-business connectivity, enhance the North for © Transport productivity, and open up access to more jobs. By Transport is entering a period of significant change, to encourage active travel or use enabling the adoption of new technologies, such as As the Sub-national Transport Body for the North, with emerging technologies such as connected and of local public transport. smart networks, autonomous and low-carbon vehicles, Transport for the North has submitted a pan-regional bid autonomous vehicles, and electric and hydrogen- and enabling active travel through enhanced cycling to the NRF, totalling £700 million across 16 schemes (12 powered vehicles, and a new era of digitally and walking provision, investing in our roads can also Major Road Network and 4 Large Local Majors). These connected networks. Walking, bus and cycle trips make support sustainability and health and wellbeing goals. schemes have been chosen in partnership with our 20 up 22%, 7% and around 2% of trips. Our plans for the road network are integrated with Local Transport Authority Members, with consideration our plans for rail and smart ticketing to transform the These are all travel modes which also The Department for Transport’s National Roads Fund for how the proposed improvements will address the way people travel in the North. use the local road network. (NRF) is an opportunity for the North to make our case for challenges the North faces, the readiness of the schemes investment in our most significant roads – those with the to be started within the next five years, value for money, potential to make a considerable difference to the way and how they align to wider objectives for transport Depending on locality, between people and goods move within our local towns and improvements across the region. cities, through our region, and beyond. 70% and 80% of commuting We believe this investment in the North’s road network trips are by car, and 87% of is essential and will enable more efficient, sustainable, freight movements use the road safe, reliable and resilient multi-modal journeys for the benefit of the millions of people and businesses across network in the North. our regions. This equates to more than 120.4 billion km travelled across the Peter Molyneux North’s road network every year. Major Roads Director © Transport for the North for © Transport All statistics on this page are taken from National Travel Survey data (2014-2016), where the North is defined as North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber, with these regions defined as per all other Government statistics. 4 5 Transforming journeys in the North Transforming journeys in the North About Transport The case for for the North investment in roads We are the voice of the Although our major cities are in However, investment in roads is about more than getting North of England for transport. relative proximity to each other, moving people and goods from A to B. Investment can also support economic growth by making travel more efficient between them is not always practical or Transport for the North is a statutory body of elected and bringing our towns and cities closer together. leaders from the 20 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) cost-effective. The right road investments can also support the much- and a partnership of business leaders from the 11 needed delivery of housing by providing access to The congested connections between the North’s Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) who collectively new homes and nearby amenities. towns, cities and beyond restrict growth and represent all of our region’s 15 million people. opportunities for the people and businesses Investment in roads is also not just about improving Under the Local Transport Act 2008, amended by the of the region. journeys by motor vehicle - it can improve public transport Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, © Shutterstock by making trips by bus more efficient and connecting Improved transport links can help boost productivity, we became the first Sub-national Transport Body in people to new routes. With investment in the right projects, enable access to more job opportunities, and deliver England in April 2018. roads can also be used to encourage walking and a stronger Northern and UK economy. cycling, by improving provisions for active travel. Roads are an integral part of the North’s transport network, enabling people and businesses to get where they need to be. Investment in the roads outlined in this bid will improve journey times and reliability, Strategic Transport Plan reduce congestion and improve the quality of life for The Strategic Transport Plan (STP) was approved people living in the North. Furthermore, these schemes by our Members and launched in February 2019. complement ongoing improvements in rail and It outlines how up to £70 billion of investment could ticketing to ensure the North is better connected. contribute towards an additional £100 billion in economic growth and 850,000 new jobs to 2050. Northern Infrastructure Pipeline the North for © Transport 1 Our plan would rebalance decades of Alongside the STP we have developed and Commuting trips made in numbers underinvestment and transform the lives of published our Investment Programme, which people in the North. includes a pipeline of transport interventions to better connect the whole of the North in the The STP marked the first time our civic and short, medium and long-term. 64% 11% 7% 7% 4% 1.3% 5% business leaders have spoken as one North by car/van by walking by surface by bus by bicycle by by other to outline our vision for the future. It contains a number of key programmes such as rail motorcycle Northern Powerhouse Rail; upgraded and new major roads; enhancements to the existing rail network; and the continued roll-out of smart ticketing – all aimed at transforming connectivity for people and businesses across the North. days billion The estimated time The percentage of trips The cost to the British wasted by traffic delays per made by car, either as economy by 2030 of person in the UK in 2016 was a driver or passenger.1 congestion on England’s 4.9 days.2 Strategic Road Network.2 © Highways England © Highways Sources: (1) DfT, July 2017: National Travel Survey 2016 (2) CEBR, February 2017: The economic effect of road investment 6 7 Transforming journeys in the North Transforming journeys in the North Sustainability The National Roads Fund The principles below build on the objectives set out in our Strategic Transport Plan and outline how In the Autumn 2018 statement, the In November 2018, the DfT published Investment the Investment Programme, including investment in Planning Guidance for the MRN and Large Local the Major Road Network, becomes an exemplar in Chancellor announced that there Majors (LLM) programmes, which outlined that how it: would be £3.5 billion in funding over Transport has a significant role to Sub–national Transport Bodies (STBs) will be the period 2020-2025, set aside in the play in reducing greenhouse gas Defines a broad set of infrastructure requirements that responsible for coordinating the development National Roads Fund (NRF), for investment of their region’s Regional Evidence Base (REB), emissions, particularly carbon. It is seek to provide high-quality travel with high-quality environmental mitigation. This will create an attractive, in the Department for Transport’s (DfT) working with their partners and constituent members. the largest greenhouse gas-emitting inclusive, and accessible environment for people to Major Road Network (MRN).