Listen to this article here
|
Transport for the North (TfN) has published its Major Roads Report, setting out the role of highways as part of an effective and sustainable transport network for the North of England.
The report highlights how highways, including footpaths and cycleways, are part of all journeys in the region, and the challenge faced to reduce their environmental impact following the publication of the transport body’s Transport Decarbonisation Strategy last year.
Highways are used for 97% of all personal journeys in the North of England, with 61% of those journeys taken by car, 26% on foot, 9% by bus and just 2% by cycling. Rural residents also travel twice as far annually by car than urban counterparts on average. The road network is also of significant importance to commercial interests, with 88% of freight movements in the North using the region’s roads.
With more than 95% of transport related carbon emissions from road transport in the North of England, the Major Roads Report also sets out policy measures and investment needed to bring emissions for the transport network down to near zero by its 2045 target. Commuting and business trips
TfN’s analysis concludes that 55% of all new car sales need to be zero-emission vehicles by 2025. The average total distance travelled by vehicles of all kinds – cars, vans and HGV – will also need to be reduced.
Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive of TfN, said:
“In the last century motorised transport revolutionised our way of life, and as we move towards the second quarter of the 21st century our highways will continue to be a fundamental part of our transport system.
“However, as we look to address climate change, we will need to make choices about how we use the available highway space, with greater priority given to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
“We will also need to consider and agree on how we will pay for investment and indeed on how we pay to use our roads. We need to do things differently, but at the same time ensure that our way forward does not disadvantage those for whom travel by car is the only practical option.
“If we’re to have that debate then we must seize the opportunity to look at how the relative cost of motoring, bus travel and rail travel influences the choices we make. For only by looking at transport in the round will we be able to ensure that our investment choices are sustainable for the longer term.”
The Major Roads Report is available to read and download in full from the TfN website.