Final LTP March 2006

Transport is not an end in itself.  As individuals, we use the transport system in order to do other things.  Travel is a reflection of people’s lifestyles, income levels and the way industry, businesses and the service sector organise their activities.  The way we travel also has an effect on the way we live and on quality of life.

Car Ownership

The average ratio of car ownership in our Area is 47 cars per 100 residents.  This varies from 42 cars per 100 in Sandwell and Wolverhampton to 61 per 100 in Solihull.  However, this disguises larger differences between households with more than one car and those no access to a car.  Levels of car ownership have increased steadily over recent years, but one in three households still have no car (see Figure 1 ‘Households without access to a car’).  Although 67% of households have at least one car, not everyone has can use a car at any time.  A significant proportion of the population lacks a driving licence and 50% of people rely on non-car modes for their daily travel.

Transport surveys taken across the Metropolitan Area in 2001 show that households with a car make 78% more trips than those without a car (2.25 and 1.26 trips per household per day respectively).  Car ownership increases accessibility and offers personal benefits but it also increases traffic and congestion and contributes to a decline in the use of public transport services.

The Transport Network

The Metropolitan Area has to accommodate people and goods travelling through, as well as into and within, the Area.  The strategic roads (M6, M5 and M42) and railways (West Coast Main Line and Cross-Country route) have suffered from lack of investment and have become bottlenecks rather than thoroughfares.

We have a wide range of transport facilities within the Metropolitan Area including:

• 12 local rail services
• 70 railway stations
• 4,800 rail-based Park & Ride spaces
• 15 rail freight terminals
• one Metro line
• 23 metro stops
• local bus services operating 2.8 million km / week along 450 routes
• more than 2,000 buses
• 14 bus stations
• 40,000 registered users of Ring and Ride
• 7,600 kilometres of highway
• 650 traffic controlled junctions
• more than 100,000 publicly-available parking spaces in town centres
• the region's principal international airport, with two local airports just outside the Area

Personal Travel

Travel patterns vary in time, purpose and mode.  About a third of all measured trips are for commuting to and from work, with a further quarter related to education.  Shopping accounts for almost a quarter of  movements (see Figure 3 ‘Personal Travel by Trip Purpose’).  Well over half of all journeys are made by car, while nearly a quarter are by bus or rail.  Most of the rest are by foot, with just 2% by bicycle or other mode (see Figure 4 ‘Personal Travel by Main Mode’).  An under-recording of short walking trips should be recognised when considering this data.

The morning peak hour from 08:00 to 09:00 includes 17% of all daily trips, with a slightly lower percentage in the evening peak hour.  The phenomena of 'peak spreading', i.e. peak periods starting earlier and finishing later, is evident over recent years.

Open large scaleable image in Popup

Open large scaleable image in Popup

Traffic

Car ownership has continued to grow and congestion is a constraint to traffic growth within  urban areas, particularly at peak times.  Traffic levels across the Metropolitan Area in 2003 were almost 17% higher than in 1987, though most of the increase occurred in the first five years.  This compares with a national increase of 38% (see Figure 5 ‘Trends in Traffic Growth’).  There is clear evidence that traffic levels during peak hour shoulders have increased rapidly and that there has been a growth in inter-peak period traffic.

Traffic speeds in the morning peak continue to decline and journey reliability has decreased.  Figure 6 ‘West Midlands Traffic Speeds by link - 2002 AM Peak’ and Figure 7 ‘West Midlands Traffic Speeds by link - 2004 AM Peak’ illustrate this decline.

Modelling indicates that the annual cost of congestion in the West Midlands will increase from £2.3 billion in 1999 to £2.5 billion by 2006 if nothing is done.  Congestion is economically, environmentally and socially damaging.  In the WMAMMS and 2003 LTP consultations, businesses said that congestion was made them less competitive and freight transport users reported unreliability and a lack of confidence in delivery times.  On-going dialogue with stakeholders, including the West Midlands Business Transport Group, repeatedly identifies congestion as a major issue.

Public Transport

Rail use has grown steadily in recent years and, nationally, there are now more passenger trips than at any time since the 1950s, on significantly less track.  Birmingham New Street is the focus of most local and regional trips in our Area and is an important national station.  It has seen especially significant growth during 2004, with increased off-peak travel generated by the revitalised city centre.

For the main public transport modes,  passenger trips in the West Midlands in 2004/05 totalled:

• bus: 315 million
• rail: 29.3 million (excluding through trips)
• Metro: 5.0 million

Figure 8 ‘Travel to work in the West Midlands 1991-2001’ shows the increase in rail use for the journey to work, but a decline in bus use (and walking and cycling).  As might be expected, travel by car has grown, but so has working from home (a 'Smarter Choice').

Bus companies report delays to their services as unacceptably high. The principal bus operator in our Area, Travel West Midlands, has identified some thirty locations and nearly 100 kilometres of road where severe congestion affects reliability on a regular basis. Operators are prepared to invest in highway facilities to reduce delays: an example is a bus gate on Highgate Middleway in Birmingham that allows buses to make a time-saving right turn.

Most of our Area is built-up but we do have one area, the 'Meriden Gap', that is predominately rural.  This area is least well served by conventional bus services and is also the main area for equestrian activities.  The particular problems of this area are tackled with niche services such as demand responsive bus services.

Road Safety

Traffic accidents remain a major concern despite a significant reduction in the numbers of people killed or seriously injured in recent years (see Figure 9 ‘Trends in Road Casualties 1994-2004’).  In 2004, there were 82 people killed and 1,067 seriously injured; total casualties (including those slightly injured) fell to 11,814.  Pedestrian and cyclist casualties have generally fallen in recent years, but powered two-wheeler casualties have increased.  To some extent these trends mirror changes in the use of these modes.

Cycling on major roads has been falling for many years, but investment in off-road facilities has encouraged more cycle use on specific routes.  Pedestrians have seen improvements to footways, notably at junctions and in pedestrian areas, but there are still many impediments to safe, easy walking.

Concerns for personal safety and security influence people’s choice of  transport and whether or not they travel at all.  These concerns are held particularly by people in deprived areas and by women, the elderly, ethnic minorities and the less mobile.

The Road Network

Recent increases in expenditure on maintenance are beginning to show benefits, even though some problems remain with the condition of both roads and footways.  Regular changes in the prescribed national methodology for monitoring the condition of roads, and the determinants for measuring backlog mean that it has been very difficult to produce accurate trend information or useful comparisons based on national criteria alone.  The current investment in asset management planning will however provide the robust framework necessary to enable consistency and rigour to underscore our efforts to deliver the challenging targets that are necessary to achieve the quality of infrastructure our transportation system requires.

Some bridge strengthening is required on the Primary Route Network in order to carry heavier lorries.  The strengthening programme for railway structures is less well advanced and requires further work in partnership with Network Rail.  The Asset Management Plan will help to prioritise the programme.  There is a greater need to address an increasing backlog of bridge maintenance and the many sub-standard bridges on local roads in order both to remove existing, and prevent further, restrictions on commercial traffic and public transport.

Accessibility

An individual's ability to access the essential services that enhance every day living are constrained by many factors - including those highlighted above.  The particular problems that impact on accessibility are set out in detail in the Accessibility Strategy of this LTP2.