Travel and Transport Issues
Travel and transport issues all ultimately relate to one or more of the four themes of the Transport Shared Priority, as set out below.
Congestion blights many journeys into or within our Area. Demand exceeds available capacity at certain times and in some locations, both on road and rail. Congestion has an adverse effect on the economy and our objectives of urban renaissance and reversing dispersal trends. It can make commuter journeys more stressful and delay buses which should offer a viable alternative to the car for some journeys. Congestion can make deliveries less reliable and deter investment in the West Midlands. Tackling congestion is a key element of our LTP2.
Poor air quality affects everyone. Increasing traffic levels and congestion cause less efficient motoring and more emissions. Poor air quality can lead to health problems. It can also exacerbate health problems for, say, people who already suffer from asthma and live in inner urban areas or near heavily-trafficked roads. Transport emissions contribute to global warming and climate change.
Improving accessibility is a key element of the LTP2 and is particularly important for those who suffer social exclusion. Consultation has shown this to be an important local issue. Our LTP2 focuses on access to work, education, health facilities and fresh food, reflecting Government Guidance. Our Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan is set out in the Accessibility Annex. Included in this are a number of cross cutting issues that impact on a range of problems.
Road Safety is important because of the pain, suffering and costs that accidents cause. It is particularly tragic when accidents involve children and other vulnerable groups including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycle / scooter users. Casualties are disproportionately higher in deprived areas. The desire for safer motoring was strongly endorsed during consultation and further reflected during talks with local communities on the implementation of individual schemes.
The causes of accidents are diverse. Targeted programmes must be effective in preventing or reducing accident severity. Progress has been good, reflected by our designation as a Centre of Excellence for Integrated Transport specialising in road safety, but road safety is still a matter for concern. All injury accidents reported to the police are recorded on a computerised database. This is used to identify particular problems, justify actions on petitions, monitor the results of schemes and analyse trends against targets. We have made our road safety targets for 2005 more stretching.
