Transport for the North (TfN) has launched a public consultation for its drafted Socially Inclusive Transport Strategy.
Both organisations and individuals are able to respond to the strategy between 7 November and 12 December 2022, either online, by submitting a written response via email, or via submitting a written response by letter.
Following the consultation’s closing, TfN will publish an anonymised summary of the consultation responses, which will feed into the final version of its strategy.
The Socially Inclusive Transport Strategy sets out TfN’s plan to improve access to public transport across the North of England.
The strategy aims to provide an evidence-based agenda for achieving greater accessibility to public transport for the residents of the region TfN serves. This builds upon research that TfN published in September 2022, which revealed that 3.3 million people across the North of England live in areas where there is a significant risk of social exclusion because of transport issues.
These issues include an inability to access opportunities, services and community life, thus negatively impacting an individual’s time, money and wellbeing.
In particular, this can affect those on low incomes, as well as carers and people with disabilities. Those living in smaller towns and in coastal communities are also more likely to be affected. As a result, focal areas include the availability and accessibility of public transport services and infrastructure as well as the affordability of these services.
To overcome these issues, the Socially Inclusive Transport Strategy provides a roadmap for delivering a transport system that works for everyone.
Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, said:Income, social, and health inequalities are widely seen as defining challenges of the 21st Century. As such, inclusive growth should be at the heart of public investment – delivering a transport network that works for all areas and communities.
Working with our partners, TfN’s Socially Inclusive Transport Strategy identifies transport interventions that can deliver inclusive economic growth, improve health and wellbeing, and benefit all communities.
Only by investing now will we make it easier to connect people and places with services and opportunities and address the barriers within our transport system that create inequalities in society.
The strategy is based on a data tool that analyses access to jobs, education, healthcare and key services.
As the strategy is implemented, this tool will also be used to measure progress towards its stated goals.
