Delivering more integrated transport networks in Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region will give 415,000 more people an easier 30 minute journey to access jobs and education opportunities in Manchester and Liverpool city centres says a report out this morning
The Think Tank Centre for Cities found that In Greater Manchester which has already made progress on accessibility to the city centre by bus – integration of transport modes has the biggest potential impact.
It will better connect 82,000 more people to Manchester city centre thanks to improved links between tram and rail stops and frequent bus services in places like Bolton.
Plans already in progress are set to include the local rail network into a bee network by the end of the decade
The report also recommends that the Government and metro mayors work together to increase the number of potential passengers by building more high-rise and mid-rise housing around transport stops.
Metro mayors it says should make car use less attractive for journeys to the city centre to encourage a shift from cars to public transport and that the Government supports metro mayors’ requests for further transport powers, such as control of local rail networks and the ability to charge a French-style payroll tax to top-up funding for local transport infrastructure.
Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said:
“There are huge economic advantages to be achieved by making better use of big cities’ large existing public transport networks.
“Flagship Government legislation will soon give metro mayors powers over their local transport networks, giving them the opportunity to deliver what is taken for granted in many cities across Europe and London – an integrated transport system that allows people to move around their cities easily and effectively.
“Government should continue to deepen the powers that metro mayors have. Many European metro mayors have power to raise local taxes to support transport services, and the Government should explore how this could work in practice in England.”
