At last, there is a clear voice for the North on transport

The high-profile launch of Transport for the North's Transport Strategy last week spelled out a vision of the North where it is quick and easy to travel between our great centres, to connect people to work, and goods to businesses.
Afternoon traffic on Corporation Street in Sheffield city centreAfternoon traffic on Corporation Street in Sheffield city centre
Afternoon traffic on Corporation Street in Sheffield city centre

It showed how we can transform the economy of the North with an intelligent, holistic approach to transport.

The vision captured the interest and imagination of even sceptical commentators up and down the land.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Finally, it seems, people are listening when we say that we need and warrant decent roads, trains and ticketing, to connect communities and regions East to West, as well as North to South. There is now a clear voice of the North on transport matters.

We in the Sheffield City Region have worked closely with Transport for the North (TfN) on its strategy, and we are very supportive of its aims.

We have worked with TfN colleagues, Highways England, the Department for Transport, and the other 18 regional partners, to develop proposals for better transport connections.

This includes the case for upgrading the A628 trans-Pennine route alongside wider connections which would dramatically reduce journey times between Manchester and Sheffield.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We are also working closely with TfN to develop options for a Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPH) network with fast, frequent rail links between the North’s major cities, including Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester.

We believe that NPH has the potential to transform the way that people in Sheffield City Region travel around the North and we want to ensure that the project brings this region maximum economic benefit.

The voice for transport must be maintained.

We must ensure that Government appreciates the importance of these issues and the urgency of the situation, where economic growth is being stifled by inadequate transport systems that in many cases aren’t fit for purpose. We must grab every opportunity and every forum to make it clear what we need.

Here in the Sheffield City Region we’re actively developing our own Transport Strategy and are currently asking stakeholders and the public to inform our thinking.

We have five very important demands of TfN’s strategy:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

1. We expect the Manchester-Sheffield NPR link to be prioritised given it is currently one of the poorest on the network and could offer the greatest potential for economic transformation across the North.

2. Equally urgently, we need better road networks across the Pennines to Manchester (building on the Trans Pennine tunnel work) and we need this to be delivered as part of a wider package to maximise the benefits to SCR.

3. A rail connection at Doncaster Sheffield Airport. This booming airport has connections to the world, and a potential market of millions of business travellers and holidaymakers across the UK.

4. Connected, integrated ticketing to make it quicker and simpler to travel across the whole of the North.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

5. Continued development of the Southern Pennines Strategic Development Corridor, as set out in TfN’s Strategic Development Plan. This corridor encompasses the route between the ports of Liverpool and Hull – including Trans Pennine road and rail links, and the M62 corridor - and the areas that surround and depend upon connections inside it.

We’re not just asking, we’re proactively working toward better transport in the Sheffield City Region.

We spend our funds strategically, investing in projects that are already producing wider opportunities for economic growth.

Examples include Junction 36 of the M1 where we’re part funding a £55m improvement to the Dearne Valley corridor, and this is already prompting businesses to take larger premises.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We are also funding the link road that runs via the M1 and M18 to the highly successful iPort logistics site and on to Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Improved connectivity to the airport has already seen passenger numbers growing steadily.

And we’ve backed the Rotherham/Sheffield tram-train project, and a new link road between Sheffield and Rotherham, both measures helping to relieve congestion.

Altogether, we are determined that the Sheffield City Region will thrive. We will not stop shouting about it.

How to access the consultation

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

An online consultation on the SCR draft Transport Strategy can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/B9MR8J9.

It is open until the end of March.

The draft SCR Transport Strategy can be downloaded at: http://bit.ly/2Dh6xCY

This Transport Strategy updates the policies of our previous Transport Strategy, published in 2011.

It forms part of the Local Transport Plan (LTP), for adoption by the SCR Combined Authority, as the Local Transport Body for South Yorkshire.