North West regional factsheet

Map of Region

People in England want efficient, reliable and safe systems of transport. Of course, local transport problems need local solutions.

The Government is keeping the promise it made in the 10-Year Plan for Transport by giving local authorities £8.4 billion over the next five years to be spent locally on projects identified at a local level.

As part of the settlement, authorities in the North West have been given £242 million for 2001/02, and are expected to receive at least £913 million for the five-year period. In addition the region will benefit from a share of resources for future years that have not yet been definitively allocated. The settlement covers:

major public transport and road schemes costing over £5 million.
integrated transport schemes costing under £5m; and
local road maintenance and bridge strengthening schemes.

Major schemes have earmarked funding, however, local authorities decide which of the other transport schemes identified they fund.

Major schemes in the North West

Greater Manchester - Urban Traffic Control System - £5.5m - has been accepted and will receive Government funding.
The UTC system will create priority for public transport at traffic signals and a better pedestrian and cyclist environment. The scheme will also bring environmental, safety and accessibility benefits.

Warrington - Urban Traffic Control System - £5.1m - has been accepted and will receive Government funding.
State of the art traffic management system, including priority measures for public transport and real-time information for public transport users and drivers, enabling safety improvements, less environmental impact and better access to the town centre.

The following schemes have been accepted and will receive Government funds subject to:

the completion of the Statutory approval process, or
further work on the case, or
funding being secured from a third party.

Greater Manchester - Leigh Guided Busway - £25.9m
The scheme makes optimum use of existing infrastructure - a disused rail line and the A5060 on a route entirely within the regeneration grants.

Greater Manchester (Tameside) - Glossop Spur - £7.2m
Connecting with the A57 and A628 Mottram-Tintwistle bypass, there will be environmental, aesthetic and safety benefits to district centres, as well as benefits to car commuters between Manchester and Glossop.

Manchester - Additional Metrolink Vehicles - £7m
Providing additional capacity on the two existing Metrolink lines to maintain patronage and accommodate potential growth.

Warrington - Bridgefoot Environmental Enhancement - £5.9m
A single carriageway scheme which would take traffic from A5060 Chester Road and A49 Wilderspool Causeway away from the Bridgefoot Junction to the south of Warrington Bank Quay Station with improved cycle, pedestrian and bus priority.

Merseyside - Allerton Interchange - £10.9m
A new multi-modal interchange adjacent to Allerton station, involving refurbishment of Allerton station, relocation of Garston station, improved bus interchange facilities and a 300 space park and ride site.

Merseyside (Liverpool City) - Hall Lane Area Improvement Scheme - £9m
A new road link to bypass Hall Lane in Liverpool producing social and environmental benefits to the Kensington New Deal for Communities area. The scheme makes special provision for pedestrians, cyclists and bus priority, removing all through traffic from Hall Lane.

Cumbria - Carlisle Northern Development Route - £24.3m
Allowing a significant level of city centre traffic restraint and maximising development opportunities at the Kingmoor Park employment site, producing economic , environmental and safety improvements.

Cheshire - Chester-Deeside Transport Scheme Phase 1 - £8.7m
A segregated guided busway along the former Mickle Trafford to Shotton Railway line, joining to existing roads with extensive bus priority into the city centre.

NB. Figures relate to gross scheme costs

In addition, there are a number of schemes for which we do not yet have sufficient information to form a view. The Government is keen to work with the authorities concerned to assist them in completing the work necessary for each scheme to be evaluated by Government against New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) criteria. The schemes in this category are:

Merseyside PTE	Central Rail Sation Improvements
Merseyside PTE	Light Rapid Transit Line 1
Trafford MBC	Qbc Improvement Prog Phase 2
SalfordA57	Cadishead Way
Warrington	Warrington Bus Interchange
Warrington	Manchester Ship Canal Crossing
Wigan	Integrated Transport Scheme
Cheshire	A34 Alderley Edge Bypass
Lancashire	M6 Heysham Link Road
Warrington	Manchester Ship Canal Crossing

Integrated transport schemes in the North West

The settlement provides funding for authorities to introduce:

a number of interchange schemes throughout the region, such as:
- Carlisle's English St bus/rail interchange scheme and Windermere's train/bus station improvement;
- 15 schemes across Merseyside;
- rail station improvements in Cumbria;
- better road layouts to aid Windermere's train/bus station improvement;
- refurbishment of interchanges at Nelson and Rawtenstall, and new interchanges at Longridge and Blackpool North Station;
- upgrading of bus stations in Ormskirk and Whalley, new bus stations and interchanges in Eccles and Macclesfield, and a remodelling of Middleton bus station;
- improvements to the multi modal interchange at Manchester Airport; and
- Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority expect to build two new rail stations each year.
up to 15 new or extended park and ride schemes. For example, authorities are considering proposals for sites at:
- three sites around Carlisle, and 1 in Kendal;
- three sites in Preston;
- two sites in Lancaster bus-based park and ride schemes at Caton Road, and Scotforth/university, Lancaster;
- one site at Hoole, Cheshire and 1 at Blackburn;
- 5,000 park and ride spaces in Merseyside by 2006; and
- new car parks at Bolton and Westhoughton rail stations.
up to 1380 road safety schemes, including:
- 20mph zones in Halton, focussing on new housing estates and in Millom North, Barrow and Ulverston. Other traffic calming measures in Halton are aimed at busier roads near to schools;
- school travel plans in half of Merseyside schools by 2006, and in Morecambe;
- Safe Routes to School projects in Skelmersdale, Ormskirk and Bolton;
- child safety schemes in Ancoats, Benchill and Harpurhey in Manchester; and
- two comprehensive area safety schemes in Salford;
up to 892 km of cycle routes and other measures to encourage cycling, including:
- better cycle parking provision. For example at a number of Cumbrian railway stations;
- new sections of the strategic rural network between Kendal and Keswick and the Cumbrian cycleway between Seascale and Maryport;
- provision of cycle parking facilities at all local authority and public buildings in Merseyside;
- segregated footways in Halton, shared informally with cyclists, to be improved and re-signed in order to extend cycling provision;
- targets in Merseyside to ensure cycling parking provision is in place at all public transport interchanges by 2002;
- completion of the Sustrans, Manchester to Preston and Lancaster route, some urban sections of the National Cycle Network in Lancashire, Blackburn to Darwen, an east/west route in Blackburn and a start on a five-mile green route on the Fallowfield Loopline in Manchester;
- a network of cycle routes in Warrington, linking the town centre with residential areas.
up to 160 km of footway improvements and pedestrianisation and other measures to encourage walking such as:
- pedestrian routes linking residential areas in Halton;
- pedestrian improvements in Kendal, Keswick and Blackburn town centres;
- a network of Greenways in Halton linking urban areas with the countryside
- improved pedestrianisation measures in South East Blackburn, Bolton, Eccles and Warrington;
- improved accessibility for disabled people on all identified walking routes in Halton;
- pedestrianisation of the main shopping street in Colne; and
- Home Zones at Audley and Bank Top in Blackburn, and at Darwen.

Public Transport Schemes

Accessibility schemes, including:
- better rural bus services in Cumbria and Cheshire, including flexible demand responsive and frequent inter-urban services;
- a network of community transport services on Merseyside, linked to Pathways Areas.
a number of improvements to bus transport, including up to 820kms of busways, Quality Bus Corridors, bus lanes and priority measures. Examples include:
- up to 15 new SMART quality bus corridors in Merseyside;
- Windermere and Lakes Parish shuttle bus service;
- new Quality Bus Partnerships at Lancaster University to Bowerham and Bare, Lancaster University to Heysham, St Annes to Blackpool and Fleetwood, Lytham to Cleveleys and Preston to Blackpool;
- quality bus routes at Accrington to Rochdale, Rawtenstall to Bury, Colne to Manchester and Ribble Valley Rural Services;
- better bus information systems at bus interchanges across Cumbria;
- up to 7000 new or refurbished bus shelters;
- new bus station in Warrington;
- Kendal and Whitehaven bus station improvements;
- enhancement and upgrade of Runcorn busway.

Local Road Improvements

various local road improvements, including:
- one way junction changes in Kendal to provide a first step towards creating a traffic free town centre;
- Blackburn, Montague Street - Barbara Castle Way Link Road (a key element of the Plan);
- Improvement to Waggon and Horses Junction in Congleton;
- Extension of UTC in Crewe Town Centre;
- SCOOT traffic signal control in Kendal;
- Up to 260 measures in Merseyside to reduce traffic congestion.

Maintenance schemes in the North West

The 5-year LTP settlement provides funding for authorities in the North West to address the maintenance backlog on the region's 33,000km of local roads, and to start restoring the 954 bridges that need strengthening.