Hundreds of comments received during consultation on the North’s …

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The public consultation of Transport for the North’s (TfN) Strategic Transport Plan has closed, with hundreds of comments received during the 12-week engagement.

The 12-week consultation closed on 17th August after in-person events in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, online workshops, a virtual consultation room and stakeholder meetings. Responses covered a range of transport issues affecting the region, including local bus services, switching from road to rail freight, affordability of public transport and meeting decarbonisation targets.

Responses will inform the final Strategic Transport Plan for the region, which is due to be published in early 2024. The plan sets out the foundations for future transport investment in the region, and is centred on three core ambitions: economic performance, decarbonisation and reducing transport-related social exclusion.

Katie Day, Strategy, Analysis and Communications Director at TfN, said:

“We are very grateful to the public for playing such an active part in this consultation. We’ve had some really positive sessions and some great questions about the Strategic Transport Plan.

“We’ve been able to acknowledge people’s concerns about transport connectivity, access, and infrastructure in the North. The next step for us is to analyse all the responses to gain a comprehensive view of consistent themes.

“We must use the Plan as a means of ensuring the North has an efficient, high-quality, interconnected and decarbonised transport system by 2050 that connects people and places with services and opportunities, and champions for investment that will transform transport infrastructure for the North.”