Mr. Peter Molyneux,
Transport for the North,
2nd Floor, Piccadilly Place,
Manchester, M1 3BN.
Monday, March 6th, 2017
Dear Peter,
Initial feedback on the Wider Transport Connectivity Study unveiled at the Joint Northern Studies Stakeholder Reference Group meeting on February 28th, 2017
The North West Transport Roundtable (NW TAR), which operates under the auspices of the Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT), promotes sustainable transport and land use and healthier lives. We espouse ‘Smart Growth’ and reducing the need to travel.
Our Comments
I attended the Joint Northern Studies Stakeholder Reference Group (SRG) meeting in Leeds last week when participants were invited to provide feedback to you on a Wider Transport Connectivity Assessment Study associated with the TransPennine Tunnel (TPT). This is a study whose existence we only learnt about that day for the first time.
No papers other than an agenda were circulated in advance and, on the day, no case for the TPT was made. Participants were presented with a list of roads/intersections where major interventions may be required if the TPT project goes ahead, plus a detailed matrix comprising 48 complex issues under four sub headings to be assessed in relation to them. No time was allowed for reading the 48 sets of comments/issues and no meaningful explanations were provided of the potential major interventions. Despite this, participants were expected to immediately begin contributing thoughtful reactions to be fed back to the study team. This modus operandi surely cannot be considered, by any standards, to be a best practice way to run a workshop. And, even though we were given the opportunity to provide follow-up comments, we were not then furnished with copies of the maps or even lists of the interventions. Consequently, I only feel able to provide a few general comments on the subject of park and ride (P & R).
Participants were told that consideration was being given to the concept of providing 2,000-space P & R sites close to either end of the TPT. Indicative locations (west and east) were both in Green Belt, although that was not apparent as Green Belt was not marked. (Nor were special heritage or environmental sites or ancient woodland). If the TPT went ahead and if massive P & R sites were built, then every effort should be made to find brownfield sites for them. On the western side, a survey should be done of the Stalybridge area and - at the same time - consideration given to extending the Metrolink to Stalybridge. But the key point to flag up is the myriad fall-outs associated with P & R sites. I commend to you the work of Prof. Graham Parkhurst of the University of the West of England who began studying their many unintended consequences in the 1990s. http://people.uwe.ac.uk/Pages/person.aspx?accountname=campus%5cgp-parkhurst
Other than this, I feel insufficiently informed to provide further feedback.
Yours sincerely,
LILLIAN BURNS, Convenor, NW TAR E: Tel: 01625 829492
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