Transport authorities in South Yorkshire have launched their 15 year transport vision for South Yorkshire, and the surrounding ‘city region’.
The Local Transport Plan (LTP) was handed to Under-Secretary for State for Transport Norman Baker by SYPTE Director General David Brown, on behalf of the ITA, at Sheffield Station. SYITA are the first Transport Authority to have passed their LTP to the DfT.
The Minister was in Sheffield to announce financial backing for two key elements of the LTP strategy: the Tram-Train pilot from Sheffield to Rotherham, and the Sheffield City Council PFI highways scheme.
The LTP defines the region’s four transport goals for the next 15 years – to use transport to support economic growth across the city region, whilst reducing emissions, improving social inclusion, health, and safety.
It outlines 26 policies to meet these goals, not just in South Yorkshire but the Sheffield City Region also, which includes Chesterfield, Worksop, Bolsover and the Peak District.
A full consultation process was carried out across the Sheffield City Region for three months last summer, which resulted in refinements to the strategy.
It has now been endorsed by the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and the ITA, but also uniquely it has been given Full Council approval by the four South Yorkshire Metropolitan District Councils, as well as the Derbyshire and Nottingham city partners from the wider city region.
This means that the document has full support from all the relevant highway authorities and the ITA.
Chair of the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, Mick Jameson, said:
“This strategy is about making sure that transport fully supports people to live their lives, connect people to jobs, and helps business to be successful. And to do this while reducing the problems that transport can cause – accidents, climate change, air quality, and congestion.”
