Liverpool City Region (LCR) is consulting on its vision for a Local Transport Plan (LTP) which sets out the region’s ambitions for transport in the region until 2040.
The current plan was published in 2011 – in a world before the climate emergency was accepted, Brexit had happened, COVID changed working and travel behaviour, and the public health crisis due to vehicle pollution was fully understood.
It now needs to be updated with YOUR help.
The ‘vision’ document is 62 pages long and can be found here. However, we don’t expect you to read every page. The purpose of this article is to help you respond by focussing on the key points relevant to our campaign and the issues being experienced here in South Sefton.
Why is this so important?
There has never been a better time for us all to have input into a document that will shape the future of what transport looks like in the city region for decades to come.
This will impact our children’s lives in ways we can’t imagine.
Government increasingly wants to see local areas develop LTPs as a framework for local action and for these documents to help set out transport’s role in achieving zero-carbon.
The Department for Transport will also view this document as being relevant to the Port of Liverpool Access Road proposal, as it contains information on freight and logistics.
If we want to strengthen the case against the road and to have our voices heard at Westminster, responding to this consultation is therefore critical.
What do you need to do?
Unlike previous consultations we have shared by the LCR and Sefton Council, there’s no online form/questionnaire to complete. We view this as a good thing, as it lets you say exactly what you want.
Instead, you must email your comments to transportpolicy@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk no later than Sunday, 31st July.
You may want to draft your email as follows:
To: transportpolicy@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk
Subject: Response to LTP consultation
To whom it may concern
Then, using your own words, we recommend that you to make the following points:
1. Welcome and support the draft vision and draft goals set out in the plan
Why? You can find these on page 5 of the document and there’s very little to argue with here! This isn’t JUST about objecting to The Port of Liverpool Access Road, but there is no escaping that it works against all these objectives.
2. Call for better freight & logistics infrastructure across the Liverpool City Region by:
- Rejecting the government’s A5036 Port of Liverpool Access Road as it is out of step with the government’s own targets on climate change and objectives on air quality, access to green space, protecting biodiversity, promoting public transport and active travel… the list goes on!!
- Demanding that Northern Powerhouse Rail’s recommendations on rail freight are delivered
- Demanding that innovative, non-road, sustainable alternatives to the movement of freight are researched and delivered in conjunction with rail enhancements (Such as those outlined in the initial Sefton Council ARUP report)
Why? Whilst there is no specific mention of the Port of Liverpool Access Road in the plan, we need to make it clear that this road proposal is completely unacceptable and we want to see different solutions pursued.
3. Demand that the LCR’s local transport plan has traffic reduction at its core by supporting policies which focus on traffic reduction, including:
- Better Buses – Re-regulation/bringing these back under public control with better services and cheaper fares
- Improvements to passenger rail – bigger & better trains, cheaper fares, new stations reaching places with high populations but poor rail links
- Pursuing bold active travel initiatives (cycling and walking)
- Calling on planners to reject new housing developments where there are no public transport links to support them
Why? This is because National Highways claim that the Port of Liverpool Access Road isn’t just about the port. They point to projected car use increases to justify their road proposals. Policies which reduce traffic, like the above, will undermine the justification for this road project. Traffic reduction is key to us leading happier, healthier lives.
4. Anything else you’d like to talk about?
There’s so much we COULD say and we have tried to keep it simple and focussed on the above issues, but this is YOUR opportunity to feed into the Local Transport Plan. Want to talk about Rimrose Valley and your passion for saving it from development, or what it’s like living with the impact of HGVs travelling to and from the Port of Liverpool today? This is the place to do it.
How long have you got to respond?
You must email your comments to transportpolicy@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk no later than Sunday, 31st July.
One last thing…
Once done, please, please ask your family and friends to respond to the consultation by sharing this link.
The more people we get to respond, the louder the message that the Port of Liverpool Access Road has no place in Sefton or the city region… and that we deserve better!
Thank you for your continued, amazing support!
