CEO’s Blog: Cumbria Transport Infrastructure Plan – The strategic transport plan for the next five years.
25th March 2022
Have you seen this new high-level document? https://cumbria.gov.uk/planning-environment/infrastructureplanning/strategicplans.asp
It is an easy read and sets economic - and some social - context for transport development, providing keys for large scale projects and some framework for communities wanting to address community travel plans. There are some high-level action plans, but the point is made very clearly that realising these is dependent on external funding from government.
The Cumbria Transport Infrastructure Plan (CITP) vision is:
“In 2037 Cumbria will be one of the best-connected rural geographies in the UK. Embracing innovation and opportunity; clean growth and decarbonising transport networks will be integral to a growing, inclusive economy where our communities will be able to access opportunities, services, education and leisure facilities. Cumbria will be a destination of choice; where people choose to live, visit and work.”
Why is this important to communities? Because it sets a context for development, a direction that you can use to shape local projects. It also sets an aspiration for zero carbon mobility, although the detail as to how this can be achieved is not there. Many would say it does not go far enough, or fast enough, to address the climate emergency, taking instead a steady approach, developing existing infrastructure and looking for change in new, as yet unfunded initiatives. ACT believes that climate change is a real threat to our lives and livelihoods in Cumbria, and everywhere else. Not addressing policy and behaviour change means we are making the situation worse. The CTIP’s aspirations on zero carbon don’t always align with the actions that are detailed, such as significant new road developments. However, rail travel, walking and cycling actions have some real energy and delivery opportunities to them.
There are three broad objectives for the plan:
- “Clean and Healthy Cumbria Promoting active travel and digital infrastructure as enablers of inclusive economic growth and supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities and the decarbonisation of transport networks.
- Connected Cumbria Promoting improved transport networks across and into Cumbria to connect our places and support economic growth and opportunities for businesses and communities.
- Community Cumbria Promoting integrated approaches to transport that are affordable, safe and meet the access and mobility needs of all, and which support opportunity and renewal within towns and communities across Cumbria with better transport used to improve social inclusion.”
In a county where we know we need to reduce car travel - potentially by 50% - we will need significant action and mass community, business and visitor support to address these challenges.
Discussions on the possibilities of effecting this change and the impact significant changes could have on businesses and our daily lives abound both nationally and locally.
The information below, from Zero Carbon Cumbria based on a report by Small World Consulting (2020), shows some stark details of the challenge we face now.
ACT want to encourage and support you all to take daily action to reduce your carbon footprint:
- Can you travel less?
- Can you travel with others to reduce car use? (Covid-safely of course)
- Can you organise a local liftshare? (via WhatsApp or a closed Facebook page)
- Can you use community or public transport? (Where it is available)
- Can you share local deliveries with your neighbours?
- Can you volunteer for the County Council Voluntary Car Scheme? – sharing one journey a week will make a difference
- Can you hold a community conversation to consider how together you can address this challenge?
- There is also a role to campaign for swifter and more environmentally conscious change
ACT can help you with these ideas and with developing a sustainable travel plan for your community. We are involved with communities and groups taking all the above actions.
We are also taking action ourselves as an employer. For example, encouraging our staff to work from home to reduce travel to work carbon.
We are working with Lake District National Park Partnership on Sustainable Transport, where one of the actions in the plan: https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/caringfor/lake-district-national-park-partnership/management-plan/sustainable-travel-and-transport is to encourage all employers to think about appropriate use of online meetings to continue reducing carbon on business travel.
We are working with the Cumbria Zero Carbon Partnership, where the developing Mobility Plan will suggest much more focus from policy makers on significant carbon reductions in all plans and their delivery.
So please, have a look at the strategy, think about what you can do, think about what your community, group or business can do and contact us if you want support to take action.