SE England transport strategy to transform economy and hit net-zero carbon by 2050
An ambitious transport strategy plan to more than double the South Eastโs economy by 2050, create half a million new jobs, reduce congestion, cut carbon emissions and boost air quality has been published today โ and people across the South East can have their say.
The draft transport strategy for the South East has been produced by Transport for the South East (TfSE), a unique partnership of local authorities, business groups and transport bodies formed to speak with one voice on the regionโs transport priorities.
The strategy says that with the right investment in our regionโs transport network the South East’s economy will more than double over the next thirty years โ from ยฃ183bn to between ยฃ450bn and ยฃ500bn per year โ creating an additional 500,000 jobs, boosting quality of life and access to opportunities and helping cut the South Eastโs carbon emissions to net-zero.
The strategy sets out a thirty-year framework to guide decisions about where, when and how money is invested in the South Eastโs transport network, along with a range of policy changes and other initiatives to make sustainable travel easier and more attractive to people and businesses. These include arguing for a real-terms freeze on rail fares, cheaper off-peak fares and extra funding to protect and enhance rural bus services.
Reducing the regionโs reliance on private cars โ which account for 70% of all journeys compared to just 4% by rail and 5% by bus โ is vitally important as the strategy is clear that catering for forecast road traffic growth in the South East is no longer sustainable in the long term. It will also help cut carbon emissions and improve air quality as private cars contribute more to UK greenhouse gas emissions than any other form of transport.
For the next 12 weeks, people and organisations across the South East will be able to have their say on the draft transport strategy online. A launch event takes place today in Farnborough with transport minister George Freeman MP and a series of โroadshowโ events are taking place across the South East from 16-24 October for people to find out more.
Transport minister George Freeman MP said: โImproving the UKโs transport network is a priority for the government. The Prime Minister has created this new role of Minister of State for the Future of Transport to turbo UK leadership in tackling disconnection, encouraging decarbonisation and promoting digitalisation which is key to unlocking economic growth, boosting employment and improving air quality.
โRight across the country, we are considering innovative new ways to connect passengers, freight and businesses both within the UK and abroad through a truly integrated transport network.
โI welcome TfSEโs 30-year vision for transport in the South East and todayโs launch signifies a new and exciting chapter in the regionโs history.โ
Cllr Keith Glazier, chair of Transport for the South East, said: โBalancing the needs of the economy and the environment is the single biggest challenge we face. But, if we get it right, the prize is huge.
โOur strategy sets out a future for the South East that is better for people, better for business and better for the planet. Weโll more than double the South East’s economy, creating an additional 500,000 jobs, boosting quality of life and access to opportunities for everyone and cutting the region’s carbon emissions to net-zero.
โTo make this happen, we need to work together as one region. Thatโs why we want as many people as possible to take part in our consultation, to have their say on our proposals and help shape the South Eastโs future.โ
Margaret Paren, Transport for the South East board member representing South East Protected Landscapes, said: โThe South East is home to some of our nationโs most important and under-pressure protected landscapes. We welcome the transport strategy for the South Eastโs ambitions for environmental sustainability and greater and more accessible public transport. We urge people to feed into this important consultation.โ
Ross McNally, director at Enterprise M3 Local Economic Partnership (LEP) and Transport for the South East board member representing LEPs, said: โThe South East is a fantastic place to live, work and do business and we need to ensure our transport system continues to allow industry to thrive.
โLEPs across the South East have supported TfSE from its inception, highlighting the unique set of challenges in our region and the opportunities that exist to deliver a nationally and internationally significant transport system.
โThe launch of the draft transport strategy is an important milestone towards building a better, more sustainable transport network for the whole of the South East business community.โ
Challenges and opportunities
The draft transport strategy identifies priorities for future investment by looking at the challenges people and businesses will face in moving around the region and the opportunities these present to support future sustainable economic growth.
These include a range specific schemes as well as wider policies and initiatives. For example, the strategy argues for greater use of new and emerging technology such as connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) to boost connectivity.
It makes the case for policy changes to enable more joined up planning, particularly between transport and housing, to help reduce the need to travel and build more sustainable communities. The strategy also recognises that tough decisions will need to be made about how, not if, we manage demand on the busiest parts of our transport networks.
Have your say on the transport strategy
Read the draft transport strategy and take part in the consultation. The deadline for responses is Friday, 10 January 2020.
Regional โdrop-in’ events
A series of โdrop inโ events are taking place around the South East in October for people to find out more about the strategy. The events run from 4.30pm-6pm and everyone is welcome to attend.
- Wednesday, 16 October โ Reading Town Hall
- Thursday, 17 October โ Woking, WWF Living Planet Centre
- Tuesday, 22 October โ Canterbury Christ Church College
- Wednesday, 23 October โ Brighton, Juryโs Inn (Stroudley Road)
- Thursday, 24 October โ Southampton Central Hall
Next steps
Following the public consultation, a final version of the transport strategy will be put to Transport for the South Eastโs board in spring 2020.
A strategic investment plan is planned for publication in 2021, providing a prioritised, costed and deliverable list of schemes, initiatives and policies to start turning the South Eastโs vision into reality.
