Transport Ten Year Plan 2000: summary

Introduction

This country needs better transport less congested roads and modern, affordable and reliable public transport. Our transport system and services have suffered from decades of under-investment. The result is overcrowding, congestion, delays, pollution and a lack of choice of how to travel. Problems which every one of us recognise and which are indeed intensified by Britains growing economic success.

Theres no easy, quick solution to turning this round. It needs investment in our roads, railways and bus services on a scale not seen before. The vision is for journeys that are quicker and more convenient by making it easier to switch between different forms of transport. We are determined to make journeys safer and to reduce the impact of travel on our environment.

Transport 2010 is our long-term strategy for delivering a quicker, safer, more punctual and environmentally friendly transport system. It sets out an ambitious but realistic view of what can be achieved over the next ten years.

Transport 2010 builds on the foundations put in place since the Integrated Transport White Paper. And it stresses the role of partnership with the private sector and local government in modernising our transport network.

We cant achieve this overnight. But by following the route map drawn up in this strategy, we will make year on year progress towards the goal of transforming our transport system over the next decade.

This booklet is a summary of the main themes and targets of the plan.

Transforming our transport system

Our goal is to transform our transport system over the next 10 years, tackling congestion and pollution, increasing choice and raising standards to make travel safer, more attractive and accessible to all. Good transport is essential to a better environment and our quality of life.

Investing

There will be massive new investment in our transport system as much as £180 billion. Capital investment, delivered through partnership between the private and public sector, at £121 billion will be an increase of almost 75% in real terms compared with the last ten years.

Modernising

But this record investment, vital as it is, wont alone deliver the improvements our transport system needs. We will harness the latest technology and exploit the latest advances from high speed rail links to better driver information, from modern trams to smart cards to make it easier and safer to get to your destination.

Integrating

Too often in the past, each form of transport has been planned and developed separately. We are going to change this. Our integrated approach improved planning, easier connections, better traffic management, more park and ride will ensure all forms of transport work better together to the benefit of people and business.

To cut congestion, reduce pollution and boost choice

Before this £180 billion Plan, congestion on our roads was set to grow by 15% over the next ten years. Our goal is to reverse this trend by removing traffic bottlenecks and improving public transport so people have a real choice of leaving their cars at home. This will also help the environment.

This level of investment must drive change on a huge scale across the entire transport system. The Plan sets out the overall framework and delivers the resources for this change. Within this framework, hundreds of new projects up and down the country will tackle our transport problems. Building in accessibility for disabled people is a condition of public money being spent. Many decisions will be taken locally, but investment on this scale means we should see the following improvements by 2010:

For rail passengers and freight

better track, better trains, better stations and a safer network

A bigger and better railway with reduced journey times, higher standards of safety, service and comfort. We want to see a 50% increase in passengers and an 80% growth in rail freight over the next decade.

around 6,000 new carriages and trains;
modernisation and upgrading of the East and West Coast Main Lines;
the Channel Tunnel Rail Link completed;
train protection and warning system throughout the network, with full automatic train protection on higher speed lines.

For motorists and road haulage

Better rail services will, of course, help reduce congestion on our roads by giving people a choice of how to travel or move their goods. But the Plan will also tackle congestion by targeted improvements to the existing road network.

tackling congestion through better road infrastructure

widening 360 miles of trunk roads;
80 schemes to improve safety and traffic flow at junctions;
wiping out the maintenance backlog on local roads;
new technology for better traffic management and real-time information;
congestion in 2010 down by around 5% on current levels across England, with bigger reductions in our major cities;
speeding up the introduction of cleaner fuels and cleaner vehicles.

For people in towns and cities

Better transport will make our towns and cities better places to live. We want reduced congestion, improved public transport, better road maintenance, cleaner air and a safer environment for walking and cycling.

new public transport schemes and a host of local improvements

up to 25 new light rail or tram lines in major cities;
comfortable, reliable bus services, including guided bus schemes;
up to 100 new park and ride services;
greatly increased funding for councils Local Transport Plans;
a new Urban Bus Challenge Fund to offer new bus links to under-served urban areas.

For people in rural areas

People living in the countryside also need better transport and more choice. We will encourage innovative schemes to expand rural public transport as well as invest to provide safer roads with less impact on the environment.

...bypasses, regular buses and local schemes

up to 50 new bypasses to relieve communities blighted by congestion and pollution;
at least an hourly bus service within a ten minute walk for a third more rural households;
support for a wide range of flexible, community transport projects such as minibus and taxi-based schemes.

London

In London, a public-private partnership will transform the London Underground and there will be major improvements to commuter rail services. There will be a substantial package of investment to underpin the Mayors transport strategy, to deliver better bus services in the short-term while other improvements are delivered by longer-term projects.

...a substantial package of investment to underpin the Mayors strategy, which could include

quality plus standards on all main bus routes;
at least two new tram or guided bus systems;
extending the Docklands Light Railway to City Airport;
East London Line extensions;
CrossRail, or a similar major new east-west link; and
East Thames river crossings.

The way ahead

A growing economy and cleaner air

As our economy has grown, demand for transport has increased. Rising prosperity and a stronger economy will increase this demand, so we must act to reduce congestion and pollution.

The Plan should reduce congestion below current levels. It will also reduce emissions of the gases that cause climate change and help to improve air quality.

Future choices

Measures that affect the price of travel will also have a part to play. We are giving local authorities the power to introduce congestion charging if they wish, and to use the money for local schemes, including support for public transport.

Improvements for us all

A continuing process

The Plan builds on the Integrated Transport White Paper. Putting it into action will be the work of many different agencies, public and private. We will monitor progress and be ready to meet new challenges.

We cannot know the future with absolute certainty, but we believe our 10 Year Plan can deliver: