Speech on Sustainable Travel Towns

I am delighted to be here in Worcester - one of our three sustainable travel towns - 2 of which are fine cathedral cities. 

We all need to make smarter travel choices. No one wants to be stuck in a car in a traffic jam. It’s bad for local business, it’s bad for our health, and it’s bad for the environment.

And we know people want to make those choices too. I believe there is huge demand for these measures.

According to the British Social Attitudes Survey, the overwhelming majority of adults consider better public transport to be important.

Almost 2 out of 3 support priority for pedestrians and cyclists. Even car drivers are in favour.

And nearly ¾ of adults want to see fewer cars on the road. Finally, and crucially, more than half said they could just as easily walk, cycle or travel by bus for many of their car journeys.

So, we appear to be in a position where the vast majority of us believe these measures are important, and say we could easily switch. The question is, why aren’t we?

There is a huge gap between what we say we want and what we do.  We need to fill that gap, turn theory into reality.

That’s what is starting to happen in Worcester, Peterborough and Darlington.

Underpinned by Government Investment, all three have supported smarter choices with targeted marketing and real transport improvements.

The results are astounding.

Here in Worcester, public transport use over the last year is up by 22 per cent, walking is up 17 per cent and cycling by 36 per cent.

At the same time, the number of car trips is down by 12 per cent.

That’s great news for Worcester - its people, its businesses, its visitors and its environment.

I was impressed to see that the results are just as exciting in Darlington and Peterborough and I was reassured to know that people aren't travelling differently on sunny days like today, but also on those wet, windy and cold mornings as well.

Central to the success of all three schemes is the realisation that there's never going to be a 'one size fits all' solution. People have different travel needs, and what persuades a commuter to leave his or her car at home may not persuade a busy mum to change her travel habits.

That’s why the Sustainable Travel Towns chose to use Individualised Travel Marketing – where information is sent to every household, followed by a visit to establish a personalised travel plan to suit them.

Earlier today I visited Worcester’s operational centre to see for myself the scope of the work.

I was impressed with what the team is doing.

The point about personalised travel plans is that they are just that – personal.

They look at our current travel behaviour, look at alternatives, and work out what’s best. They can let us know the direct benefits – for example, it costs around £4,500 a year to run a car, but it costs a lot less to use a car club, ride a bike or get the bus.

Cycling can be quicker and, and for a 15 minute journey each way, my officials authoratively tell me that I would burn 300 calories an hour as well

The towns have shown with startling effect that people are open to this information and are interested.

From the results, its clear Individualised Travel Marketing is a significant tool to cut car use. Yet I’ve heard it said that it’s too expensive, and that it’s all too easy for the Sustainable Travel Towns, as they receive central funding.

I’m not denying there are cost implications. But when you compare the price to, say, building a relief road, it starts to look like great value.

Let's not forget that congestion costs money. Sir Rod Eddington's report on transport estimated that - if we fail to tackle it - congestion would cost the UK economy £22 billion every year by 2025.

On a local level, it hits businesses and shops. It literally slows down the wheels of industry - adding to the cost of deliveries and distribution, and making journey times unreliable. It means people turn up late for meetings, late for work. And congested roads aren't a great advertisement for a town or city - making it more difficult to attract investment.

So investment in sustainable travel is cost effective in many ways.

I hope local authorities can see for themselves the benefits of better travel planning, and I believe the three sustainable travel towns have already made their own case to continue once the funding ends.

My message to all local authorities is this: for the amount being specifically invested - £750,000 - this programme has delivered quite startling results.

Of course, if people are to be persuaded to get out of their cars it's important to make realistic options.  Which is why, at the end of last year we announced our plans for the biggest shake up of buses for 20 years through Putting Passengers First.  And it's why, just yesterday we launched the Draft Local Transport Bill for consultation, which will take forward better bus services, and greater opportunity to have local solutions to meet local needs.  And it's why, from next April we're extending free off peak bus travel for the over 60's and disabled people to be countrywide.

In addition we launched the new national cycle training scheme Bikeability at the end of March. The aim is for every child to have the chance of cycle training by 2012. And we’re making sure every local authority that wants it has the funding.

In November we also launched a grant scheme to get more children walking safely to school. I’m pleased to say over 3,000 schools have applied.

Great news, for the kids and the grown-ups too. Because children are key to getting mums and dads thinking harder about how often they use the car.

Before I conclude, I want to acknowledge that the Sustainable Travel Towns aren’t alone. There are positive changes happening in other towns and cities too.

But you have taken the lead. Set the benchmark. Shown what is possible.

The next step is to inspire others to do the same.

That’s why I've written to every local authority Chief Executive, telling them about your achievements.

I’d like to say thank-you, and well done. We set you a challenge, and you have risen to it.

Now I’m going to set you another one.

So I want to challenge the three sustainable travel towns to look at other evidence – like road traffic counts and bus patronage. Do they tell the same story as the results of the survey?

Armed with better information, the case for other local authorities to follow suit becomes ever more powerful.

But even at this stage, I would say this:

Would you like to see 10% less traffic, a 10% increase in public transport use and 20% more walking and cycling - for around eight pounds per person per year? I suspect the answer is 'yes'.

We have a real opportunity to make a decisive change to the way we all travel. It’s up to all of us – central and local government, and the wider public – to grasp this chance, and close the gap between aspiration and reality.

Delivered: 23 May 2007

(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)