Wednesday 8th February 2012 10.41am
Post your Events £20 solution to Newcastle's multi-million pound problem
Four out of five of your local journeys should be sustainable by 2020 to help country out of recession says Sustrans
A 'perfect storm' of massive cuts in public spending, rising congestion costs and soaring health bills from obesity could overwhelm government priorities unless action is taken sustainable transport charity Sustrans has warned.
Traffic levels and congestion are projected to continue rising over the next decade, meanwhile significant reductions in transport spending will place severe pressure on transport budgets and so cheaper alternatives to large road building schemes are needed.
A ten year target to double the number of local journeys made on foot, by bike and by public transport in Newcastle is necessary to weather the recession says Sustrans.
"If we continue with the approach to transport we've followed for the last 30 years we face gridlock. We need to re-think the ways we make everyday journeys" Bryn Dowson, Sustrans' Regional Director in the north east of England, said.
Primary Care Trust Newcastle currently pays more than £4.5million annually dealing with the consequences of physical inactivity [note 1].
But, a different approach to transport planning could help make radical cuts in spending from the public purse and transform lives. A programme of personalised travel planning in Newcastle - giving households are given direct information about walking and cycling routes and public transport services - could slash car use by up to 14 per cent and cost just £2.3million equivalent to around £20 per household [note 2]. By contrast the proposed New Wear Bridge in nearby Sunderland is estimated to cost a staggering £133million.
Personalised travel planning would also make for a more active population, helping to lower levels of obesity in Newcastle where more than 45,000 adults are currently classified as obese, with a further 77,000 classified as overweight [note 3].
Bryn Dowson, continued; 'Cycling, walking and public transport journeys currently account for just two out of every five journeys under five miles. This needs to be doubled over the next decade.
'Large cuts in transport budgets over the next few years are inevitable. Government will not be able to afford expensive roads schemes. But unless action is taken to reduce traffic our roads will fill up and the cost of congestion will keep rising too. Add in the rocketing costs of obesity resulting from sedentary lifestyles and the cost is enormous.'
Sustrans is calling for action to get more people walking, cycling and using public transport in the following ways:
· Encourage people to change their travel behaviour
· Create safe, attractive walking and cycling conditions
· Increase public transport usage by improving and integrating services and reducing fares
· Ensure that planning policy and practice reduce the need to travel
· Reform taxation and increase spending on sustainable travel
Over the coming months the charity will be using its call to action to target decision makers in central and local governments across the UK.
Department of Health, Be Active Be Healthy, 2009
Figures derived using the Sustrans' TravelSmart model and the Office of National Statistics Population Estimates 2009 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pop0809.pdf Sustrans' TravelSmart programme is the most widely applied form of personal travel planning in the UK. Since its launch in 2001 it has worked with a total of more than 250,000 households.
An Overweight and Obesity Strategy for Newcastle upon Tyne, March 2009 http://www.healthycity.org.uk
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