Transport for the North (TfN) published two policy positions as part of its work to update the 2019 Strategic Transport Plan (STP) for the region.

The documents, on Active Travel and Multimodal Hubs, highlight the importance of enabling travel by foot and bicycle, and the need to join-up transport options across different modes. They will shape future statutory advice the Sub-national Transport Body provides to Government.

On active travel, the policy position highlighted four key roles that TfN can play to proactively support ambitions to make cycling and walking a natural choice for shorter journeys:

• Promote and support sustained investment in active travel at local level, enabling partners to plan and implement more ambitious and longer-term schemes.
• Support partners in their development of proposals and continue to raise the profile of active travel.
• Collate and promote examples of ‘best practice’ and innovation.
• Outline how the TfN Analytical Framework can support partners with analysis of active travel and make these tools and data available them.

And on Multimodal Hubs, five key roles for TfN are identified:

• Make the strategic case for investment in multimodal hubs.
• Support partners in the development of their proposals by providing access to the expertise within TfN.
• Provide partners with access to the regional evidence base to support the identification of potential multimodal hub demand.
• Collate best practice for partners to apply to their areas.
• Undertake work in support of partners to identify multimodal hub locations which would benefit from improved passenger information and marketing.

Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive at Transport for the North, said:

“Our 2019 Strategic Transport Plan contains a wide range of policy positions on key factors, outlining how TfN works with partners and stakeholders and ensuring we take a consistent approach across our activities in the region.

“Getting around by more active means such as walking and cycling, and being able to switch between modes of travel, such as cycling to the station and hopping on a train, can be a real game-changer for people, and supports our ambitious decarbonisation goals.”

Further policy positions are now in development to be published in spring/summer 2022, including on spatial planning and rural mobility.