Campaign for Better Transport is urging the Government to
prioritise trams and light rail in its Integrated Transport
Strategy, due tomorrow (28 November), and to do more to help
speed up the introduction of new tram networks to British towns
and cities.
Michael Solomon , from Campaign for Better
Transport, said: “Trams work. Wherever they have been introduced,
they have proved popular with the public, had a positive effect
on local businesses and complemented other transport modes. As
European cities are showing, they are a holistic solution which
can address congestion, reduce social isolation and revive
hollowed-out high streets across the country. Moreover, with
millions excluded from accessible rail, bus and tube travel -
including disabled passengers and people with prams and heavy
luggage - trams bring step-free access to reliable, high-capacity
public transport.”
Once a staple of British towns and cities, by the 1960s Blackpool
had the country's last remaining tram system. But in recent years
as urban transport authorities grapple with the effects of air
pollution and congestion and stifled economic growth caused by
lack of transport choice, cities across Europe are returning to
trams as an affordable, efficient and zero emission mass transit
solution.
Whilst the UK now has nine tram systems which carried 228.8
million passengers last year, it is falling behind Europe in
terms of building new networks. France currently boasts 28 tram
networks with three more being planned, while Germany has trams
in 60 cities.
One of the main barriers to installing more tram systems in
Britain is the cost. Building new tram systems in Britain is more
expensive than almost anywhere else in the world thanks to an
excessively long planning process, regulations that mean the
project must cover 92.5 per cent of the costs of moving
underground utilities, and a lack of shared standards that limits
the sharing of cost-saving lessons.
Campaign for Better Transport is urging Government to address
these barriers by:
- Reforming the planning process for new trams to speed up
delivery and lower costs
- Sharing the costs of moving utilities fairly between the tram
project and utility companies
- Devolving the current Transport and Works Act approval
process so elected mayors can start building tram networks
quicker
- Introducing shared standards between new tramways and
encouraging a pipeline of projects.
To further help speed up the delivery of new tram networks
across the country, Campaign for Better Transport and Create
Streets are bringing together a network of experts from local
authorities, tram manufacturers, housing developers, planning
organisations and other interested parties to help demonstrate
the value of new, extended and reopened tram and light rail
networks and remove existing barriers to their introduction.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Read Create Streets recent report: Back on Track: How to
Build New Trams in the UK and Get Britain Moving
