The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has started its public consultation on its latest Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP).
The Combined Authority has drafted the new LTCP which sets out the transport strategy to meet the new challenges and opportunities facing the region.
The LTCP, when finalised, will replace the current Local Transport Plan, first adopted in January 2020.
The new plan is needed to meet shifting demands on transport, including the effects on travel caused by Covid-19, the Government’s new national strategies to decarbonise transport and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Panel on Climate’s own recommendations to help tackle climate change, which also include decarbonising transport.
The LTCP will also aim to support Combined Authority priorities since the election of Mayor Dr Nik Johnson in May 2021, including its new Sustainable Growth Ambition statement. The draft LTCP aims to support improved public health, accelerated carbon reduction, protection of the environment, reduced inequalities, and making growth in housing, jobs, and the economy more sustainable by investing in better transport infrastructure.
‘Connectivity’ has been included in the title of the LTCP to incorporate a digital infrastructure strategy. With the amount of home working and learning, virtual access of leisure, shopping and services, digital connectivity is having an increasing impact on travel demand.
Future transport projects for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough will be guided by the LTCP. They include projects by local councils and partners like the Greater Cambridge Partnership.
The consultation feedback will be used to shape the plan before a final version is put to the Combined Authority Board for approval later in 2022. As the strategic transport authority for the region, the Combined Authority has a statutory duty to maintain an updated Local Transport Plan for the region.
The public will be asked to comment on the Plan’s overall vision, goals and objectives, as well as the strategy and transport projects for the region and strategies specific to local areas. They can also make general comments on transport in the region.
Projects and strategies included in the draft LTCP include a reform of buses through a new operating model which seeks to make them work better for people and connect more places. More cycling and walking is planned as a driver of improved public health and cutting out shorter car journeys. Supporting more electric vehicles and zero emission buses are also part of the strategy to cut carbon and improve air quality.
