The Mayor of the West of England and council leaders have unveiled a new vision for the future of transport in the region.

A transport network that people across the West can trust will need an interconnected network with seamless journeys, made possible by investment in buses, rail, mass transit, active travel, and streets and places. Transport improvements are a big part of the 10-year Growth Strategy for the country’s fastest growing regional economy. Last year alone, just in Bath and Bristol, congestion cost our economy over £150 million. Better transport will help unlock more investment, create jobs, boost productivity, and drive further economic growth.

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority is currently the biggest city-region in the country without mass transit services, or a commitment to building them. Mass transit services operate at high frequencies along dedicated routes, meaning reliable journeys, whether on a tram, light rail, guided bus, or something else.

In her foreword to the new Transport Vision,Mayor Helen Godwin confirms a shared determination from the region’s political leaders to deliver the work needed to be able to start building mass transit within four or five years. The report also contains the first potential concepts of mass transit for the West, picturing Redcliffe Way and Bristol Airport, which is currently the country’s only regional airport without a fixed mass transit link.

The Transport Vision sets out the direction of travel for a better-connected West of England:

• Better buses: reliable, affordable services with one ticket and one timetable
• More trains: new stations and more frequent services with low-emission trains
• Mass transit: a high-capacity system that links our key economic centres
• Active travel: better walking and cycling routes, with e-bikes/e-scooters there for short trips
• Improved streets: smoother roads and pavements, more electric vehicle chargers, Park & Rides and travel hubs linking transport options

This ambitious plan will mean different things in different places, from rural bus services to major transport interchanges, with easy connections between these options.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

“Nobody wants to sit stuck in traffic or hang around for a bus that never turns up. Our record transport investment secured from government must make a real difference that people across the West can see and feel. We can start to give people their time back: to be home sooner, get out into nature more, or visit the many attractions that make our part of the world so special.

“We need a transport system that people can trust, wherever they live. Together, we can and must deliver the integrated transport system that people need and deserve. As we lay the foundations with existing transport projects, and step things up a gear for better buses, more trains, and mass transit plans, we will seek our fair share of further funding to really get the West moving.”

Councillor Kevin Guy, Deputy Mayor and Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council, said:

“Bath & North East Somerset Council is committed to a transport network that supports our growing communities, strengthens our local economy, and helps people move around easily and sustainably.

“This regional vision aligns with the work we’re already delivering – from improving travel choices to creating better-connected places – and will help us secure the investment needed to keep our area moving. We look forward to working closely with our partners to ensure residents and businesses feel the benefits of this long term plan.”

Over 250 new green buses will be on the West’s streets by the end of the year, with more train stations being built, and an unprecedented £752 million secured for better buses, more trains, and mass transit plans. Bus passenger numbers have recovered strongly over recent years, with a return to pre-pandemic levels expected during the current year.

The report also includes a target to double the number of school streets by 2028, making pick-up and drop-off times safer for families, adding to the £70 million already committed to improve walking, wheeling, and cycling routes across the region. In December, a further £12 million was secured from Active Travel England for the West of England when the national body upgraded the combined authority’s rating to be the same as those of larger such bodies.

The report assesses the progress made over the past 20 years in regions in Europe which are a similar size to the West of England, including Toulouse in France and Malmo in Sweden. Investment in rail, buses, and trams/metro there has coincided with even stronger economic growth than in our part of the world. Beyond the UK, around 23 cities in France that are smaller than Bristol has a mass transit system; Utrecht in the Netherlands has a similar population to the West of England, but has three tramlines and more than 40 stations. The document also sets out the important of building new homes near transport links – something which the regional authority and local councils are already looking to deliver through the reopening of the Portishead Line and new stations being built on the Henbury Line, as well as through work towards a new Spatial Development Strategy.

Following on from the launch of the Transport Vision, a Transport Strategy is being developed to outline the infrastructure that needs to be delivered to enable these ambitions for the future. In parallel, the region is together actively considering the right model for the bus network – with local people set to have their say on a separate Bus Plan over the coming months.

(Picture: West of England MCA)