Residents across Cumbria will get the chance to have a say on the future of transport in the county in a public consultation on the Local Transport Plan.
The Cumbria County Council's draft Local Transport Plan has been drawn up with the help of transport organisations across the county and sets out a long-term vision for the future.
It proposes tranpsort policies and projects for the county from 2007 to 2012 and addresses a whole range of highways and transport issues such as:
- Safety
- Air quality
- Health
- Crime and disorder
- Highways maintenance and management
- Traffic congestion
- Accessibility
The Government funding package for transport programmes in the county is decided on the case put forward in the LTP statutory document.
Indications from the Department for Transport are that funding for the forthcoming LTP period, 2007 to 2012, will not increase substantially and no major schemes beyond those already at least provisionally approved will be funded.
Therefore the LTP attempts to employ evidence about what measures work best and makes the best of existing infrastructure to bring about transport improvements in the county.
County Councillor Kevan Wilkinson, spokesman for transport and infrastructure, said:
"We need to hear what people have to say about important transport issues affecting the county so we can produce a high quality LTP which reflects the views of residents and stakeholders.
"The underlying principal of the LTP is that transport is not an end in itself but enables the achievement of wider aims of economic growth, social inclusion and improving the quality of peoples’ lives.
"This LTP is different from previous plans in that it's an investment plan for a fixed amount of money rather than a request for government funding. We at the county council believe this plan sets out a realistic programme within limited resources available, rather than an unrealistic wish-list of what we'd like to see happen within the next five years."
The plan can be seen in libraries across the county, at council offices and on the county council website at http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/transportplan/ltp2from2006.asp
There is also a comments form listing key questions on the site.
The draft LTP is available for public consultation until 11th March, and the county council’s Economy Consultative Forum will disucss it in public at its forthcoming meeting on Tuesday, 8th February, at The Courts, Carlisle, at 9.30am.