Aiming to provide an alternative to the car

1:28pm Thursday 20th November 2008

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You recently published a letter from a reader asking why he should get the chance to vote in December’s referendum when he would not have to pay the congestion charge, as he commutes to Bolton from Ramsbottom every day, and his children either do or will soon use public transport.

Well, firstly, your reader is not alone, as the vast majority of people in Greater Manchester would not have to pay the charge, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to vote.

Because it’s not just the charge that people are being asked to vote on; they are also being asked if they want up to £3 billion of investment in the region’s transport network.

Think of anyone who has ever said ‘give me better public transport and I’ll use it, but until then I’ll keep using my car’ — that’s why everyone should be able to vote, because that’s exactly the choice that’s being offered.

The Transport Innovation Fund proposals aim to provide people with a genuine alternative to travelling by car.

Your correspondent states that he and his children do or will use public transport — so he is actually being asked to vote for a vast improvement in the services available to his family for generations to come.

From more destinations on Metrolink and more seats on trains to enhanced bus services and improved interchanges, the TIF bid would provide improvements in Greater Manchester over the next five years that would otherwise take 50 years to achieve.

Furthermore, there is nothing to say that he or any members of his family might one day have to commute into Manchester from Rambsottom — and we want to make sure that, if and when they do, they have high quality, easily accessible alternatives to the car.

And I fully believe that the TIF proposals would deliver that.

Lord Peter Smith Leader of AGMA