19 September 2008, 08/215
Public transport under the spotlight
Public transport in West Lancashire comes
under the spotlight in a new report commissioned by the Local
Strategic Partnership (LSP).
The West Lancashire Integrated Transport
Review was commissioned by the LSP Integrated Transport Thematic
Group in partnership with Lancashire County Council, and is
available from www.westlancslsp.org
(external link).
Rosie Cooper MP, Chair of the Local Strategic
Partnership, said: “A good public transport system is one of the
factors that really makes a difference to the quality of people’s
lives. That is why the LSP brought in experts to commission a
survey in West Lancashire to analyse the key issues and highlight
areas for improvement.”
Cllr Martin Forshaw, West Lancs District
Council portfolio holder for transport, said: “Many people depend
on public transport to get around and this report has examined all
the issues in our area and has studied best practice in other parts
of the country. An action plan to improve public transport in the
district is now being drawn up based on the conclusions of the
report.”
Lancashire County Council’s Cabinet member for
sustainable development, County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, said:
“Lancashire County Council does a lot to improve and maintain
public transport in West Lancashire and this process will help show
new opportunities.
“I am always keen for all the organisations
with an interest in public transport to work together for the good
of local people. Projects where this has happened, such as the
Burscough interchange, clearly show the benefits of cooperation and
partnership.”
The report concludes that opportunities do
exist to improve public transport in West Lancs to better meet the
needs of local people, and states that there is a clear need for
different agencies to work together. Some of the areas
highlighted for improvement are: better information about public
transport; closer working between the companies that provide
transport and Lancashire County Council; a ‘One Stop Shop’ system
for booking community transport and demand responsive travel to
improve the service to users.
The study, the first of its kind in West
Lancs, was researched and completed by WSP Development and
Transportation Consultants.
Related information
> West
Lancashire LSP
> Travel
information
> Roads, travel and transport