BARBARA Mawer says we need a proper transport policy for the town. Perhaps she hasn't been keeping up to date recently. Since April, when Warrington took control of transport from Cheshire County Council, both officers and councillors have been enthusiastically preparing the way for an Integrated Transport Study in the town.
The council's main bid to the government for transport funding has already shifted from the roads, roads and more roads emphasis of County days to an approach centred on real people. This will mean safer and quieter streets and more space for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Residents will still be able to choose to use their cars but cars will no longer get so much priority.
Barbara also seems to have missed the preparation for the Integrated Transport Study itself. Last week the council invited consultants to offer their services and about a year from now we should have a good idea about how to sort out the transport mess left by years of Tory neglect.
However, the only idea Barbara mentions is unlikely to work in Warrington. Light Rail only works in large, dense cities such as Manchester. A scheme in Warrington would take about eight years to plan and would require a lot of upheaval and demolition while only serving a small part of the town. It would be extremely expensive (about £20 million per mile) and, given that 25 schemes are currently awaiting funding in Britain, a scheme in Warrington would never get financed - not even in the Liberals' dreamworld.
I know this because I plan Metrolink lines in Manchester for a living and I have explained the problems to Barbara Mawer though she seems to have taken no notice.
As a new unitary council, Warrington has inherited a huge backlog of traffic problems and we are determined that we will do our best to produce an integrated transport system along the lines of the excellent Transport White Paper.
CLR PETE BLACK
Chair of Highway Management
Mapplewell Crescent
Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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