Mayor announces ‘Congestion Deal’ to encourage travel behaviour change

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Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

Mayor Andy Burnham has launched a ‘Congestion Deal’ to tackle congestion across Greater Manchester.

The ‘Congestion Deal’ is a new approach to tackling congestion, where public bodies and operators are challenged to offer people more choice in their travel options and employers, residents and commuters are incentivised to change their travel behaviour.

The new measures being announced include:

• £80m investment in Metrolink trams, providing 4,800 extra spaces and increasing capacity on the busiest lines
• £160m investment in cycling and walking infrastructure – giving thousands of people the potential to move around without reliance on private car use
• Incentives for employers to introduce flexible start and finish times for their workforce through the potential introduction of an early bird ‘pre-peak’ ticket offer on Metrolink, as well as a potential group      Metrolink discount for businesses that agree to implement flexible working
• An exploration of a High Occupancy Vehicle lane pilot, to give priority to cars with three or more passengers, to encourage more car sharing
• An expanded transport control centre operating 24 hours a day to help improve the flow of people and goods around Greater Manchester, and provide real-time information to the public

Mr Burnham said: “Congestion is a serious problem in Greater Manchester, which affects people’s health and wellbeing, as well as access to employment and education opportunities.

“There’s no quick fix or single solution to tackling congestion and it requires a long term approach, but there are things we could be doing better.

“So I’d like all of Greater Manchester to agree to a congestion deal; transport bodies and businesses will work together to give people real choice about their travel options; whilst Greater Manchester residents must also play their part in the deal by making changes to how and when they travel and by choosing public transport, cycling or walking as an alternative to the car where possible.

“If everyone does their bit, from businesses to bus operators and from council to commuters, we can work together to reduce congestion and make Greater Manchester an even better place to live and work in the future.”

The proposals are set to be discussed by leaders from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)  on Thursday 29 March.