The responses to Wiltshire Council's Local Transport Plan 2011 Consultation Issues Paper have recently been published - see http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/ltp3-issues-paper-consultation-responses.pdf

One of the most interesting aspects of this is that respondees were given the choice of voting for three different long-term transport strategy approaches:

- The Established Approach: “Support essential sustainable transport services and measures, but accept that the private motor vehicle will be the predominant mode of transport for the foreseeable future”.

- The Balanced Approach: “Improve sustainable transport services and measures, and help to reduce reliance on the private motor vehicle in urban areas”.

- The Radical Approach: “Prioritise sustainable transport services and measures, and discourage the use of the private motor vehicle in urban areas”.

Over 60% of respondees chose the "Radical Approach". It is worth noting, in the exact words of the Consultation Issues Paper, exactly what this overwhelming respondee majority voted for by doing so:

- Establish a road and road user hierarchy based on the location and activities on different sections of roads.

- Maintain, improve and manage roads in accordance with their functional importance (determined by the above hierarchy).

- Ease congestion ‘hot spots’, particularly where they impact on the running of bus services, improve journey time reliability and seek to mitigate adverse community and environmental impacts on key routes.

- Set up a Wiltshire Traffic Control Centre.

- Where appropriate, seek to enhance the built and natural environment through asset and network management.

- Encourage people to use sustainable transport modes for many journeys by introducing extensive demand management measures and traffic management measures in the market towns and especially in Chippenham, Salisbury and Trowbridge.

- Hypothecate surplus parking revenues to support sustainable transport services and measures.

- Establish the use of Wiltshire’s HGV Route Network through the systematic introduction of area-wide freight management measures.

- Work with partners to reduce the adverse impact of satellite navigation routing on inappropriate local roads.

- Work with industry to implement measures which introduce ‘break bulk’ interchanges and move freight to rail.

- Seek to reduce road casualties and protect vulnerable road users by implementing the ‘3 es’ to meet locally agreed ‘stretching’ targets.

- Reduce the impact of traffic speeds in towns and villages by focusing on innovative measures.

- Support non-commercial and demand responsive bus services, and voluntary and community transport services, to significantly improve access to employment opportunities and essential facilities and services.

- Enhance facilities, support punctuality improvements and establish service enhancements through quality partnerships with bus operators on the whole of the commercial bus network.

- Lobby for rail service improvements and provide extensive support for station and interchange improvements.

- Significantly improve public transport information and the promotion of public transport services using a mixture of traditional and more innovative measures.

- Jointly work with service providers and partners to address access and perception issues caused by the way in which services are planned, provided or located.

- Implement streetscene improvements and introduce cycling and pedestrian improvements on a network basis in and between all the market towns (where proximity allows).

- Support and promote the role that powered two-wheelers can play in a safe and sustainable transport system.

- Support sustrans in the development of their ‘Connect2’ project.

- Work with all schools to develop travel plans and implement the ‘Wiltshire sustainable Modes of Travel strategy’.

- Use the planning system to develop residential and business travel plans and improve the Council’s effectiveness in travel plan monitoring and enforcement.

- Undertake extensive promotion of the countywide car sharing scheme.

- Proactively seek to develop travel plans with large and medium sized organisations and businesses.

- Introduce ‘smarter choice’ measures such as car clubs and personalised travel planning in appropriate new developments and other suitable areas.

- Address traffic-related air quality issues in Air Quality Management Areas.

- Improve traffic-related air quality issues on a countywide basis.

- Work with partners to develop and implement area transport strategies for Chippenham, Devizes, Salisbury, Trowbridge and all other Community Areas.

- Require appropriate Transport Assessments and contributions from developments.

- Implement the Community Infrastructure Levy (or similar).

- Seek to address other quality of life issues through the overall approach and relevant theme/area strategies.

As many respondees pointed out, this approach is hardly "radical" at all in the context of today's world and its challenges.

Another interesting aspect is the consultation response submitted by someone named as "Elected councillor." This person supports the exact opposite of the "Radical" approach, and claims several times to represent the view of the majority. Thankfully, both the vote on the long-term transport strategy approaches, and the nature of the vast majority of consultation responses clearly shows this not to be the case.

I applaud them for not being pigeonholed into such stereotypical and outdated assumptions.

Finally, it is certainly the case that Wiltshire Council got a lot of stick from respondees for a perceived misjudgement of how the three long-term transport strategy approaches should have been framed. However, there are encouraging signs that they are taking on board what the vast majority of consultation respondees have told them, an example being their recent purchase of land at Melksham station for public transport use.

I hope, expect, and look forward to this new positive attitude continuing to translate into concrete positive action in the months and years ahead.