Issue - meetings

          Huw Jenkins from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority attended the meeting to present a report to the Board, which provided an overview of the draft Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) and the consultation process. 

          Members of the Board were advised that the aim of the Plan was to provide transport choices that would be safe, inclusive, affordable and low carbon.  It was acknowledged that there were gaps in the current transport network that needed to be challenged and the Plan would seek to address those.  In order to decarbonise transport by 2040 we would need to significantly change the way we travel and transport freight and goods.

          The draft Plan included five goals and eight core principles, and these were set out in section 4.4 of the report.  The Plan also included details of the policy approaches and proposed interventions across the range of transport challenges.  The consultation on proposed plans opened on 3 October 2024 and would close on 15 December 2024. 

          Members of the Board noted and discussed the report and subsequently the following additional information was noted:

·       shopping habits had changed in recent years with more people buying goods online and consideration needed to be given to alternative ways to deliver those goods, for example, electric/greener vans or e-bikes;

·       consideration to be given to banning petrol or diesel delivery vans in city centres.  Instead goods could be delivered to a consolidation centre outside of a city centre and then delivered by e-bikes or greener vehicles.  This however would require help from the Government in terms of funding and legal changes; and

·       the plan does not advocate user charges (cleaner emission charges) due to the risk of alienating itself to other nearby areas, such as Manchester or Skelmersdale. 

On behalf of the Board, the Chair thanked Huw Jenkins for his attendance and said they looked forward to further updates on the Plan in the future.

          RESOLVED:  that the Board note the Local Transport Plan 4 and its associated consultation process.