New campaign in Liverpool to promote short journeys

Steve Rotheram has launched a major campaign urging people to ditch their cars for short journeys, seeking a ‘revolution in the way people live their lives’.

The newly re-elected Mayor of the Liverpool City Region wants to put walking and cycling on an equal footing with trains and buses, revisiting his election pledge to deliver a fully-integrated London-style Transport System serving the Liverpool City Region.

Therefore, to encourage motorists to leave their cars at home, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is investing £30 million in a 600km Active Travel network of cycle paths and walkways. Reducing an over-reliance on cars is crucial to hitting the Liverpool City Region’s target of being carbon-neutral by 2040.

More than half of journeys in the Liverpool City Region are short, but most are taken by car – fuelling a rise in carbon emissions from transport.

Rotheram said: “We were the first region in the country to declare a climate emergency in recognition of the scale of the challenge we face. We plan to be net zero carbon a whole decade before national targets. And we have ambitious plans to harness the Mersey to create enough clean, predictable energy to power 1m homes, creating thousands of high-skilled and construction jobs in the process.

“My ambitious plans have just been overwhelmingly endorsed by the electorate in every part of our region. In giving me the largest personal mandate in the history of our region, they have put their faith in me the to deliver those radical changes we need to make sure we are the cleanest, greenest and fairest region in the country.

“We’ve been developing plans for a London-style transport system that will make it quick, cheap and easy to get around. What does that mean in practice? It means different modes of transport fit together seamlessly, whether people are jumping on the bus, train or bike to get around – with massive benefits not only to your bank account but the environment too.

“We’ve introduced much cleaner buses and super-green hydrogen buses are on the way, while we’re exploring ways to take greater control over how they are run. We’ve spent £500 million on new publicly owned electric trains which open their doors at platform level, which will change the lives of wheelchair users, parents struggling with prams and people with mobility issues.

“And when it comes to active travel, I’m investing £30 million in a 600km network of cycle paths and walkways across all six local authority areas – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral – all linked to the wider transport network. It’s a good start. But real, lasting change will take time – and I need the help of everyone.”