Southampton announces its Green Transport Recovery Plan

Southampton City Council is to deliver a package of transformative transport measures, worth £4.1 million, to help people travel healthily and safely in an era of social distancing.

The Green Transport Recovery Plan as been established in line with the government’s recommendations for encouraging safe and active travel as we come out of lockdown and sets out a series of interventions to address two key challenges identified by the council.

Firstly, it will enable people to continue adhering to social distancing guidelines as people start to travel more and, crucially, it will support people to keep walking and cycling following a staggering rise in active travel across the city. Average cycle numbers have risen by 63 per cent across the city during lockdown, with over 5,000 cycles counted on VE Day alone.

The implementation of measures to support active travel has begun, with changes including the reallocation of road space and prioritisation of pedestrians and cyclists at pedestrian crossings. To better support social distancing, plans include the creation of additional space around bus stops, shops and other places where queuing may be necessary. Street closures around schools at the beginning and end of the day will create a safer and more spacious environment for walking, cycling and scooting, while spare road space will be used to create parklets providing additional footway space and cycle parking.

As well as new measures to facilitate continued active travel and minimise potential congestion as people return to work, the council’s Green Transport Recovery Plan also includes some already planned infrastructure projects that will now be accelerated to meet immediate demand.

Steve Leggett, cabinet member for Green City and Place, said: “Despite the difficulties faced, the lockdown measures have translated into some key positives for the city, with increased rates in active travel resulting in lower levels of road traffic and pollution. We now have a golden opportunity to harness this and ensure that our recovery as a city is successful, sustainable and innovative. Our Green Transport Recovery Plan means we are well-equipped to rise to this challenge and emerge more resilient, with a transport system that is fit to meet our city’s changing demands now and in the future. Importantly, it also interlinks with our Green City Plan that clearly defines how we will tackle climate change. Reducing road transport levels is one of the main actions in our commitment to delivering clean air.

"We want to see the reduction in emission levels continue; the recent data is going to help us learn more about the improvements in our local air quality and to shape future plans. We have already introduced actions that will improve the quality of life in our city, working with residents, key stakeholders, businesses and community groups across Southampton to reduce the impact we all have on our environment. Addressing road transport emissions by reducing the numbers of vehicles on our roads, promoting active travel and encouraging the switch to electric vehicles will all be key to creating a carbon neutral city.”