The emerging LTP at a glance

The new Local Transport Plan provides an opportunity for us to refocus our transport policies and programmes under a unifying vision. The proposed vision is by 2050 Staffordshire will have:

“An integrated and efficient transport system that delivers economic prosperity, creates healthy and safe communities, and protects the natural environment”.

1. Deliver a whole-systems approach to transport and road management that grows the economy.
2. Create safe, well maintained local roads, footways and cycleways that create a sense of place and healthy communities.
3. Improve physical and virtual connectivity, whilst addressing inequalities. 
4. Improve air quality, and protect the natural environment.

Before a scheme is delivered, evidence is needed to show that the following design principles have been considered:

• Actively involve residents at the earliest opportunity, giving them a voice regarding schemes and their design.
• Ensure that public spaces and amenities are accessible and welcoming to all.
• Incorporate features that encourage social interaction such as green spaces and seating.
• Encourage access by walking, cycling, and public transport to reduce car dependency and improve local air quality.
• Promote local arts, culture, and heritage to foster a sense of place and identity.

This LTP covers the administration area of Staffordshire, which includes the districts and boroughs of Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield, Tamworth and South Staffordshire.

The focus of the LTP relates to the use of vehicles to move people and goods, and the management of the local highway network and its supporting infrastructure. Whilst transport provides access to opportunities, services and activities, access can also be achieved through:

• Land use planning - designing places so that jobs and amenities are closer to where people live.
• Digital connectivity - rolling out and encouraging the use of fast broadband and mobile connections. 

As a result, these two elements, which are vital to achieving the LTP’s vision, will be included in the LTP. 

Behavioural change is the golden thread that will run through the LTP and is again, key to achieving the vision. Residents and businesses need to adjust their travel behaviour by reducing the number of trips they take and using greener vehicles.

Finally, the LTP’s vision cannot be achieved by us working alone with our existing powers; it requires the support and action of our partners, residents and businesses. Therefore, this LTP includes our ‘asks’ of others to help deliver the vision.

The LTP sets out the vision for Staffordshire’s transport network in 2050, and the policies, schemes, aspirations, partner asks, and targets needed to achieve that vision. It includes car-based travel, active and shared travel, logistics, as well as the management of roads and footways.  

Several themed and area-based strategies will it beneath the LTP and provide greater detail regarding how its vision will be achieved. These strategies, along with the LTP, will be updated regularly to ensure that they reflect Staffordshire’s challenges and opportunities, national and local policy, and best practice.

 An Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA) is being prepared alongside the LTP. It seeks to reduce the LTP’s impact on Staffordshire’s health, environment, society and economy.

The new Local Transport Plan is proposing to reshape how Staffordshire's transport network is managed and maintained. It will:

• Use spatial and transport planning to design places for people, rather than for motor vehicles and accommodating their growth. 
• Apply the COM-B model (or similar) as part of scheme planning. COM-B suggests three necessary components to achieve behaviour change – capability, opportunity, and motivation. Part of the capability element is addressed through our Capability to Achieve Suitable Travel (CAST) approach.
• Seek to play its role in meeting the UK's target to decarbonise the transport system by 2050.
• Reduce reliance on petrol and diesel vehicles.
• Give residents, visitors and businesses a choice of high quality travel options.
• Deliver a transport system that promotes prosperous, healthy places by supporting economic growth and promoting active lifestyles.

Which strategies support the Local Transport Plan?

The Local Transport Plan will be supported by a number of strategies, designed to help deliver its priorities. They explain the policies within the Local Transport Plan in much greater detail. The strategies are:

• Staffordshire Highways Design Code

Sets out the general principles and minimum standards for the layout and dimensions of roads and paved areas in residential and industrial developments.

• Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

Promotes walking and cycling with the aim of encouraging physical activity, reducing congestion on roads and improving air quality in our congested areas.Walking and cycling - Staffordshire County Council(External link) 

• Passenger Rail & Rail Freight Strategy

Seeks to ensure that rail services are accessible, convenient, inclusive, and attractive to both passengers and the freight industry when compared to alternative, road based options.

• Digital Connectivity Strategy

Encourages greater coverage, choice and speed of web and mobile services, which will enable our residents and businesses to use digital solutions to improve their lives, grow their businesses, and reduce the need to travel.

• Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)

Sets out how - in partnership with local bus operators, district councils, and other stakeholders - we will enhance bus services and further improve the bus offer to residents and visitors. Staffordshire bus service improvement plan - Staffordshire County Council(External link) 

• Rights of Way Improvement Plan

Aims to create a network of rights of way that is relevant for today’s needs, supports the rural economy and tourism offer, and improves the health and quality of life of residents and visitors.

• District Integrated Transport Strategies x 8

Sets out the challenges and opportunities specific to each of the county's districts. They provide a local context to the Local Transport Plan's Implementation and aim to facilitate the delivery of the Local Plan.

• Bus Information & Infrastructure Strategy

Aims to ensure that the design of bus infrastructure is constructed to a consistently high quality, is operationally efficient, and is integrated within its locality. In so doing, the strategy strives to ensure that sustainable transport generally, and public transport more specifically, is increasingly considered as an attractive alternative to other motorised transport modes.

• Shared Mobility Strategy

This Strategy will help us to enhance travel by bus, train, coach, taxi and private hire vehicles, and community transport. It also helps us to improve access to travel information and develop more ticketing options.

• Highway Asset Infrastructure Management Plan (HAIMP)

The HAIMP contains detailed guidance on how we will maintain the highway network, including roads, footpaths, bridges, street lighting, drainage, etc. Managing roads and highways overview - Staffordshire County Council(External link) 

• Road Traffic & Network Management Strategy (including Road Freight)

This strategy will detail how we manage and make the best use of our roads to relieve congestion and improve safety of all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

All timescales are subject to change.

As we develop LTP4, it will be regularly assessed to see how social, economic and environmental factors are being affected. Any negative impacts will be reduced or removed. 

The following assessments will form LTP4's Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA): 

• Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA)
• Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
• Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
• Community Safety Assessment (CSA)