Published September 2015
The ability to move efficiently, conveniently and reliably from place to place is something we all demand. We rely on our transport system to get us from A to B and to provide us with the goods and services we need. However, the transport system is under immense strain. Traffic congestion has increased and capacity on major rail routes is stretched. The problems are expected to get worse as demand increases, especially in our major cities and their surrounding hinterlands. The solutions are neither quick nor cheap, but as this Talking Points report makes clear, failure to invest in a more integrated and better connected transport network will leave UK plc at a distinct competitive disadvantage.
To find out more about the scale of the issue, and explore what can be done to improve connectivity between our cities and regions, the Smith Institute and PwC ran a series of roundtables in five major cities to hear the views of transport practitioners, experts and decision makers from the cities and city-regions themselves.
These views are captured in this Talking Points publication. It offers a snapshot of current opinion and, most importantly, makes suggestions as to what could be done to improve connectivity within and between the UK’s cities and regions.