Transport

Transport

We believe that we should have public transport infrastructure in place and investment in local services. We need reliable, clean and affordable bus and train services, which are suitable especially for those who are elderly, disabled or with young children. All communities should have public transport that operates at the times that are needed for workers and commuters. We support the extension of Metrolink but not the recent increase in charges for Altrincham commuters. We are pleased with the recent investment in rolling stock but we still need more double trams at peak times. 

• Parking charges
  We support free car parking in Timperley, Hale and Hale Barns villages, and other local centres in Trafford as this helps our community and brings in shoppers to our local small businesses.  We do not support any price increases in car parking charges in Altrincham.  We believe that traffic wardens should be there to help, especially disabled drivers rather than inconvenience shoppers.
• Better Roads
  The condition of the roads in Trafford is high on our list of complaints. We would like to see a road improvement programme, which does more than just deal with pot holes and temporary repairs; we need a more robust and permanent solution to save money and time. The same procedure should also be implemented for our pavements and car parks.
• Speeding/ 20mph zones
  To tackle the speeding and aggressive motorist, the Timperley Lib Dems have run a 20 is plenty campaign. We would like to see more 20 (mph) advisory zones, especially on side roads and around schools. Rather than increase the number of hidden speed cameras, we would like to see more traffic police that stop drivers who present a danger to the public. Liberal Democrats are continuing with their campaign to get the Council to create 20 mph speed limit zones around local schools.

Compared to other areas, Trafford could be worse with the latest figures showing 218 accidents involving cars per 100 000 in 2008. Neighbouring Manchester stands at 310 accidents per 100 000 involving cars. We would like to see this figure even lower as even one fatality is one too many and there were still 54 incidents in 2008 where someone was killed or seriously injured on Trafford's roads.
The Lib Dems support the pilot 20mph advisory scheme that was trialled in Old Trafford recently. Although the 12 month trial was too short to assess any reduction in accidents in the area, residents felt that it was safer to walk and cycle there and for children to play out.
There is by now evidence from around the country to show that such zones do cut accident rates. The 20 zones in Plymouth (where the overall stats had been much worse in previous years) had by far the biggest impact on accidents involving cars (152 per 100 000, compared to 198 per 100 000 Hampshire average). Still there was an overall reduction in accidents in recent years.
The Transport Research Laboratory recently reviewed results from 250 20 mph zones in. Results showed there was a 67% overall reduction in child accidents. The Department of Transport now says it will allow 20 mph limits to be used without the need for additional traffic calming methods. Let's act now to protect our children. 

• Bicycling
  Liberal Democrats would like to see better road conditions and facilities for all those that wish to cycle. For all age groups, we would like it to be a safe, healthy and sustainable mode of transport. We need to combat heavy traffic, improve cycle lanes and create viable storage places for bicycles. We believe influencing the planning processes will make the above possible.

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