Local Transport Plan 2, 2006-11

Valerie Letheren

As the Cabinet Member for Transportation, I am excited by the challenges that Buckinghamshire will face in the coming years. With the period of the First Local Transport Plan (LTP) coming to a close and a new one about to begin, we have taken the opportunity to review our performance over the last five years and to assess where we want to be, not only in five years' time, but also in twenty years. This has enabled us to put together a comprehensive document that sets a longterm vision and strategy for transport and access in Buckinghamshire.

Over the period of the first LTP, we made excellent progress against both national and local targets and will have implemented over 2,000 schemes. Working to widen travel choices, tackle the adverse effects of traffic and maintain the transport network, we have seen bus patronage in Aylesbury grow by 20%, cut congestion at the school gate with 9% fewer car journeys (equivalent to 13,000 journeys per day), and reduced the number of people injured on the roads by 12%.

We are particularly proud to have been awarded 'Centre of Excellence' for our local transport delivery, a number of national and international awards over the last five years and for being the joint top performing transport authority based on the assessments made by the Department for Transport in Annual Progress Reports. Just as important to us are the significant improvements in levels of customer satisfaction recorded during the first LTP.

We are not complacent however, and know we need to do much more. There are a number of significant challenges facing us; not least the growth agenda envisaged for the north of the county and the cross-cutting programme we have set ourselves and our partners in this document. We believe our adoption of five transport priorities - Enhancing access, Tackling congestion, Improving our environment, Improving road safety and Maintaining and managing the transport asset - will enable us to successfully tackle the social, economic and environmental challenges facing us.

In summary, having learned lessons from the first, we believe we have put together a second LTP that is even more targeted and customer focused, delivers on the national and local transport agendas and contains coherent strategies and actions that are based on deliverability and value for money.

Thank you for taking the time to read it

Valerie Letheren
Cabinet Member for Transportation

For more information call 01296 382053 or email transportps@buckscc.gov.uk