Businesses are joining council and LEP bosses across the North of England to push for more reliable transport systems as a way of developing the region’s economy.
The call for more reliable transport connections comes in a Transport for the North report which reveals attitudes of Northern business leaders to remote working, decarbonisation and logistics.
The study highlights how travel patterns have been significantly altered by the pandemic and the increase in people working from home, but adds that many businesses in the North felt they were held back by congestion on the roads and the unreliability, cost and lack of convenience of rail and bus travel.
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It also found that many businesses in the region would like to do more to decarbonise their transport use, but most wanted support in that area.
Some businesses in the region have introduced showers and cycle storage or tried to increase public transport use by staff, but only a small number (6%) had electric or hybrid fleet vehicles and a quarter of businesses with company vehicle fleets said increased financial incentives were needed to encourage that switch.
Martin Tugwell, chief executive at Transport for the North, said: “Improving our transport networks will enable a vibrant business community across our region, supporting jobs and economic growth for generations to come.
“This incredibly useful data uncovers a number of key opportunities and shows the importance of understanding the user perspective. Investing now in our road and rail networks, freight links, decarbonisation initiatives and active travel schemes, will make ‘levelling up’ real for people and businesses.
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“Better connectivity will enable easier, more reliable access to jobs and new markets, and instil confidence and resilience for the future.
“It also highlights the differing challenges for urban and rural businesses; small and large companies, showing that local insight into what our region needs is an essential piece of the puzzle when making decisions on which projects to invest in at which moments.
“It’s clear that our region’s businesses have strong ambitions, and need the appropriate infrastructure to support them. Through the region’s 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships that sit on our board, we are representing our businesses and speaking with ‘one voice’ on how they stand to benefit from a sustained pipeline of investment in transport.”