New Local Transport Strategy
Read York’s Local Transport Strategy. In addition, read our Implementation Plan and read the feedback from Our Big Transport Conversation. Watch our information video about the strategy on YouTube.
Read more about:
- our strategic vision
- key themes of the policy
- how we will deliver the new strategy
- consultation and collaboration
Our strategic vision
The Local Transport Strategy proposes a strategic vision:
In 2030 York residents will benefit from an accessible, affordable, sustainable and resilient transport network that continues to actively improve health and support a thriving economy for decades to come.
This vision will be met by delivering 10 objectives:
- support an inclusive, accessible, affordable city
- support delivery of the Climate Change Strategy
- support delivery of the Economic Development Strategy
- improve health and wellbeing through healthy place shaping
- enhance safety and personal security
- improve the local environment by reducing air pollution and noise
- enhance the reliability of the transport system
- protect the city’s heritage and enhance public spaces
- accommodate the envisaged growth of the city in the most sustainable way
- future-proof our city
The Local Transport Strategy is rooted in the wider city strategies and their ambitions, and sets out a series of key policy themes to achieve a reduction of 71% in York’s transport carbon emissions, which York’s Climate Change Strategy requires to reach net zero by 2030.
Key themes of the policy
Read the key themes of the Local Transport Policy.
Shape a city that is accessible to everyone
This will mean that everyone, including young people, women, disabled people and anyone with a protected characteristic, is able to access all the facilities which they need. In addition, all areas of the city, and its villages, have accessible, reliable and affordable bus services to key destinations.
Improve walking, wheeling and cycling
This will mean cycling, walking and wheeling become more attractive and offer better alternatives to the car. Key to this will be creating a continuous network of safe and high-quality cycle, walking and wheeling routes, and giving all active travel users greater priority on roads and at junctions. Effectively integrating new modes like e-bikes into York’s transport network will also be important. These changes will achieve a doubling of active travel journeys by 2030.
Shape healthy places
This will encourage physical activity by ensuring that all communities in York are inclusive, feel safe and offer all the facilities which people need on a daily basis within easy reach whether walking, wheeling, cycling or travelling by public transport. We'll:
- improve district centres so that people can meet more of their shopping, work and leisure needs locally, without having to travel by car
- improve streets and spaces in York to help us adapt to future climate change and for the benefits of all users, including people who have limited mobility, hearing or sight loss
- focus on planting, lighting, surfaces and the quality and feel of streets and spaces in York
- improve broadband connectivity to enable people to work, study and shop from home
Improve public transport
This will mean that all areas of the city have good and reliable public transport access. Key to this will be extending the bus network, ensuring effective and reliable early and late services when people need them, and upgrading high frequency bus services. In some cases into bus rapid transit services or possibly light rail transit systems. We'll also work to upgrade heavy rail services where they play a local role or support our other policies. Not only will this result in a 50% or greater increase in bus patronage by 2030, it will also enhance the viability of public transport and protect its future.
Safeguard our environment by cutting carbon, air pollution and noise
We'll encourage the take-up of electric vehicles because they have no tailpipe emissions. However, we know that simply converting existing internal combustion-engine trips to electric vehicle trips will not be enough to meet Climate Change targets, reduce congestion, or improve air quality and health sufficiently. We must achieve reductions in the absolute number of car miles travelled too.
Manage York’s transport networks for Movement and Place
We'll develop a Movement and Place Plan which reallocates road-space to create safe and connected networks for walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport, cars and freight for residents, businesses and visitors alike – helping deliver York’s economic and environmental strategies and Local Plan by making walking, wheeling and cycling more attractive and buses more reliable. The Movement and Place Plan will also identify how best to balance the needs of streets as travel corridors and as places where people live, shop, go to school and enjoy their leisure. It will facilitate all kinds of journey including trips to and from outside of the city, and will recognise York’s place in the wider region. A key to the Movement and Place Plan will be using York’s new traffic models to minimise congestion, along with new ways to manage and construct highways to minimise their environmental impacts and work with partners to deliver any required interventions and schemes.
Reduce car dependency
We'll provide safe and comprehensive networks so that alternatives to the car are the obvious choice for a growing proportion of transport users, whilst enabling those who have to use motorised vehicles to get about more easily. We'll manage parking to provide access for shops and business, while discouraging car use for journeys which could be made by sustainable modes. New developments will be planned so that active travel and public transport are the obvious choice. In addition, We'll also promote behavioural change by supporting people as they switch travel modes, for example, through travel planning. Together these changes will reduce the number of miles travelled on York’s roads by at least 20% by 2030.
Improve freight and logistics
This means that York’s businesses have efficient access for their supplies, goods and services, while at the same time reducing the impact of heavy lorries and light goods vehicles on carbon emissions, air pollution, safety and damage to heritage.
Effective maintenance and enforcement and management of streetworks
This will mean that the condition of York’s transport networks enables the transition to greater use of sustainable transport. Enforcement of traffic rules and effective management of street-works will be a key tool in achieving our stated objectives.
How we will deliver the new strategy
In 2024 we also agreed an Implementation Plan to guide us towards delivering the policies within the Local Transport Strategy. You can read our Implementation Plan here.
Consultation and collaboration
Residents, visitors and businesses helped inform the Local Transport Strategy through their input into Our Big Transport Conversation, a major consultation held in late 2023 and early 2024. Our evidence base is summarised in the strategy and has been discussed at Scrutiny meetings.
The extensive Our Big Conversation programme of engagement asked residents, businesses and communities for their thoughts on the ten policy areas, as well as helping us to understand the issues that people face when using York’s transport networks.
The Local Transport Strategy responds to ambitions set out in the 10 year strategies and plans across Climate Change, Health and Wellbeing, York's Economic Strategy and Skills, and the anticipated population growth detailed in the Local Plan.
Journey to adoption
Executive Members agreed the new Local Transport Strategy which will shape the city’s travel networks until 2040 at a meeting on Thursday 18 July 2024.
The Executive papers include further information as well as consultation feedback. Read the agenda for the Executive on Thursday 18 July 2024, 4.30pm.
You can watch a recording of the Executive meeting.
The Draft Local Transport Strategy consultation was approved by Executive meeting on Tuesday 14 February 2023, 2.30pm (item 4).
Following consultation with community groups it was updated, and approved by Executive on Thursday 12 October 2023, 5.30pm (item 36).
Further details were approved at the Executive Decision Session on Tuesday 14 November 2023, 10.00am (item 5).