Tyneside chosen for Now it is the integration study Inspectors . . .
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THE Minister of Transport, Mrs. Barbara Castle, has asked the Northern Economic Planning Council to report, within six months, on the possibility of a fully integrated transport system for Tyneside.
Passenger and goods transport on land, sea and air in the area will be considered by an eight-strong study group now being set up by Mr. Dan Smith, the NEPC chairman.
Mr. Smith is the first regional chairman to accept the Minister's invitation to consider whether integrated transport systems would be possible in their region, or in particular areas within a region.
The group will include some NEPC members who have extensive local knowledge and a number of professional experts. The names will be announced on Monday (February 21).
Sunderland is expected to be included in the area of the survey.
C. W. Gair, MoT Northern Division road engineer, told COMMERCIAL MOTOR this week: "There has already been a lot of work on travel patterns in the area. Newcastle
upon-Tyne's city planning officer has a considerable amount of information; a conurbation highways survey is now being completed; the TUCC has looked into the situation; and the railways and bus undertakings have their own figures. There will not be very much time to take additional surveys."
Giving an example of passengers who travel by bus following the withdrawal of rail facilities from the particular point, and who then have to walk through the town from a bus terminus to the station if their onward journey is by rail, Mr. Gair said: "This is the sort of gap in integration that the group is to look at and see whether the gaps can be closed".
He thought the group might consider ways to make public transport more attractive, possibly by timing, fares or facilities. It will consider how services compare economically.
Mr. Gair emphasized that the group's role would be to consider whether integration would be possible; it would not itself take any action to implement integration.