§ Mr. WalterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the modes of transport available to people living in socially and economically deprived areas and the effects on their work and leisure opportunities. [116042]
§ Mr. JamiesonLocal authorities write five-year Local Transport Plans (LTPs), and report annually on progress made against those plans. The Government"s guidance on LTPs (DETR 2000) stated that authorities would need to promote social inclusion and tackle the transport needs of people on low incomes. Authorities" subsequent progress reports have identified a wide range of local solutions designed to address these concerns.
The publication in February this year of the Social Exclusion Unit"s report on transport, "Making the connections", presented new policies to improve people"s access to jobs and key services. Particularly, authorities preparing second LTPs (due in 2005) will be asked to conduct accessibility planning. Accessibility planning will aim to identify barriers that prevent those who rely on public transport from accessing jobs and key services. Transport planners will then have to work in partnership with colleagues in other sectors, to agree and then implement action plans that make appropriate improvements.