Crackdown on car use ‘must be priority’

CUTTING down on car use in the West Midlands should be a top priority for the new regional mayor, according to a major think tank.

Reducing congestion on the roads and improving public transport is one of the key tasks facing the mayor, according to the Centre for Cities.

One of the goals would be to make it easier to get between towns and cities such as Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and the other towns of the Black Country.

Alexandra Jones, chief executive of Centre for Cities, said: “Traffic congestion is a big problem across the West Midlands, especially in Birmingham and Wolverhampton. By announcing their intention to address this problem on day one, the new mayor can demonstrate their ambition to have a tangible impact on behalf of local people in their initial months in office.”

She added: “In particular, the mayor should avoid the temptation to scrap the M6 toll, and instead use scarce public resources to improve bus and rail travel across the region – for example, by making it easier to use the Swift smart travel card across all networks. Not only will this help cut congestion, it will also make it easier for people to access jobs and amenities across the West Midlands.”

The think tank suggested creating a single credit-card style ticket for public transport, similar to London’s Oyster Card scheme, which could work on every form of public transport.

And it said there should be more cycle and bus lanes on key roads, to make these alternative methods of travel more attractive. Other priorities should be promoting the West Midlands overseas and helping people find jobs, the Centre for Cities said.

Ms Jones said: “Raising the profile of the West Midlands internationally will be vital in ensuring the region can compete with Greater Manchester and other places, and that local businesses can flourish in the years to come.”