North Yorkshire Council (NYC) is running a Let’s Talk consultation on residents’ travel habits in advance of the publication of its draft Local Transport Plan (LTP).
Have Your Say
NYC’s Have Your Say page explains that NYC’s LTP will be developed alongside City of York Council’s plan.
Cllr Keane Duncan says that the prospect of a Mayor for the York & North Yorkshire region and a devolution deal means that now is a good time to rewrite NYC’s LTP.
It is likely that the LTP will have to include Quantifed Carbon Reductions, as outlined here for Cambridgeshire.
Let’s Talk Transport
NYC has another web page about the consultation, which is partly duplication of the first.
It says that the current consultation is an informal way to gather information about travel habits and views, and it will be followed by a formal consultation on a draft LTP.
Commonplace
The consultation itself is on Commonplace.
The survey asks about your current travel habits as compared to your habits 3 years ago, and your expected habits in 3 years’ time.
It also asks ‘How well do you feel the transport system in North Yorkshire meets your needs?’
There is a question about transport concerns, including road safety and climate change. The free text boxes that follow are an opportunity to comment on NYC’s dismal record of failure to improve cycle facilities over many years.
Routemap to Carbon Negative
NYC has endorsed the Routemap to Carbon Negative for the York & North Yorkshire region. The Routemap commits to ambitious, science-based goals including:
- reducing private car use by 48% by 2030 and
- increasing distance cycled by 900% by 2030
Unfortunately, it is pretty clear from the council’s own Climate Change Strategy, which is a homeopathic version of the Routemap, that it has no intention of taking action to meet the goals.
Zero Carbon Harrogate
Zero Carbon Harrogate have published a Briefing Paper on Let’s Talk Transport.
It points out that transport is the biggest single source of emissions in North Yorkshire, and calls on NYC to put sustainability and carbon reduction at the heart of an integrated LTP.
Take Action
The Commonplace consultation, and a subsequent LTP consultation, are opportunities to press NYC to be a responsible council and meet its obligations on climate and cycling.
Go to the Commonplace consultation.
There are also in-person events at selected locations.