Transport for the North wins prestigious CIHT Transport Planning Award

Transport for the North has scooped a prestigious industry award after setting out a 30-year vision for investment in the region.

The statutory, sub-national transport body took home the Transport Planning Award at the 2020 CIHT Awards for its Strategic Transport Plan (STP).

The STP, published in February 2019, sets out a vision for the North where world-class transport supports sustainable economic growth, excellent quality of life and improved opportunities for all. Drawn up and agreed by civic and business leaders, it sets out how the economy can be ‘levelled up’ through a pipeline of coordinated investments.

It details how sustained, pan-Northern investment in transport infrastructure can support transformational economic growth and provide opportunities for the region’s people and businesses for generations to come.

Judges commented that the entry was “An outstanding project with a clear vision to provide a strategic travel plan for a complex area. The scheme was grounded in engagement and produced a good evidence base with clear benefits to society.”

Barry White, Chief Executive of Transport for the North, said: “On behalf of the North’s people and businesses we’re delighted to receive the CIHT Transport Planning Award.

“The Strategic Transport Plan represents the first time that political and business leaders from across the North have come together to outline a shared vision for the future of our region – it is a plan by the North for the North.

“This award is a credit to the collaborative effort of our Members, partners, and colleagues, who all worked tirelessly to deliver the STP last year.

“Their efforts have only increased since then, and the need for strategic investment in our roads and railways is as vital as ever. Together we’ll continue to make the case for “levelling up” our region through infrastructure projects which will aid economic recovery and support future growth.”

The Transport Planning Award category ‘celebrates the value of transport planning in achieving positive outcomes for the benefit of the public, in creating new communities or on reducing the adverse impact of transport in communities’.

Photo credit: Dave Charnley Photography www.davecharnleyphotography.com

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