How does Blackpool’s transport policy help to improve Blackpool’s environment?
Blackpool's environment needs to be attractive to visitors on which the resort's economy depends and to offer good quality of life to residents. Much of the resort is very densely built up and assets such as
green-space and the transport facilities near them need to be managed carefully to maintain their benefits.
The resort accommodates very high peak time tourism traffic flows within high capacity roads and car parks, which prevent most tourism traffic penetrating into residential areas. Blackpool is not solely a tourism economy and the local distributor roads accommodate significant peak time traffic flows focused on the town centre, employment centres and schools.
Opportunities to increase road capacity without significant environmental damage have been exhausted . This fact is one of the drivers behind the Council's
modal shift promotion policies, encouraging tourists to arrive by
train and coach and residents to use bus, cycling and walking, together with pollution reduction (including noise) and
health promotion via active travel.
The Council has been active in reducing carbon emissions from the resort's economy. Sustainable transport offers carbon reductions compared with mass, car-based travel. The Council is also keen to ensure that the resort can continue if fuel price rises make private motoring unaffordable. Impending rail electrification is very welcome in this respect.
Sustainable transport policies reduce congestion, improve road safety, ameliorate pollution and help improve health. Residents and visitors should expect to move around in a clean, pleasant and safe environment. Transport policy is a key component within the Council's carbon reduction strategy.