Regional mayor: People should have the option to leave their cars at home

TALKS ON SHAPING FUTURE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

PEOPLE should not feel as though they have to rely on a car to get around Nottinghamshire, says the region's mayor.

Extending Nottingham’s tram network and increasing the number of bus routes are among the ideas being floated ahead of a major plan being produced to strengthen the public transport system across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Nottingham City Council has long been encouraging people not to use their cars as often, as part of its plans to be the UK's first carbon neutral city, although that goal may be watered down.

Responsibility for public transport across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire will soon be handed over to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), the authority given billions of pounds in funding to make decisions and investments previously made in Westminster.

East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward, who heads the EMCCA, said a consultation will take place on the transport plan but shared her ambition for drivers to be given a choice.

The Mayor said: “I think sustainable transport, absolutely, but that doesn’t mean that people aren't going to use their cars.