While congestion, fuel tax and the future of public transport are debated by politicians
and pundits throughout the country, one city is bringing joined-up thinking on travel to life. Cathy Savage reports on the Greater Manchester Integrate project

So far integrated transport has really been a buzz-phrase rather than a living, working concept. But beyond the national spotlight, Manchester is trying to prove that it can be a workable reality. Launched two years ago, the Integrate project was dreamt up to tackle growing congestion, pollution and accidents, while ensuring mobility and quality of transport. The initiative has been developed as part of the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy.

In many ways Manchester had a headstart - already boasting a comprehensive public transport network of bus, train and tram services, which had the potential to be honed into a high quality alternative to car travel.
As the chair of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, Cllr Joe Clarke, said: "All the components essential for an integrated transport system exist. The purpose of this project is to draw them together into a comprehensive, integrated network."
The thinking was that if the network could be made faster, easier to use, more frequent and more comfortable, then it would be an attractive alternative to the car, as well as offering improved mobility to those without cars.

The key aims of the project were to:

• reduce congestion while maintaining mobility
• reduce social exclusion
• make the local economy more effective
• improve the environment
• make travel safer for everyone.

Integrate is the largest partnership of its kind in the country, comprising the 10 district councils which make up the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority and Executive, the bus operators who are members of Greater Manchester Travelcards Ltd, North Western Trains, Altram (who run Metrolink), the Highways Agency and Manchester Airport.

At the outset, Rodney Dickinson, of bus operator First Manchester, said: "Operators welcome the opportunity to work together more extensively in partnership with train and tram providers, Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, GMPTE and local authorities. They recognise that many of the initiatives needed to improve public transport can only be achieved in this way.
"This spirit of co-operation is an opportunity to bring about a revolution in the provision of public transport by combining the commercial acumen of private sector transport operators and the overall public perspective of local authorities in terms of transport and land use policies."
All of which sounds pretty impressive. In practice, most parts of the initiative have been borne of straightforward common sense - not generally a common element in transport planning. The project realised that information needed to be easily available and accurate; that the waiting environment needed to be clean and safe; services should be frequent, fast and accessible; connections should be convenient and well-signed; and fares and tickets should allow customers to switch easily from one service and/or operator to another.

Improving these issues was to be the measure of the project's success - and, two years on, it looks to be doing pretty well. With help from the DETR, a regional, integrated telephone enquiry service has been established. More than 3,500 high quality shelters and stops have been built, with improved safety and security measures at bus stations. Metrolink, the country's first modern street running light rail system, has been a great success; Quality Bus Corridors are being introduced throughout the area, and a new system called "Ring and Ride" provides a network of accessible door-to-door buses for people who cannot use conventional services. Research is being carried out into existing and potential interchanges, as well as significant work on a multi-modal interchange at Manchester airport. Schemes are also being piloted for better interchange between public transport and taxis.

As for ticketing, integrated travelcards have been a great success and a major initiative this year is the introduction of Smartcards, which will help reduce cash payments and allow new ticketing schemes to be introduced.

But the project has even bigger plans to meet. The first Local Transport Plan is the main focus and will take Integrate to the end of 2005. In its annual report, Integrate sets ambitious targets for the next five years, including a single telephone information bureau answering 90 per cent of calls within 20 seconds; real time information on departure times at every rail, tram and main bus stop, and also on the internet; CCTV and greater staff coverage at bus stations; low emission, easy access vehicles; minimum levels of bus frequency; and maps and timetables to be displayed throughout the network.

The partners show no sign of complacency and the partnership shows no signs of foundering. With so much success locally, while the national scene remains unclear, the Manchester project has been buoyed by the support and encouragement of national Government.
"This initiative provides a clear signpost to others of what can be achieved, through partnership and co-operation, to help make public transport the mode of choice for many trips," claimed Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who has designated Greater Manchester a "centre of excellence" in integrated transport.
Whether or not its success can be replicated nationwide is another matter.

Professor David Begg, chairman of the Commission on Integrated Transport, will be speaking about the future of transport at Congress on Tuesday, 12 September.