The South and West Yorkshire Multi-Modal Study (SWYMMS) is one of several Roads-Based and Multi-Modal Studies recently undertaken by the UK Department for Transport (DfT). Multi-Modal Studies examine problems of congestion on the strategic road network and seek solutions from all modes of transport. In Spring 2000, the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber (GOYH) commissioned a consortium led by MVA Limited to undertake SWYMMS. The Study Area covers much of South and West Yorkshire, including all the main urban areas. The overall aims of SWYMMS were to make recommendations for: an integrated and sustainable strategy for the strategic road, rail and water networks in the Study Area; and a plan of specific interventions to address the most urgent key strategic problems in the Study Area through to 2021. The study-specific objectives which the strategy and plan should achieve were: to reduce congestion on the motorways and A1; to re-establish the primary role of the trunk road network for strategic traffic; to facilitate sustainable economic regeneration of depressed areas, especially the Objective 1 status area of South Yorkshire and the Objective 2 status areas of West Yorkshire; and to sustain economic growth in other parts of the Study Area. The Study established that the causes of current and future congestion on the motorways and A1 in the Study Area are: the congested sections of motorways and A1 in the peak periods are used by large numbers of commuters; the average occupancy of cars used for commuting is only 1.15; some of these car commuters are travelling very long distances; many of their destinations as well as their origins are widely dispersed, and only a small proportion end in town or city centres; for many of these car commuters to use the current public transport system, they would incur substantial wait times for infrequent services and would have to interchange between services to a degree likely to be regarded as unacceptable; and much of the current rail system is overloaded in the peaks, and could not carry many of the car commuting movements without capacity enhancements. The most important recommendations from the Study were as follows: the motorways and A1 should be widened, but only with integral measures to minimise induced traffic such as ramp metering, the aim was to achieve a higher level of service, not more traffic travelling at current speeds; and area-wide road user charging should be introduced as soon as possible after 2010. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Samenvatting