Car users are being asked to switch one journey a week to public transport, walking or cycling and people who don’t have access to a car are encouraged to continue to travel sustainably.

The North East is set to benefit from a series of traffic signals upgrades on major bus routes across the region.

The North East Joint Transport Committee is set to discuss the approval of over £24 million to deliver major improvements to regional sustainable transport, including the creation of a new interchange in North Shields, bus priority measures and improvements to walking and cycling routes in North Tyneside and Gateshead.

Members of the public are being asked to have their say on the new North East Rail and Metro Strategy (NERMS) which highlights the region’s rail and Metro ambitions and what the network could look like by 2035.

As Leaders of the councils in Tyne and Wear we have no choice but to boost local transport funding so that we can preserve the most important transport links for our communities, in the face of planned cuts to privately-operated bus services caused by a lack of government funding.

The North East Joint Transport Committee is set to discuss development of a new Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the South of Tyne and Wearside Loop which could take the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington in a major boost for regional connectivity.