Extra shoppers need city trams

Aug 20 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

WE REPORTED last week how the spectre of congestion charging in Merseyside appeared to be moving ominously closer.

The Merseyside Local Transport Plan Partnership is scrutinising the prospect of introducing fees among possible future options for the region, as it seeks to maximise potential income from the Government for upgrading the public transport network.

But that would be about as fair as Chelsea’s so-called “equaliser” yesterday.

If the trams were once seen as the answer to Liverpool’s congestion problems, where is the sense in penalising motorists for driving into the city before the solution has been put in place and the new transport option provided?

As we report today, Joanne Jennings, the new chief executive of Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One retail complex, remains enthusiastic about the trams project, even though its official status seems to lie somewhere between dormant and abandoned.

But, if Grosvenor achieves its aim of taking Liverpool back into the premier league of shopping destinations, and suc- ceeds in attracting an extra 1m-plus eager customers into the city, it is in Ms Jennings’s interests to flag up the short- comings in our public transport provision.

How are all these extra people going to get to Liverpool One? If congestion in Liverpool becomes even worse, as a result, won’t shoppers be put off making return visits?

She has every right to be disappointed with the fate that befell Merseytram. A ticket office was built as part of the Liverpool One scheme, and the city’s road layout was altered to accommodate the new tram lines.

Liverpool One will, in a few months’ time, become a major player in the city’s economy. Ms Jennings’s views are impor- tant because Grosvenor and Liverpool share a common goal – financial pros- perity – and she should be listened to.

If there is any prospect whatsoever of resurrecting the Merseytram plan before congestion charges come in and send people elsewhere, we should seize the opportunity without delay.