EEDA - East of England Development Agency

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Routes to growth - regional transport campaign

The East of England is a growing region - and the third largest contributor region to the UK economy. Investment in the transport system is essential for the region's economy to flourish and compete in the global marketplace.

Our region:

• contributes 9.7 per cent of total value of UK economy. In 2006 the region contributed just under £110 billion to the UK economy
• receives the lowest level of central government investment per head of any UK region
• was awarded only ten per cent of the total allocation of the last round of indicative regional transport funding allocations 
• is growing rapidly - with proposed port expansions set to increase container trade by 71 per cent, while the expansion of Stansted is set to increase passengers from 24 million per year this year to 68 million per year by 2030.

EEDA is taking forward a range of actions to ensure that key decision-makers are equipped to recognise the level of investment that is needed to develop a sustainable transport network capable of supporting the growing East of England.

Why should we invest in a sustainable transport network?

A sustainable transport network in the East of England is essential for business:

• creating access to more jobs for more people, reducing travel costs for businesses and encouraging smarter ways to work.

A sustainable transport network in the East of England is key to delivering economic and housing growth in the region:

• the region has ambitious targets for half a million new dwellings and 450,000 new jobs by 2021.

The transport gateways are expanding. However constraints on number of key routes are leading to significant economic problems:

• without investment to support the region’s transport network the regional and national economy will suffer.

We also need to do more to ensure that transport solutions help protect the environment for the coming generations:

• the requirement to reduce the region's environmental footprint will require significant reduction of carbon emissions from transport.

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