Reimagining transport in the West Midlands

The West Midlands Local Transport Plan (LTP) is the statutory, long‑term strategy that sets out how transport will be planned, funded and delivered across the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) area. 

In simple terms, it is the region’s blueprint for transport. It explains: 

• the challenges the transport system faces, 
• how transport helps with the Mayor’s priorities and the outcomes the region wants to achieve as set out in the West Midlands Growth Plan, and 
• the policies and investment priorities that will guide decisions over the coming years. 

The LTP looks across all forms of transport and their wider impacts, including: 

• public transport (bus, rail, metro), 
• walking, cycling and micromobility, 
• highways and freight, 
• the role of land‑use and spatial planning, 
• reducing transports impact on the environment and climate adaptation, 
• accessibility, inclusion and economic growth. 

A key aim is to ensure transport supports people and places — for example by connecting communities to jobs and services, improving health, and supporting our ambition for inclusive growth. 

• It is a legal requirement under national legislation. 
• It provides the policy framework for transport investment in the region. 
• It helps align transport with housing, regeneration and economic strategies. 
• Central government and partners expect regional policy and strategy to be supported by and consistent with the LTP. 

The plan is developed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) on behalf of the WMCA, working closely with the region’s constituent local authorities and stakeholders. 

The WMLTP5 Core Strategy sets the long‑term vision and policy framework for transforming transport across the West Midlands over the next 15 years. It establishes how transport will support a fairer, healthier, greener and more prosperous region, responding to inequality, population growth and changing travel needs. Creating journeys for everyone and helping to make the West Midlands the best place to live, work and visit. 

Vision and ambition 

At its heart is a vision of a region where people can thrive without needing to own or rely on a car, supported by the ambition for 50% of all trips to be made by sustainable modes by 2035 and the creation of a “45‑minute region”, where most everyday needs are accessible within 45 minutes without a car.  

Motives for change 

The Core Strategy is driven by five interconnected challenges: 

• Sustaining economic success 
• Tackling the climate emergency 
• Creating a fairer society 
• Supporting local communities and places 
• Enabling healthier, more active travel 

These reflect strong public concern over inequality, growing levels of traffic, impacts on the quality of our places and the limits of car‑led solutions.  

Strategic approach 

The Core Strategy prioritises: 

• Improving accessibility to improve access to opportunity  
• Reducing traffic and car dependency and making the transport system safer 
• Electrifying transport and reducing its harmful impacts on people and places 

Role of the Core Strategy

The Core Strategy is the foundational document for WMLTP5. It sets the overarching aims, principles and policies that guide the subsequent 6 Big Moves and Area Based Implementation Plans, and it carries significant weight in funding, planning and investment decisions across the region 

The Six Big Moves are the thematic policy framework of WMLTP5, setting out the policies to help guide how the region will transform its transport system to improve accessibility, reduce traffic and decarbonise travel. Taken together, they help move the West Midlands towards a vision‑led, people‑ and place‑focused approach.  

The Big Moves provide a comprehensive coherent set of policies that provide a menu of tools that can be applied differently in different places and guide the Area Based Implementation Plans setting out the regions priorities investment decisions and delivery. 

Behaviour Change – reshapes how travel choices are made by changing experiences, managing demand and engaging communities to make sustainable travel the easiest and most attractive option. 

Public Transport and Shared Mobility – creates a single, integrated public transport and shared mobility system that provides real alternatives to car ownership for longer and cross‑boundary journeys. 

Walk, Wheel, Cycle and Scoot – prioritises active and micromobility modes for everyday trips through safer streets, high‑quality networks and better access to vehicles. 

Safe, Efficient and Reliable Network – manages road space, assets and operations to improve reliability, safety and resilience while prioritising the most efficient and sustainable movements. 

Accessible and Inclusive Places – how we can integrate transport, land use and digital connectivity to improve access to opportunities and support inclusive, well‑designed places. 

Green Transport Revolution – rapidly reduces the environmental impact of transport by accelerating decarbonisation, improving air quality and building climate resilience into the system. 

The Area Based Implementation Plans (ABIPs) are currently being developed. They will be the statutory implementation component of the West Midlands Local Transport Plan 5 (WMLTP5). They will translate WMLTP5 Core Strategy and Big Moves into place‑specific delivery programmes for Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull. 

The recent Rosewell Review was an independent review of the West Midlands transport capital programme commissioned by WMCA. It found that, while the region had strong ambition and a large pipeline of schemes, the system had become over‑complex, insufficiently prioritised and overly reactive to funding opportunities. Scheme maturity, business case quality and governance were inconsistent, making it difficult to manage risk, demonstrate value for money and deliver at pace. 

The Review recommended a shift from a project‑by‑project approach to a programme‑led, outcomes‑focused investment system, with clearer prioritisation, stronger gateway discipline and improved political and officer oversight. This fundamentally changes how transport investment is planned, prioritised and funded going forward. 

Each ABIP sets out what will be delivered, where, when and why over an initial five‑year period from 2027/28 to 2032/33, alongside indicative longer‑term priorities. They will align transport investment with the West Midlands Growth Plan, the Spatial Development Strategy, and help to ensure that our delivery programme supports our ambitions agreed with Government as set out in the Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework, ensuring investment supports healthy lives, economic growth, inclusion, safety and creating better places.  

In practice, the ABIPs will: 

• identify the key transport challenges and opportunities in each area; 
• define a prioritised pipeline of investment, covering committed schemes, new delivery priorities and longer‑term proposals; 
• show how local schemes contribute to regional objectives and growth corridors; 
• provide the evidence base for funding decisions, supported by modelling, appraisal and sustainability assessment; 
• act as the link between strategy, programme business cases and delivery. 

The ABIPs provide a clear, fundable and accountable transport delivery programme, giving confidence to Government, local authorities and partners that transport investment is targeted, prioritised and aligned to agreed regional outcomes. 

In the Summer of 2021, we opened up a conversation with our citizens over how we could reimagine transport in the West Midlands to deliver Inclusive Growth; sustainable and equitable growth where all citizens can shape, contribute and benefit from the advancement of the region.

Read the 2021 Green Paper in full. 

Read the Summary of the 2021 Green Paper.

Read the Engagement Report for the 2021 Green Paper.

Alongside the development of our LTP, we have conducted a number of statutory assessments of its impacts.

Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (ISA) is prepared to fulfil the requirements of Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA), Health Impact Assessment (HIA), Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) and Community Safety Assessment (CSA). We developed an ISA report to appraise our Core Strategy, however, it also establishes a framework for appraising the likely sustainability effects of other components of the LTP. The ISA objectives can also be used for assessing implementation proposals as they are taken forward.

In addition, we have undertaken a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) as a parallel process to the ISA.

TfWM LTP5 ISA Non Technical Summary

TfWM LTP5 ISA Report

ISA Report Appendices

TfWM LTP5 Habitats Regulations Assessment V2

TfWM LTP5 ISA Consideration of Big Moves

Further appraisals and assessments will be undertaken as other components of the LTP are developed.