 Helping people make informed choices about healthier approaches to travel is a key part of Cheshire’s transport policy.
Here in Cheshire a strong public transport network is a vital component of community support - geared simply to making hopping on a bus or train easier, safer and more reliable than ever in city, town or rural outposts.
 Its aims are to meet the needs of a wide range of passengers - commuters, families, people with disabilities - to provide swift and efficient access to key transport links.
And with car ownership higher than the national average in Cheshire, enticing more people out of the car and onto public transport is an important priority.
It’s a policy geared to help protect our precious countryside so that it can be enjoyed by generations to come.
 And the health benefits of choosing to walk, cycle or opt for public transport for short or long trips are enormous too - cutting polluting emissions in the atmosphere to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases.
The template for an integrated transport policy in Cheshire - today and in the future - is encapsulated within the Local Transport Plan which sets out priorities which include addressing the impact of increased traffic, improving road safety and better maintained roads.
 Above all, it aims to provide local solutions to local problems:
Prospects for a long-awaited by-pass for Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley seem to be improving and would remove major traffic flows from two environmentally sensitive village centres on a key part of the county’s road network.
Catching the walking bus!
 More children than ever get to school via a family car - research suggests that the school run now accounts for 20 per cent of rush hour traffic.
Health experts point out that this dependency on car use by families is sowing the seeds for poor exercise patterns for children today.
To counter this the Safer Routes to School project gives rising numbers of pupils more opportunities to get to and from school on their own two feet! Simple innovations, such as ‘walking bus’ routes for children supervised in groups are growing in popularity.
And the Council is one of many organisations calling for the re-opening of the Crewe - Sandbach - Middlewich - Northwich railway line to passengers to create an important transport link in central Cheshire together with new rail links to Manchester Airport.
On the Buses - Improved passenger comfort, stable fares, easy links to other transport systems and readily available travel information are key priorities to attract more bus users.
 A comprehensive local bus service links major towns such as Chester, Ellesmere Port and Crewe, and Northwich which in turn provide connections with local buses for many small and medium sized market towns. Some special services serve market towns on their market days. Demand responsive buses delivering literally ‘from door to door’ are a popular new concept, now available for passengers with or without disability.
The Council subsidises 25 per cent of local bus services.
Measures to improve commercial operations include upgraded town services in Macclesfield and Northwich and new or improved bus terminals in Crewe, Macclesfield, Northwich and Winsford. Special services to hospitals and shopping developments are also being upgraded.
Full details of all the services, free maps and timetables are available seven days a week, 8am-8pm from Cheshire Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.
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