Calls for 'rapid expansion' of city tram network

Nottingham's tram network was last expanded in 2015

"Rapid expansion" of Nottingham's tram network needs to be explored, a transport advisor has said.

Alan Simpson was appointed as the East Midlands' Sustainable Travel Ambassador earlier this year by regional mayor Claire Ward.

Simpson was the Labour MP for Nottingham South when the city's first tram line started operating in 2004, and a second opened in 2015.

"I love it, but at the same time it took to do that here, they had constructed a whole city network in Porto in Portugal. If you go to our twin city in Karlsruhe, they've got a whole city network," he said.

Alan Simpson says we need to do things "better and quicker"

He said further expansion of the network in Nottingham would help ease congestion and improve air quality.

"Across the region, people are spending disproportionate time in their own vehicles going absolutely nowhere. This is not how civilised economies are starting to work, so we've just got some catch-up to be doing," he said.

"I think we need to look at the rapid expansion of tram, very light rail and rail. Across Europe, in conjunction with improved bus services, that's the way mass transportation is now taking place."

He added that cycle infrastructure also needs to be built more quickly.

The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) provided part of the funding for a segregated cycle lane along Porchester Road in Nottingham.

Construction began last summer, and while part of the route opened in March this year, the entire project is not due to be completed until March 2026.

"We have got to learn across the piece how to do things better and quicker," Simpson said.

A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: "Ensuring the designs are right requires thorough public consultation and engagement."

"Whilst this adds time to the delivery process, it is important to ensure the community is supportive of the new infrastructure and gets to input ideas as well."

The Porchester Road scheme is due for completion in 2026

Simpson also objected to the idea of a new road crossing over the River Trent.

Nottinghamshire County Council allocated funding for a feasibility study earlier this year, with Colwick touted as a possible area for a new bridge to be built.

Conservative councillor Mike Adams, who has campaigned for it for several years, said it would be "the single biggest infrastructure project the East Midlands has seen".

"It will make our road network resilient to failures in the existing bridge infrastructure across Nottingham," he said.

"The congestion reduction across the Nottinghamshire network that the fourth Trent crossing will deliver will be far more environmentally friendly than any expansion of the tram network."

Simpson, however, said he was "not a fan of new road developments".

"They take a long time to materialise, they are invariably substantially over budget, and what do they do in terms of reducing air contamination? Nothing," he said.

"What do they do to actually reduce congestion? Nothing - it moves stuff around the network."