UK government launches tool for better transport connections

The UK government’s Department for Transport (DfT) has introduced a connectivity tool for planning professionals that scores places in England and Wales on how well connected they are to health services, education, shopping, leisure and workplaces.

The web-based tool will display how any location in England and Wales is connected to everyday services by walking, driving, cycling and public transport and plot new transport routes to understand how these would affect an area’s connectivity.

Sustainable locations for transport

According to the DfT, sustainable development is a core aim of the UK’s planning system, but progress has been hindered by the lack of a clear way of measuring what is a sustainable location in transport terms. The connectivity tool tackles this problem by combining transport and land‑use data in a way that generates the first nationally agreed connectivity score for every location.

A trial version of the tool was launched last June. Now planners and built environment professionals can access the complete tool, and a second ‘lite’ version has gone live to the public, allowing communities to explore connectivity in their area and understand how transport links support access to other services.

“The connectivity tool gives planners and professionals the evidence they need to make better decisions about where development should happen, ensuring communities are well connected to jobs and services”

By establishing a clear, evidence‑based standard, the DfT claims the tool will:

• help ensure new homes, jobs and services are located where they can be accessed by sustainable modes of transport
• support local authorities, developers and planners in making better decisions about where development should happen and plan for the infrastructure needed to support it