What does your job entail?

I work for TraCC - Trafnidiaeth Canolbarth Cymru - which is the regional transport consortium that covers the Mid Wales.

It is the largest and most diverse transport consortium area - stretching from Blaenau Ffestiniog in the north to Ystradgynlais in the south and from Cardigan Bay in the west to the English border.

The TraCC region makes up almost half of the total area of Wales but with only about 10% of its population and is the most deeply rural of Welsh regions with few large urban centres of population (other than Aberystwyth and Newtown) and a number of market towns of varying size -such as Brecon, Dolgellau and Welshpool.

Much of the population looks to 'regional centres' outside of Mid Wales and many people travel long distances to get to their place of work.

Access to services (healthcare, shopping, banking etc) and opportunities (employment, education and training) is generally the poorest in the whole of Wales and this is a problem that we have to work hard to overcome.

Transport and travel is characterised by above average levels of car ownership and usage. The public transport network remains less well developed than in many other parts of Wales and the UK and is highly dependent upon local and national government funding to fulfill its socially necessary role within the transport system.

Community-based passenger transport often provides a lifeline to access services and opportunities in many of the deepest rural areas.

What are your plans to reduce traffic congestion in major towns such as Abertystwyth, Brecon and Newtown? Especially during rush hours?

Motorised traffic is growing at between one and two per cent each year - that means that there will be around 15% more vehicles than there are today on our roads in ten years time.

The real contributor to daily traffic congestion are single occupancy cars (i.e. cars with only the driver in them).

By doing more walking and cycling for shorter journeys and using more public transport and car sharing for longer or more difficult journeys, we can all do our bit to help to reduce the amount of cars on the road, particularly at peak times.

There is already a Park and Ride service operating in Aberystwyth which could be further developed and similar schemes could be tried in some of the other towns in the TraCC area - even if they are just on Saturdays for shoppers in the run up to the busy Christmas period or during Summer months to cope with increased amounts of tourists.

In addition to this, TraCC will be considering establishing rural transport 'hubs' on the main public transport routes with demand-responsive 'feeder' services.

I am also promoting the Mid Wales Car Share scheme which provides a 'one stop shop' for travel information in Mid Wales and beyond.

As well as enabling people to register on a database free of charge to share lifts, the website www.midwalescarshare.com also has links to all sorts of useful travel information including bus and train timetables.

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Although at present we do not encounter traffic congestion on the same levels as in more populous urban areas, there may come a time when we need to seriously consider more radical measures that remove traffic from our busier town centres but we are probably a long way yet from introducing congestion charging in Mid Wales!

And what about the dreaded school runs?

The 'school run' is one of the biggest contributors to traffic congestion in many of our towns and even around some schools in rural areas.

The problem as we all know is that too many parents drive their children to school even when it is not necessary for them to do so.

The TraCC local authorities already have extensive experience of securing Government funding for Safe Routes to School projects (which include putting in new cycle paths and footways, cycle shelters and lockers) and I will be helping them to work with their schools on developing travel plans.

The aim is to look at making school travel healthier, more environmentally sustainable and safer by promoting more walking and cycling for shorter distances where it is.

Parking is a growing problem in towns. What can be done to improve the situation?

Like traffic congestion, parking problems can be addressed through offering better public transport, park & ride, promoting car sharing and encouraging more people to walk and cycle to work, school, college.

Locating longer stay parking further out of town centres and making it financially more attractive to park only shorter times in town centre car parks can also help whilst still allowing spaces for people with disabilities.

I would be glad to talk to local employers and service providers to look at travel planning for their organisation.

Encountering regular parking problems and traffic congestion can often lead to difficulties for employers and working together to solve these problems we can help in recruiting and retaining their staff.

How can services be improved in rural areas so that people can get to hospitals, surgeries, banks, shops and post offices?

TraCC will be working with a number of key partner organisations to help improve accessibility to services and opportunities for people living in rural and more urban areas.

One way we can do this is by seeking to widen travel choices.

By this I mean reducing people's dependency on their cars because not everyone can or chooses to drive and owning and running a private motor car is an expensive business.

A good integrated transport system offers viable alternatives such as public transport as well as car sharing opportunities and even car clubs.

It is also necessary to influence the locational policies and service delivery plans of bodies (particularly the public sector - such as the Local Health Boards, NHS, local and national government) in the first place to ensure that consider transport and travel when they make important decisions on where to locate their public services.

These services should be located where there are good public transport links from most areas.

It is also important that some services (such as local shops and post offices) remain in local communities so as to minimise the need for people to travel.

How can bus links with train services be improved?

TraCC wants to see a much improved public transport system in Mid Wales that provides better and more frequent services which allow people to get to and from the places that they they need to get to.

Local and longer distance bus services such as the expanding TrawsCambria network are vital to the area and can be better integrated with other forms of public transport such as taxis, community transport and trains.

Improvements to rail services - such as an hourly train service between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury (a study into which has been commissioned by the Assembly Government and is expected to report by December), better station facilities and more trains on Sundays on all of our railway lines - are also vital to people living in and visiting Mid Wales.

TraCC has already begun to work very closely with the Government, rail industry and bus and train operating companies to look at how these improvements can be brought about. Obtaining the necessary funding for these improvements will be critical.

You work for the Mid Wales Transport Consortium. What is it?

Trafnidiaeth Canolbarth Cymru - or TraCC - is the transport consortium for the Mid Wales Region.

It is a partnership between the three Mid Wales local authorities of Ceredigion Gwynedd and Powys.

TraCC brings together the highways and public transport functions of the three Mid Wales local authorities to deliver an integrated transport system that seeks to provide, maintain and improve transport infrastructure and services to facilitate economic development and ensure access for all to services and opportunities, so as to sustain the quality of community life and respect the quality of the environment.

TraCC currently employs two full time members of staff - a Co-ordinator (responsible for the day-to-day management of the consortium and its business) and the Regional Travel Plan Co-ordinator (responsible for the development and promotion of sustainable travel and dissemination of advice and good practice across the region).

The Consortium is chaired by County Councillor Gwilym T. Evans (Powys County Council) and County Councillor Eurfyl Evans (Ceredigion County Council) is Vice Chair.

TraCC has now begun to prepare its first Regional Transport Plan (RTP). You can find out more about TraCC by visiting the website or e-mailing enquiries@tracc.gov.uk.

Are you looking for innovative ideas from the public?

Yes, because sometimes we need to be innovative and look at new ideas for tackling everyday problems that we face in transport and travel.

TraCC always welcomes new and exciting ideas from the public and will be actively asking people for their comments and suggestions as we develop our first RTP during 2007.

How can people contact you?

People can contact me in Welsh or English by emailing midwalescarshare@tracc.gov.uk or by telephoning 07974 182927 or 01970 633432