Future Travel Scenarios

What is it?
The report explores how travel across the North could change up to 2050. It sets out a range of plausible futures shaped by factors such as population, technology, behaviour and environmental policy, to help understand uncertainty.

How is it useful?
It helps combined authorities and partners test plans against different future conditions. Use it to assess risks, explore opportunities and develop more resilient, flexible transport strategies and investment decisions.

Key findings

• Four distinct scenarios show how travel demand could evolve in different futures
• External factors like technology, policy and behaviour will shape travel patterns
• Scenarios support testing and refining strategies, not predicting outcomes
• A consistent framework helps assess resilience, risks and trade‑offs in planning