A blitz on potholes, a long-awaited link road or even a new tram system? These are among the projects which could potentially be funded through a new £134 million transport funding pot for Stoke-on-Trent – although some are more likely than others.

Last month the government announced how £4.7 billion would be distributed to local authorities in the North and Midlands, following the cancellation of the HS2 line north of Birmingham. Stoke-on-Trent has been allocated £19.1 million a year for seven years from 2025 – around 11 times more than it currently receives through the integrated transport block.

So how could Stoke-on-Trent City Council spend this money? The government has listed new roads, rapid transit systems and pothole repairs as among the schemes that the funding could support, with councils set to receive guidance and advice on the plans in due course.

Here are some potential ideas for how £134 million could be spent in Stoke-on-Trent, ranging from the probable to the far-fetched.

Tram/light rail system

The idea of building a new tram system linking Stoke-on-Trent's six towns is one that keeps resurfacing every few years. Most recently, the city council's previous Conservative administration included proposals for a 'very light rail' network in its transport strategy in 2022.

VLR is a cheaper type of tram system, involving battery powered vehicles and lightweight rails. Cost is a major factor when it comes to rapid transit systems, and it is likely that even £134 million would not be enough for a conventional tram network in Stoke-on-Trent.

The first nine miles of Nottingham's tram system, which opened in 2004, cost well in excess of £300 million at 2024 prices. The cost of Edinburgh's 11.5 mile tram line doubled to more than £1 billion during its development.

But VLR is much cheaper. Coventry's proposed VLR system is expected to cost around £7 million per kilometre.

Bus rapid transit

A far more likely public transport project in Stoke-on-Trent would involve improving the city's bus network, and indeed this work is already underway using previously awarded funding. The city council was allocated £29 million of Transforming Cities cash in 2020, and a chunk of this is being spent on upgrading bus routes, with a bus gate now in operation in College Road, Shelton, and another one due to be installed in Station Road soon.

The end goal would be a fully-fledged bus rapid transit system, involving dedicated bus roadways across the city, bus prioritisation at junctions and other features to reduce delays. This would provide the advantages of a tram system but with greater flexibility and without the huge capital outlay on tracks and rolling stock.

The city council already has plans for further improving bus routes in Stoke-on-Trent, so it is almost certain that some of the £134 million will be spent in this way.

Potholes

The £134 million fund, in theory, could be spent on filling over 2 million potholes (LDRS).

A perennial problem on Stoke-on-Trent's roads, as is the case in most towns and cities, is the sheer number of potholes drivers have to deal with on a daily basis. Despite a number of pothole blitzes over recent years, it seems that in 2024, things are as bad as they've ever been.

Assuming an average cost of £65 per repair, Stoke-on-Trent's £134 million windfall could, in theory, be spent on filling in 2,061,538 potholes. A sarcastic reader might ask, 'What about the other half of City Road?'

Of course, rather than an endless cycle of responsive repairs, the real solution would be to maintain all roads to decent standard so they are not constantly on the verge of falling apart. And that would require a permanent increase in highway maintenance funding, not just for the next seven years.

Longport station improvements

The city council's original Transforming Cities bid included proposals to upgrade Longport Station which could have seen it turned into a park-and-ride facility. But unfortunately the £29 million that Stoke-on-Trent was awarded did not include anything for Longport

The plans were therefore put on the back burner, although the council retained hope that they could eventually be progressed using other funding streams. So could they be revived now that £134 million has been secured?

Under the original proposals, the improvements to the station would have included a new car park, secure cycle parking and a new footbridge. The idea was that commuters from the north, who currently drive into Stoke-on-Trent along the A500, could instead park their cars at Longport and continue their journey by rail.

Hanley-Bentilee link road

The City East Link Road – previously the Hanley-Bentilee link road – has been a long-term ambition for the city council. Linking the city centre with Dividy Road and providing access to Eaton Park and Fenton industrial estate, the road could cut congestion on existing roads while boosting economic growth.

With a price tag of around £80 million, the council has been hoping to secure funding from the Department for Transport for the project, but this has been unsuccessful so far. The link road is still listed on the authority's latest capital programme, but with only £60,000 of council funding allocated towards it.

Traffic calming around schools

Clare Morton, headteacher at St Mary's CE Primary School in Tunstall, is appealing for a new crossing outside her school (LDRS).

Clare Morton, headteacher at St Mary's CE Primary School in Tunstall, recently pleaded with councillors for help in making the roads around her school safer, following an accident involving a pupil in November and continuous 'near misses'. She told scrutiny committee members that traffic calming measures, such as a pedestrian crossing, could go a long way to keeping children and parents safe.

Council chiefs told her that there were only 'limited resources' available for engineering works such as these, meaning that in any given year, the authority had to prioritise the most urgent projects. In pratice, this can mean some schemes stay on the transport capital programme for years, as others are considered higher priorities.

But if the council's transport capital funding will now increase by a factor of 11, does that mean that more of these schemes will be carried out over the next seven years?

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