Vital Signs MK 11th Edition - Report - Page 7
Transport
The transport conversation in Milton Keynes
has been energetic this year. There are exciting
innovations and ambitions to improve the city’s
transport infrastructure, but there’s also a
frank reckoning with how transport inequality
entrenches wider poverty and disadvantage.
In our survey, 42% of people chose transport as one of
the top issues needing improvement in Milton Keynes. 1
The three transport options people would most like to
see in the next 5–10 years are:2
• Better public transport services 61%
• More a昀昀ordable public transport links locally and within
the region 56%
• Improvements to the safety of the Redway network 47%
The OU Hidden Toil report highlights the high cost of not
having a car in the city.
“There was unanimous agreement among residents
that Milton Keynes is a very di昀케cult city to get
around without a car. For residents who don’t have
or don’t drive a car, limited public transport options,
in conjunction with a lack of a昀昀ordable shops and
activities nearby and the costs of alternative private
transport, represent a major concern. This creates
enormous 昀椀nancial pressure for those already on the
tightest budgets.”3
LTP5 focuses on 昀椀ve key policy areas: Roads, Tra昀케c
and Parking; Travelling Safely; Improving Public
Transport; Enabling and Encouraging Active Travel;
and Future Transport.6
Cycle safety features strongly, with an emphasis on
cycle training for schoolchildren — such as the Bikeability
Olympics — as well as wider safety initiatives and
guidance. The plan also highlights that many of Milton
Keynes’ Redways are ‘remote from houses with no
oversight’, so they often feel quite isolated. Users can feel
exposed, which becomes a barrier for those concerned
about their personal safety, particularly women. Work is
underway to improve lighting, clear foliage, and make
these routes feel more secure.
OUR SURVEY FINDINGS...
For some families, these pressures are extreme:
Which are your main modes of transport? 7
One resident of Glebe Farm spends up to £800 a month
on taxis in winter to get her children, who have special
needs, to their school. The school is three miles away and
too dangerous to cover on foot.4
Private Cars
63%
Walking
50%
Public Transport
44%
Taxi
17%
Cycling
13%
Car Share/Hire Car
8%
Motorbike/Moped
3%
Taxi reliance compounds existing inequality:
• 26% of people living in the most deprived areas in MK
(bottom two IMD quintiles) use taxis as a main mode
of transport5
• 11% of people in the most a昀툀uent areas of MK
(top two IMD quintiles) use taxis
A lack of access to nearby shops forces residents to
choose between small, expensive shops and paying
for taxis to reach a昀昀ordable supermarkets. Residents
also describe barriers such as unreliable buses, 昀氀ooded
underpasses, and newer Redways (over 200 miles of
shared-use paths for cyclists and pedestrians) running
too close to major roads, increasing safety concerns.
Yet there is momentum around the city’s plans for
new public transport infrastructure. A new Mass Rapid
Transport System (MRT) would create a tram-style route
connecting Bradwell and other parts of the city, as discussed
in Local Transport Plan 5 (LTP5: June 2025). It is part of the
government’s New Towns Taskforce, for which MK has
been selected as one of the 12 potential locations.
VITAL SIGNS 2026
07
