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Transport (Greater Manchester)

My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Greater Manchester itself has said that dealing with congestion is not an option, and that as congestion increases it will choke off growth in the city. It estimates that, by 2021, 30,000 jobs could be at risk. The argument is fundamentally an economic one: if Greater Manchester is to continue to grow, and to become the world-class city it aspires to be, it needs to tackle congestion by introducing a congestion charge and, equally importantly, by investing in public transport.