St.Helens The Heart of the North West

St.Helens has been ranked as the best in the North West for car-friendliness, and number 14 in the UK, based on independent research looking at the UK's major towns and cities.

Virgin Money Car Insurance used a range of criteria including congestion levels, petrol prices, the abundance and cost of car parking spaces, the number of speed cameras on main approach roads, and levels of car crime. Points were then awarded and an overall ranking produced for the 64 top cities and towns in the country.

Councillor Neil Taylor, St.Helens Council’s Executive Member for Urban Regeneration said: "To be independently ranked as the most car friendly town in the North West is an excellent accolade for St.Helens.

"Combine this with our numerous assets, relatively low costs, and prime connectivity midway between Liverpool and Manchester and it is easy to see why St.Helens makes such an attractive business base, desirable residential location, and up and coming visitor destination.

"Visitors and shoppers can rest assured that if they visit St.Helens by car, they are coming to an area that means easy access, a shorter journey, and safe, hassle-free parking. Meanwhile, businesses considering relocating to the Borough can see yet another tangible benefit of operating a business here. After all time is money, and less time spent in traffic means better work-life balance."

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* Research conducted in June 2007 by Virgin Money researchers using publicly available sources including the Office of National Statistics, local council websites, NCP’s website, the Association of British Drivers, Trafficmaster research and www.petrolprices.com. Totals for each town/city were calculated using rankings for petrol prices, the cost of parking for two hours, numbers of congestion alerts, vehicle crime statistics, numbers of council car parks and number of speed cameras on major routes into the town or city.