ITEM TDC7
TRANSPORT DECISIONS COMMITTEE – 2 JULY 2009
LONDON ROAD IMPROVEMENTS – OSLER ROAD TO WHARTON ROAD
Report by Head of Transport
Introduction
1. This report details progress made on the design for a scheme for transport improvements on London Road, Oxford between Osler Road and Wharton Road, describes the consultation that has taken place on the scheme in Spring 2009 and changes proposed to the design as a result.
Background
2. A scheme for improvements to the London Road corridor between Pullens Lane and Wharton Road is a key part of the county council's second Local Transport Plan and its capital spending programme. The objectives of the scheme are shaped by the key objectives of the county council's LTP2 adopted in April 2006. The three main objectives of the scheme are: · Making bus journeys quicker and more reliable (LTP objective – tackling congestion) · Improving road safety for all users (LTP objective – improving road safety) · Enhancing Headington shopping centre (LTP objective – improving the street environment)
3. More details on the background to the scheme – why improvements are needed and how they fit in with the Council's wider strategy for the Headington and Marston area – can be seen at Annex 1 (download as .doc file) (Background and Strategy document).
4. Consultation on improvements to the Headington and London Road corridor began in 2005 and approval granted by the former Transport Decisions Committee on 6 September 2007 to proceed with the detailed design of the stretch from Pullens Lane to Wharton Road but to split the scheme into two phases: the first being Pullens Lane to Osler Road, on which construction has recently been completed and the second being Osler Road to Wharton Road, which is the subject of this report.
5. Information on previous consultations can be found in the report to the Transport Decisions Committee on 6 September 2007. Annex 6 of that report lists the concerns raised in feedback to the consultation in Summer 2007, which included the stretch of London Road between Osler Road and Wharton Road, together with officer responses and recommendations for changes to the design.
Progress on the Scheme
6. With construction of the first phase from Pullens Lane to Osler Road underway, officers revisited the designs for the second phase, to develop them further in the light of comments received during consultation in Summer 2007.
Consultation
Stakeholder consultation
7. Having further developed the scheme, feedback was sought from a group of key stakeholders and a meeting held in Headington on 11 February 2009 to discuss the plans. Annex 2 (download as .doc file) lists those represented at the meeting, and changes made to the design as a result of the meeting.
8. A further meeting was held in Headington specifically for local businesses, organised in conjunction with Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network. Although only a small number of businesses were directly represented at the meeting, there was general support for the proposals, in particular the improvements to the paved pedestrian areas. A major concern was that the plans did not provide enough on-street parking on London Road. There was criticism that, of the on-street space proposed, too much space had been allocated for loading and not enough for parking. Traders were also concerned about the operation of the signals at the junction of London Road and Windmill Road, which were changed as part of the first phase of the scheme. It is not proposed to change the signals as part of this phase (See Annex 6 for further details).
9. A presentation was made to the city council’s North East Area Committee on 17 February 2009, where councillors and members of the public were given an opportunity to ask questions about the scheme and express their views, which were largely similar to those expressed at the stakeholder meeting. Members of the design team also made a site visit with city council officers and a representative from Headington Committee for Development Action.
Wider public consultation
10. The wider public consultation comprised a staffed public exhibition of the proposals, held over two days at the Baptist Church in Old High Street, Headington, on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 March. The exhibition was open until 8:00 pm on the Friday evening to allow working people to attend. It was widely publicized, through · a mailshot of almost 4000 households and businesses in the Headington area; · a personal visit to all business frontages on London Road in the centre of Headington; · posters in central Headington and on community noticeboards across a wider area; · letters (enclosing posters) to schools in the area; · letters and emails to key stakeholders and various organisations likely to be affected by the scheme or representing the interests of particular groups using the Headington shopping centre; and · in media coverage.
The publicity also offered people the chance to make an appointment to view the plans, or to view them on the county council's website. A total of 525 people signed in at the exhibition.
11. Hard copy feedback forms were available at the exhibition, for people to complete at the exhibition or return via freepost later. Alongside the exhibition plans and literature, the feedback form was also available on the website as an online form, and people also had the option of emailing or writing to officers without using the form. A copy of the feedback form is attached at Annex 3 (download as .pdf file).
The proposals
12. The main features of the proposals are set out in the exhibition booklet (see Annex 4) (download as .pdf file)which was designed to be read in conjunction with the exhibition plans. (The plans are available as background papers.) The key elements of the scheme are as follows:
· improved paved pedestrian areas, · less clutter and new, high quality street furniture, · a new crossing and pavement areas to replace the subway, · an additional bus gate to reduce delays to Oxford-bound bus passengers, · gently raised crossings and junctions, and · improvements to bus laybys and parking and loading arrangements, aimed at reducing congestion.
Response to the wider consultation
13. Following the consultation, a total of 419 feedback forms were received, the majority being received at the exhibition. There was general support for most of the elements of the scheme on which opinions were sought, including the proposal to replace the subway with a pedestrian crossing. The exception to this was the parking and loading arrangements, where a large proportion of those who responded were unsure. The table below summarises the results from the feedback forms:
14. In addition to the tick box responses, the feedback form invited further comments and suggestions. All these were entered into a database, and carefully read and analysed.
15. Annex 5 (download as .doc file) lists the key concerns from the responses, including those not submitted via a feedback form, and provides an officer response and any relevant recommendations for changes to the design or further investigative work to be carried out during the detailed design stage. The Committee is asked to endorse the recommended changes to the design.
Financial and Staff Implications
16. The total funding available in the agreed Capital Programme for this scheme is £1,676 million. However, following development of the scheme and public consultation, cost estimates showed that the total funding required for the proposed amended scheme is approximately £2.3 million.
17. Additional developer funding has been identified, but at this stage there remains a shortfall of approximately £75,000 although it is thought that further developer funding can be identified to meet this. Investigations are ongoing into potential cost savings that could be applied, without detriment to the overall effect of the scheme. A project appraisal will be submitted for approval by Cabinet later this year.
18. Immediately in front of some of the shops there is an area of pavement that, although largely in public use by pedestrians, is in private ownership. It is important to the objective of enhancing the shopping area that these areas, which are part of the footway, if at all possible, are re-paved in the same way as the areas under county council control. The scheme budget is unlikely to cover the cost of improving these areas. Officers are making enquiries to determine whether the various landowners would be prepared in principle to make a financial contribution to cover the cost and whether they would agree to dedicate the land as highway, which would make the county council responsible for ongoing maintenance but give it greater control over the use of the land.
19. There are significant local aspirations to include the shopping area of the side streets in the scheme, in particular Windmill Road, so that the whole shopping area is enhanced. The scheme area is restricted to London Road, and the budget would not be sufficient to finance the treatment of side streets: funding from other sources would need to be found in order to achieve it.
Equality and Inclusion Issues
20. An assessment been made of the impact of the proposals on various social groups. This is attached at Annex 6 (download as .doc file).
Next Steps
21. Subject to the approval by this Committee, the following work needs to be carried out:
· Negotiate with freeholders of privately owned paved areas in public use fronting London Road to secure agreement to upgrade the pavement at the owners’ expense, and, if possible, for the land to be dedicated as highway. · Undertake the detail design and contract document preparation so that competitive tenders can be sought in the autumn; and · award a construction contract achieving best value and to enable a start of work early in 2010.
How the Scheme meets the LTP2 Objectives
22. The scheme would contribute significantly towards: · Tackling congestion by reducing delay to the large number of bus passengers that use the route and encouraging greater bus use, as well as reducing delays to general traffic caused by congestion at bus stops. · Improving road safety through a reduced speed limit and a new design to reinforce it; and · improving the street environment.
RECOMMENDATION
23. The Committee is RECOMMENDED to:
(a) authorise officers to proceed with the detailed design and implementation of the scheme as consulted on but incorporating the suggested changes as a result of that consultation as set out at Annex 5 to this report;
(b) authorise officers to carry out statutory consultations and make any necessary orders arising from the scheme design subject to any objections being reported back to this Committee as necessary;
(c) endorse the approach taken by officers with respect to the areas of land in private ownership, as outlined in paragraph 18 of this report.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport Environment & Economy
Background papers: Consultation documents, plans
Contact Officer: Joy White, Tel (01865) 815882
July 2009
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