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ITEM EX9 - ANNEX 2

PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS AND INTERCHANGE AT LEWKNOR

DETAILED PROJECT APPRAISAL

NAME OF SCHEME: M40 Junction 6, Lewknor: APPRAISAL NO: H 167

Improvements and Interchange

BASIS OF ESTIMATE: Consultant’s Estimate START YEAR: 2003/04

The proposed improvement scheme includes the introduction of two roundabouts where the M40 slip roads meet the B4009, with three intervening islands, one of which one is intended to assist people to cross the road on foot. The M40 exit slip from the Oxford direction will be modified to take the acceleration lane out of general use and used to create improved stopping facilities for buses. New footpath links will be provided to facilitate movements to and from the bus stops.

Revised stopping arrangements for the Oxford Tube bus service and for the proposed new taxibus feeder service will be established by placing them next to each other and protecting them with bus stop clearway restrictions. New bus shelters with appropriate illumination will be provided at both stopping areas. Separate areas with 20-minute waiting for motorists to drop or pick up passengers will be established nearby. Much of the remainder of the carriageway in the vicinity will be protected by no waiting at any time restrictions. Cycle parking, including secure lockers, will also be provided close to the bus stops.

This length of the B4009 has a poor safety record with 3 serious and 24 slight injury accidents being reported in the 5-year period ending 31 July 2002. The accidents are concentrated at the B4009 junctions with the M40 southbound entry slip road the M40 northbound exit slip road.

In recent years, increasing numbers of motorists have driven to the area and parked their cars while they travelled on the bus service to London (or Oxford). This practice has raised concerns about local safety and its adverse impact on the local environment.

The County Council successfully bid for Rural Bus Challenge funding to introduce a fully accessible taxibus feeder service into the Oxford Tube. This will provide an alternative way for people in South Oxfordshire to access the Oxford Tube service and enable many existing users to leave their cars at home. It will also afford new travel opportunities for those without access to a car. Safe and convenient arrangements are needed to facilitate this interchange.

The proposed scheme can be expected to significantly reduce road casualties and therefore offers substantial community benefits, irrespective of the facilities provided to assist with interchange and the operation of the proposed taxibus service.

The proposal is consistent with the County Council’s strategic goals and the Local Transport Plan. It should reduce road casualties, increase public transport use and reduce unnecessary car travel.

The site falls within an Area of Great Landscape Value, is bordered by an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is overlooked by National Nature Reserves. The haphazard growth in car parking around the Oxford Tube bus stops is inappropriate and the site would not be a suitable location for a formal Park & Ride scheme. The County Council is pursuing the possibility of development of a strategic Park & Ride facility on land adjacent to junction 5 of the M40 at Stokenchurch.

During evaluation of the options for the improvement scheme, the Council and its consultants worked closely with local councils in the area. The environmental impact of options was a major factor in the selection of the preferred scheme. One issue of particular concern is the need for illumination in an area currently without street lighting. While it has broadly been agreed that lighting of the footways would be unnecessary, it is currently proposed that the two roundabouts and the three islands/refuges between them should be illuminated on safety grounds. This is a significant element of the scheme cost, largely due to the lack of a suitable source of electricity supply on the vicinity. There are several options available for lighting the roundabouts and a balance will need to be struck between environmental impact, cost and safety

During the work by our consultant a range of different options were explored. These were summarised in the previous report to the former Highways & Road Safety Sub-Committee. This summary is included in the papers being placed in the Members’ Resource Centre.

The land required for the improvement is believed to be either public highway or vested in the Highways Agency. Discussions are continuing with the Highways Agency on the detail of the scheme, but it is hoped that any land required will be made available by dedication.

The approved Rural Bus Challenge funding is £229,100, which includes about £50,000 towards physical works and facilities at the bus stops, including shelters and appropriate traffic management work. Other approved funding includes the cost of purchasing two suitable vehicles and revenue support for one year to make good any shortfall in fare income. The current estimate for the proposed improvement scheme is £475,000, exceeding the capital sum available from the Rural Bus Challenge funding by some £425,000. The scheme was reported to the Executive on 16 April as one of the schemes which would be considered for the 2003/04 Transport Capital Programme. It would be a candidate for joint funding between the Casualty Reduction, Community Safety and Sustainable Transport budget headings.

The revenue support from the Rural Bus Challenge Fund for the taxibus operation is expected to only cover about one year of operation. If the service requires additional support beyond that period, the County Council would have to meet any continuing need for revenue support, if the costs exceed fare revenue. It would be competing against other demands on the Council’s main Bus Subsidy budget. We will not know the full position until the service has been tendered and the level of use has become established. There is therefore a risk that the service might prove unviable and be withdrawn or reduced. Were this to occur, it is still considered that the safety benefits of the proposed improvement scheme and improved facilities for Oxford Tube users, represent value for money. Tenders for the taxibus service will be invited before a commitment is given to start construction of the improvement scheme.

Another possibility is that Stagecoach Oxford could at any time, withdraw the Lewknor stop on its Oxford Tube service. This is considered highly unlikely in the foreseeable future. Introduction of a new Park & Ride location, such as has been advocated at Junction 5 is the most likely thing to trigger such a decision. I will try to get a firm commitment from Stagecoach Oxford before committing expenditure to this project, but in any event, the road safety benefits alone would be substantial over the intervening period.