Return to Agenda

ITEM EX14

EXECUTIVE – 15 OCTOBER 2002

CARTERTON, WITNEY AND OXFORD – TRANSPORT LINKS

Report by Director of Environmental Services

1. This report sets out the conclusions of a review of the proposals to improve transport links along the A40 corridor from Carterton and Witney to Oxford. It sets out a three-phase strategy to improve transport links to West Oxfordshire over the next fifteen years. The first phase of the new strategy would involve the implementation of a package of measures including improvements to Wolvercote Roundabout, a new road link between the A40 and A44/A34, other measures to reduce congestion on the A40 and improve bus services between Carterton, Witney and Oxford. The implementation of the GTE (Guided Transit Express) system forms the second phase of the strategy, with the third phase based on the extension of the GTE system to Carterton and Witney in the longer term.
2. The report asks the Executive to endorse the new strategy as the basis for consultation with interested parties, with a view to the early implementation of some elements of Phase 1, following consultation on individual elements of the strategy.

Background

3. The need to address deteriorating travelling conditions along the A40 West of Oxford has been apparent for many years. In the last decade, a number of transport options have been proposed including a dual carriageway scheme, a long distance bus lane scheme and the possibility of reopening the disused railway line. The A40 dualling scheme was withdrawn from the Government’s trunk roads programme in 1995. The bus lane scheme was submitted to Government as a major scheme bid in July 2000 and July 2001 but each time the decision to approve or reject the scheme has been deferred by the Government pending the submission of more information on the economic justification.
4. Last year, amidst growing concerns about whether the bus lane scheme offered the best economic case for improving public transport links to West Oxfordshire, members commissioned a study (with joint funding from West Oxfordshire District Council) into the feasibility of reopening the disused railway line between Brize Norton and Oxford as a public transport route. The conclusion of the study was that a heavy rail link would not be viable owing to the cost of overcoming a number of environmental and engineering constraints along the route. The consultants did suggest, however, that there would be merit in a more detailed investigation of the case for a light rail or guided bus link.
5. The conclusions of the rail study were reported to the Executive in February, along with details of the Government’s response to the A40 bus lane bid. The Executive concluded that bearing the factors described above in mind that it would be appropriate to undertake a thorough review of the options for the A40.

Developing a New Strategy

6. Developing a strategy to tackle A40 traffic congestion and improve transport links between Carterton, Witney and Oxford needs to address not only existing problems but also those that will occur over the next decade and beyond. However, in developing a strategy, one of the key objectives was to secure some early improvement in the current conditions and not to have to wait until a major scheme could be developed and submitted for Government funding. If the strategy is to be successful it also needs to improve conditions for all road users and gain widespread support. The approach taken was to review all of the work that had been undertaken in recent years to identify all the elements that could form part of a strategy. It

was clear that some elements were of a much longer timescale and that the strategy could best be developed in 3 phases covering about a 15 year period.

7. Funding was also a key issue. The A40 Bus Lane scheme, as a major scheme over £5m, was dependent on securing specific Government approval. As it was an innovative scheme it proved very difficult to demonstrate its economic justification. Any new strategy, if it relied on securing specific Government approval, would be subject to the same close scrutiny and would not be likely to be able to be delivered for several years. A strategy that consists of a number of independent elements that are all justified in their own right is much more likely to be deliverable and provide some immediate benefits. A schematic plan of the components of the 3-phase strategy is shown in Annex 1.

Key Issues

8. Peak hour traffic levels along the A40 are above the design capacity of a single carriageway road and peak conditions have already spread beyond the normal hours. The 25% population growth of Witney and Carterton planned over the next decade will result in peak hour traffic conditions along the A40 for an even larger part of the day and growing pressures on alternative routes. The key congestion points are at Wolvercote Roundabout, Cassington signals and Eynsham Roundabout, but even if the capacity of these junctions could be improved, the high level of congestion on the A34 and the whole of the north Oxford road network, limit the scope for improvements to the existing A40.
9. Any attempt to try to address this growing congestion needs to reflect the nature of the traffic along the route. The common perception is that the A40 is full of long distance traffic that is trying to avoid Oxford. The reality, as demonstrated by a roadside interview conducted in 1999, is that most of the eastbound traffic (70%) is local, in that it has an origin within the County and is heading to a destination within Oxford.
10. The Origin/Destination information is consistent with a detailed turning count undertaken at the Wolvercote Roundabout. This showed that 80% of the traffic approaching from the west was heading straight on (around the northern bypass) or turning right into the city centre whereas only 20% was turning left up towards the A34 at Pear Tree interchange.

Why Not a Dual Carriageway?

11. It is not surprising that many who currently drive to Oxford should feel that the congestion along the A40 would be most effectively tackled by the building of a dual carriageway. There would be little point, however, in dualling the A40 only to the edge of Oxford where the capacity constraint of the Wolvercote Roundabout and adjacent junctions would simply result in traffic queuing back in two lanes rather than one. A comprehensive dualling scheme involving the length of the A40 from the end of the Witney Bypass as far as Headington (incorporating a bypass north of Oxford – previously referred to as the "tin hat" scheme) would be required. This would undoubtedly reduce congestion at least in the immediate future following the year of opening. In the longer term, such a scheme would be likely to attract more long distance trips to the A40 and generate additional local car trips to Oxford itself.
12. Dualling the A40 would be very expensive (latest estimate for the comprehensive scheme including the north of Oxford bypass is well over £100m). The scheme was withdrawn from the Government Roads Programme in 1995 and there is no guarantee that a future Government would support such a scheme (a background report on A40 road schemes has been placed on deposit in the Members’ Resource Centre). Indeed, a dualling scheme on this scale could be seen to be inconsistent with the Government’s and the County Council's policies which seek to encourage alternatives and reduce the growth in car travel.
13. The scheme would have major impacts on the A34 Trunk Road and on the environment across a large area north of Oxford. It would be very controversial and require the most extensive and wide-ranging consultations. Any scheme of this scale would inevitably have to be considered in the context of the Multi-Modal Study (MMS) for the A34 north of Southampton, which is about to be undertaken by SEERA. This study is unlikely to report until 2004 and it is doubtful whether any progress could be made on the preparation work on an A40 dual-carriageway scheme until the MMS had concluded. Even if such a scheme could be justified, the procedures for pursuing such a scheme mean that it could be well over a decade before construction could commence. It is for these reasons that the dual carriageway approach is not felt to be a viable strategy to address the current problems on the A40 and future transport demands arising from new development up to 2011.

Benefits of a New Highway Link

14. However, it is considered that some highway improvements can make a valuable contribution to a new strategy for the A40. The Structure Plan already includes support for a A40 to A34 link that would enable some A40 traffic that wishes to gain access to the A34 to avoid Wolvercote Roundabout. This would be beneficial to all road users and reduce congestion on the A40, A44 and Woodstock Road. Wolvercote Roundabout already has a poor accident record and is especially difficult for pedestrians and cyclists. Improvements at the roundabout would benefit buses as well as general traffic, especially on Woodstock Road.
15. The A40 west of Wolvercote is expected to be de-trunked in April 2003. This length also suffers congestion at Cassington signals and at Eynsham roundabout and it is considered that the strategy should include improvements at these two junctions to reduce delays. It would be desirable to include bus priority on the approaches to the junctions to encourage modal shift.
16. The whole of the Oxford road network is operating very close to capacity and the only way that substantial growth in travel demand between West Oxfordshire and Oxford can be met is by encouraging this to take place by public transport. In the medium term the provision of the GTE system linking Pear Tree Park and Ride (P&R) to the city centre will make P&R more attractive. The new link road will provide direct access into Pear Tree P&R from the A40 and to capitalise on this, it is proposed that the strategy should include upgrading Pear Tree to similar standards to the Water Eaton P&R. It is also considered possible to improve the A44 approach to Wolvercote Roundabout and extend the bus lane on the approach to the advantage of P&R services.
17. Most bus services serving Carterton and Witney also serve Eynsham and enter Oxford along the B4044 and Botley Road. This will continue to be an important route, even if a GTE service is provided in the period 2011 to 2016, and the strategy should include bus priority measures on the approaches to Swinford Toll Bridge that are being developed as part of the Premium Routes Strategy.

Proposed Three-Phase Strategy

18. The earliest start date for the GTE system is 2006/07 and it will clearly not be possible to deliver an extension of a guided busway system to Carterton and Witney until GTE is operating successfully. The proposed strategy is therefore based on a three-phase approach commencing with a package of general traffic measures and public transport enhancements to be introduced in the short term (over the next 5 years). These would be followed in the medium term by the linkage of West Oxfordshire bus services to the proposed GTE system (6 to 7 years). In the longer term (around 10 to 15 years), the proposed strategy involves the extension of the Oxford GTE system to provide a high quality/capacity public transport link for those travelling between West Oxfordshire and Oxford.
19. The elements proposed in each of the phases are:

• Improvements to Wolvercote Roundabout
• A40 to A44/A34 Link Road
• Bus Priority on A40 approach to Link Road
• Improvement at Cassington Signals (including bus priority)
• Improvement at Eynsham Roundabout (including bus priority)
• Upgrading of Pear Tree Park and Ride
• Extension of A44 Bus Lane
• Bus priority on the B4044 at the approaches to Swinford Toll Bridge

• GTE Oxford
• Witney Park and Ride
• Additional Bus Priority on A40 (if required)

• GTE Extension (Witney to Eynsham)
• GTE Extension (Carterton to Witney)
• GTE Extension (Eynsham to Oxford)

Consultation on the Strategy

20. The three-phase strategy described in this report represents a significant change to the previous A40 bus lane proposal. The Environment Scrutiny Committee has already expressed interest in being involved in the development of the A40 proposals. Similarly, local councils along the route of the scheme will no doubt be keen to express a view and input to the development of the proposal over the coming months. Oxford City Council will wish to comment on the implications of the proposed new highway link, for the "safeguarded land" identified in the Local Plan Review.
21. One very important consultee will be Stagecoach, the main bus operator along the route. Preliminary discussion has already taken place with Stagecoach being particularly keen to talk about the possibility of developing new services to destinations such as Headington (as well as reinforcing existing services via the B4044 route). The details of how such services might work will need to be the subject of more detailed discussion prior to this forming the basis of a "quality partnership" to support the development of the scheme.
22. It is also proposed to consult all local members affected by the proposals and the various interest groups that have commented on the A40 Bus Lane proposals.

Land Acquisition/Development Issues

23. The small areas of land outside the highway boundary that are required for the bus priority at Eynsham Roundabout along the A40 have been approved by members previously and are being pursued through negotiation. Clearly, significant land acquisition will be needed for the new highway link between the A40 and the A44 and it will be preferable to acquire this through negotiation. The introduction of a new highway link in this area may well result in pressures from developers to build on adjacent land.

Environmental Implications

24. Work on the development of the scheme over the coming months would need to address the environmental impact of the new highway link and in particular, how to minimise any adverse impact on Red Barn Farm Cottage which is close to where the link would meet the A44.
25. The overall impact of the scheme will include environmental benefits in the sense that it will have the potential to reduce car use between West Oxfordshire and Oxford thus reducing traffic congestion along the A40, particularly on the approach to Wolvercote Roundabout.

Financial and Staff Implications

26. The various elements of Phase 1 would have to be funded out of the County Council’s Single Capital Pot allocation over the next 5 years, plus any funding that may be available from developer contributions or the On-Street Parking Surplus. This is considered to be achievable in the light of the indicative allocations previously announced by the Government and it is hoped that the next Local Transport Settlement would take account of the strong case that can be made for improvements to the A40.
27. A major advantage of not combining the elements into a major scheme bid will be that a complex submission to the Government will not be required. We will also not be tied to progressing the strategy to meet the submission date for the LTP and will be able to implement each element as it is approved and finance becomes available.
28. Considerable officer input will be required to oversee the ongoing refinement of the strategy, including the consultation, and by the consultants to produce the individual scheme designs.
29. The cost of the minor improvements to Wolvercote Roundabout proposed for the current year can be financed from the OTS Rapid Response budget already approved.

Annex 4

Annex 5

RECOMMENDATIONS

30. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to:

1. approve the revised three phase strategy for the A40 set out in the report for consultation with local councils, local members and interested parties;
2. ask the Director of Environmental Services to report back via Environment Scrutiny Committee, on the further development of the Strategy in the light of the results of the consultations with an invitation to the Scrutiny Committee to advise the Executive of any changes they consider should be made to the proposed strategy before adoption by the Executive;
3. abandon the A40 Bus Lane Scheme as previously proposed;
4. authorise further work on the revised strategy and individual elements, including further consultation with interested parties between now and next Spring with a view to the introduction of an improvement of Wolvercote Roundabout during the next financial year; and
5. authorise the Director of Environmental Services to implement minor works at Wolvercote Roundabout to improve pedestrian facilities in the current year, subject to them being compatible with the final scheme, following consultation with the Executive Members for Transport and Strategic Planning & Waste Management.

DAVID YOUNG
Director of Environmental Services

Background papers: Nil

Contact Officers: Eddie Luck Tel: Oxford 815845

October 2002

Return to TOP