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ITEM EX9 - ANNEX 1

HENLEY INTEGRATED TRANSPORT STRATEGY

Methodology of the Study

The study was undertaken in 4 stages, which are discussed below:

Stage 1(March – July 2003): understanding the existing situation

In order to understand the existing issues in Henley a number of consultation exercises were undertaken with local people in May 2003.

• A workshop for key stakeholders was held;
• Face to face interviews were undertaken in locations throughout the town and at different times of the day;
• A focus group was held at the Over 60s Club.

Each of these consultation events was used to gain an understanding of how local people viewed transport in Henley and also to ensure that any additional schemes/improvements to be included were identified at an early stage.

The results of the consultation exercises were presented by Halcrow at a Members’ Steering Group meeting held on 23 July 2003, and were also detailed in the Stage One Report. The Group agreed those issues which were recommended to be specifically addressed at Stage Two. An outline of the schemes which could be used to address the issues was also included.

Stage 2 (July – October 2003): scheme reassessment and potential scheme proposals

This stage looked in more detail at those schemes which were approved at Stage One. The key tasks at this stage included a review of existing parking policies, analysis of available traffic data, the consideration of traffic management options and the development of a traffic model for the town.

The output of Stage Two was a report detailing the work undertaken and concluding with recommendations on which schemes should be pursued to Stage Three. These recommendations were presented by Halcrow at the 29 October 2003 meeting of the Members’ Steering Group, where the emerging strategy was approved. It is important to note that at this stage Halcrow recommended that a separate parking study be undertaken for Henley, due to the complexity of the parking situation in the town. Members agreed this approach.

Stage 3 (October 2003 to February 2004): consultation and scheme prioritisation

Further work was undertaken in Stage Three to consult on and refine the output of Stage Two. This further consultation included:

• A stakeholder workshop, including the same people who attended the first workshop, in November 2003;
• A public exhibition in the Town Hall, which was attended by approximately 350 people, in December 2003;
• An ‘open surgery’ for members of the Steering Group in January 2004.

At the stakeholder workshop and public exhibition provisional scheme plans were presented for consultees to comment on. The comments were then used to refine the scheme plans before they were presented at the members’ open surgery event.

The details and conclusions of Stage Three were presented in a Draft Final Report at the Members’ Steering Group meeting on 5 February 2004, along with a suggested implementation programme.

Stage 4 (February 2004): final reporting

Following the comments made on the Draft Final Report at the February Members’ Steering Group meeting, a Stage Four Technical Note was produced which reflected these comments and addressed the concerns which had been raised. It also included the implementation programme which had been agreed at the meeting. This updates the Stage Three Report and should be read in conjunction with it.

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