Meeting documents

Return to Agenda

ITEM CA5

HENLEY INTEGRATED TRANSPORT STRATEGY

Report by Head of Transport

Introduction

1. The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Cabinet for the Henley-on-Thames Parking Strategy and Longer Term Strategy which, together with the Short-Medium Term Strategy (approved by the Executive in April 2004), make up the Henley-on-Thames Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS). Copies of the Parking and Longer Term Strategies and their supporting documents have been placed on deposit in the Members’ Resource Centre.

Background

2. In March 2003 the County Council commissioned Halcrow, the County Council’s transport planning consultants, to update and carry forward the 1997 Henley Transport Strategy. The brief issued to Halcrow identified the need for a phased approach to addressing Henley’s transport problems. Firstly the need for a short to medium term strategy was identified, to make a noticeable difference in the near future. Secondly a longer term approach was needed to address the fundamental problem of through traffic in the town. Thirdly, once work on the short to medium term strategy had commenced it became clear that there was a need for a parking study to address the complex parking issues in the town. The Parking Strategy and the Longer Term Strategy are the focus of this report.
3. The Henley-on-Thames ITS has been overseen by a Steering Group, which comprises members and officers from the County, District and Town Councils, representatives from the Henley Partnership and Henley Society and a cycling representative (non-voting).
4. The principles of the Parking Study were agreed by the Steering Group as part of the short to medium term strategy and are as follows:

• Restrict town centre parking to short-stay and residents only;
• Ensure the high turnover and effective utilisation of the town centre car parks;
• Encourage greater utilisation of the long-stay car parks for short stay use;
• Ensure that pedestrian routes to and from the main car parks and key destinations are safe and secure; and
• Improve signing so that visitors are guided to suitable car parks preferably on the outer edges of the town centre.

5. The specific objectives of the Longer Term Strategy were also agreed by the Steering Group and are as follows:

• Report and comment upon previously identified issues and trends relating to ‘through’ traffic in the town;
• Based primarily on the findings of previous studies, identify a range of potential ‘what if…’ scenarios for how these issues may be addressed in the longer-term;
• Undertake a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of these potential ‘what if…’ scenarios; and
• Produce a document which sets out the advantages and disadvantages of various ways of dealing with traffic passing through Henley-on-Thames in the longer-term in order to inform the broader debate.

Parking Strategy

6. Following approval of the Inception Report, the Parking Study was undertaken in four stages, which are discussed in detail in Annex 1 (download as .doc file). The Study considered the inner, mainly town centre, area of Henley and the outer, more residential area before drawing all of that work together to form the final Strategy. A plan of the study area can be seen at Annex 2 (download as .doc file).

Longer Term Strategy

7. Following approval of the Inception Report, the Longer Term Study was undertaken in three stages, which are discussed in detail in Annex 3 (download as .doc file).

The Strategy

Parking Strategy

8. The Strategy comprises packages of measures which are designed be implemented in a phased approach dependent on the priority attached to them. Essentially the Strategy reassesses the balance of carrots and sticks, i.e. more incentives to encourage the use of the long-stay car parks and disincentives, such as higher costs for parking, to deter inappropriate use of those spaces best used for very short-stay parking on-street. An overview of the measures included in the Strategy is given in Annex 4 (download as .doc file).

Longer Term Strategy

9. The outcome, or strategy, for the Longer Term was a set of guiding principles/appraisal criteria against which any schemes that are progressed in the future should be continually reviewed. They are as follows:

• They (future schemes) will not lead to increased traffic volumes passing through the town and, where appropriate, offer an opportunity to reduce traffic and hence mitigate the adverse impacts of traffic on the town;
• They offer potential to reduce or better manage demand for local trips (with an origin/destination in the town);
• They consider measures that focus on tackling behaviour as well as potentially on improving infrastructure;
• They will not undermine the competitiveness of the local economy;
• They are realistic in terms of delivery within a reasonable time scale;
• They are developed in partnership with, and are supported by all the relevant Councils, including Henley-on-Thames Town Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council;
• The benefits of the scheme for Henley-on-Thames significantly outweigh any potential issues of disadvantage for the town;
• They represent good value for money and the results achieved in Henley-on-Thames are consistent with the level of expenditure; and
• They are sustainable in the long-term and are likely to bring long-term improvements to the town.

Parking Strategy

10. At their meeting on 30 March 2005 the Henley ITS Steering Group agreed:
    
    

1. to accept, in principle, Halcrow’s Stage Three Report for the Parking Study;
2. to set up an implementation group to oversee the rollout of the recommendations contained in the report, to an agreed timetable; and
3. to ask that the Oxfordshire County Council provide sufficient resources for implementation, to an agreed timetable, and that the implementation group receive updates, including on the availability of resources.
   
   
11. Under guidelines for the second Local Transport Plan (2006-2011), all new schemes now have to contribute towards meeting the transport shared priorities (tackling congestion, delivering accessibility, safer roads, better air quality and improving the street environment) and be solving identified transport problems. Unfortunately the Parking Strategy measures were not considered to contribute sufficiently to solving identified transport problems to be allocated funding in the second Local Transport Plan programme. Hence the implementation group has not yet been established. However, it will be important to have an agreed Parking Strategy for Henley should other sources of funding become available in the future to implement measures to improve the parking situation in the town, or if changes to parking are put forward by others, for example by South Oxfordshire District Council.
12. South Oxfordshire District Council indicated their support for the Parking Strategy in a letter to the County Council dated 11 August 2005. A copy of their letter can be seen at Annex 5 (download as .doc file).
13. Henley-on-Thames Town Council considered the Strategy at their Full Council meeting on 7 June 2005. The Town Council endorsed the Parking Strategy, subject to an agreed way forward being found for the implementation of the town centre scheme (which forms part of the Short-Medium Term Strategy). An agreed way forward was subsequently found for the implementation of the town centre scheme and implementation commenced, to a timetable agreed by the Town Council, in February 2006.

Longer Term Strategy

14. At their meeting on 30 March 2005 the Henley ITS Steering Group endorsed the Stage Three Report for the Longer Term Strategy. Members at that meeting asked that the implementation group (see resolution for the Parking Study) also consider the Longer Term Strategy.
15. South Oxfordshire District Council indicated their support for the Longer Term Strategy in a letter to the County Council dated 11 August 2005. A copy of the letter is at Annex 5.
16. Henley-on-Thames Town Council endorsed the Longer Term Strategy at their Full Council meeting of 7 June 2005, subject to an agreed way forward being found for the implementation of the town centre scheme. An agreed way forward was subsequently found for the implementation of the town centre scheme and implementation commenced, to a timetable agreed by the Town Council, in February 2006.

Consultation

Parking Strategy

17. Annex 1 (download as .doc file) outlines the public consultation that was undertaken as part of the Parking Study. Further consultation will be carried out where changes to Traffic Regulation Orders are necessary in order for schemes to be implemented and where any schemes involve further detailed design.

Longer Term Strategy

18. The nature of this Strategy is such that consultation will be undertaken as and when future scenarios are developed. This consultation is likely to be carried out on a large scale, covering a wide geographical area, and potentially by authorities other than Oxfordshire County Council.

Environmental Implications

Parking Strategy

19. The Parking Strategy includes measures to encourage drivers to use the long-stay car parks on the edge of the town centre, thereby reducing traffic in the areas of the town which currently suffer from poor air quality.

Longer Term Strategy

20. The possible measures outlined in the Longer Term Strategy include measures to influence travel behaviour and additional highway infrastructure. Detailed environmental assessments of the latter schemes will be needed should any of them be progressed.

Staff and Financial Implications

Parking Strategy

21. Funding had been allocated to the Parking Strategy in the 2005/06 programme. However, due to the reasons outlined in paragraph 11, the funding for Parking Strategy measures was removed from the 2005/06 programme. It will be important to have an agreed Parking Strategy for Henley should other sources of funding become available in the future to implement measures to improve the parking situation in the town, or if changes to parking are put forward by others, for example by South Oxfordshire District Council.

Longer Term Strategy

22. The staff and financial implications of the highway infrastructure measures which are included in the Strategy would not be known until the time that such measures may be progressed. Existing staff resources could be allocated to the consultation and implementation of the ‘softer’ measures, such as travel plans.

RECOMMENDATION

23. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

1. approve the Henley-on-Thames Integrated Transport Strategy – Parking Strategy, as set out in the Halcrow Stage Three Report for that Strategy;
2. approve the Henley-on-Thames Integrated Transport Strategy – Longer Term Strategy, as set out in the Halcrow Stage Three Report for that Strategy;