ITEM TD7
TRANSPORT DECISIONS COMMITTEE – 6 SEPTEMBER 2007
London Road Corridor Improvements – progress and consultation on design
Report by Head of Transport Introduction
1. This report details progress made on the design for a scheme for transport improvements on the Headington and London Roads in Oxford (specifically the section from Pullens Lane to Wharton Road). It describes the consultation that has taken place on the scheme in spring and summer 2007 and the changes that are proposed to the design as a result. The Committee is asked to approve the amended design for further detailed design work, formal consultation and implementation.
Background
2. A scheme for improvements to the London Road corridor is a key part of the County Council’s second Local Transport Plan and its capital spending programme. The delays experienced by the large numbers of people travelling along the route by bus are very significant and, as a result, there is a continuing major impact on the reliability and attractiveness of buses as an alternative to the car for journeys in this area. The accident rate on the London Road is around twice the national average for a major route such as this. There is also significant scope to improve the standard of the street environment/public realm in Headington centre to make it a more attractive place to visit and spend time in.
3. The objectives of the scheme are shaped by the key objectives of the County Council’s second Local Transport Plan (LTP2) adopted in April 2006. The three main objectives of the scheme (that have driven progress on the design) are:
· Making bus journeys quicker and more reliable (LTP objective – tackling congestion) · Improving road safety for all road users (LTP objective – road safety) · Enhancing Headington shopping centre (LTP objective – street environment)
4. More details on the background to the scheme – why improvements are needed, how they fit in with the Council’s wider strategy for the Headington and Marston area, and what work and consultation has been carried out on the scheme to date – can be seen at Annex 1 (download as .pdf file).
5. In the summer of 2005 local people and stakeholders were consulted on two different approaches to achieving the scheme objectives.
6. Approach 1 was to introduce bus lanes, street environment enhancements and road safety measures. Approach 2 was to close London Road to through traffic at Windmill Road, but allow through access for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.
7. Approach 1 was the option preferred at public consultation and, for this and other reasons, on 15 November 2005 the Cabinet approved Approach 1 for further development. It was agreed that the County Council would carry out further consultation on the detail of the scheme. This report describes the consultation that has been duly carried out on the plans for the part of the route that covers the length from Pullens Lane to Wharton Road.
Progress on the Scheme
8. Since the decision by the Cabinet in 2005, funding for improvements to the London Road was included in the County Council’s second Local Transport Plan (LTP2) for 2006-2011. This funding is being used to progress the section from Pullens Lane to Wharton Road (a location plan is at Annex 2 (download as .pdf file)), with work on St Clements and Wharton Road to Headington Roundabout to follow on at a later stage as and when further funding becomes available.
9. In line with the November 2005 Cabinet decision, Oxfordshire Highways has been translating the outline design consulted on in 2005 into a more detailed preliminary design in order to consult local people on the detail. A number of factors influenced the development of the preliminary design, including key issues raised regarding the concept design at the 2005 consultation, a full topographical survey and the results of detailed investigations of the public utilities along the route (gas and water mains, electricity and phone cables and so on).
Consultation on the Preliminary Design
10. The consultation on the detail of the scheme comprised seeking essential feedback on the design from a group of key stakeholders in addition to (and ahead of) the wider public consultation which took place in July. The purpose of the consultation has been to refine the details of the design in the light of people’s experience of using the road and living in/working in/visiting the area.
Key stakeholder consultation
11. In the spring of this year, a key stakeholder group was set up to provide critical insight into the preliminary design ahead of the wider public consultation. This group comprised representatives of people who live, work, study or travel on or close to the road. The members of the group are listed at Annex 3 (download as .pdf file).
12. In addition to some separate discussions with individual stakeholders, a meeting of the full key stakeholder group was held on 17 May 2007 to discuss the draft preliminary designs. Many extremely helpful comments and suggestions were made and, as a result, a number of changes were made to the preliminary design, the most significant of which are set out at Annex 3 (download as .pdf file).
Wider public consultation
13. The wider public consultation exercise comprised two staffed public exhibitions of the proposals held on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July 2007. These events were widely publicised in the Headington area by a mailshot to 4000 households and businesses, posters and media coverage. The publicity also informed people that the proposals and the background to them would be made available on the County Council website and at County Council offices.
14. People were able to respond with or without using a feedback form, both online and by freepost. A copy of the feedback form is attached at Annex 4 (download as .pdf file).
The proposals
15. The full details of the proposals are in the exhibition booklet at Annex 5 (download as .pdf file). The key elements of the scheme are as follows:
· Outbound bus lane from Gipsy Lane to Osler Road · Enhancements to the street environment in Headington shopping centre · Enhancements to the street environment in the area close to Oxford Brookes University (to be paid for by the university) · New and improved pedestrian crossings, one of which would replace the subway · Improving the working of the road’s traffic lights to give buses greater priority · New 20mph speed limits.
Response to the Wider Public Consultation
16. Following the consultation, a total of 188 responses were received.
Positive comments about the scheme
17. Many positive comments were made about the scheme. For example, the bus lanes and other bus infrastructure (new stops, shelters and information) were well received. The improvements to Headington shopping centre, including the changes to the Windmill Road traffic lights, also attracted positive comments. A fuller list of positive comments about the scheme is attached at Annex 6 (download as .pdf file)
Concerns about the proposed scheme approach
18. Comments were also made raising concerns about the scheme approach. For example, people seemed to be particularly concerned about cyclists using bus lanes, cyclists and pedestrians having to share narrowed pavements, and the new Pelican crossings causing delay to traffic. However, the range of concerns about the scheme approach was relatively limited; these are outlined at Annex 6 (download as .pdf file) along with the officer response.
Suggested changes to the scheme design
19. A number of people made suggestions for changes to the design and these are also summarised at Annex 6 (download as .pdf file) together with an officer response. All this feedback is useful, although in some cases it has not been recommended that the suggestions made by respondents are taken forward. However, in many cases, officers have felt that some suggestions should be taken forward, so the Committee is asked to endorse changes to the design highlighted at Annex 6 (download as .pdf file) .
Overall phasing of works
20. Given the scale and cost of the full scheme, it is not recommended to carry out all the construction work in one financial year. At the consultation stage it was proposed that the first phase of works (to cover Pullens lane to Sandfield Road) would take place in 2008/09 with the second phase (Sandfield Road to Wharton Road) following on in 2009/10. In addition, there is more work to do on the detailed design for the section through Headington shopping centre, whilst the greatest transport benefits (in relation to tackling congestion) would be achieved between Pullens Lane and Sandfield Road.
21. As part of the review of the preliminary design, officers consider that the extent of the phased implementation of the scheme should be altered. The section of the route from Sandfield Road to Osler Road (including the bus gate) should be built as part of the first phase of work that was previously proposed to extend from Pullens Lane to Sandfield Road. This would mean that virtually all of the benefits for bus passengers would be gained from the first phase of work.
Funding and Programming Issues
22. Following the report to Cabinet in 2005, £3.72m of LTP funding (including developer funding) was allocated to cover the costs of improvements to London Road over the period 2006/07 to 2009/10. This allocation was based on the original outline design approved in 2005.
23. The design for Pullens Lane to Wharton Road has now been developed and refined and very detailed information has been gathered on the extent and location of utilities and communication services under the roads and pavements. Consequently, the current overall cost of implementing the Pullens Lane to Wharton Road scheme is estimated to exceed the total level of funding that has been allocated to date (estimated cost = £4.3m).
24. As a matter of course, a full cost and funding review is to be undertaken in order to find cost savings and, if necessary, identify additional sources of funding (from other areas of the transport capital programme and developer funding budgets). However, whilst it has not been possible to do this ahead of the Committee, sufficient funding is allocated to the scheme to construct the extended first phase – Pullens Lane to Osler Road (estimated to be £2.85m taking into account the proposed changes). Some re-allocation of funding for the scheme from 2009/10 to 2008/09 will be needed to do this. As explained above, this is the section that would achieve the most benefits in transport terms.
25. At this stage, it should be noted that once the cost saving exercise has been undertaken, any funding shortfall may be relatively small. Both phases of the works would be procured through a competitive tendering process.
Improvements agreed with Oxford Brookes University
26. Oxford Brookes University has aspirations for the section of Headington Road between Pullens Lane and Gipsy Lane as summarised at Annex 3 (download as .pdf file).. A number of these have been included in the design on the understanding that they would be additional to the County Council’s proposals and would be fully funded by the university. The detailed cost of these additional elements has not yet been assessed but the university would be required to meet any maintenance costs as well as the initial capital cost.
Next Steps
27. Subject to approval by this Committee, the following work needs to be carried out for phase 1 of the works:
· Detailed design of the works (including the cost and funding review) · A detailed project appraisal of the work, related to the revised capital costs and LTP allocation · Drafting and advertisement of any necessary traffic regulation orders (new bus lane, alterations/additions to parking and so on), any objections to which would be reported back to a subsequent meeting of the Committee · Preparation for the tender process · In partnership with the successful contractor and local stakeholders, very careful planning of the works to keep disruption to a minimum during construction.
Staff Implications
28. Staff resources needed to progress the scheme would be met from existing resources from the Transport service including Oxfordshire Highways.
How the Scheme Meets the LTP2 Objectives
29. 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 · Improving road safety through the provision of new and improved pedestrian crossings and the introduction of lower speed limits · Improving the street environment, particularly in Headington shopping centre
Recommendations
30. The Committee is recommended to:
(a) authorise officers to proceed with the detailed design of the scheme as consulted on but incorporating the suggested changes as a result of that consultation as set out in Annex 6 (download as .pdf file) to this report;
(b) approve the phasing of the scheme construction as Pullens Lane to Osler Road during 2008/09 and Osler Road to Wharton Road during 2009/10;
(c) note that the elements of the approved design agreed with Oxford Brookes as set out at Annex 3 (download as .pdf file). to this report would need to be fully funded by the university including a commuted sum towards their maintenance; and
(d) authorise officers to promote and make any order necessary for the safe operation of the scheme subject to any objections being reported back to the Transport Decisions Committee.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport Environment & Economy
Background Papers: Consultation documents
Contact Officer: Craig Rossington; Tel (01865) 815575
September 2007
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