ITEM CMDT4 (Revised)
CABINET MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT – 2 OCTOBER 2008
ADOPTION OF THE NETWORK MANAGEMENT PLAN
Report by Head of Transport
Introduction
1. Part 2 of the Traffic Management Act was introduced on the 4 January 2005. This placed a Network Management Duty on all Local Transport Authorities to manage its highway network with a view to ensuring safe and effective movement of traffic, including both pedestrians and cyclists and co-operate with other authorities to the same end.
2. The Network Management Plan was put together in order to demonstrate how Oxfordshire County Council was meeting its Network Management Duty by optimising its ability to manage current and potential congestion levels effectively, both on its own highway and in connection with those roads managed by the Highways Agency and neighbouring highway authorities.
3. The different sections of the Plan deal with Legislation, Oxfordshire’s approach to Network Management, the Local Transport Plan and Performance Management. However the main outcome from the plan is contained within Annex A (download as .doc file) and Annex B (download as .doc file), the Assessment of Current Practice and the Action Plan.
4. These Annexes cover the full range of how the Transport Service is managing its highway and identifies additional work that should be carried out in order to optimise its performance. It is proposed that the Cabinet Member for Transport endorses Annexes A and B and, by doing so, formally adopt the Network Management Plan
The Network Management Plan
5. The first draft of the Network Management Plan accompanied the mid-term report for the Local Transport Plan in its submission to GOSE for comment at the end of July 2008. Both documents will need to be submitted again in final form at the end of October 2008.
6. The Network Management Plan has been put together in consultation with team leaders across the Transport Service. It therefore covers the full breadth of network management practice from across the service.
Oxfordshire’s Approach to Network Management
7. In order to carry out the Network Management Duty effectively, Oxfordshire County Council has put in place a structure that could deliver on different levels, from the daily operation and management of the duty to the longer term planning and overarching management of the duty.
8. The role of ‘Traffic Manager’ has been integrated into that of the Head of Transport. Along with this position, the Assistant Heads of Transport come in to form the Network Management Board whose purpose it is to ensure that the duty is being progressed and that network management issues are being considered across the service. The board meets quarterly and has identified terms of reference that are laid out in the Network Management Plan.
9. Many of the functions required in the Network Management Duty on a day to day basis were already being carried out by the authority. Therefore these functions were brought together to form the new Network Management Division within Oxfordshire’s Transport Service. This division has been broken down into two groups; Congestion Management - which consists of Network Coordination, Streetworks, Transport Monitoring and Traffic Signals and Traffic Enforcement - consisting of Parking and Bus Lane Enforcement, and Traffic Regulation Orders.
10. The Network Management division is also responsible for the Traffic and Information Management project (TIM), a function seen as a major component in Oxfordshire being able to more effectively manage the way traffic moves around its network and providing the public with sufficient information to plan or adapt their journey.
11. The Network Management Plan details how each of these teams operate and contribute to the duty.
12. Lastly, it is recognised that Oxfordshire should take a partnership approach to Network Management. This involves key stakeholders reviewing progress made under the Network Management Duty and also looking to discuss and develop new ways of tackling congestion that will be owned and signed up to by the local road using community. One of the actions of this plan will be to develop this group.
The Local Transport Plan
13. It is recognised that the Network Management Plan must be aligned closely with the Local Transport Plan, particularly with regard to local objectives and action plans to tackle congestion. However providing good and effective network management will also make a clear contribution to the other shared priorities by freeing up the road space and keeping traffic moving.
· Delivering Accessibility by managing the network in an efficient way, enabling expansion of commercial bus services and reducing the need for many journeys. · Improving road safety by advising travellers of incidents on-route, and ensuring the safe management of roadworks in the county. A reduction in the number of accidents will also reduce the impact of unplanned incidents on the highway. · Enhancing air quality indirectly by making more sustainable modes such as bus services, cycling and walking more attractive alternatives to the car, through the display of comparative journey times, by delivering public transport service status information in “real-time” and by identifying and informing people of specific air quality issues. · Improving the street environment indirectly by increasing the availability of information about and improving the reliability of public transport services, reducing the volume of private vehicle movements on key arterial routes.
14. The Network Management Plan summarises the strategies contained within the Local Transport plan which are thought to most impact on the Council’s first priority to tackle congestion and subsequently support the county in meeting its Network Management Duty.
15. The Plan also highlights key schemes to ease congestion, such as the Green Road Roundabout and Bus Lane Enforcement.
Performance Management
16. In order to assess the Council’s performance in managing the county’s road network and review the effectiveness of its arrangements, the Network Management Board will monitor the effectiveness of traffic management processes, by using suitable performance indicators whose evaluation can contribute to the continuous improvement of Network Performance.
17. In setting the performance indicators, the Network Management Board considered the range of performances required, in balance with the indicators that the authority is already committed to through the National Indicator set and the Local Transport Plan. It is recognised that for performance indicators to be useful, they need to be practical and reasonably intuitive.
18. With this in mind, the Network Management Board has adopted 22 indicators covering Accessibility, Bus, Congestion, Parking, Streetworks and Public Perception.
19. Many of the indicators are new and subsequently there is little experience in using them. It is also not possible yet in some cases to assemble the data required. The first draft of the Network Management Plan committed in ensuring that these indicators were finalised in the final version of the Plan, and also to have base data established (or at least demonstrate that it is possible to compile base data).
Annex A and Annex B Assessment of Current Practice and Action Plan
20. In order to assess how Oxfordshire County Council is currently effectively managing its highway network and, consequently able to identify its strengths and weaknesses, an ‘Assessment of Current Practice’ has been carried out. This has been compiled by involving team leaders from across the transport service through a series of one to one meetings.
21. This assessment, coupled with projects already underway such as TIM, forms the action plan. All these actions should either be completed or operating by the end of the second LTP period, 2011.
22. It is proposed that the Cabinet Member for Transport endorses Annexes A and B (attached) and, by doing so, formally adopt the Network Management Plan
Financial and Staff Implications
23. There are no direct financial implications in carrying out the actions as specified in the Action Plan although there are staff implications in carrying out the actions. However, these have mostly been discussed with those concerned and accommodated within their job plans.
RECOMMENDATION
24. The Cabinet Member for Transport is RECOMMENDED to:
(a) endorse Annex A and Annex B to this report; and
(b) formally adopt the Network Management Plan.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport Environment & Economy
Background papers: Annex A of the Network Management Plan – Assessment of Current Practice Annex B of the Network Management Plan – Action Plan
Contact Officer: Philip Earnshaw, Tel: (01865) 815977
September 2008
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