Meeting documents

Return to Agenda

ITEM EX11

DIDCOT AREA INTEGRATED TRANSPORT STRATEGY

Report by Head of Transport

1. The purpose of this report is to seek approval for phase 1 of the Didcot Area Integrated Transport Strategy. Copies of the study’s Final Report which contains the proposed strategy have been placed in the Members’ Resource Centre, as have the supporting documents listed at the end of this report.

Background

2. On 5 March 2002 the Executive considered consultants Colin Buchanan and Partners’ findings from the Didcot Transport Issues Study and agreed that the consultants’ advice should be noted and used as a basis for further study of the local transport issues. Halcrow were subsequently commissioned in the summer of 2002 to develop an integrated transport strategy (ITS) for Didcot and the surrounding area.
3. The study area is identified at Annex 1 (download as .doc file). It was recognised from the outset that the transport problems within the town are intrinsically linked to the traffic issues in the surrounding villages and the study area reflects this. The Executive also agreed on 5 March 2002 that two representatives from the villages should sit on the joint Member Steering Group which would oversee the study. In addition to these two representatives, the Group is comprised of three County Councillors, two Members from South Oxfordshire District Council, one from the Vale of White Horse District Council and one from Didcot Town Council.
4. The Member Steering Group agreed the vision that the ITS study should be aiming at as:

"The vision for the Didcot area in the future is that it will be an attractive and pleasant place to live and work and an important employment and retail centre. The environment will be conducive to a high level of pedestrian and cycling activity particularly in Didcot town centre. Public transport (rail and bus based) will be of a high quality with easy access to services that are fully integrated and fully accessible for people with mobility impairments. The highway will be managed to provide a safe and efficient transport network that ensures the effective movement of people, goods and services within the Didcot area."

5. Three strategic and eight transport objectives were identified and agreed by the Steering Group:

• To enhance the quality of the area as an attractive place to live, work, shop, recreate, and visit.
• To mitigate the adverse effects of additional traffic on Didcot and the surrounding area and to increase accessibility for all.
• To ensure that transport demand and supply associated with new developments is fully integrated with the existing transport network.
• To reduce reliance on the use of the private car by improving the choices available to meet transport needs within Didcot and between Didcot and the surrounding settlements.
• To increase accessibility to facilities for those without cars and/or with mobility impairment.
• To promote the use of public transport (bus and rail).
• To identify and provide a safe, continuous and high quality network of pedestrian and cycle routes.
• To promote road safety and reduce the number and severity of road casualties.
• To promote efficient highway management including the identification of transport infrastructure as appropriate, and parking demand and supply.
• To improve provision for interchange between all modes of transport.
• To relieve traffic congestion where it is causing significant amenity or environmental problems.

6. These objectives are in line with national and local planning policies.

Methodology of the Study

7. The ITS study was intended to cover all aspects of transport infrastructure and services in the area. However, it became evident that consideration of major highway schemes, such as trunk road (A34) access and junction improvements, required input from and consideration of the issues raised by two other sources – the Great Western Park housing development (and a transport assessment that would accompany any planning application for this development) and the County Council’s Transport Networks Review. The timescales for these two projects would have meant holding up the rest of the ITS. It was therefore proposed at the Steering Group meeting on 22 October 2003 to split the ITS into two phases and Members agreed that phase 1 should not be delayed. Phase 1 which is the subject of this report covers traffic management; walking and cycling facilities within the town; measures to mitigate the speed of traffic through the villages; cycle links to employment sites and the town from the rural areas and public transport improvements. Phase 2 would cover the major highway schemes and associated junction improvements and is proposed to be the subject of further study work in 2004/05.
8. Phase 1 included five stages of work:

• Stage 1 – review of current proposals
• Stage 2 – scheme feasibility
• Stage 3 – prioritisation of schemes and proposed public consultation
• Stage 4 – approved implementation programme and monitoring framework
• Stage 5 – final reporting

9. Phase 1 of the Didcot Area ITS comprises 24 cycle/pedestrian improvement and 16 traffic calming/traffic management schemes within the town itself; packages of schemes for 16 villages; 22 rural cycle schemes and a number of public transport schemes and initiatives (Annex 2) (download as .doc file).
10. A proposed implementation programme (Annex 3) (download as .doc file) was put to the Steering Group to help to identify yearly budget demands for the strategy and to plan the detailed design and work on the ground. This categorised the schemes into short (2004/5 and 2005/6), medium (2006/7 to 2010/11 inclusive) and long term (2011/12 +) measures.
11. Varying views were expressed at the Member Steering Group meeting on 22 January 2004 about the proposals for the villages. To fund the implementation of all the schemes contained in each village as a single package would require a significant proportion of the overall likely budget each financial year and would impact on the delivery of other ITS schemes. Halcrow therefore sought to enable all villages to see some improvements in the shorter term and to suggest a structured implementation of schemes. They suggested the implementation of enhanced gateways, incorporating Vehicle Activated Signs where appropriate, for all villages over the short to medium term. This would mean that all villages received a similar level of funding and would provide a consistent message to drivers passing through the rural area that speeds should be lowered through villages.
12. There was concern that Parish Councils might not necessarily see village gateways as their first priority and may object to the suggested phasing of this work. At the request of the Steering Group, County Council officers wrote to each parish to invite them to put forward their priority scheme. In the responses received each village put the gateway proposals as either their first or second priority. The Member Steering Group considered two options as part of the final strategy – the original gateway proposal or implementing the first priority identified by each parish – and the majority voted in favour of the gateways approach. The annual monitoring programme, though, is to provide further data for consideration of village priorities in future years.
13. Clearly any of the phase 1 schemes will need to be integrated with proposals that emerge from the phase 2 work, as well as with other initiatives in the area such as the town centre redevelopment.
14. The initial design work for a new pedestrian/cycle underpass immediately to the east of Cow Lane, Ladygrove is being undertaken currently. This scheme has been identified as being 100% developer funded. However, this is a major construction project and if it comes in over the estimated cost there could be an impact on the ITS programme.

Strategy Approval

15. The Member Steering Group agreed on 3 March 2004 that phase 1 of the Didcot Area Integrated Transport Strategy should be put to South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils and Didcot Town Council for endorsement and then brought to this Executive for approval. Feedback on the outcome of the District and Town Councils’ decisions will be provided orally to the Executive.

Consultation

16. Consultation has been an integral part of the study work. In particular, very detailed consultation has been undertaken on the village schemes to allay concerns about minimum consultation on the earlier Transport Issues Study and an exhibition of all the ITS proposals was held in autumn 2003 in Didcot. Further consultation will be needed on the detailed design of the approved schemes.

Strategy Monitoring and Review

17. Monitoring the effectiveness of this ITS will be an essential area of work. This will provide information on the effectiveness of individual schemes as well as on how well the strategy is achieving its objectives. This information will need to be provided as part of the County Council’s LTP Annual Progress Report on all its transport schemes. The annual monitoring of Didcot will be carried out in June (initial baseline data was collected in 2003). The Final Report suggests the range of monitoring that should be considered, including traffic volumes and speeds, bus reliability and journey times and parking surveys.
18. Phase Two

• Consideration of the outcomes of the Transport Networks Review (in particular any route improvements suggested for the area)
• Infrastructure required as a result of the Great Western Park housing development
• Continued liaison with the Highways Agency and other partners
• Feasibility work to understand the environmental, economic and social impacts of the highway schemes and junction improvements
• A recommendation on any major schemes that would provide most benefit to the area
• Consideration of the outputs from the station forecourt study.

19. The introduction of the measures contained within the integrated transport strategy should bring significant benefit to the local environment through a reduction in reliance on the use of the private car by improving the choices available to meet transport needs within Didcot and the surrounding area.

Financial and Staff Implications

20. The measures outlined above would be funded through the Transport Capital Programme and developer contributions. Some of the cycling schemes are being pursued by SUSTRANS. Existing staff resources would be allocated to the consultation and implementation of the schemes.

RECOMMENDATIONS

21. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to approve phase 1 of the Didcot Area Integrated Transport Strategy as summarised in the report and described in detail in Halcrow’s Final Report.

DAVID MCKIBBIN
Head of Transport

Background papers: Inception report, October 2002

• Technical Notes 1, January 2003
• Technical Notes 2.1, 2.2, 2.3a and 2.3b, July 2003
• Phase 1 Report of Consultation, January 2004
• Phase 1 Draft Implementation Report, January 2004
• Phase 1 Final Report, March 2004

Contact Officer: Jacqui Cox Tel: Oxford 815713