Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Highway Management and Travel & Development Strategy

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/101

Contact: Melissa Goodacre, Infrastructure Strategy Team Leader Tel: 07825 314780/Joseph Kay, Strategic Transport Lead Tel: 07827 979234

Report by Corporate Director for Environment & Place (CA10).

To seek agreement of the LTCP document and supporting strategies for public consultation.

*** The draft Plan (Annex 1) is included in this agenda pack.  The other documents (Annexes 2-7) are published separately as Supplementary Documents due to their size and number. ***

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a)                  endorse the content of the LTCP document, and the supporting strategies as the basis for public consultation, commencing in November 2021 for a period of 6 weeks, and

b)                 delegate the decision on the final LTCP document, including graphical format to the Corporate Director for Environment and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways Management and Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy.

Cabinet had before it a report updating the Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (LTCP) on which it was proposed to undertake public consultation. It also included context about the supporting data (Annex 2), draft Freight and Logistics Strategy (Annex 3), draft Innovation Framework (Annex 4), draft Active and Healthy Travel Strategy (Annex 5), Bus Service Improvement Plan and the Integrated Sustainability Appraisal (Annex 6).

Before considering the report Cabinet heard a number of speakers.  City Councillor Sajjad Malik sent his apologies.

Robin Tucker, Co-chair, Coalition for Healthy Streets and Active Travel, welcomed the LTCP, along with the Bus Service Improvement Plan and new 20mph policy.  His group’s main issue with previous LTPs had been that they were not implemented and he hoped that this would not be the downfall of this one.

On the Active Travel strategy, Robin Tucker proposed deleting the section on Dual Choice Networks which, he said, had been widely rejected elsewhere.  He also urged Members not to rewrite Oxfordshire Cycling Standards when there were good national standards.

Connecting Oxford was an essential part of the Bus Plan, because it both frees up the roads so buses can move, and it gives people the incentive to switch mode.

Francois van der Merwe, Chairman, Little Milton Parish Council, drew Members’ attention to their campaign for a weight limit through the village because of long-standing unacceptable levels of HGV traffic despite there being a viable alternative route.

The previous freight plan and action points, despite classifying the A329 as “Local Access Route”, failed to implement a viable strategy for the A329 around Little Milton. Having a plan, strategies and action points was useless if not solving problems.  He called for the political will and backing from this Cabinet and Council to help solve this long-standing issue.  He asked that Little Milton be included with the likes of Burford, Henley and Chipping Norton as specific areas of interest when it comes to solving HGV traffic issues.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, expressed concern that improvement to the B4015 which the Council must make to cater for housing development might make the situation worse for Little Milton.  The issue of freight movement was something that Cabinet was alive to and a holistic approach was needed.

Danny Yee welcomed the Plan.  He believed that the only way to improve bus, cycling and walking travel around the city was to reduce the space provided for private cars.  He urged the prioritisation of junction redesign as most of the recent cycling accidents in the city had taken place at junctions. 

The changes were needed to alleviate transport poverty, address the climate emergency, reduce air pollution and congestion and make the city a better place to live in.  He advocated the inclusion of two more bus gates as well as the completion of existing Low Traffic Neighbourhood plans.

Councillor Freddie van Mierlo welcomed the Plan but believed that the strategy in regard to HGVs needed to be strengthened.  The provision of a map for HGV routes was welcome but he pointed to inconsistencies between the map and the accompanying table.  Restrictions that were not legally enforceable were being largely ignored.  He believed that an external agency should be employed to provide the expertise needed.

Councillor van Mierlo expressed disappointment that the strategy did not provide money for enforcing restrictions.  Some larger towns might be able to self-finance these but smaller villages could not.  He also called for better hygiene facilities and conditions for hard-pressed HGV drivers.

Councillor Tim Bearder responded that the government was about to provide local authorities with the powers to enforce restrictions.  It might take a year to introduce but he assured Members that Oxfordshire would be at the vanguard in their use.

Councillor Pete Sudbury, Cabinet Member for Climate Change Delivery and Environment, added that it was impossible to provide enough road space to cater for the expected car-ownership in 100,000 extra homes planned for the county.  Electric vehicles were not a climate-compatible solution.  Oxfordshire needed to take the lead in reducing emissions and energy use and this strategy was a good start.

Councillor Robin Bennett gave his experience of travelling in from a rural community to this meeting.  He stressed the importance of secure bicycle parking at modal hubs – especially for electric bicycles which can be very expensive.  He noted that there were good active travel plans for new housing developments but existing developments needed to be addressed too.

Councillor Bennet noted the proposal in the Bus Improvement Plan for cheaper hubs but he felt that the one at Berinsfield was particularly important and should be a high-specification transport hub to show what can be done.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, thanked all of the contributors as well as officers and members of the previous administration for their work on the strategy.  He welcomed the supportive comments on active travel and noted the debate as to whether separate cycling routes might be needed for confident and less confident cyclists.

Councillor Enright also welcomed the focus on freight and noted that the importance of East-West Rail for freight was often underestimated.  He welcomed recognition in the strategy of mobility hubs, shared transport options and cycle freight.  He moved the recommendations.

Councillor Glynis Phillips welcomed the views of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee and asked that they be incorporated into the consultation.  Councillor Enright agreed and also emphasised the importance of input from locality meetings and the Cabinet Advisory Group on Transport.

Councillor Neil Fawcett noted that rail travel in Oxfordshire had doubled in the last 24 years despite the poor rail infrastructure.  The Council needed to consider how to bring sufficient influence on the government and Network Rail to ensure the county had the necessary rail infrastructure for the development plans already in place.

RESOLVED to:

a)           endorse the content of the LTCP document, and the supporting strategies as the basis for public consultation, commencing in November 2021 for a period of 6 weeks, and

b)           delegate the decision on the final LTCP document, including graphical format to the Corporate Director for Environment and Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways Management and Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy.