Contact: Amy Bristow, ext 7038

1. Summary

1.1 This report sets out progress on the Western Hampshire Transport Strategy (WHTS) draft for consultation and the consultation process itself. The draft strategy is attached as an appendix. Members are asked to note the new timescales required for the consultation process.

2. Introduction

2.1 The scope of the strategy for consultation was outlined and agreed at the meeting of the former Western Hampshire Transportation Strategy Panel on 5 March 2002. The draft strategy document has been developed and is provided for information. However, progress on consultation has been delayed by approximately five months due to resource pressures.

3. Consultation on the Strategy

3.1 The arrangements for consulting the community of Western Hampshire and key stakeholders remain unaltered. Copies of the strategy will be made widely available, including at council offices and local libraries, and a wide range of stakeholders will still be consulted. It is proposed to have staffed exhibitions in Andover and Stockbridge. The proposed new timescales for consultation are as follows:

Key Event	Date
Draft structure of strategy to senior officers for final approval	Mid September 2002
Liase with Test Valley Borough Council on the consultation programme and draft consultees	End September 2002
Production of the draft strategy consultation document	Beginning October 2002
Submission of the documents for a news item on Hantsnet and Test Valley Borough Council websites	October/November 2002
Distribute and begin consultation on the draft strategy	November 2002
Hold a series of exhibitions in the WHTS area	November 2002
Compile feedback from consultees	December 2002/January 2003
Begin drafting the final strategy document based on consultee feedback	January-March 2003
Report to the Andover and Western Hampshire Transportation Strategy Panel on the consultation process and any amendments made to the strategy	March/April 2003
Provide final draft of the strategy to the Executive Member for Environment and Director of Environment	March/April 2003
Publish final strategy document and distribute	To be confirmed

Recommendations

1. That Members note the progress on the development of the Western Hampshire Transport Strategy.

2. That the Executive Member for Environment be advised of the new timescales for consultation.

7408/AB

APPENDIX

WESTERN HAMPSHIRE TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY

CONSULTATION DRAFT

SEPTEMBER 2002

INTRODUCTION

This document sets out the County Council's understanding of the key issues involved in transport for western Hampshire and a proposal for an approach to the issues through the Western Hampshire Transport Strategy (WHTS). The draft strategy includes an overall vision and proposed targets to be achieved.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek the views of local communities, business interests and other interested groups. The WHTS strategy will be the focus for transport investment and development in the area, and the local authorities want to ensure that the community shares their approach. This is why the draft strategy has been produced.

The WHTS, being jointly developed by Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council, seeks to identify the particular needs of communities in Western Hampshire and take account of local people's needs to provide a sustainable transport system for the future. WHTS will also respond to policy changes at national, county and local levels.

DEVELOPING A VISION

The draft strategy has been prepared based on an assessment of the key issues which are outlined in the next chapter.

The draft vision for the Western Hampshire area is to develop a sustainable transport strategy to contribute to a `living countryside' where every resident in the local community has access to services such as health care, education, shops and employment.

Aims

The aim of the strategy is to tackle the transport issues in the rural parts of Western Hampshire and improve travel choice for everybody whilst maintaining the area's rural character. There is a need to:

· Promote sustainable development

· Reduce the need to travel

· Improve accessibility for all, regardless of mobility

· Improve the quality of the environment

Objectives

The transport objectives for consultation, which reflect the Government's core objectives, are to:

_ Increase the availability and use of community transport

_ Locate new development where alternatives to the car are available

_ Raise public awareness of current and future transport issues

_ Improve facilities at public transport interchanges, tourist attractions, schools and workplaces

_ Encourage the development of school and workplace travel plans

_ Provide local solutions that maintain the rural character of the area

_ Deliver environmental improvements and continue the County Council's rural traffic calming works through partnerships with the parishes and local communities

_ Set targets that can be monitored to assess the effectiveness of the strategy

_ Help improve road safety by reducing road casualties and improving personal safety

_ Support Test Valley Borough Council's application for decriminalised parking control

_ Implement parking standards through the development control process

A description of the WHTS area follows. The national and local context for developing a strategy is then outlined, including Government policy and guidance as well as local plans for the county. In the next section of the document, the key issues in western Hampshire are identified and current initiatives outlined to show the work that is already being done to address some of the problems in the area. Finally, there is a section on targets for improvement and monitoring of traffic and travel in the area.

THE WESTERN HAMPSHIRE AREA

In recent years, the car has become a dominant mode of transport, especially in rural areas where the dispersal of activities can make walking and cycling appear unrealistic and buses uneconomical.

Although congestion may not be experienced to the same degree as in urban areas, one of the greatest concerns for a predominantly rural area such as WHTS is that the increasing level of traffic, and in particular heavy vehicles, is making the environment for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders more dangerous. Traffic levels on all roads in Western Hampshire are forecast to increase by between 28-56% between 1996 and 2020 (County Council traffic monitoring).

There are conflicts between the need to travel, often by car, and living in the countryside and protecting it from noise, pollution and traffic. A strategy is therefore needed to address car use, which in WHTS is likely to remain the dominant mode of travel for the foreseeable future. The focus of the strategy is on improving safety and the quality of the environment and providing better facilities for greater travel choice.

The WHTS area covers the rural parishes of Test Valley, excluding the urban areas of Andover, Romsey, the southern most parishes and West Wellow, which are included in other transport strategy areas. Western Hampshire is renowned for its natural surroundings, ranging from the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to the valleys and meadows of River Test and its tributaries. In total over 46,000 people live in the area, mainly in small villages and hamlets. The most significant community in terms of size is Stockbridge.

MAP {APR style}

This document sets out the vision and draft strategy for transport in the area, which is open to consultation with the Western Hampshire community. There are a number of issues raised throughout this strategy and your views are sought on them. To be involved in the consultation or to find out more about WHTS or any of the schemes and initiatives included in this document, please contact:

Name Steve Lees

Head of Transport Policy Position

Environment Department Test Valley Borough Council

Hampshire County Council Beech Hurst

The Castle Weyhill Road

Winchester Andover

Hampshire Hampshire

SO23 8UD SP10 3AJ

Tel: 01962 84 6891 Tel: 01264 368000

E-mail: address E-mail: address

THE NEED FOR A STRATEGY

National Transport Policy

Transport is high on the political agenda, and the Government's transport policy has changed significantly in its emphasis over the last ten years as issues of congestion and pollution have become more important. New road construction is no longer the first option. Instead, greater coordination and integration between land uses and transport planning is promoted, as is increasing people's awareness of transport issues to promote changes in travel behaviour.

Integration is one of the five core objectives of the Government's 1998 White Paper `A New Deal for Transport - Better for Everyone'. These objectives are:

· Environment

· Accessibility

· Safety and Health

· Integration

· Economy

The concept of `integrated transport solutions' is at the heart of Government policy and there is an expectation of:

· Integration within and between different types of transport

· Integration with environmental needs

· Integration with land use planning

· Integration with policies for education, health and wealth creation

This concept is therefore an important one as it shows the links between transport and the communities, with needs and desires to take part in different activities.

The Government's strategy `Transport 2010 - The Ten Year Plan' which develops the objectives of the White Paper into key actions, identified £180 billion of funding from both the public and private sector to modernise the transport infrastructure by 2010. This has lead to more funding being made available for rural areas, in particular for rural bus services, and the modernisation and improvement of bus and rail services and infrastructure.

The Government's Rural White Paper `A Fair Deal for Transport' also looks at ways of revitalising rural areas, with particular emphasis on retaining their distinctive environment, economy and social fabric. Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council have successfully promoted partnerships with stakeholders and are creating strategies to help guide development and change in the countryside. This has lead to a considerable awareness of rural issues and a solid structure of partnerships, particularly with parish councils.

Local Policies and the Local Transport Plan

Transport must not be seen in isolation and the County Council has developed a corporate strategy which helps to ensure that policies in key areas complement each other. In particular, the County Council seeks to:

· Improve the local environment

· Ensure that all residents have access to all services and employment opportunities

· Improve and stimulate the local economy

· Promote social inclusion

· Tackle crime through community safety initiatives

The County Council is pursuing a policy of promoting transport and travel by means other than the private car; an important element of which is about changing people's perceptions and increasing their awareness and acceptance that changes need to be made. Headstart, the County Council's Community Involvement Initiative, has already shown that, by directly involving local people in transport policy, it can help support policies and initiatives which encourage more responsible use of the car.

PICTURE/LOGO

The Local Transport Plan (LTP) sets out the proposed transport improvements across the county for the next ten years and is the mechanism for securing funding to allow schemes and projects to be progressed. The focus of the Local Transport Plan (LTP) is based upon the Government's core criteria of Accessibility, Environment, Economy, Health and Safety and Integration. WHTS is one of ten area strategies included in the LTP, developed to take account of the diverse nature of the county.

The purpose of WHTS is to provide a strategy which promotes realistic travel alternatives through developing targets and programmes in the context of local and national policy. This document sets out the County Council's vision and draft strategy for transport in Western Hampshire. All policies and schemes to be developed will be assessed and monitored to help meet the core criteria identified above. Through these policies and programmes the local authorities aim to improve transport and build on existing partnerships with local people and organisations. In advance of the strategy a number of schemes have already been delivered in the area, and further initiatives are being developed. Examples are identified below.

_ Demand-responsive, specifically-branded buses have been introduced in and around Andover and Test Valley under the `Cango' banner. Cango is being funded from the Rural Bus Challenge fund and differs from conventional buses because, instead of having a fixed route it offers a flexible service which can respond to the daily needs of individual people. A special call centre has been established allowing bookings to be made even after the bus has set off on its journey.

PHOTO

_ The County Council has set up a Safer Routes to School team which promotes the development of school travel plans and delivers infrastructure improvements in support of the plans. At Test Valley School the bus layby has been redesigned to formalise the existing arrangements for buses to drop off and pick up pupils. A one-way system and separate parking area for parents has reduced conflict between buses, parents and local residents. The scheme has shown that a few small changes can make a big difference. The scheme was designed and reviewed in consultation with the school and local residents before the final design was agreed. Its operation is being monitored and further work is being done to dissuade parking in dangerous locations.

PHOTO

_ Relatively low cost improvements have been developed in partnership with the local community in King's Somborne which will slow traffic along the A3057 through the village and help make the environment safer for all road users. Widening of the footway outside the primary school and replacement of pedestrian guard railing will also make the area safer for children and their parents.

PHOTO

Rural Strategies

The County Council is developing a rural strategy which identifies a range of initiatives to support basic local services, combat social exclusion and help establish a thriving economy which includes rural transport packages. This is in line with Government policy, setting out a vision of a living, working, protected and vibrant countryside and sustaining and enhancing its distinctive environment, economy and social fabric.

Test Valley Borough Council has also developed a rural strategy which was subject to consultation during late 2001/early 2002. The strategy addresses a number of key issues for the rural Test Valley, one of which is transport, in particular access to public transport. This will now be developed within WHTS.

Test Valley Borough Local Plan

A draft of the Test Valley Borough Local Plan Review is on deposit for consultation in late 2002. The Plan contains proposals to guide development in the Borough to 2011 and beyond. It sets out a range of policies to protect the environment as well as including proposals for the development of housing, leisure and community facilities.

Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council work closely together to ensure that policies in the LTP and Local Plan are consistent with one another.

KEY TRANSPORT ISSUES IN WESTERN HAMPSHIRE

The key transport issues in the Western Hampshire area are outlined below under the headings of Accessibility, Rural Environment, Safety and Economy. Key issues for discussion are highlighted in each section and provide the opportunity to become involved in the development of the strategy for Western Hampshire.

ACCESSIBILITY

The current transport issues in Western Hampshire are broadly similar to most other rural areas. The lack of local facilities creates a need to travel but there is a lack of public transport facilities to cater for everyday journeys, therefore placing a heavy reliance on car use. The transport strategy is expected to concentrate on providing the sustainable transport element to a `living countryside' where every resident in the local community has access to services such as health, shops, education and employment.

An Accessible Transport Strategy has been developed by the County Council, which sets out a series of policy objectives and steps which the County Council and others can take to improve the transport system and make it more accessible to older people and those with disabilities. The strategy will guide the County Council in developing a more accessible transport system over the next decade. The WHTS strategy will be designed and developed to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are taken into account.

Walking and Cycling

Because of the dispersed nature of goods and services, walking and cycling in Western Hampshire are likely to be primarily leisure activities rather than for commuting to work or accessing shops and facilities. Hampshire County Council's household survey on travel, `Transpol' confirms this and the survey undertaken in the Test Valley area in 1997 showed that 80% of all journeys were by car (source: Transpol 1997). However, the strategy will look at the provision of safer, more attractive environments for walking and cycling, particularly in villages and settlements.

Cycling is a good form of exercise and the use of bicycles can reduce the environmental damage caused by motorised traffic. Cycling in the area is primarily for leisure purposes, and there is scope to encourage more cycling as a way of enjoying the area. The National Cycle Network Route proposals being implemented in Hampshire form part of the 4,000 miles of national links being promoted by Sustrans (the national cycling charity). The Network is primarily a series of leisure routes, and Hampshire and Test Valley will also be working to develop other cycling facilities in the area, including utility routes. In the WHTS area, a section of Route 24 (Southampton to Trowbridge) is at an early stage of investigation. The route runs from the boundary with Eastleigh to Romsey and then northwards towards Michelmersh and then via either Mottisfont or Dunbridge to Lockerley, West Dean and on to Salisbury. It is scheduled for completion in 2005.

It is the County Council's intention to work further with Sustrans to help identify the details of the route, including the environmental and landscape implications and likely outline costs. Any proposals for this section of the route will be developed in the context of the wider area-based cycling strategies.

A series of `health walks' are being promoted across the county to promote the use of local areas for leisure rather than encouraging car journeys to the New Forest. The self-guided walks are currently being introduced in the Waterside parishes, with investigations underway to find suitable locations in other parts of the county.

Public Bus Services

The main bus routes in this area operate between the urban areas of Andover, Romsey, Winchester and Salisbury at a minimum frequency of once an hour. However, evening and Sunday services are few in number, with smaller settlements away from the main roads less well-served, leading to poor accessibility to local services, increased social exclusion and hence increased use of the car.

The rural nature of the area and the low population density with dispersed facilities make it economically unviable for a frequent conventional public transport system and in recent years operators have discontinued a number of services. Partnerships are needed with the public transport providers to optimise the public transport networks so that levels of accessibility can be maintained and therefore those without access to a car are not excluded. These can also be supplemented with community transport services to optimise the level of service available.

Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council are also working with adjacent local authorities on cross-border issues. For example, Wiltshire and Hampshire County Councils are working together to develop a Bus Quality Partnership with Wilts and Dorset Bus Company that provides a corridor between Salisbury and Andover. This will link into the existing corridor from Andover to Basingstoke, operated by Stagecoach Hampshire Bus.

The Rural Bus Grant funds have enabled the County Council to enhance infrequent services and to provide new routes. The need to replace commercial routes deregistered by operators is also becoming an important issue. Projects are implemented following local consultation and have been well received. Refinements are being introduced in the light of patterns of use and customer feedback. Some work has already been carried out to identify unmet needs in this area and will be used as a basis for further work in connection with the Rural Transport Partnership Fund project. Services 77 and 99, operating between Andover and Stockbridge, are subsidised with funding from the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant.

At the moment there are no low-floor buses in operation in this area (apart from the Cango buses, see below) but Wilts and Dorset hope to introduce low-floor vehicles on some services into Andover which will not only help people with mobility impairments but also those with pushchairs and buggies.

Public Transport Information

One quarter of rural households in Hampshire are within a 13 minute walk of an hourly or better bus service. {investigating if a figure is available for WHTS} However, one of the main barriers to public transport use is not having enough information available about the location of routes and stops. The County Council publishes Travel Guides covering all bus and rail services in the area as a means of improving information regarding services, and these are distributed to approximately 90% of the population in the strategy area.

Community Transport Initiatives

To increase the accessibility of shops and services to those with mobility impairments, a network of community transport facilities exists in WHTS, most of which are very local in nature and rely on the goodwill of volunteers. The Broughton and Mottisfont Community Bus has been operating for nearly 20 years and provides scheduled local bus services. This service now has a wheelchair accessible mini-bus, the purchase of which was grant aided by both Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council. The Dial-a-Ride service, which provides a door-to-door service, together with community car share schemes, also operates in some of the villages. Work has already started to develop liaison between the various schemes with the long term aim of improving coordination and filling in gaps in provision; this will continue as part of the Rural Transport Partnership Fund project.

Cango is a new demand-responsive bus service operating in and around Andover. Rather than having a fixed route, there will be a flexible service which will respond to users' daily needs, incorporating timed and bookable stopping points. All vehicles are easy access and low-floor, making them fully accessible for wheelchair users or pushchairs. Anyone can use the service, but registration is required first. The service has been made possible as a result of a successful application to the Government's Rural Bus Challenge Fund.

Rail Services

The WHTS area is served by an hourly service on the railway line between Waterloo and the south west via Grateley Station (on the Basingstoke to Salisbury line). The Southampton to South Wales line via Dean and Dunbridge stations has a less frequent service, with half the trains just passing through. Grateley, Dean and Dunbridge rail stations are not used to their full potential for commuting due to the low number of stopping trains during peak periods, and inaccessibility.

Improvements have recently been made at Dean and Dunbridge stations to increase their accessibility by bicycle with the provision of more facilities for securing bicycles. More work will be done to improve access and information.

Photo

Road Network

The principal road network in WHTS consists of strategic routes - the A36, A303 and A34 - as well as the A30, A3057 and A343, which are routes through the area carrying local as well as longer distance traffic. The use of these routes for longer distance traffic between the M27 and A303 and further north to Newbury impacts on otherwise quiet villages. In King's Somborne, along the A3057 for example, lorries travelling through the village have lead to safety concerns for pedestrians and cyclists in the village.

Car Parking

There are no public car parks in the WHTS area although there is an abundance of on-street parking provision. A study commissioned by the District Council, and funded in part through the County Council's capital programme, has shown that there would be transport advantages to the implementation of decriminalised parking enforcement. This would bring the control of parking and enforcement of parking offences under the control of Test Valley Borough Council.

RURAL ENVIRONMENT

The Test Valley is renowned for its natural surroundings, ranging from the North Wessex Downs AONB to the valleys and meadows of the River Test and its tributaries. In total over 46,000 people live in the area, mainly in small villages and hamlets. The most significant community in terms of size is Stockbridge.

Photo

One of the greatest concerns for an area such as Western Hampshire is that increasing levels of traffic and inappropriate traffic speeds in rural areas are making the environment more dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. However, any traffic management measures used to slow traffic can have an urban appearance which can be unsuitable for rural communities, and schemes involving lighting, especially in previously unlit areas, need to be carefully considered and designed.

Development Influences

The Local Plan outlines the principle that development and redevelopment within existing built-up areas will be encouraged, but outside of them it should be strictly controlled. Such development will make the provision of public transport services more viable and will mean that housing, leisure and shopping facilities can be located more closely together to reduce the need to travel.

Parish Partnerships

Traffic management measures can have an urban appearance and proposed schemes need to be sensitive to their surroundings. The County Council has a well established Parish Partnerships Programme which works directly with individual parish councils to identify issues of importance to the local community and find appropriate solutions to the problems. Match funding has been made available to assist in dealing with the issues identified, usually associated with improving safety for pedestrians. This has proved to be a successful way of providing local transport solutions that improve the local environment for all and make it a better place to live and work. For example, in Broughton, gateway markings on entry to the village and road markings have been provided to slow traffic. Such low cost traffic management schemes have been successful in reducing traffic speeds through villages and providing better facilities for pedestrians.

King's Somborne

Traffic demand management measures are important, especially where settlements are on important highway routes. This is especially true in King's Somborne on the A3057 just south of Andover, which has a high level of heavy commercial vehicles using the route. Following discussions with the Parish Council, a study has been conducted across the whole village to identify where traffic calming measures could be introduced to reduce vehicle speeds and improve the environment for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.

A strategy for the village is now being developed, incorporating proposals for selective road narrowing through the village and the improvement of pedestrian facilities. Improvements are due to be delivered in the autumn.

Routeing of Heavy Vehicles

The County Council and Test Valley Borough Council are working towards reviewing the routeing strategy for heavy vehicles through the area, revising it where appropriate to ensure that lorries and other strategic traffic stay on the main routes where possible and, where passing through settlements, their impact is minimised.

The District Council has already done considerable work in setting up a Geographical Information System (GIS) which plots lorry routes and depots. This is a valuable exercise to identify where lorries are going through villages and will be followed by consideration as to which are through trips and where deliveries are being made. This will make it possible to re-route where necessary and practical.

In devising the strategy, the aim will be to keep lorry traffic and pedestrian and cycle routes separate, which will help to achieve important safety objectives and make the environment more attractive for cycling.

Speed Restrictions through Villages

With regard to the possibility of introducing lower speed limits through all villages, which has been a topic of debate, the policy of the County Council is that, in agreement with the Chief Constable, speed limits will be set at a level which is seen to be reasonable by the great majority of sensible drivers. Factors such as the road environment, the number of speed related accidents and the actual speed of traffic are taken into account, and in this way new speed limits are usually effective and generally self-enforcing.

Quiet Roads

Quiet Roads is a Countryside Agency initiative with the aim of conserving some quiet county lanes and manage them so that cyclists, walkers, horse riders and motorists can all share them safely. On a Quiet Road, motorists are encouraged to travel at slower speeds, there is tranquillity and respect for the environment, and hedges, verges and trees are managed to conserve and enhance the landscape. A series of demonstration projects have been developed by local authorities across the country and the County Council will monitor their progress to evaluate their suitability for rural areas in Hampshire.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

As already identified in the previous section, key safety concerns relate to increasing levels of traffic and inappropriate traffic speeds on rural roads. Safety will be improved by developing the initiatives described. There are also a number of `safety specific' programmes.

Road Safety Programme

The County Council has a Road Safety Programme which identifies high risk sites, routes and areas across the county. A large proportion of the programme has involved low cost/high yield accident remedial measures. In consultation with parish councils, the County Council will continue to investigate where safety improvements could be made. A review has recently been undertaken of the County Council's road safety education, training and publicity services. The services are well supported and are contributing effectively to the Government's road casualty reduction targets.

Safer Routes to School

An increasing number of children are being driven to school, resulting in more congestion outside schools, a more dangerous environment for those who continue to walk and cycle and reduced levels of health and fitness.

Hampshire County Council has a dedicated team which deals with Safer Routes to School, working with schools to identify measures to improve safety and encourage travel by a range of modes of transport. Work has already been done at Test Valley School and further improvements to the highway environment are planned as part of an application by the school to build a sports hall.

Low-cost safety improvements are also being developed for King's Somborne, Tangley, Shipton Bellinger and Goodworth Clatford. A key feature of the Safer Routes to School programme is that schools will be encouraged to produce a school travel plan which demonstrates their commitment to reducing car-borne journeys to and from school.

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Crime and Disorder

Following the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, local authorities are required to undertake audits and publish strategies to tackle the concerns identified. The Test Valley Community Safety Partnership has recently completed its latest audit. Reduction in vehicle crime is one of the key areas to be tackled. The strategies will help to establish better coordination between local authorities, the police and local communities to tackle these issues.

Personal Security

Personal security concerns can have an important impact on levels of public transport use, especially in unlit areas and on services with low patronage levels. The County Council has introduced closed circuit television (CCTV) at a number of locations county-wide, but the suitability of this option for rural areas needs further investigation.

Health

The Government's White Paper `Modernising the Health Service' and the accompanying Green Paper on public health `Our Healthier Nation - A Contract for Health' require local authorities to improve the health of the community. In terms of transport, the main objectives are generally to improve the environment and quality of life with specific objectives to:

· reduce the number and severity of road casualties

· help increase cycling and walking

· improve access to health facilities

ECONOMY

In its Rural Business Survey undertaken in 2000, Test Valley Borough Council identified that most businesses in the area are relatively small and tend to be independently owned. They are also well-integrated with the local communities, with half the numbers of employees living within five miles of work. This is good news for the promotion of travel to work by walking and cycling, however, there is still a high reliance on car use for community and journeys to schools, which means there is less dependence on village services.

Local Services

In its report `Integrated Rural Services - Towards a Strategy for Hampshire' Community Action Hampshire has identified that the key issues for rural areas across the county are:

· Lack of access to vital services

· Loss of village shops and post offices

· Closure of pubs and banks

· Closure of rural police stations

· Poor public transport and gaps in community transport provision

In WHTS, this has included {examples}. As well as the impact that each of these losses has on the community, there are also transport implications as people with cars travel greater distances than those without access to a car, who are possibly left having to rely on others or make the best use of often inadequate public transport.

Nevertheless, many activities in Western Hampshire are heavily reliant on car use and attempts to restrict it could have substantial impacts on individuals and communities.

Where possible, the councils will work with developers to ensure that new facilities are located as near to existing developments as possible, and by improving the quality of walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure. By locating a limited amount of new housing in smaller settlements, existing local facilities can be sustained. The County Council is also working with businesses to develop workplace travel plans which encourage and provide facilities for employees to car share, travel by alternative means or work from home when appropriate.

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Tourism and Leisure

Tourism and leisure activities are an important part of Western Hampshire's economy and are based largely on the countryside heritage. One of the best ways to explore the area is by the footpaths and bridleways. The area boasts long distance routes for walkers and several different cycling events are held during the year. This is good news for local recreational use, but those visiting for longer periods of time accessing the area by car may be contributing to localised traffic problems.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

As explained above, Hampshire County Council's approach to transport is to develop area transport strategies in partnership with local communities and organisations. In advance of the strategy being developed, a number of initiatives are already underway in WHTS, details of which are outlined below. Part of the purpose of the consultation is to ascertain whether these initiatives should proceed and provide a basis for the strategy or whether there are further initiatives which could be developed. By consulting on the principles of the strategy it will be possible to agree a way forward.

Partnership Working

Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council are working in partnership and with a number of key stakeholders to enhance the local environment and improve safety. Other stakeholders that the County Council is working with include:

· Parish Councils

· Transport providers and operators

· Schools

· The Countryside Agency

· Bordering local authorities

· Central Government and the Government Office for the South East

· Environmental campaigners and user groups

Working with the Community

It is important to work with local communities, not only to identify the issues that are important to them, but also to increase the awareness of wider transport issues and get them to play an active part in the solutions. Travel plans are being developed at a number of schools and businesses across the county.

Travel plans usually relate to the larger employers or groups of businesses within an area to reduce their impact on the local area and also improve the safety, health and fitness of employees. In WHTS the impact of travel plans may be limited, as there are few large employers and, given the dispersed nature of activities and facilities in rural areas, the car is likely to remain a primary mode of transport. However, through the County Council's Workplace Travel Plan Co-ordinator, efforts will be made to identify where travel plans could be introduced. This will be especially important in considering planning consent for new developments.

Safer Routes to School

Hampshire County Council has recently been awarded funding from central Government to make improvements to the transport infrastructure, such as footways, crossings and cycleways, to make the journey to school safer for pupils and parents.

A number of issues have been identified through the Parish Partnerships Programme which are now being investigated further by the County Council's School Travel Plans Co-Ordinator in consultation with the schools concerned.

In WHTS funding has already been made available to improve the access and bus bay arrangements at Test Valley School, as identified earlier. In future years the funding of improvements will be linked to schools, and their willingness to investigate travel arrangements and develop plans to encourage parents and pupils to travel to school less by car and more on foot, bicycle, bus or train, where suitable, to reduce localised traffic congestion and improve the environment. Where schools identify problems along the most commonly-used routes it will be possible to investigate the potential to improve the transport infrastructure.

The Capital Programme

County-wide transport policy plays a fundamental part in underpinning the development of the WHTS. In order to achieve the aims and objectives, the programme of transport schemes developed will be updated annually within the context of national and local transport policy.

Funding for the programme is being secured through the LTP process. The capital programme is outlined for a five year period in the LTP, and every year the Andover and Western Hampshire Transportation Strategy Panel (a group of Hampshire County and Test Valley Borough councillors) agrees details of spending on projects to be funded and schemes to be delivered on the ground.

Increased funding has been made available in recent years for rural bus grants and to promote walking and cycling, especially amongst school age children through the Safer Routes to School programme.

Sources of funding will include the Department for Transport, the County Council (as local highway authority), Test Valley Borough Council and the private sector. Developers wishing to build in the area will be expected to contribute towards the strategy. The requirements for developer contributions are specified in the Test Valley Borough Local Plan Review.

TARGETS AND MONITORING

In order to meet the objectives of the strategy, a number of targets for the WHTS area have been developed. These are detailed in the LTP and have been subject to consultation. The targets (as published in the 2002 Annual Progress Report) are to:

Traffic and Travel Monitoring

In order to monitor progress against these targets, information is collected from a number of sources and surveys are undertaken on a regular basis. Area Strategy monitoring takes places in each of Hampshire's area strategies on a rolling programme every two years. The monitoring for WHTS was conducted in July 2001 and it was therefore possible to tailor the monitoring programme in such a way as to provide data to support the strategy being developed for WHTS.

Monitoring is carried out to evaluate and prioritise schemes and measures within the strategy. A range of methods and mechanisms will be used in the monitoring and evaluation of the strategy to see how these targets are being met. These include:

· assessments of multi-modal use (including pedestrians and cyclists)

· road casualty databases

· results from the County Council's Transpol household questionnaire surveys (see below)

· developing and consulting on a monitoring strategy

· Headstart community involvement programme

· before and after studies for specific schemes

Based on data from permanent traffic count sites and supplementary surveys, traffic levels in the area have risen by 2.7% per annum since 1994. Traffic levels on all roads in Western Hampshire are forecast to increase by between 28-56% between 1996 and 2020. Indications are that traffic on all roads will increase at rates exceeding the high growth forecast, although traffic on local roads is likely to be near the lower end of the range.

The Road Traffic Reduction targets for WHTS propose to reduce traffic growth on all roads by one third by the year 2020.

Transpol Results

Information about the way people travel in the area is available through Transpol, the County Council's household survey undertaken in each of the districts every 5 years. The last Transpol survey for the Test Valley area was undertaken in {1997/1998 (check)} and collected data about the nature of households, travel patterns and factors influencing travel choices, together with perceptions and attitudes concerning transport-related issues. The results of the survey confirmed that the dominant mode of transport for all journey categories is the car. Over 80% of all journeys are made by car, compared with 11% by public transport and 3% by either foot or cycle.

The survey highlighted many of the problems perceived by people using public transport, including the provision of shelter facilities and railway station car parking charges. The perception of cycling related to the lack of safety on roads and the provision of cycle lanes.

CONSULTEE FEEDBACK

Throughout this document there have been a number of `Actions' and `Issues' boxes. If you have any comments in response to these, or any other issues raised, or if you would like to know more about the WHTS, or any of the schemes and initiatives included in this document, then please contact either of the following:

Name Name

Head of Transport Policy Position

Environment Department Planning Services

Hampshire County Council Test Valley Borough Council

The Castle

Winchester

Hampshire

SO23 8UD

Tel: 01962 84xxxx Tel:

e-mail: e-mail: