Hampshire County Council

Executive Member-Environment

13 January 2004

Project Appraisal: Intelligent Transport Systems - Central Systems

Report of the Director of Environment

Item 5

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE MEMBER-ENVIRONMENT

PROJECT APPRAISAL

PROJECT:

DEPLOYMENT OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

COMMENCEMENT DATE:

JANUARY 2004

COMPLETION DATE:

MAY 2004

PLANNED YEAR OF START IN ACCORDANCE WITH CAPITAL PROGRAMME: 2003/2004

1.

FINANCE (Client Department, Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services [Estates Practice] and County Treasurer)

Current

Capital

Estimate

Programme

(at Jan '04

(at Jan '04

prices)

prices)

Capital Expenditure

£'000

£'000

Land to be purchased

Construction

95

95

Fees

5

5

100

100

Less developers/

other contributions

100

100

Financial provision for total scheme

Total Cost

1.

From Committees own resources

(a) Capital programme (as above)

100

(b) Other

2.

From other resources

(a)

(b)

(c)

TOTAL

100

Value of land for this project in HCC ownership £

Variations from capital programme

Revenue implications

£'000

% variation

to Committee's

budget

Net current expenditure

14.00

0.017

Capital charges

13.50

0.015

TOTAL net expenditure

27.50

0.032

2.

STATEMENT OF NEED/JUSTIFICATION FOR PROJECT

(Client Department)

Introduction

During 2003 the Executive Member for Environment approved £100,000 within the 2003/2004 Capital Programme for extending the county-wide implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications and measures within Hampshire.

Background

The establishment of the Traffic and Travel Information Centre (TTIC) in Winchester has enabled a number of ITS facilities to be deployed and operated in Hampshire. Whilst the various ITS applications in this project appraisal can be considered as discrete elements which are independent of each other, they will collectively contribute towards an improved and enhanced traffic and travel information service in Hampshire and assist in the delivery of the County Council's transport policies. The proposals are consistent with the ITS Deployment Strategy.

The details of the individual elements of these facilities for which approval is being sought are:

Lymington Bus Station - Bus Departure Information System (£33,000)

The county-wide Bus Departure Information System (BDIS) contract has seen the successful deployment of BDIS at Eastleigh, Fareham, Aldershot and Romsey bus stations. This proposal will form part of the Phase 2 of the county-wide BDIS contract and will complement the recent bus station improvement works by improving the quality of timetable and service information for passengers.

Electronic display screens will be installed within Lymington Bus Station to inform passengers of bus departure times, destination, service details and the departure bay. The system will be linked into and controlled by the Central BDIS system located in the County Council's TTIC in Winchester, enabling the updating of timetable information and the dissemination of 'live' information. This forms part of an ongoing programme to install BDIS at all bus stations and key public transport interchanges in Hampshire. Ongoing maintenance and communication costs will be incorporated into a central BDIS budget and are estimated at £2,000 per annum after the one year warranty.

Winchester - Variable Message Signs (£20,000)

This element of the proposal will supplement funding already approved by the Executive Member for Environment for the deployment of Variable Message Signs (VMS) as part of the MIRACLES project at four strategic locations around Winchester: at Hockley Link; Romsey Road; M3 Junction 10 slip road and Easton Lane. It will also enable the reworking of the Car Park Information VMS for the extended Park and Ride facility at Bar End. Ongoing maintenance and communications are estimated at £8,000 per annum. An assessment of using General Packet Radio Switch (GPRS) for communications is being carried out which could offer cost savings.

The signs will provide travellers with real-time traffic and travel information relating to the road network and car parking spaces, enabling them to make informed decisions about their travel into Winchester City.

Eastleigh Closed Circuit Television Links (£26,000)

Closed circuit television (CCTV) is a crucial element in the monitoring of the highway network. These proposals form part of the broader Links to District project implemented over recent years with the aim of expanding CCTV coverage across the county, for traffic monitoring purposes, by utilising existing security cameras.

Four new CCTV views will be captured from the Eastleigh Borough Council security CCTV system, two on Southampton Road, Eastleigh, two on Leigh Road, Eastleigh and one at Hedge End village centre. They will be linked to the County Council's CCTV Systems operated from the TTIC in Winchester. Ongoing maintenance and communications costs are estimated at £4,000 per annum.

These new views are of significant interest to the County Council for the dissemination of traffic and travel information and an agreement has been reached for the Hampshire TTIC to take picture-only feeds from other systems in accordance with a formal Code of Practice compliant with the Data Protection Act.

COMET/Emerge (£16,000)

A Central Office Management for Integrated Traffic system (COMET) has been installed in the Hampshire TTIC. The system allows for the integrated collection and exchange of data and information with the Southampton City Council and Portsmouth City Council TTICs and is a key driver for delivering seamless travel information as part of the Solent Transport initiative.

Assessment of COMET has identified areas for development to further improve the quality of information and dissemination methods. The proposals would allow for works to enhance our web based information service in the key areas of highways and streetworks, car parking and travel news exchange with the media. There are no additional ongoing revenue costs related to these proposals.

3.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROPOSAL (Client Department)

National/County Network and Policies

The proposals are consistent with the County Council's policies and transportation strategy of using network management tools to utilise the full potential of the existing transport infrastructure.

Details of Scheme and Design Standards

All details will comply with all relevant United Kingdom and European standards.

Environmental Impact

The installation of the systems described in this project appraisal will have no environmental impact on the environment except Winchester VMS, where there will be some visual impact on the environment. The size of the proposed signs vary, but are a maximum of 3.4 metres wide by 2.4 metres high, mounted at a height of 2.1 metres to the underside of the sign. Efforts will be taken to minimised the visual intrusion of street furniture. Lymington BDIS: some externally-mounted cable trunking for electricity and communication cables within the bus station

Land Requirements

No land acquisition required. All works to be confined within existing public highway limits.

Statutory Procedures

None.

Public Consultation

As part of the MIRACLES project approvals Winchester City Council has been consulted on and support the proposals for VMS in Winchester. Go-ahead Travel, the bus operator at Lymington bus station, has been consulted on the proposals and has indicated its support for the installation of BDIS.

Local Member's View

As part of the MIRACLES project, local Members have been consulted on the VMS proposals. Other local Members will be informed of proposals as necessary.

Facilities for the Disabled

The BDIS system allows for audio announcements of information to assist the visually impaired.

Maintenance Implications

There will be revenue implications for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the systems introduced as a result of this proposal and they will be taken into account in the setting of the annual budget.

Crime and Disorder Act 1998

The provision of this Act have no impact on this proposal.

Sustainability

The installation of the systems described in the project appraisal support the County Council's policies on improving economic efficiency through better transport management, making better use of the existing transport network and promoting sustainable transport facilities.

4.

ROAD IMPROVEMENT - ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

(Client Department)

No other options are considered appropriate for the delivery of the scheme objectives.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1.

Published works.

2.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE

LOCATION

Various Files

BDIS, COMET, CCTV, MIRACLES,

Winchester VMS

Environment Department

Intelligent Transport Systems Group

Monument House