Archived decisions

Contact: Richard Cowling, ext 5202 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report provides a progress update on transport schemes within the 2004/05 Capital Programme, together with the schemes for the 2005/06 Capital Programmes that have been approved by the Executive Member for Environment on 21 January 2005. The 2005/06 summary of schemes is shown on the attached appendix.

1.2 The table below shows the county-wide improvement programmes for 2005/06 and where applicable to the Winchester area the report item is given for reference.

1.3 Schemes in the Capital Programme are financed from the Local Transport Plan (LTP) and/or external funding (EF) received from developers or other contributors.

2. Capital Schemes 2002/03

Knowle Hospital - Bus Service - £187,500 EF

2.1 This scheme is to provide improved bus services in and around the new Knowle Village residential development. Initial enhancements to Service 19 commenced in September 2001. The original intention to run buses through the village itself remains. However, this plan hinges on the use of a newly installed bus gate using hydraulic bollards to prevent normal vehicular access through the gate. Discussions between the Developer and Hampshire County Council regarding the maintenance of the bollard system are ongoing. Bus trials through the gate were completed in July and the bus service has confirmed it will be resolving issues raised by the trials. The Passenger Transport Group (PTG) would like to include a service through the gate when the contract for Service 94 is renegotiated for April 2005. The PTG also wishes to enhance Service 91 (Exton to Fareham) by running it through the gate into Knowle Village. These services are in the process of being tendered at this time.

3. Capital Schemes 2003/04

Bar End Park and Ride Extension - £3.2 million EF

3.1 All building and civil engineering contracts have been substantially completed. The landscaping contract reached substantial completion in May 2004.

3.2 Patronage figures for the St Catherine's site (470 spaces) show a continuing increase, with utilisation now approaching 75%.  The phase 1 facility at Barfield (147 spaces) is maintaining almost 100% capacity daily. As part of the programme for developing the catchment area of Park and Ride, it has now been agreed between County Council and Winchester City Council Cabinets to provide a six to nine month trial of a new Park and Ride service to Romsey Road employers.  This will be a peak-time service (morning and evening Monday to Friday) departing from St Catherine's only, with a 20 minute frequency. It will run non-stop to Barclays Bank on Jewry Street, with additional stops at The Westgate and Police Headquarters and the final stop at the Hospital.  This will provide a faster service for passengers to the west of the city and relieve overcrowding on the existing service for those travelling to the city centre. Funding is being provided jointly by the County Council and Winchester City Council.  The trial is anticipated to start late February/early March 2005.

3.3 From Monday 1 November 2004 Winchester's Park and Ride Service period of operation was extended for an experimental six month period. On Monday to Friday the last bus will leave Winchester Railway Station at 8.45 pm and The Broadway at 8.50 pm. The service will run every 15 minutes between 6.45 pm and 8.45 pm. Prior to this, the service used to finish at 7.00 pm.

3.4 A scheme to extend the pedestrian lighting along Bar End Road from the Park and Ride site is now at the implementation stage, with Winchester City Council providing 50% of the funding. The works are due to be completed by the end of February 2005.

3.5 Land purchased at Magdalen Hill North Down, in mitigation for the Park and Ride scheme, is currently being developed. The scheme will create a butterfly conservation area on the land at the eastern fringe of Winchester known as Magdalen North Down. The scheme includes specialist wildflowers to attract butterflies, a sunken walkway, a `jubilee' tree planting area, new landscaped areas and footpaths across the entire length of the site.

3.6 Emphasis was made during the design stage to facilitate access for all to the site. Wheelchair-friendly surfacing has been used for all footpaths on the site and for the access from the main road. A car park for disabled badge holders has been included and Kassel kerbs have been incorporated at the bus stop nearest to the site entrance.

3.7 Scheme earthworks were completed during August last year. The wildflower seeding operation was completed in September and the landscaping works are now in progress. Fencing work commenced in November and is due for substantial completion in February 2005. Management responsibility for the site will be handed over to the Butterfly Conservation once the site works are complete. It is expected that the site will have matured in two to three years' time, with cattle grazing in fenced-off enclosures. The site will be opened to the public at the appropriate time.

Bishop's Waltham Village Centre £46,000 LTP

3.8 This scheme includes a change of priorities at the junction of Bank Street and Free Street, together with improvements to aid pedestrians.  The layout of these measures has been trialled using temporary materials, which identified problems with a section of footway build-out on the south side of Bank Street, where limited visibility has made use of the priority system difficult for drivers.  The successful change of priority at the Bank Street/Free Street junction has been made permanent and the build-out on the south side of Bank Street was removed.  A second trial layout has been in place for some time, to provide a protected area for pedestrians to walk along on the north side of Bank Street.  Consultation and use of this facility has proved this trial to be successful; therefore detailed design is now underway for a permanent footway. Details will be provided to frontagers abutting the proposal before works start on-site in 2005/06.

Romsey Road Corridor Improvements - £60,000 LTP

3.9 This scheme, which was substantially completed in July, consists of a series of minor footway and traffic management improvements identified in an earlier consultation exercise to improve pedestrian facilities along the Romsey Road corridor. These measures consist of a new pedestrian refuge on Romsey Road near the entrance to Police Headquarters and further works, such as dropped kerb crossings, tactile paving and localised resurfacing, along Romsey Road to the roundabout at Badger Farm Road. The stop line at the junction with St James' Lane has been repositioned to improve visibility from the side road with the aid of an edge of carriageway marking on the southern side of the road. The stage 3 safety audit has highlighted the need to amend some of the lining at Pitt Roundabout and realign the centreline approaching the new refuge. These remedial works are programmed for February.

4. Capital Schemes 2004/05

Winchester Pedestrian Lighting Improvements - £50,000 LTP

4.1 This proposal includes street lighting improvements at City Road and Eastgate Street. The works will enable modern lighting standards to be achieved and are expected to improve conditions, especially for pedestrians. The proposals are also expected to contribute towards improved road safety generally.

4.2 The works at City Road extend between its junction with Sussex Street and the junction with Jewry Street. The existing lighting is being replaced and upgraded to modern standards. It will be the same as that used at the station interchange improvement and will improve the street scene.

4.3 The lighting improvements for Eastgate Street are proposed to extend between its junctions with Bridge Street and Friarsgate, and incorporate the roundabout at the junction with The Broadway. The existing lighting along this route is of varying quality and is particularly poor at the roundabout. The proposal will bring the system up to modern standards, improve conditions for pedestrians and improve the street scene in the Conservation Area.

4.4 The works in City Road were completed in April 2004. The works in Eastgate Street started in October and were completed in December.

Knowle Village to Funtley Footpath (Knowle Hospital) - £40,000 EF

4.5 This proposal aims to improve the existing public footpaths between the Knowle Village development and Funtley. Details of land ownership have now been confirmed and the detailed design is underway. Construction is planned for the summer.

B2177/B3354 Corridor, Colden Common - £200,000 LTP

4.6 This scheme has been developed in partnership with Colden Common Parish Council which supports the proposals. The £200,000 traffic management scheme consists of lowering the speed limit along the B3354 through the village from 40 mph to 30 mph. New gateways will be located at the start of the proposed 30 mph limit on the approaches to the village from the north and south. Other measures include edge of carriageway white lining, pedestrian central islands and traffic islands. Public consultation was carried out in October 2003 which showed a good level of support for the proposals. Some minor changes were made as a result of comments received. The Traffic Regulation Order for the new speed limit came into force in November 2004. Work is scheduled to begin in December 2004, with completion in February 2005. Work began in November 2004 for 15 weeks.

Denmead Traffic Management - £200,000 SCE, £20,000 EF

4.7 This proposal forms a package of traffic calming, pedestrian facilities and traffic management improvements in Denmead.  These include enhanced village gateway signing, pedestrian refuges on Hambledon Road and Forest Road (with highlighted road space for cyclists), minor footway improvements, improved and new bus stop facilities, a highlighted `School Safety Zone' on Hambledon Road, junction realignment at Hambledon Road/Southwick Road junction (to be trialled first), kerb build-out on Southwick Road and extension of the 30 mph limit on Hambledon Road to nearer Forest Road.

4.8 Extensive local consultation was undertaken to develop these proposals. Implementation of measures has now commenced in a phased approach. `Virtual footways' (carriageway areas separated by white lining to provide space for pedestrians) have been installed on Bunkers Hill and Furzley Road. New `gateways' are in the process of being installed (signs and surfacing). In the next couple of months surfacing works will take place on Hambledon Road and three refuge islands will be installed, with a `school safety zone' and two refuges on Forest Road. The speed limit extension order is being progressed to extend the 30 mph speed limit closer to the Forest Roundabout to reinforce the gateway into the village. The kerb changes at The Green have yet to be trialled.

5. Capital Schemes 2005/06

Knowle Hospital - Fontley Road Footway - £100,000 EF

5.1 This scheme, which was identified as part of the Knowle Village related works, will create a footway along the Fontley Road near Fareham, from bus stops near the junction with Segensworth Road, north to the M27 overbridge. Just south of the M27 overbridge there are several nurseries, which apparently receive a fair amount of patronage from people who have walked up the Fontley Road from the Segensworth direction. Currently there are no facilities for pedestrians, and due to the nature of the road, walking along the Fontley Road can be intimidating.

5.2 A feasibility study was undertaken in 2004. The results of this study verified that although there are several options for building a footway, there is no obvious and inexpensive solution. The route is constrained by the available highway width and the proximity of a protected hedgerow, leaving little room for a footway without having to consider the more expensive options. A further possible option was identified in late 2004 and included in the feasibility report, yet due to implications with drainage on the hedgerow wide of the carriageway, was more expensive than the previously identified options. A commission for detailed design has been issued. This commission requires detailed design and implementation to be completed before the bird-nesting season begins next calendar year.

Access to AONB East Hampshire - £20,000 LTP

5.3 This scheme deals specifically with the access and safety issue of equestrians needing to cross the C9 in Morestead, in order to access the bridleways and livery yards in the area. The scheme provides six horse crossings incorporating on-carriageway signs and new infrastructure. This scheme is part of a larger pilot project called the Whole Network Approach which concentrates on routes that increase access for walkers, cyclists and horse riders on the rural roads (including the C9/C88) and off-road highway network in the area between Winchester and Corhampton.

5.4 A project brief has been prepared in conjunction with the local stakeholder group and assistance from the Hampshire Countryside Access Forum. Surveys carried out with horse-riders, cyclists and walkers identified specific areas for improvement, and designs for road crossing treatments are currently being produced. Next steps are to consult on the road crossing designs with implementation of the agreed solutions being initially undertaken on six priority crossing points. The target completion date for all works is March 2006.

Winchester Real Time Information System Upgrade - £350,000 LTP

5.5 Real Time Information (RTI) systems play a key role in improving information regarding bus services, assisting in enhancing the passenger experience and promoting bus travel as an alternative to the car. An RTI system has been deployed in Winchester since 1995/96 but this system is now becoming obsolete in technical and operational terms and proving more difficult and costly to maintain.

5.6 In 2004 the County Council began implementing its county-wide RTI contract with SLE, which utilises GPS satellite tracking and GPRS communications to provide real-time predictions of bus movements and timings to passengers. Options are now being assessed to upgrade the Winchester system in line with the initiatives now occurring in Basingstoke, Aldershot/Farnborough and other parts of the county. Funding is allocated within the 2005/06 programme for the upgrading of the Automatic Vehicle Location technology for the Stagecoach bus fleet operating out of Winchester and the replacement of bus stop displays. Information will also be disseminated through the internet and mobile phones.

Sparkford Road Traffic Management, Winchester - £40,000 LTP, £5,000 EF

5.7 This scheme is a modification to the existing traffic calming scheme on Sparkford Road, Winchester. The aim of the scheme is to improve speed management and provide passing points for larger vehicles at the upper end of the road. Speed management improvements will be achieved by reversing the priority of the upper build-out feature so that vehicles travelling uphill will have priority, rather than those travelling downhill. The vehicle passing point features require the use of private land, which Winchester College has agreed in principle to dedicate for that purpose. The scheme also includes an improvement for pedestrians wishing to cross Sparkford Road by the gate to the cemetery - a very popular crossing point for students of the college.

5.8 The detailed design is progressing, although issues relating to the placement of the vehicle passing points have yet to be fully resolved. Potential serious damage to the mature trees alongside the road in these locations prevents the passing points being placed where originally intended, but alternative viable locations have been identified and will be worked into the detailed design.

Recommendation

That Members note the progress with the schemes in the Transport Capital Programme and support the schemes approved for inclusion in the Capital Programme for 2005/06.

9182/RC

APPENDIX

CAPITAL PROGRAMME