Archived decisions

Contact: Dominic McGrath, ext 6054 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report is made up of two parts. The first part presents the sections of the provisional Local Transport Plan (LTP2) that relate to the strategy area. It also sets out the proposed way forward on preparing strategy documents for each of the areas.

1.2 The second part outlines how work on accessibility initiatives and improvements will be progressed in Hampshire over the next LTP2 period. This section discusses pilot schemes to be trialled and seeks Members' views on possible candidates for additional pilots.

2. Area Strategies - Provisional Local Transport Plan Text and Strategy Documents

Provisional Local Transport Plan Text

2.1 The Provisional LTP was submitted to the Government in July 2005. The sections of the provisional LTP relating to the strategy area are attached as an appendix. These sections cover:

(i) problems and opportunities (taken from chapter three of the provisional LTP);

(ii) the long term area strategy (chapter four); and

(iii) the five year area strategy (chapter five).

2.2 Members' comments on these sections are invited. It is the intention to develop Area Strategy documents based on these sections of the provisional LTP, as outlined below.

Area Strategy Documents

2.3 The area transport strategies across the county that were prepared in line with LTP1 (2001-06) now need to be updated to be consistent with the new strategy areas and the policies and objectives of the new LTP2. It is the intention that these strategies will be framed so as to recognise not only the overall approach to a strategy area but also the local requirements of each district and the main settlements. It is proposed that these strategies will be prepared in partnership with district officers, prior to endorsement by Members and subsequent inclusion in the full LTP submission. Some elements of the area strategies will continue to be refined after the submission of the full LTP. This is particularly the case for details relating to pilot schemes and decisions made in the context of the South East Plan, where the outcomes remain uncertain.

3. Accessibility and Pilot Schemes

Background

3.1 Improving access is one of the key priorities for investment within the LTP. The provisional LTP proposes that, over the five year period of the LTP2, around £19.5 million be allocated to accessibility-related schemes. This allocation is dependent on the total amount of funding provided by the Government, which may change as a result of the Government's consultation on the LTP funding formula.

3.2 The table below gives a breakdown of the proposed split in the funding, under the `access' heading, showing the proposed work programmes of town centre access/town plans, pedestrian bridges/severance, accession partnership schemes, countryside access and community transport.

3.3 Hampshire's proposed approach to improving accessibility in LTP 2 addresses a wide range of issues, including:

(i) Healthcare including doctors' surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals;

(ii) Education including primary and secondary schools and colleges of further education;

(iii) Employment opportunities;

(iv) Food shops and retail centres including accessibility to sources of healthier foods;

(v) Transport interchanges - this approach will also help to implement the policy of hubs and spokes in the Regional Transport Strategy;

(vi) Post Offices and Banks;

(vii) Leisure facilities including cinemas, museums, football and other sports facilities;

(viii) Places of worship;

(ix) Access to the countryside including areas with Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Park designations; and

(x) Access to and within major towns and larger villages.

4. Accessibility Programmes

Urban Transport Master Plans

4.1 Urban Transport Master Plans will be developed to guide the longer term vision and strategies, covering all modes, within the larger settlements. These will link into and be influenced by the evolving Local Development Frameworks and Community Strategies through the Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs). This will reflect the fact that accessibility is in many cases more related to land use than transport and that improving accessibility can also be achieved through changing the supply or method by which services are delivered.

4.2 The development of Transport Urban Master Plans will be piloted at first to establish how best they can be developed. Winchester is proposed to be the first pilot. Their success will be highly dependent on building effective partnerships.

Town Plans/Town Centre Plans

4.3 Town Plans and town centre access plans will be able to feed into the urban master planning process by providing more specific programmes - treating smaller, local areas.

4.4 As most services and facilities are located in urban areas and town centre locations it is here that improving access is likely to achieve the significant benefits for the greatest number of people. This programme will encourage more local rather than longer distance movements and is consistent with the County Council community objectives and market town initiatives.

4.5 They will concentrate on identifying local issues of poor accessibility and seek to deliver improvements. They will be informed by local knowledge of problems and issues, the results of local community street audits and an assessment of need.

4.6 There is likely to be considerably more demand for such schemes than there are available resources. For this reason the County Council will be developing a rolling programme of work that will extend beyond the LTP2 period. In order to target resources where they will achieve the greatest return the County Council will be developing an assessment matrix of all towns and town centres which will establish a prioritised list of works. It is proposed that a steering group be established to develop the matrix and that it should include district officers with expertise in this area of work. Representatives will be sought through the existing LTP officer liaison group. Work already being undertaken on some town centres will continue whilst the matrix is being developed and will help inform its development.

Reducing Severance

4.7 In developing town/town centre plans localised issues of severance caused by crossings of railway lines, busy roads or other significant barriers will be highlighted. The solutions may involve high costs and possibly the construction of bridges or other similar improvements. After such barriers have been identified on a county-wide level it will be necessary to establish which of these potentially high costs schemes offers the greatest benefits and value for money.

Access to Transport Interchanges

4.8 An important element of maximising accessibility, and encouraging people to access town centres by public transport, is the improvement of links between transport interchanges and town centres, so that they are made more attractive and convenient, and work efficiently and effectively. The measures that form part of the short-term strategy will include provision for people with mobility impairments, rail station bus links, better pedestrian, taxi and cycling facilities near or in rail stations and security measures on footpaths.

4.9 Ease of travel to and from local public transport facilities has a significant impact on how people can access Hampshire's transport system. In recognition of this, the County Council, in partnership with local rail operators, is developing a travel planning type approach to identify the particular issues relating to individual stations. This will include an action plan of measures to improve access to these stations by a range of travel choices.

Access to Countryside

4.10 Delivering accessibility and improving road safety are key to the County Council's work towards improving rights of way and access to the countryside. The County Council is committed to improving this network as a means of providing people with easier and safer access to essential services as well as providing a wealth of opportunities for informal learning, healthy recreation and exercise. The use of the county's network of 7,000 public rights of way is one of the most significant ways in which people enjoy the countryside as well as providing a means of travel, primarily on foot, but also by horse or cycle. The five year LTP2 strategy is therefore committed to improving the standard of maintenance of the county's rights of way and the creation of new ones where there is a good case for doing so.

4.11 The strategy has been developed to ensure consistency with the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. This Act includes a new duty for all highway authorities in England and Wales to produce a Rights of Way Improvement Plan. The Hampshire Rights of Way Improvement Plan will assess:

(i) the extent to which rights of way meet the present and future needs of the public;

(ii) the opportunities provided by local rights of way for recreation and enjoyment; and

(iii) the accessibility of local rights of way to all Members of the community including those with visual impairment and those with mobility problems.

4.12 Best Value Performance Indicators show that over 80% of the network is easy to use and is clearly signed. The County Council has set targets of improving upon that figure by 1% each year for the next five years. However the County Council recognises that the rights of way network does not necessarily reflect modern needs and is only one way in which people visit and enjoy the countryside.

4.13 Emphasis will be given to improving access close to where people live and on routes that are currently well used, or have the potential to be, and to help access for walking, horse riding and cycling.

Community Transport

4.14 Community transport will be important in improving accessibility. The County Council already provides significant support to community transport groups, including grants towards the purchase of vehicles. It is proposed that:

(i) public transport services will be reviewed using accessibility modelling information and through partnership working with local communities;

(ii) community transport services, both existing and new, will be developed to address problems in specific areas or affecting particular groups;

(iii) demand-responsive services will be introduced, developed, at least in part, from the County Council's experience in running its Cango services (which divert from their route to serve requests within a prescribed area);

(iv) specific solutions will be developed to maximise shared use of vehicles, taxis and combining services where practical; and

(v) good information and publicity will be provided so that people are made fully aware of the options available and find it easy to access them.

Rural Accessibility

4.15 There is a range of other initiatives being developed that complement the overall accessibility strategy. In terms of rural accessibility, the Rural Pathfinder initiative has an important role to play. Hampshire was selected as one of eight Rural Pathfinders across England that seek to tackle problems affecting local delivery, including prioritisation of resources and allowing the testing of new and innovative ways of rural delivery. The Rural Pathfinder in Hampshire is looking at:

(i) making delivery of rural services more effective (that delivery activities and outcomes match agreed policies and resources match need);

(ii) making the delivery of rural services more efficient (that proportionately more resources are available to delivery);

(iii) ensuring that delivery of rural services is more customer-focused (the needs of customers are met rather than those of the delivery organisations); and

(iv) achieving greater local accountability for public sector investment in Hampshire.

5. Accessibility Pilots

5.1 Three pilot research projects have been identified, based on the early work using the Department for Transport's `accession' model which allows assessments and comparisons to be made of the ease of access to services by public transport and walking from each post code in the county. These pilots have been chosen to represent a cross-section of several different issues related to accessibility:

(i) access to health facilities from within the New Forest;

(ii) access to a range of services from Whitehill/Bordon - this will include all four of the core service areas(access to health care, education, employment and shopping), plus a range of other destinations to be identified in liaison with the Local Strategic Partnership and East Hampshire District Council; and

(iii) access to post offices (not a Government key destination) in Basingstoke district.

5.2 The pilots will inform consultation about the wider application of accessibility planning across the county. The methodology being followed for each pilot project is that a steering group of relevant stakeholders will be established. Following this, an exercise of evidence gathering is being undertaken to establish the level of accessibility within the chosen area, using information gained from Accession audits, customer surveys and census information. Leading on from this initial work, a range of options will be identified and evaluated for improving accessibility, both in terms of transport interventions and non-transport measures. Finally, an action plan will be established identifying chosen options plus any additional research or development work, which can then be implemented, monitored and reviewed. Consultation with local residents and stakeholders is essential and will be carried out throughout this process.

5.3 This work will help to establish priorities and targets to be included in the full accessibility strategy in the March 2006 LTP. The wider Hampshire Strategic Partnership is taking the lead on these pilots, and will ensure the involvement of LSPs and Hampshire-wide partners in the overall LTP approach to accessibility. Members are asked for views on other possible pilot schemes.

6. Sign Clutter Pilots

6.1 The town/town centre plans will include work to improve signs within settlements, particularly for pedestrians. Properly designed signs can make travel more enjoyable and safer, and can therefore promote more shorter journeys, especially by walking and cycling.

6.2 A balance needs to be struck between providing sufficient information for the public and creating intrusion with too much information on too many poorly designed signs. This can be a particular problem in areas of natural beauty or historic significance.

6.3 Following discussions with the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England the County Council is proposing to carry out two pilot projects. Each pilot has been allocated £150,000 and one will be carried out in a rural area and the other in an urban area. These pilots will involve:

(i) audit of existing signs within a defined area;

(ii) surveys of public satisfaction with signs;

(iii) consultation and use of community street audits to produce a programme of sign replacement and removal;

(iv) introduction of revised signing strategies;

(v) follow-up surveys of public satisfaction after the works; and

(vi) report on lessons learned for application to other areas.

6.4 If the pilots demonstrate that this approach is a cost-effective way of tackling transport problems, the techniques could become a standard part of the toolkit for urban transport master plans and town/town centre access plans. The location of the two pilot areas will be chosen during the consultation on the provisional LTP and will feature in the full LTP in March 2006. Members are asked for views on possible pilot schemes.

7. Targets

7.1 Accessibility targets are currently being developed for inclusion in the full LTP in March 2006. The most appropriate targets will be identified as part of the production of the full accessibility strategy, drawing on the outputs of the accessibility audit of the county using the Accession model. Initial outputs from the model are building a picture of the level of accessibility to key services within Hampshire. Consideration will be given to these in choosing the targets, together with the priorities identified by the Hampshire Strategic Partnership and the three pilot studies. The Hampshire Community Strategy has included accessibility as a key action area.

8. Impact Assessments

8.1 This report provides a position statement only, therefore an impact assessment, in terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, has not been undertaken.

Recommendations

1. That this report be noted.

2. That the views of Members on the area strategy sections of the Local Transport Plan and further accessibility and sign clutter pilots be noted.

613/DMcG