IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY Traffic and Transport Study Report No. 16-129 September 2016
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IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY Traffic and Transport Study Report No. 16-129 September 2016 IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY Traffic and Transport Study Odyssey Markides Elizabeth House 39 York Road London Tel: 0207 620 2444 Fax: 0207 620 1168 [email protected] Report No. 16-129 September 2016 IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY 16-129 Traffic and Transport Study September 2016 DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET REV ISSUE PURPOSE AUTHOR CHECKED REVIEWED APPROVED DATE 1 Draft Iver Feasibility Study SC/DP SC JB JB 25/08/26 2 Second Draft Feasibility SC/JB SC JB JB 09/09/16 Study 3 Final Iver Feasibility Study SC/JB SC JB JB 26/09/16 i IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY 16-129 Traffic and Transport Study September 2016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Odyssey Markides (OM) has been instructed by Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) to undertake Phase 1 of the Iver Feasibility Study to examine existing traffic and transport conditions in and around Iver Parish and the impact of future major infrastructure project developments. South Bucks District Council (SBDC) and BCC are aware that the volume of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) movements in and around Iver has been a concern of local residents for some time. These elevated levels of HGV traffic are primarily a result of the number of HGV generating industrial sites located within and adjacent to the study area. There are a number of barriers to HGV movement on the road network, including width and weight restrictions and low bridges mean that HGV flows are restricted to certain routes through the study area, further focussing their impact on particular locations. Since 2012 the Iver area has been the location for a number of planned and approved Infrastructure and Development Projects Crossrail, Heathrow Express Depot, M4 Smart Motorways, the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) and the potential Heathrow Airport expansion. There are also a number of proposed developments in The Ivers area that will require planning permission through the Minerals and Waste Local Authority (BCC); CEMEX North Park Extraction and relocation of the Hillingdon Outdoor Activity Centre. These projects have the potential to exacerbate current issues with HGVs and traffic flow levels in the area. BCC have recognised this is therefore the most appropriate time to undertake a detailed transport study of the area to ensure that a strategy for ameliorating the effects of these proposals is available and that the opportunity they offer to improve the existing situation is embraced. The projects and existing issues need to be reviewed in the context of the draft joint Local Plan being developed between SBDC and CDC with potential requirements for Greenbelt release for residential redevelopment to meet housing targets within both districts. This Traffic and Transport Study is Phase 1 of a four stage overall Study which will incorporate further assessment work from Highways England and HS2 as well as a study ii IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY 16-129 Traffic and Transport Study September 2016 of the impacts of a potential expansion of Heathrow Airport, with a final overview impact Study. This Phase 1 study focuses on: • Reviewing existing traffic and transport issues, including cycling, walking and public transport links; • Assessing the impact of ongoing and planned NSIPs and future development sites; • Reviewing the options for resolving existing and future issues; and • Identifying potential mitigation options to take forward. A public exhibition was held on 26 th July 2016 at Iver Village Hall to provide information about the NSIPs and development projects in the area, as well as outline the Study and initial survey results. Feedback from residents and stakeholders has been included within the Study and assists with the issues and mitigations sections. Existing Conditions Review The Study Area has a number of key east-west and north-south links. The main route through Iver Village is the B470 (Langley Park Road/High Street) which, connects Langley to the west with Yiewsley and Uxbridge to the east and north east respectively. The other key east-west route is the North Park/Richings Way/Thorney Mill Road which connects Langley with West Drayton. The main north-south links in the northern part of the Study Area are Wood Lane, connecting the A412 to the B470, and Swallow Street/Love Lane and Bangors Road South, offering further connections to Iver High Street. To the south of the Study Area, Thorney Lane North/South connects the High Street to Thorney Mill Road/Richings Way and Mansion Lane/Hollow Hill Lane/Market Lane connects Langley Park Road to North Park/Parlaunt Road. A Transport and Highways Audit has been undertaken for the whole of the Study Area which reviews the existing highway network, public transport provision and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. The audit also identifies any issues within the Study Area that may require improvement. The Audit shows that the most usable north-south routes through the Study Area for HGVs are Thorney Lane South / North and Wood Lane. To get between these roads it is necessary for HGVs to either travel via North Park / Langley High Street / Langley Park Road (which has a height restriction under the railway line and passes through the iii IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY 16-129 Traffic and Transport Study September 2016 centre of Langley) or via Iver High Street (which is historic in character, constrained in width and therefore unsuitable to accommodate HGVs). The bus provision is very limited in terms of frequency and destinations covered, with large sections being hail and ride. Iver Heath has the best provision with services every 15-20 minutes but Iver Village has limited services. On-street parking has led to bus route alterations in the Richings Park area, which hinder bus usage further. Bus stop provision is poor at certain locations with limited shelters and footway connections creating potentially hazardous conditions. None of the bus stops have accessibility platforms. Iver Rail Station is currently served by First Great Western services between Paddington and Didcot Parkway every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday. This Station will become a Crossrail Station in 2019 with increased service frequencies and accompanying station improvements expected; although questions are raised about the supporting bus service provision to Iver Village and potential future improvements. The Station is not currently step free and the lack of a station car park leads to significant on street parking around the Richings Park area. This will only be exacerbated with the Crossrail Services. There is adequate pedestrian infrastructure provided in the built up parts of the Study Area for internal connections, but widths are constrained in places and connections could be improved. Some junctions do not have any crossing facilities and provision is poor at others. Cycling infrastructure is extremely limited on the BCC Local Highway Network. The PROW network is expansive within the Study Area, connecting to Uxbridge, Langley, Cowley, Fulmer and George Green and also providing links within the Study Area separate from the busy highway network. There may well be potential for improvements and new PROW connections to be created to provide better permeability with Public Bridleway provision allowing cycling which is currently not allowed along the public footpaths. Usage of these routes would need to be encouraged and the routes need to be maintained as many are currently overgrown. The traffic surveys undertaken in the area have identified that flows are within the road link capacities across the study area, which is indicative that there is not a significant iv IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY 16-129 Traffic and Transport Study September 2016 congestion issue. However, the ‘environmental capacity’ of Iver High Street and the northern end of Thorney Lane North is exceeded, with these roads carrying traffic flow levels above what is appropriate for the character and non-traffic functions that these streets fulfil. HGV levels are above the national average across the study area, particularly on Iver High Street, Thorney Lane North and South and Richings Way. A substantial amount of this HGV traffic is associated with the Ridgeway Trading Estate, Court Lane and Thorney Business Park sites, which between them generate approaching 1900 HGV movements per day. Approximately two-thirds of the daily northbound HGV movements on Thorney Lane North are made up of traffic from these three sites. Infrastructure and Development Projects The specific Infrastructure and Development Projects have been reviewed in terms of construction and operational impacts for the Study Area. A timetable for implementation of these projects has been created from which a cumulative impact analysis has been undertaken for HGV movements within the Study Area. HEx causes the greatest impact on Iver Heath between 2017-2019 when HOAC and Pinewood combine with the continuous New Denham Quarry vehicles and the HEx traffic. Particular acute impacts will be felt along Church Road given the existing issues and the fact the A412 is a main construction route for many of the projects with vehicles travelling north through the Study Area. The WRLtH project will generate significant impacts due to tunnelling operations but this project is at an early planning stage and information on construction traffic levels is unavailable. It is clear however there could be synergies with the CEMEX mineral extraction which could substantially reduce vehicles towards the last 3 years of operation. The main impacts on Richings Way will occur between 2020-2022 when the WRLtH and CEMEX are both operational. An indirect operational impact of the WRLtH results in the closure of Hollow Hill Lane and displacement of traffic on the B470 (High Street). BCC are undertaking a monitoring exercise to review the impact of the experimental closure of Hollow Hill Lane by Slough v IVER FEASIBILITY STUDY 16-129 Traffic and Transport Study September 2016 BC which will include surveys in September 2016 to compare to the June 2016 surveys undertaken pre-closure of Hollow Hill lane.