Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Final Report

035699

24 August 2017

Revision 03

Revision Description Issued by Date Checked

00 Draft Report BF 16/12/16 JF

01 First Issue SP/AR/OR 30/06/17 BF

02 Issue SP/AR/OR 07/08/17 BF

03 Final Issue SP/AR/OR 24/08/17 BF

O:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\04 Reports\170824 FINAL Report\170824 BF 035699 Bath Coach Strategy Final Report 03.docx

This report has been prepared for the sole benefit, use and information of Bath and North East Somerset Council for the purposes set out in the report or instructions commissioning it. The liability of Buro Happold Limited in respect of the information contained in the report will not extend to any third party.

author Sheena Pandita/ Anna Rothnie/ Oliver Renton

date 24/08/17

approved Billy Fogg

signature

date 24/08/17

Contents

1 Introduction 9

1.1 Study Purpose and Overview 9

1.2 Report Structure and Contents 9

2 Review of existing coach infrastructure in Bath 11

2.1 Introduction 11

2.2 Weston Island Coach Parking 12

2.3 Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites 13

3 Existing Coach Parking Management and Coach Operation in Bath 20

3.1 Introduction 20

3.2 Survey Methodology 20

3.3 Survey Results 28

3.4 Summary and Conclusions 66

4 Benchmarking and Best Practice 71

4.1 Introduction 71

4.2 UK Coach Guidelines 71

4.3 Review of Coach Operation in Case Study Towns and Cities 72

4.4 Summary of Case Study and Best Practice Review 94

5 Stakeholder Consultation 96

5.1 Introduction 96

6 Existing and Future Coach Demand in Bath 97

6.1 Introduction 97

6.2 Existing Provision for Coach Parking and Coach Pick-Up/Drop-off in Bath 97

6.3 Existing Demands for Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off 97

6.4 Determining a Representative Level of Demand for Coach parking and Pick-up/Drop-off 101

6.5 Future Peak Demands for Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off 102

6.6 Summary 102

7 Appraisal of Potential Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites for Bath 104

7.1 Introduction 104

7.2 Potential Future Coach Sites 104

7.3 Site Appraisal Methodology and Assessment Criteria 109

7.4 Site Appraisal Scenarios and Results 113

7.5 Consideration of Use of Sites for Overnight HGV Parking 116

7.6 Site Appraisal Summary and Conclusions 117

8 Potential Future Arrangements for Accommodating Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off in Bath 118

8.1 Introduction 118

8.2 Requirements and Desires of Different Affected Groups 118

8.3 Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Demands to be Accommodated 121

8.4 Potential Shorter Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off 122

8.5 Potential Shorter Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Parking 129

8.6 Potential Long Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off 132

8.7 Potential Long Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Parking 134

8.8 Potential Phasing of Proposed Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Provision 135

9 Parking Management: Use of Technology and Real Time Information 137

9.1 Introduction 137

9.2 Background 137

9.3 Our Approach 138

9.4 System Objectives 138

9.5 System Requirements 139

9.6 Consideration of Alternative Technologies 140

9.7 Summary Assessment of Alternative Parking Management Technologies 148

9.8 Conclusions 148

10 Management of coaches during events 153

10.1 Introduction 153

10.2 Description and Analysis of Coach Management for Existing Events 153

10.3 Coach Parking Locations for Major Events 161

10.4 Conclusions and Recommended Next Steps 163

11 Potential Coach Parking Charging Regime 166

11.1 Introduction 166

11.2 Key principles 166

11.3 Existing Coach Parking Charging Regime in Bath 166

11.4 Parking Charges Benchmarking 167

12 Summary and Proposed Actions 174

12.1 Overview 174

12.2 Background to the justification of the overall approach 174

12.3 A proposed Coach Management Strategy for Bath 175

12.4 Monitoring and Reviewing the Strategy 183

1 Introduction

1.1 Study Purpose and Overview

To support Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Economic Strategy and Place Making Plan, and to facilitate the regeneration of Bath Quays, the Council has sought the development of a sustainable coach parking and coach pick- up/drop-off strategy for the City of Bath.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is currently at the start of a major regeneration programme to re-develop Avon Street car and coach park into a new business district for the City - the Bath Quays project. In order to bring forward the development, the current coach park and drop off facility on Avon Street, which has already been reduced in scale, may no longer exist. The coach strategy would support the delivery of Bath Quays by identifying solutions that could enable this relocation of the Riverside Coach Park, through the development of an effective long term plan for management of coaches in the City, and the provision of adequate coach infrastructure.

BuroHappold have been commissioned by Bath and North East Somerset Council to develop this coach strategy, as described in this report.

1.2 Report Structure and Contents

The study considers a number of factors and issues related to coach provision in Bath, including the existing coach situation (both physical and operational), best practice, stakeholder wants and needs, the appraisal of potential future pick-up and drop-off sites, the use of technology for coaches, event management and a coach parking charging regime. The remainder of the report is structured as follows to cover each of these different aspects:

The Existing Situation for Coaches in Bath

Chapter 2 - Existing Bath Coach Infrastructure : A description of the existing provision for coaches in the city of Bath and an audit of that provision to identify strong points and or/deficiencies.

Chapter 3 - Survey of Existing Coach Operation in Bath: A description of the surveying exercise that was undertaken to provide an understanding of the operation of coaches in Bath currently, and an analysis of the survey results, highlighting the main trends and patterns observed.

Good Practice and Stakeholder Preferences for Coach Provision

Chapter 4 - Benchmarking and Best Practice: A review of good practice guidance for coach provision, and an assessment of the coach provision in a number of other towns and cities, particularly those that are similar to Bath and/or those that have been recognised for the quality of their coach operation.

Chapter 5 - Stakeholder Consultation: A review of the stakeholder exercise that was undertaken.

Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Demand to be Accommodated

Chapter 6 - Existing and Future Coach Demand in Bath: An assessment of the existing demand (ie how many spaces are required) for pick-up/drop-off and coach parking in Bath, as well as a potential future level of demand.

Options for Future Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Provision in Bath

Chapter 7 - Appraisal of Potential Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites for Bath: A discussion of potential sites for future coach pick-up/drop-off and parking in Bath, a description of the methodology used to assess them, and the resultant rankings of sites for potential use as pick-up/drop-off and/or coach parking locations. Also, a consideration of the suitability of these sites for use by HGVs.

Chapter 8 - Potential Future Options for Accommodating Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off in Bath: The development of future options for the accommodation of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath, both for the long and shorter terms.

Potential Future Coach Operation Management Measures

Chapter 9 - Use of Technology and Real Time Information: A review of the different potential technologies that could be utilised in Bath to aid coach management/operation.

Chapter 10 – Coach Management for Events: A review of the existing arrangements for coach operation during events in Bath, the strengths and weaknesses of these, factors affecting future event management for coaches and a discussion of potential options for Bath.

Chapter 11 - Potential Coach Parking Charging Regime: A review of the existing coach parking charges in Bath, a comparison of these with those in place in other locations, and a discussion of appropriate future potential coach parking charges for Bath.

Summary and Proposed Actions

Chapter 12 - Summary and Conclusions: A summary of the work that has been undertaken as part of this study and a discussion of the recommended actions to be undertaken, as well as the proposed phasing of those actions.

2 Review of existing coach infrastructure in Bath

2.1 Introduction

This section provides an overview of the existing arrangements in Bath for accommodating coaches, including coach parking and pick-up/drop-off points. Arrangements have been reviewed against a number of factors including: location, dimensions, quality, adequacy and convenience. Improvements have been suggested where appropriate.

Coaches operating in Bath on a typical day currently use centrally located pick-up/drop-off sites and a less central coach parking location. There are three official pick-up/drop-off points: Terrace Walk, North Parade and the Riverside Coach Park, and another unofficial, but well used, pick-up/drop-off point on Royal Avenue. Coach parking is provided at the First Bus depot at Weston Island. The locations of these pick-up/drop-off and coach parking sites are illustrated in Figure 2-1. Arrangements are slightly different during special events, when a number of other sites are used, the details of coach operation during those times is described separately in section 10. It is also known that coaches park unofficially at a number of on-street locations around the City. The latter are excluded from consideration in this section.

Figure 2-1: Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites in Bath

On arrival in the city currently, the standard operation for coaches is to drive to one of the central pick-up/drop-off points, where passengers are within walking distance of their destinations. Coaches cannot stay long at these drop-off points (where there are waiting time restrictions) so must then proceed to a separate coach parking location. On departure from the city, coaches return to the central pick-up/drop-off points to collect their passengers before they can depart.

The current arrangement for coaches in the city is a relatively recent one, and has been in place for approximately 1.5 years. Previously, coaches could park at the Riverside Coach Park for an extended duration, and would, in many instances, arrive at the coach park, unload passengers there and then stay at that point until passengers returned and re-boarded the coaches. The recent local realignment of Green Park Road (as part of the Bath Quays project and essential flood defence works) has, however, significantly reduced the size of the coach park (from 43 spaces to 13), meaning it is no longer suitable as a location for all the city’s coach parking. This led to the implementation of the current waiting time restriction at the Riverside Coach Park, and the relocation of coach parking in the city to the Weston Island site.

The waiting time restriction at the Riverside Coach Park is not in place overnight (from 18:00 to 8:00) so coaches can park there during that period.

2.2 Weston Island Coach Parking

Coach parking in Bath is currently provided at the First Bus Depot on Weston island. The use of the site is subject to a lease between B&NES Council and First Bus. This site is approximately 3.5km from the city centre in western Bath (as illustrated in Figure 2-1). This is the only site for day-time coach parking within the city at present (the Riverside Coach Park accommodating overnight parking).

Up to 85 spaces are available for coach parking at Weston Island Monday-Saturday, reducing to 35 spaces on Sundays when local bus service frequency is less and more First buses are parked. A photo of the First Bus Weston Island depot is provided below in Figure 2-2.

Figure 2-2: First Bus Weston Island Depot – Current Bath Coach Parking Site

The Weston Island site is open to coaches daily between 9.30 and 18:00 and coach drivers must pay to use it. Charges vary from between £5 for 2-hours to £16 for over 8-hours (discussed further in section 11) and can be paid either in cash at the time or in advance through the MiPermit system. Coaches cannot enter the depot with passengers on board, so it is a site for coach parking only and no pick-up/drop-off occurs there - it is too far from the city centre to be useful in this regard.

Facilities provided on-site include toilets, a washroom, food and drink vending machines, and a free return journey to the city centre via bus route 5, which operates from Twerton High Street. An insight into the current effectiveness of Weston Island as a coach parking location can be found in sections 3.3.9 and 3.3.10. Those sections summarise the feelings of coach drivers and operators about current coach provision in Bath based on surveys undertaken as part of this study. The results show that coach drivers are, overall, ‘very dissatisfied’ with the availability of coach parking and the facilities provided. Comments from both drivers and operators indicate that Weston Island is located a long way from the centre of Bath and also that they are unhappy with the facilities and the welcome they receive there.

2.3 Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites

2.3.1 Pick-Up/Drop-Off Overview

The four main points of pick-up/drop-off in the city are: Terrace Walk, North Parade, Riverside Coach Park and Royal Avenue. All of these sites are located in central Bath close to the main attractions in the city. Detailed descriptions of each site are set out in the sections below, but a summary of each is provided in Table 2-1.

Location Type Spaces Provided Waiting Time Restriction Terrace Walk On-Street 2 10 mins North parade On-Street 2 10 mins Riverside Coach Park Off-Street 13 30 mins Royal Avenue On-Street 0 (pick/drop on single yellow lines) NA

Table 2-1: Summary of Existing Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Points in Bath

For each site, the following issues have been considered:

A. Location - distance to the main tourist attractions and ease of coach access B. Facilities - the numbers of bays provided, security and access to amenities such as toilets and cafes. C. Dimensions - parking bay, aisle, road and footway dimensions D. Quality - the quality of markings, surfaces, the experience for passengers, walking routes and safety E. Adequacy - whether the parking supply meets peak demands and its ability to accommodate coach manoeuvres F. Potential Improvements - recommended design improvements.

2.3.2 Terrace Walk

Terrace Walk is the busiest point for pick-up/drop-off in the city, due in large part to its proximity to the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey (the two main attractions for coach visitors), which are under 200m walking distance away. The Terrace Walk coach spaces are located on a small anti-clockwise road loop to the west of the main carriageway (Pierrepont Street), as illustrated in Figure 2-3. Two extended coach bays are officially marked, one on the west side of the island and another to the south of it, with waiting time restrictions of 10mins for each. As illustrated in Figure 2-4, however, the area accommodates higher numbers of coaches than this at busy times – at the photographed time four coaches were parked, two in the island coach bay, one in the southern coach bay and one in the loading bay outside the Abbey hotel.

It is understood that this zone has increased usage since the alterations to the Riverside Coach Park. Some coach operators indicated that they had previously parked at the Riverside Coach Park and let their passengers disembark there (unless they were carrying mobility impaired passengers) but have now changed to dropping passengers off at Terrace Walk instead before proceeding to coach parking.

Figure 2-3: Terrace Walk and North Parade Coach Arrangements

Figure 2-4: Current Terrace Walk Drop-Off/Pick-Up Facility – High Coach Numbers

In addition to the coach parking spaces, Terrace Walk also accommodates a number of other uses, including, as illustrated in Figure 2-3, delivery bays, a bus stop for the Bath Bus Company ‘Skyline Tour’ bus and local vehicle access to York Street.

A review of the Terrace Walk Pick-Up/Drop-Off provision is set out below:

A. Location The site is very well placed for access to the Roman Baths (less than 200m walk), Bath Abbey and other major tourist attractions in the centre of the city. It is easy for vehicles to access the location from the A36 (over North Parade Bridge), which is the main route for coach arrival/departure in the city. B. Facilities This is an on-street location and there are no facilities available at the site itself. There are many shops and cafes in the vicinity, though no easily discoverable public toilets. C. Dimensions The two coach bays located on Terrace Walk are just over 20m long. Given the standard 15m length of coaches, these bays are only intended to accommodate single vehicles. By parking close together (often meaning the rear coach can only leave when the front coach has departed) and parking beyond the indicated ends of the marked bay, 2 coaches are currently able to park without issue in the coach bay next to the island. Similarly, by occupying part of the adjacent loading bay, the coach space at the south of Terrace Walk also accommodates 2 coaches at times. The road width is a generous 7.6m next to the island bay and 6m next to the southern bay. The pedestrian waiting areas are a generous size, with at least 3m being provided next to the island bay and at least 5m next to the southern bay. D. Quality The bay markings within Terrace Walk do not fully reflect the way the area is used. The coach bay on the island, in particular, is marked as a single bay but actually accommodates 2 coaches that partly sit outside the indicated bay. Amending these markings to reflect and formalise actual operation would be advisable. Safe pedestrian routes, particularly for those using the central island, are not clearly marked and pedestrian safety could be increased by more/improved signage. E. Adequacy The high numbers of coaches using Terrace Walk, coupled with the restricted numbers of officially marked coach bays provided there, mean that at busy times the coach demand exceeds the provision for them. This leads to delays for passengers, traffic congestion within Terrace Walk, and traffic issues on the external network (caused by coaches that wish to pick-up/drop-off waiting on the road outside the area until a space becomes available). Traffic issues are exacerbated by the multiple other groups that use the area, including: a. Skyline Tour (dedicated bus space) b. Stonehenge Tour c. American Museum bus d. Air Decker (turning only) e. Servicing/ loading f. Abbey Hotel arrivals/ departures g. Local access to York Street h. Car parking F. Potential Improvements Measures to increase the numbers of bays available to coaches would reduce the instances of traffic congestion and passenger delays that can occur at busy times (when coach demand can exceed bay capacity). The operation of Terrace Walk could be further improved by the reducing the number of vehicle groups it is accommodating, for instance: a. The Stonehenge bus could be moved to a city stop; b. The American museum bus could be moved to a city stop; c. The Air Decker bus could turn around using Grand Parade.

2.3.3 North Parade

As illustrated in Figure 2-1 and Figure 2-3, North Parade is located very close to Terrace Walk, being on the approach to it from North Parade Bridge. Two on-street bays are provided for coaches, as photographed in Figure 2-5, with waiting time restrictions of 10 minutes in place at each.

Figure 2-5: Current North Parade Drop-Off/ Pick-Up Facility

Despite being so close to Terrace Walk, North Parade doesn’t see the same levels of activity, perhaps due to the increased walking distance from this location to the Roman Baths, though at 300m, that distance is still not great.

A review of the North Parade Pick-Up/Drop-Off provision is set out below:

A. Location The site is very well placed for access to the Roman Baths (within 300m), which are the city’s main attraction. It is easy to access (over North Parade Bridge) from the A36 on the east of Bath, the main point of coach arrival/departure in the city. B. Facilities This is an on-street location and there are no facilities available at the site itself. There are several public benches adjacent to the bays and the footway is well lit. There are many shops and cafes in the vicinity, though no easily discoverable public toilets. C. Dimensions The combined length of the two marked bays is approximately 30m, and they are approximately 3m wide. This length is sufficient, just about, for two coaches, though too short for the bays to be used independently, so coaches must park sequentially. The 5m wide footway beside the bays provides a lot of capacity for pedestrian waiting, boarding and alighting. D. Quality The road and footway are in a good condition and no issues with safety or operation are apparent. E. Adequacy The coach provision in this location is constrained by the bus stop to its west, as illustrated in Figure 2-3. The capacity of this area doesn’t seem to be an issue, however, with the bays provided accommodating the demands placed on them.

F. Potential Improvements The existing bus stop at the end of the bays may prevent any immediate opportunity to lengthen the area. However, discussions could be had with First for the phasing out of articulated buses on the U1 route. This potentially would allow for the bus stop to be shortened and for a total of three coach bays to be provided in this location.

2.3.4 Riverside Coach Park

The current Riverside Coach Park (which is the northern half of what was there previously) is located on the south western edge of the city centre, approximately 500m from the Roman Baths. 13 free off-street coach parking bays are provided, which have a maximum duration of stay of 30mins during the day (between 8:00 and 18:00), with no restriction at night. The current Riverside Coach Park is shown in Figure 2-6.

Figure 2-6: Current Riverside Coach Drop-off/ Pick-up Facility

A review of the Riverside Coach Park Pick-Up/Drop-Off provision is set out below:

A. Location The site is relatively well placed for access to the Roman Baths (approximately 500m away), which are the city’s main attraction. It is also easily accessed from the A36 (over Churchill Bridge) which is the main road used by coaches entering the city. B. Facilities This is an off-street location with dedicated coach park café and toilets. Shops and cafés are located close by. C. Dimensions As a dedicated coach park the 3.5m wide angled bays are long enough to be used independently by all types of coaches. The 3m wide footway from the bays should adequately accommodate pedestrian movements. D. Quality The coach park and footway surfaces are in good condition and the site is well lit. No vehicle or pedestrian issues with operation or safety are apparent. E. Adequacy The level of parking provision is adequate for the coach park’s current role as a pick-up/drop-off location with a 30 minute waiting restriction.

F. Potential Improvements It is considered that the Riverside Coach Park site does not need significant improvements. Furthermore, this site is potentially going to be replaced in the future by proposals in the Bath Quays redevelopment scheme.

2.3.5 Royal Avenue

Although no official coach pick-up/drop-off bays are marked on Royal Avenue, a significant number of coaches use it for that purpose. This location, as shown in Figure 2-1, is convenient for visitors to No.1 Royal Crescent, the Assembly Rooms, the Fashion Museum and the Royal Crescent itself, being within 500m of all these attractions. Coaches pick- up/drop-off on the single yellow lines by the lane leading to the Royal Crescent, as illustrated in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-7: Pick-Up/Drop-Off at Royal Avenue

A review of the Royal Avenue coach pick-up/drop-off is set out below:

A. Location The site is very well placed for the visitors to the No.1 Royal Crescent, Royal Crescent Itself and the Assembly Rooms but is poorly placed for walking to the Roman Baths. It is not easily accessible for coaches from the main entry points into the city. B. Facilities This is an on-street location and there are no facilities available at the site itself. The Royal Bath Pavillion café is located on Royal Avenue, but other shops, cafes, toilets etc are further afield. C. Dimensions There are no bay markings, so coaches park informally on the single-yellow line markings. Coaches are parking at present without impeding two way flow along Royal Avenue. The footway used by coach passengers is 3m wide, which is adequate for passenger needs. D. Quality The road and footway are both in good condition. The majority of Royal Avenue has no street lighting, however, which might affect safety/security in darker periods. No major vehicle or pedestrian issues associated with operation or safety are apparent.

E. Adequacy No bays are provided for coaches in this location, but significant numbers of coaches are observed to use it for picking-up and dropping-off anyway. This indicates a potential need for formal provision. F. Potential Improvements Coach pick-up/drop-off bays could be formally indicated in the area that is currently used informally for coach pick-up/drop-off, responding to the observed demand for provision in the area.

3 Existing Coach Parking Management and Coach Operation in Bath

3.1 Introduction

In order to understand coach operation in the city and the requirements of coach passengers, drivers and operators, BuroHappold undertook a range of surveys on Thursday 25 th and Saturday 27 th August 2016. This included:

• A cordon video survey at a ring of 6 sites encircling Bath city centre • A count of coaches arriving at the 4 main coach pick-up/drop-off locations in the city • Coach driver surveys • Coach passenger surveys • Operator surveys

The purpose of these surveys was to identify the key issues of importance in developing the strategy. Those identified included:

• The numbers of coaches entering and leaving Bath and the accumulation of coaches in the city • The arrival and departure directions and times for coaches in Bath • The durations of stay of coaches • Details of the coaches operating in the city • The nature of the coach trips being made to and from the city • Details of the passengers visiting the city by coach, the attractions they visit and how much they spend • The satisfaction of coach passengers, drivers and operators with current arrangements

Surveying both a Thursday and a Saturday allows a comparison of weekday and weekend operations. The choice of August as a survey month was driven partly by the timeframe of the project, but also by it being one of the busiest months for coach operation in Bath.

3.2 Survey Methodology

The different surveys that have been undertaken are described in the following sections.

3.2.1 Cordon Surveys

The cordon surveys were undertaken to study the arrival and departure times and routings of coaches in Bath. This enabled other information, such as coach accumulation in Bath and duration of coach stay, to be determined.

The surveys were undertaken by a specialist survey company called CTS and consisted of video surveying of coaches entering and leaving the cordon area on Thursday 25th August and Saturday 27th August 2016. Six cordon sites were used, as listed in Table 3-1 and shown in Figure 3-1, which enclose the city centre. Video cameras recorded coach flows in both directions at these sites, and the video was post-processed to obtain raw coach flow data, including number plate registration information.

Cordon ID Location 1 London Road 2 North Parade 3 Churchill Bridge 4 Midland Bridge 5 Upper Bristol Road 6 Lansdown Road

Table 3-1: Cordon Locations

Figure 3-1: Cordon locations

The times when each coach entered the cordon area and the times when each coach exited the cordon area were recorded. From this data, BuroHappold was able to calculate:

• The dwell time of the coaches within the cordon area (the ‘exit’ time minus the ‘entry’ time for each visit) • The dwell time for the passengers within the cordon area (the last ‘exit’ time minus the first ‘entry’ time) • Origin and destinations for all movements • The times of coach arrivals and departures • The numbers of coach arrivals and departures • Durations of stay of coaches in Bath.

National Express coaches were excluded from this analysis since they use separate facilities (Bath Bus Station) and are not within the scope of this study. Most coaches were observed to enter and exit the cordon area twice, with an entry and exit occurring at the start of their visit (for the purpose of dropping off the passengers) and another entry and exit occurring at the end of their visit (for the purpose of picking up the passengers).

3.2.2 Pick-Up/Drop-Off surveys

A record (coach log) was taken of the arrivals of coaches at each of the four pick-up/drop-off points in Bath, as shown in Figure 3-2. The coach log was kept on the same two days observed by the cordon survey – Thursday 25th and Saturday 27 th August 2016.

Figure 3-2: Main Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations in Bath – Covered by the Coach Log

The following information was recorded for each coach that arrived at the surveyed location:

• Time of arrival • Coach company name • Vehicle size (mini bus, midi coach, full-sized coach) • Vehicle type (British style with left-hand doors, or continental style with right-hand doors) • A record of whether coach driver surveys and passenger surveys were handed out • Any other particularly interesting observations

The coach log provides details of the levels of activity being experienced at each of the different coach pick-up/drop- off points in Bath.

3.2.3 Coach Driver Survey

The coach driver survey was undertaken to gain an understanding of the nature of the trips being undertaken by coach drivers in Bath, and to understand the drivers’ opinions of various aspects of current coach provision in the city. The coach driver survey comprised a one-sided A4 questionnaire with a number of tick boxes, as illustrated in Figure 3-3. The drivers were given the opportunity to fill out these surveys at the pick-up/drop-off points in Bath on Thursday 25 th and Saturday 27 th August (the same days covered by the other surveys). In many cases the questionnaire was taken away by the coach driver and completed later.

The coach driver survey was completed by 107 coach drivers.

Figure 3-3: Coach Driver Survey Form

When filling in the answer to question 13, “Where do you normally park?”, sometimes more than one tick box was ticked, and this was recorded as a further answer number 6, “More than one location”.

The information recorded by the coach driver survey included:

• The coach company and how frequently they visit Bath • Type of coach (normal, continental, mini bus etc) • The type of trip – coach holiday, day excursion etc • Where the trip started, where it will finish and any other destinations along the way • How long they are staying in Bath • The number and nationality of passengers on the coach and whether they have any mobility impairments • Where they park and pick-up/drop-off • What their satisfaction is with: pick-up/drop-off, coach parking availability, facilities and security/safety

3.2.4 Coach Passenger Survey

In order to gain a better understanding of the coach passengers visiting Bath, who they are and what they do in the city, a survey of coach passengers was undertaken on the same days as the other surveys. To perform this survey BuroHappold distributed passenger survey packs to tour guides at the coach pick-up/drop-off points in the city. The survey packs included a letter of introduction, self-completion passenger questionnaires, pens and a stamped addressed envelopes. Tour guides were asked to distribute the forms on the return journey and post back completed forms.

The survey forms were as illustrated in Figure 3-4 and Figure 3-5, and were distributed in both English and Mandarin Chinese versions (as it was understood that a significant number of Mandarin speakers visit the city). In order to make it easier for the passengers to fill in the survey forms, and in order to make the analysis more accurate and robust, most questions simply required respondents to tick the appropriate box. When asking about the reason for their visit, what attractions were visited, and which attractions were pre-booked, multiple boxes could be ticked.

The coach passenger survey was completed by 340 people.

Figure 3-4: Coach Passenger Survey Form – First Side

Figure 3-5: Coach Passenger Survey Form – Second Side

The information recorded by the coach passenger survey included:

• The age and nationality of the passengers, and whether they had a mobility impairment • Whether they were travelling alone or in a group, and the size of that group • Their satisfaction with the pick-up/drop-off arrangement in Bath • Their reasons for travel to Bath by coach • The attractions they visited, and whether they had pre-booked tickets to any of these • The amount of money they spent in Bath • How likely they would be to return to Bath or to recommend it as a destination to others • Any other comments they had on their experience of travelling to Bath by coach

3.2.5 Coach Operator Survey

As well as surveying the drivers, the more general views of coach operators were sought through a separate survey. This was distributed to coach operators who are registered with the Roman Baths and/or who are members of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (the coach industry representative body in the UK).

The coach operator survey contained 6 sections: company details, tour information, requirements, concerns, suggestions and additional questions. Responses were collected through text boxes rather than by tick-boxes to collect a wide range of information and opinions.

The information recorded by the coach operator survey included:

• How many tours of different types they operate to Bath – coach holidays, private hire, day excursions • The standard routes they run to Bath • The normal lengths of stay for their coaches in Bath • Their requirements for pick-up/drop-off in Bath for different attractions • Their requirements for coach parking • The concerns they have about coach pick-up/drop-off and coach parking in Bath • Their suggestions for amendments to coach pick-up/drop-off and coach parking in Bath • The actions that the Council or other organisations could take to increase the length of time coaches stay • Whether a coach park within 500m of the Roman Baths would reduce the need for separate pick-up/drop-off • Any other comments they have regarding coach facilities in Bath

Seven operators responded to the survey:

1. Golden Tours Ltd 2. Premium Tours 3. Tourwise of London Ltd 4. Stafford House Study Holidays 5. Eurovoyages 6. Belmond British Pullman 7. GTI Travel Group Ltd

3.3 Survey Results

The main findings of the different surveys are set out in the sections below under the following headings:

• Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations • Coach Arrival and Departure Routes • Coach Arrival and Departure Time Profiles and Coach Accumulation in Bath • Coach Dwell Times in Bath • Details of the Coaches Visiting Bath and the Trips they are Making • Details of the Coach Passengers Visiting Bath • Attractions Visited by Coach Visitors and Passenger Spending • Satisfaction of Coach Passengers and their Comments/Suggestions • Satisfaction of Coach Drivers and their Comments/Suggestions • Coach Operator Information, their Satisfaction and their Comments/Suggestions

3.3.1 Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

The numbers of coaches using each of the different coach pick-up/drop-off points in Bath was directly observed and recorded in the coach logs on the two surveyed days. The coach parking locations used were determined through the coach driver surveys.

Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

The observed numbers of coaches either picking-up or dropping-off at each of the surveyed locations is set out in Table 3-2.

Coaches Midi Coaches Mini Buses Total % Site Thurs Sat Thurs Sat Thurs Sat Thurs Sat Thurs Sat

Site A Terrace 42 49 3 3 1 0 46 52 49% 53% Walk

Site B North 5 3 0 1 0 1 5 5 5% 5% Parade

Site C 28 19 0 3 0 0 28 22 30% 23% Riverside

Site D Royal 14 16 1 1 0 1 15 18 16% 19% Avenue

Total 89 87 4 8 1 2 94 97 100% 100%

Table 3-2: Activity at Pick-Up/Drop-Off Points

Approximately half of all coaches pick-up/drop-off at Terrace Walk, the busiest location, and just over a quarter of coaches pick-up/drop-off at the Riverside Coach Park, the next busiest location. Despite there being no official pick- up/drop-off bays marked there, between 15 and 20% of coaches pick-up/drop-off on Royal Avenue. The patterns observed were similar on the Thursday and Saturday surveyed, with perhaps a slightly higher proportion of coaches using Terrace Walk instead of the Riverside Coach Park on the Saturday.

Coaches can currently choose whatever location they wish for pick-up/drop-off and they won’t necessarily pick- up/drop-off at the same location. Coach drivers were asked, therefore, if they pick-up/drop-off passengers at the same or different points. The results are shown in Figure 3-6 and Figure 3-7 and indicate that most coaches, over 85%, pick- up and drop-off their passengers in the same place (which is the optimum from a passenger wayfinding perspective).

Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off at Same Place? - Thursday (47 Respondents)

13%

Yes No

87%

Figure 3-6: Do Coaches Pick-Up/Drop-Off in the Same place? – Thursday

Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off at Same Place? - Saturday (50 Respondents)

16%

Yes No

84%

Figure 3-7: Do Coaches Pick-Up/Drop-Off in the Same place? – Saturday

Coach Parking Locations

In order to determine which locations are used for coach parking, the coach drivers were asked (as part of the coach driver survey) where they parked their coach during the day and overnight (if relevant). The results are shown in Figure 3-8 and Figure 3-9.

Where coaches are being parked during the day

18 16 16 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 4

Number of coaches of Number 4 2 0 Weston Island Other on-street Riverside Coach Private car park A367 Wellway More than one Park place Parking location

Thursday (44 Respondents) Saturday (45 Respondents)

Figure 3-8: Coach Parking Locations During the Day

Where coaches are being parked overnight

10 9 9 8 8 7 6 5 5 4 3 2 2 2 Number of coaches of Number 2 1 1 1 0 Hotel/Private Riverside Coach Park On street More than one place Parking location

Thursday (15 Respondents) Saturday (15 Respondents)

Figure 3-9: Overnight Coach Parking Locations

The results indicate that the current officially recommended location for coach parking in Bath, the First Bus Depot at Weston Island, is not well used by coaches, with under a quarter of coaches parking in that location. A higher proportion of coaches (between 25% and 30%) actually use the Riverside Coach Park than Weston Island. Given the 30min waiting time restriction at the Riverside Coach Park, this might indicate that some coaches are staying at that location for longer than they are supposed to.

The highest proportion of coaches park at on-street locations, particularly on the A367/Wellsway. On-street parking at unofficial locations was particularly evident on the Saturday, when it represented over 50% of all coach parking in the city.

For overnight parking the majority of coaches use the Riverside Coach Park.

3.3.2 Coach Arrival and Departure Routes

The movements of coaches in and out of the city was captured by the cordon survey (described in section 3.2.1). Coaches may enter and leave the cordon area (central Bath) multiple times during the day. A common pattern might see a coach entering initially to drop passengers off, then exiting to go to a coach parking area, then re-entering to pick passengers up before finally exiting again to depart the city. The first arrival point and last departure point for coaches indicate where the coaches travelling to Bath are arriving from/departing to, and how they choose to enter and exit the city. Between the first arrival and last departure the other movements in and out of the cordon area give an indication of what coaches are doing to get to and from coach parking.

To reflect the above, three types of coach movement have been analysed, for both the Thursday and the Saturday:

• First cordon entry and last cordon exit • Cordon entries and exits between the first and last ones • All cordon entries and exits.

The patterns of coach entries and exits to and from the cordon area are as illustrated in Figure 3-10 to Figure 3-15.

Figure 3-10: Thursday - First Entries to and Last Exits from Cordon (Entries in Red , Exits in Blue )

Figure 3-11: Saturday - First Entries to and Last Exits from Cordon (Entries in Red , Exits in Blue )

Figure 3-12: Thursday – Movements between First Entry and Last Exit (Entries in Red , Exits in Blue )

Figure 3-13: Saturday - Movements between First Entry and Last Exit (Entries in Red , Exits in Blue )

Figure 3-14: Thursday – All Entries and Exits (Entries in Red , Exits in Blue )

Figure 3-15: Saturday – All Entries and Exits (Entries in Red , Exits in Blue )

As illustrated in Figure 3-10 and Figure 3-11, the majority of coaches (between 60% and 70%) arrive to Bath from the east, and enter the city either along London Road (becoming Walcot Street and the Paragon) or over North Parade bridge. On both Thursday and Saturday, North Parade was the most used entry point to the city. Entry along London Road was less common on Saturday than Thursday. Coaches entering the city through these points would be bound, generally, for the drop-off points on Terrace Walk, North Parade and Royal Avenue.

Between 10% and 15% of coaches enter the city along Landsdown Road. These coaches are likely bound for Royal Avenue, where they can drop passengers off before proceeding to parking areas further south in the city. Another 10%, approximately, of coaches enter the city over Churchill bridge, which is the most direct route for entry to the Riverside Coach Park.

As was the case for the initial arrivals, the majority of coaches make their final departures from Bath over North Parade bridge, with between 45% and 55% of coaches using this route on the observed days. The next busiest final exit points are Churchill Bridge and London Road, which are used by under half the number of coaches as use North Parade bridge (being used by approximately 20% of coaches each). A noticeably higher proportion of buses exit the city over Churchill Bridge than entered at that point. Conversely, approximately half as many coaches choose to exit the city along Lansdown Road as enter along it.

No more than 12% of coaches either enter or exit the city through the cordon points in the west of Bath.

The movements that take place between the first coach entry to the cordon area and the last coach exit from it are illustrated in Figure 3-12 and Figure 3-13. These indicate the movements that coaches are making to get to and from their parking areas (outside the cordon area).

Having dropped people off in the city centre, the majority of coaches then exit the cordon over Churchill or North Parade bridges, these two points accommodating 75% of exiting coaches between them. Interestingly, Churchill bridge was the busier of the two points on the Thursday, accommodating approximately 50% of exiting vehicles compared to approximately 25% using North Parade Bridge, but the trend was completely reversed on the Saturday. Coaches exiting the cordon through these points could be bound for Weston Island, Wellsway or other on-street parking locations.

On the surveyed Thursday, when re-entering the city from their coach parking locations in order to pick-up their passengers, the majority (over 85%) of coaches did so through one of three points, Midland Bridge (to the south west of the city centre), Churchill Bridge or North Parade Bridge. North Parade bridge was the busiest of the three points, accommodating almost a third of all entries, but the other two points also accommodated significant numbers of coaches. On the Saturday, the numbers of coaches using Churchill Bridge and Midland Bridge had dropped considerably, with two thirds of all coaches at that time using North Parade bridge as their point of entry back into the city to pick-up passengers.

3.3.3 Coach Arrival and Departure Profiles and Coach Accumulation in Bath

As well as recording the locations that coaches arrive and depart the city through, the cordon survey also captured the times of arrival and departure of coaches. The times that coaches arrived at and departed from Bath on the surveyed days are as illustrated in Figure 3-16 and Figure 3-17, for Thursday 25 th August and Saturday 27 th August respectively.

Figure 3-16: Coach Arrivals and Departures in Bath on Thursday 25 th August 2016

Figure 3-17: Coach Arrivals and Departures in Bath on Saturday 27 th August 2016

On both the Saturday and the Thursday, and as expected, there are higher arrivals than departures in the first half of the day, and higher departures than arrivals in the second half of the day. On the Saturday, the arrival numbers are highest early on and reduce gradually as the day goes on, with the reverse being observed for departures, which start low but gradually build up over the course of the day and peak late. The trend for Thursday is slightly different – there was an early arrival peak, between 9:00 and 10:00, but then a lull was observed until a second higher peak of arrivals at around 13:00, after which arrivals dropped off gradually until the end of the day. The departure profile on Thursday was broadly similar to the Saturday one, but there was a more sustained peak of departures towards the end of the day, as opposed to the more gradual increase seen on Saturday.

Between the time that a coach arrives in Bath and the time that it departs from Bath it will be present somewhere within the city. Knowing the times of coach arrival and departure allows the numbers of coaches present in the city at any time can be determined. This information is illustrated in Figure 3-18 below.

30 29

0 09:00 09:15 09:30 09:45 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:30 12:45 13:00 13:15 13:30 13:45 14:00 14:15 14:30 14:45 15:00 15:15 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:15 16:30 16:45 17:00 17:15 17:30 17:45 18:00 18:15 Thursday Saturday

Figure 3-18: Accumulation of Coaches in Bath on Surveyed Days

The number of coaches present in Bath on the surveyed days had a sustained peak of 29 coaches on Thursday from 14:15-14:45, with the Saturday peak being 25-27 coaches over the same time period.

3.3.4 Coach Dwell Times in Bath

Two different types of coach dwell time were captured by the cordon survey:

• The lengths of time spent by coaches within the cordon area (central Bath) • The total time spent by coaches in Bath (inside and outside the cordon area)

The lengths of time spent by coaches within the cordon area, on each of the two surveyed days, is illustrated in Figure 3-19. Most coaches were observed to enter and leave the cordon area twice, once at the start of their visit (for purpose of dropping-off the passengers) and once at the end of the visit (for the purpose of picking-up passengers). The times shown in Figure 3-19 indicate how long the coaches spent in the cordon area each time they entered it – acknowledging that some coaches entered and exited the cordon more than once.

Distribution of Coach Dwell Times Within Cordon

120 98 100 82 80

40 Number of coaches of Number 20 12 7 8 5 12 1 3 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 1 - 2 2 - 3 3 - 4 4 - 5 5 - 6 6 - 7 7 - 8 8 - 9 Dwell time (hours)

Thursday (Sample Size 104) Saturday (Sample Size 115)

Figure 3-19: Coach Dwell Time Distribution in cordon Area

As expected, most coaches did not stop for long within the cordon area, with 82% staying less than an hour, and 63% staying less than half an hour. Over 20%, however, are staying within the cordon for over an hour, indicating that they are parking somewhere in central Bath, either at the Riverside Coach Park (despite the 30min waiting limit there), or at some on-street location.

The length of time that coaches stay in the city overall (inside and outside the cordon) was captured both through the cordon survey (results illustrated in Figure 3-20) and through the driver survey (results illustrated in Figure 3-21). The two surveys were generally pretty consistent with each other, and showed a peak and median visit duration of between 2 and 3 hours, with the bulk of all coaches (around 70%) staying between 1 and 4 hours. Comparing the cordon survey results with the driver duration of stay estimates shows, perhaps, an overestimation of stay duration on the part of drivers, who reported fewer stays of between 1 and 2 hours and an increased number of stays of between 3 and 4 hours than were observed by the cordon surveys.

Overnight stays were not captured by the cordon survey but were reported by the driver survey, and represented between 10% and 20% of the coaches travelling to Bath on the surveyed days, with the vast majority of those overnight stays being for a single night only.

Cordon Survey - Coach Duration in Bath

18 16 16

14 13 12 12

10 9

8 7 6 6 6 6 5 Number of coaches of Number 4 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

0 0 - 1 1 - 2 2 - 3 3 - 4 4 - 5 5 - 6 6 - 7 7 - 8 8 - 9 Dwell time (hours)

Thursday (Sample Size 47) Saturday (Sample Size 45)

Figure 3-20: Cordon Survey - Total Coach Dwell Times in Bath

Driver Survey - Coach Duration in Bath 18

14 13

12 1111 11

10 9

8 7 7 7 6 6 Number of Coaches of Number 4 4 4 3 3

2 1 1 1 1 1 1 00 0 0 0 0 0-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 1 night 2 nights 5 nights Dwell time (hours) Thursday 25/08/16 Saturday 27/08/16

Figure 3-21: Driver Survey – Total Coach Dwell Times in Bath

3.3.5 Details of the Coaches Visiting Bath and the Trips they are Making

The coaches visiting Bath are of a number of different types (full size coach, midi coach, UK configuration with left hand doors, continental configuration with right hand doors etc) and are making a range of different types of trips (day excursions, coach holidays, private hire trips etc). This section summarises the observed details of the coaches visiting Bath, and the types of trips they are making.

Coach Details

The coach log recorded the details of the coaches that arrived at the different pick-up/drop-off points, and similar information was also recorded as part of the coach driver surveys.

The observed numbers of coaches with doors on the left hand side (standard UK configuration) compared to those with doors on the rand hand side (non-UK configuration) were as set out in Table 3-3. On the Thursday, 14% of the coaches observed had doors on the right hand size, with a lower percentage of 8% observed to have that configuration on the Saturday.

Left hand Right hand Site Thursday Saturday Thursday Saturday

Site A Terrace Walk 42 48 3 4

Site B North Parade 4 4 1 1

Site C Riverside 21 22 7 0

Site D Royal Avenue 13 15 2 3

Total 80 89 13 8

Table 3-3: Coach Log – Observed Coach type (UK Configuration with Left Hand Door/Non-UK Configuration with Right Hand Door)

As illustrated in Figure 3-22 and Figure 3-23, the drivers reported a lower percentage of non-UK configuration coaches (with doors on the right hand size) than were noted in the coach log, indicating that these made up 9% of coaches on the Thursday and 4% of coaches on the Saturday. This is perhaps down to an increased likelihood of UK coach drivers filling in the survey forms compared to those based elsewhere.

The size of the coaches visiting Bath, as reported by the coach drivers, are as illustrated in Figure 3-24 and Figure 3-25. On both of the surveyed days the vast majority of vehicles were full sized coaches (as opposed to mini-buses or midi coaches). Full sized coaches made up 94% of all the observed vehicles on the observed Thursday and 87% on the Saturday.

Vehicle Configuration (UK/Non-UK) - Thursday (23 Respondents)

UK Configuration Non-UK Configuration

91%

Figure 3-22: Thursday Coach Driver Survey – Reported Coach Type – UK or Continental

Vehicle Configuration (UK/Non-UK) - Saturday (23 Respondents)

UK Configuration Non-UK Configuration

96%

Figure 3-23 Saturday Coach Driver Survey – Reported Coach Type – UK or Continental

Coach Types - Thursday (48 Respondents)

4% 2%

Full sized coach Midi coach Mini bus

94%

Figure 3-24: Driver Reported Coach Sizes – Thursday

Coach Types - Saturday (46 Respondents)

4% 9%

Full sized coach Midi coach Mini bus

87%

Figure 3-25: Driver Reported Coach Sizes – Saturday

Details of Coach Visit

The drivers were asked, as part of their survey, about the nature of their visit to Bath that day, and how frequently their company visits Bath. Their responses to these questions are illustrated in Figure 3-26 and Figure 3-27.

Visit Types

35 29 30 28

25 21 20 16 15

10 Number of coaches of Number

5 2 0 0 1 0 Day excursion UK students Coach holiday Overseas students Private hire Visit type

Thursday (51 Respondents) Saturday (46 Respondents)

Figure 3-26: Driver Reported Coach Visit Type

Visit Frequencies

25 20 19 20

15 10 10 9 10 8 7 7 5 5 Number of coaches of Number 5 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 Daily At least twice Weekly 1-3 times a Every 2-3 Every 4-6 Annually One-off trip a week month months months Visit frequency

Thursday (51 Respondents) Saturday (55 Respondents)

Figure 3-27: Driver Reported Coach Visit Frequency

Almost all of the observed coach trips to Bath were categorised by the drivers as either ‘day excursions’, making up just under 60% of the total coach trips, or ‘coach holidays’, making up 35%-40% of the total coach trips.

The results also indicate that the majority of coaches are visiting Bath on a regular basis, with over 60% of those surveyed visiting Bath at least once a week, and over 35% visiting Bath daily.

In addition to visit type and frequency, the drivers were also asked about the start and end locations of their coach journeys, and the on-route attractions that they also visit. This provides information about the direction that the coaches approach Bath, the journey duration (which is important for the consideration of driver’s hours), and the linkage between tourist attractions in Bath and tourist attractions elsewhere.

The start and end points of the journeys made by coaches visiting Bath are shown in Table 3-4 and Table 3-5, for Thursday 25 th August and Saturday 27 th August respectively. The dominance of London as a start and end location is clear, with approximately 50% of coaches beginning and ending their journeys there.

Location Start Point End Point

Bath 1 4 Birmingham 1 0 Bristol 1 1 Cardiff 6 1 Cheltenham 1 1 Cirencester 1 1 Coventry 0 1 Exeter 1 1 Gloucester 1 1 Heathrow Airport 1 0 Limply Stoke 1 1 London 24 26 Oxford 3 0 Reading 1 1 Radstock 0 1 St. Merrion 0 1 Swindon 1 1 Taunton 0 1 Tortworth 1 1 Weston Super Mare 4 4 Worcester 1 0

Table 3-4: Thursday Start and End Points of Coaches Visiting Bath

Location Start Point End Point

Addington 0 1 Bath 2 7 Birmingham 0 0 Bournemouth 2 2 Bristol 3 2 Brighton 1 1 Cardiff 4 0 Cheltenham 2 1 Coventry 1 2 Derby 1 1 Exeter 0 1 Fareham 0 1 Gloucester 1 0 London 25 26 London Heathrow T5 0 1 M5 North 1 0 Newbury 1 1 Newport 0 1 Northamptonshire 1 0 Oxford 1 0 Plymouth 2 0 Portchester 1 0 Salisbury 1 0 Stonehenge 0 1 Swindon 1 1 Torbay 1 1 Warrington 0 1 Weston Super Mare 2 1 Windsor 1 0

Table 3-5: Saturday Start and End Points of Coaches Visiting Bath

The on-route attractions visited by coaches are shown in Table 3-6 and Table 3-7. A wide variety of attractions are visited on the way to Bath and on the way back from Bath. However, the two key attractions on-route are Stonehenge and Windsor.

Stonehenge is visited by coaches both on the way to and after departing Bath, with perhaps slightly more coaches choosing to visit it before arriving in Bath. 28 coaches visited that destination as well as Bath on the Thursday, as did 29 on the Saturday, with over half of drivers reporting that their trip to Bath that day also included a stop at Stonehenge. 8 of the coaches that visited Bath on the Thursday and 13 of the coaches that visited Bath on the Saturday also stopped at Windsor, with some coaches stopping at that location both before and some coaches stopping at that location after Bath.

Location Visited Before Arriving in Bath Visited after Departing Bath

Stonehenge 15 13

Windsor 5 3

Wells 3 3

Lacock 1 1

Glastonbury 0 4

Cardiff 2 0

Stratford-on-Avon 2 0

Salisbury 2 0

Cheddar 1 0

Cheltenham 1 0

Oxford, Berey 1 0

Plymouth 0 1

Table 3-6: Thursday - Attractions Visited Before and After Bath

Location Visited Before Arriving in Bath Visited after Departing Bath

Stonehenge 18 11

Windsor 6 7

Stratford on Avon 1 2

Oxford 0 2

Lacock 0 1

Glastonbury 1 0

Cardiff 1 0

Salisbury 1 0

Cheddar Gorge 1 0

Gloucester 1 0

Avebury 1 0

Castle Combe 0 1

Cotswolds 0 1

Table 3-7: Saturday – Attractions Visited Before and After Bath

3.3.6 Details of the Coach Passengers Visiting Bath

There is a significant variety of coach passengers that travel to Bath in terms of age, nationality, gender, party size etc. Details of these passengers were captured by the passenger surveys and the driver surveys that were undertaken.

The numbers of passengers arriving in Bath per coach on the surveyed days was as illustrated in Figure 3-28. On average, each coach carried 36 passengers, with the majority carrying under 60 passengers.

Number of Passengers on Each Coach

16 14 14 13 12 12 11 11

10 9 9 8 8 6 6 6

Number of coaches of Number 4 2 2 1 11 1 1 0 00 0 0 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100 Number of passengers on each coach

Thursday (Sample Size 51) Saturday (Sample Size 55)

Figure 3-28: Surveyed Passenger Numbers per Coach

The total number of passengers travelling on a coach is often made up of a number of smaller groups of people (couples, family groups etc). To gain an understanding of this, the passengers were asked about the size of their particular party. Their responses were as illustrated in Figure 3-29.

Coach Passenger Party Size (322 Respondents)

160 150

140

120

100

60 52 44 34

Number of passengers of Number 40 26

20 8 8

0 1 - 2 3 - 4 5 - 6 7 - 10 11 - 15 16 - 20 21 - 50 Party size

Figure 3-29: Coach Passenger Party Size

Almost half of all passengers indicated that they were either travelling alone or as couple, with a further 16% indicating they were travelling as a group of 3-4 people.

The coach passengers were asked, as part of the passenger survey, questions about themselves such as their age and gender. Their responses to these two questions were as illustrated in Figure 3-30 and Figure 3-31. Approximately two thirds of passenger respondents were female, and one third were male.

There was significant variation in the age of the passengers, with 19% being under 30, 37% being between 30 and 60 and 44% being over 60. The peak age range, however, was 60-69 years old, with the mean age of passengers being approximately 52 years old.

Considering the high proportion of older passengers, it might be expected that there would be a significant level of mobility impairment affecting passengers. This issue was surveyed both through asking the drivers whether they were carrying mobility impaired passengers, and by asking the passengers themselves if they had a mobility impairment. The responses of drivers and passengers to these questions are shown in Figure 3-32 and Figure 3-33.

Based on the responses of drivers, the majority (65%-80%, depending on the day) of coaches had no passengers with mobility issues. More passengers had mobility issues in each coach on Thursday than Saturday, which may be explained by a higher proportion of older retired passengers travelling to Bath on weekdays. Interestingly, fewer passengers claimed to have a mobility impairment than the driver survey suggested, with only 10% of respondents answered positivity to that question.

Coach Passenger Gender (332 Respondents)

34%

Male Female Prefer not to say

64%

Figure 3-30: Coach Passenger Gender

Coach Passenger Age (332 Respondents)

90 77 80 70 60 49 47 50 45 40 40 29 30 23 20 20 Number of passengers of Number 10 2 0 <18 18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80+ Prefer not to say Passenger age (years)

Age (332 Respondents)

Figure 3-31: Coach Passenger Age

Number of Passengers With Mobility Issues on Each Coach

45 42 40 35 33 30 25 20 15 Number of coaches of Number 10 6 6 6 5 3 2 2 1 1 10 1 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Number of passengers on each coach

Thursday (51 Respondents) Saturday (53 Respondents)

Figure 3-32: Driver Survey – Numbers of Mobility Impaired Passengers per Coach

Passengers Reporting a Mobility Impairment (322 Respondents)

2% 10%

Yes No Prefer not to say

88%

Figure 3-33: Passenger Survey – Percentage of Passengers Indicating they had a Mobility Impairment

Both coach drivers and coach passengers were asked questions about passenger nationality. As illustrated in Figure 3-34, coach drivers indicated that the majority of coaches (over 80%) carried groups that were mostly or wholly from overseas.

Nationality of Coach Passengers

30 27 27

25 22

14 15

9 10 6 Number of coaches of Number 5

0 Mostly British Mixed Nationality (non British) Single nationality (non British) Nationality of passengers

Thursday (50 Respondents) Saturday (55 Respondents)

Figure 3-34: Coach Driver Survey - Passenger Nationalities

When coach passengers were made up of a single overseas nationality, the coach drivers indicated what country those passengers were from, if they knew. Figure 3-35 illustrates the proportions of coaches carrying single nationality groups from different locations (as well as the proportions carrying mixed or mostly UK groups). More coaches were carrying single nationality Chinese and Japanese groups than any other single nationality overseas groups.

The driver’s survey alone doesn’t, however, provide a complete picture of the nationalities of coach passengers. Particularly, it doesn’t give an indication of the nationalities of those on coaches that were carrying a mixed group (the bulk of all coaches). As part of the passenger survey, however, the passengers were asked their nationality. Their responses are as indicated in Table 3-8. The passenger responses indicated that the majority of coach passengers visiting Bath on the surveyed days were Chinese, followed by those from the USA, Ireland, Australia, Canada and Spain. It should be noted that many of these countries are English speaking, meaning that these passengers might be more likely to respond to the surveys, skewing the results (similarly the Chinese respondents had a Mandarin Chinese version of the survey to respond to). The level of Japanese coach passengers, certainly, is being under-reported, likely for this reason.

Proportions of Coaches Carrying Different Nationalities (105 Responses)

14%

51% 9% Mostly British Chinese Japanese 17% Other Single Nationality Mixed Nationality (non-British)

Figure 3-35: Proportions of Coaches Carrying Different Nationality Groups

Country Count Mainland China 61 USA 54 Ireland 30 Australia 22 Canada 19 Spain 15 Philippines 8 India 5 Germany 3 Japan 3 Mexico 3 Taiwan 2 Hong Kong 2 Italy, Ukraine, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, France, Switzerland 1 each

Table 3-8: Country of origin of Passenger Survey Respondents

3.3.7 Bath Attractions Visited by Coach Passengers and Passenger Spending

In order to determine the activities of coach passengers while in Bath, they were asked a number of questions on the attractions they had visited and the amounts they had spent in the city.

The attractions visited by coach passengers were as illustrated in Figure 3-36. The top four locations visited were:

• Roman Baths; • Bath Abbey; • No 1 Royal Crescent; and • Parade Gardens.

Over 70% of coach passengers on the surveyed days visited the Roman Baths, which was by far the most popular destination. Although the two most visited destinations (the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey) are in close proximity in central Bath, there are significant numbers of visitors also visiting No.1 Royal Crescent (22% of Passengers), the Assembly Rooms (13% of passengers) and the Fashion Museum (4% of people) indicating a need for coach provision to that area further North in Bath also.

Note: Coach passengers often visited multiple attractions, so the percentages in Figure 3-36 do not add up to 100%

Attractions visited by Coach Passengers

80% 71% 70% 60% 50% 37% 40% 30% 22% 17% 20% 13% 10% 6% 5% 4% 0%

Figure 3-36: Bath Attractions visited by Coach Passengers

The coach passengers also reported that just under 65% of those visiting the Roman Baths had pre-booked tickets to that destination. There were limited instances of pre-booked tickets to other attractions in Bath.

Passengers were also asked how much they had spent during their stay in Bath, the distribution of spend is as shown in Figure 3-37. About half of the passengers spent less than £30 and approximately half of the passengers spent more than £30. The average amount spent by coach passengers in Bath (excluding four reported spends of £3,000) was £51 per person, which is on top of the amount spent on pre-booked tickets to the Roman Baths.

Amounts Spent by Coach Passengers in Bath (262 Respondents)

60 53 53

39 40 33

30 27

18 20 17

Number of passengers of Number 10 8 10 4

0 £1 - £5 £6 - £10 £11 - £15 £16 - £20 £21 - £25 £26 - £30 £31 - £50 £51 - £100 £100 - £1000 - £1000 £3000

Figure 3-37: Amounts Spent by Coach Passengers in Bath

The passenger spends were further analysed to determine the amount spent compared to duration of coach stay, which is illustrated in Figure 3-38.

Figure 3-38: Passenger Spend per Duration of Stay

For very short durations of stay, under an hour, coach passengers spent relatively little in Bath (under £20 each), and passenger spend is observed to increase significantly when length of stay increase from under 2 to between 2 and 3 hours. Interestingly, however, increasing the duration of stay from between 3 and 4hrs to 5, 6 or 7hrs wasn’t observed to increase the amount spent by coach passengers (and, in fact, the amounts spent by those in the city for only 2-3hrs were at least as high as the amounts spent by those in the city for 5-7hrs). Only when coach stays are extended overnight is a significant increase in the amount spent observed, which would be expected when considering those passengers will be eating multiple meals in the city and have the opportunity to visit multiple attractions etc.

3.3.8 Satisfaction of Coach Passengers and their Comments/Suggestions

The passenger survey was not just a means of collecting information on the coach passengers and their characteristics, it was also used to determine their satisfaction with current coach arrangements in Bath, which should be a consideration for any future changes to the coach provision in the city.

Passengers were asked about their satisfaction with different aspects of the coach pick-up/drop-off in Bath, including:

• Pick-up/drop-off location • The quality of environment at the pick-up/drop-off locations • Facilities at the pick-up/drop-off locations • Information provided at the pick-up/drop-off locations • Security at the pick-up/drop-off locations

The responses to these questions are shown in Figure 3-39 to Figure 3-43. Most passengers reported that they were either very or fairly satisfied with all aspects of the current pick-up/drop-off arrangements, with ‘very satisfied’ being by far the most common answer in all instances. Those reporting being ‘fairly dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ made up less than 5% of respondents, except when considering the quality of facilities, when a slightly higher proportion of 7% reported dissatisfaction, mainly due to a lack of toilet facilities.

Satisfaction - Drop-off/pick-up Location (325 Respondents)

250 213

200

150

100 63 Number of passengers of Number 50 30 11 3 5 0 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Satisfaction

Figure 3-39: Coach visitor satisfaction with Pick-Up/Drop-Off Location

Satisfaction - Quality of Environment (320 Respondents)

200 184 180 160 140 120 100 81 80

60 44 Number of passengers of Number 40 20 6 3 2 0 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Satisfaction

Figure 3-40: Coach Visitor Satisfaction with Quality of Environment at Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

Satisfaction - Quality of Facilities (317 Respondents)

180 156 160

140

120

100 91

60 44

Number of passengers of Number 40

20 12 10 4 0 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Satisfaction

Figure 3-41: Coach Visitor Satisfaction with the Quality of Facilities at the Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

Satisfaction - Information (311 Respondents)

200 180 172 160 140 120 100

80 68 60 51 Number of passengers of Number 40

20 8 10 2 0 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Passenger age (years)

Figure 3-42: Coach Visitor Satisfaction with Information Provided at Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

Satisfaction - Security (319 Respondents)

250

209 200

150

100 63 Number of passengers of Number 50 30 9 1 7 0 Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Passenger age (years)

Figure 3-43: Coach Visitor Satisfaction with Security at the Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

As well as asking specifically about their feelings on the coach pick-up/drop-off provision, the coach passengers were asked more generally about whether, following their coach trip to the city, they would recommend Bath to friends and family, and whether they intended to return. The results are shown in Figure 3-44 and Figure 3-45. The vast majority (94%) of coach passengers would recommend Bath as a destination, and the majority (60%) are likely to return. Being based a long way from Bath was cited by some as a reason that they were unlikely to return, despite feeling positively about the city and their time there.

How likely are you to recommend Bath to friends and family? (310 Respondents)

180 161 160

140 131

120 100

Number of passengers of Number 40 16 20 2 0 0 Highly likely Likely Unsure Unlikely Highly unlikely Likelihood

Figure 3-44: Coach Passengers Likelihood to Recommend Bath to Friends and Family

How likely are you to return to Bath? (315 Respondents)

120 103 100 92 86

40 27 Number of passengers of Number 20 7

0 Highly likely Likely Unsure Unlikely Highly unlikely Likelihood

Figure 3-45: Coach Passengers Likelihood to Return to Bath

Those who responded that they were likely to re-visit the city were also asked about the nature of any potential future visits on their part, particularly whether they would be likely to stay in the city overnight. As illustrated in Figure 3-46, the majority (61%) of those intending to return to Bath plan to stay overnight in the city, with many citing the need for more time in the city to explore further.

Nature of return visit (236 Respondents)

160 144 140

120

100 92

Number of passengers of Number 40

0 Day trip Overnight stay in Bath Nature of return visit

Figure 3-46: The Nature of Future Visits Coach Passengers Intend to make to Bath

3.3.9 Satisfaction of Coach Drivers and their Comments/Suggestions

As the group who are most affected by coach facilities in the city, the coach drivers were asked, as part of the coach driver survey, to indicate their satisfaction with current coach provision in Bath. They were specifically asked about:

• The location of pick-up/drop-off points • The current procedure for drop-off • The current procedure for pick-up • The availability of coach parking • The provision of facilities • Security at coach sites

The surveyed views of coach drivers on each of these issues are as illustrated in Figure 3-47 through Figure 3-52.

The majority of coach drivers (between 70% and 80%) were satisfied with the current pick-up/drop-off arrangements, both in terms of the locations of the pick-up/drop-off points and the pick-up/drop-off procedures.

There was a lot less satisfaction, however, with the current coach parking arrangements in Bath. Between 53% and 64% (depending on day) of coach drivers surveyed were very dissatisfied with the availability of coach parking in the city, and a further 14% to 17% were fairly dissatisfied. 60% were also dissatisfied with the provision of facilities at coach parking locations. There was no consensus on the security of coach parking.

Satisfaction with the Location of Drop off pick up

30 25 25

19 20 18

15 11 10

Number of drivers of Number 5 4 5 3 3 2 2 1 0 0 Very satified Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Driver satisfaction

Thursdays (48 Respondents) Saturdays (45 Respondents)

Figure 3-47: Satisfaction of Coach drivers with the Location of Pick-Up/Drop-Off Points

Satisfaction with Drop-Off Procedure

35 29 30

20 18 17

10 8 Number of drivers of Number 5 4 5 3 3 2 2 0 0 0 Very satified Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Driver satisfaction

Thursdays (48 Respondents) Saturdays (43 Respondents)

Figure 3-48: Satisfaction of Coach Drivers with the Current Drop-Off Procedure

Satisfaction with Pick-Up Procedure 30 27

20 17 17

Number of drivers of Number 6 5 5 5 3 3 2 2 0 0 0 Very satified Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Driver satisfaction

Thursdays (47 Respondents) Saturdays (40 Respondents)

Figure 3-49: Satisfaction of Coach Drivers with the Current Pick-Up Procedure

Satisfaction with Availability of Coach Parking

35 30 30

25 23

10 8 Number of drivers of Number 6 6 4 5 3 3 3 2 1 1 0 Very satified Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Driver satisfaction

Thursdays (47 Respondents) Saturdays (43 Respondents)

Figure 3-50: Satisfaction of Coach Drivers with the availability of Coach Parking

Satisfaction with the Provision of Facilities

25 22 21 20

10 9 6

Number of drivers of Number 5 5 4 4 4 5 3 3 2

0 Very satified Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Driver satisfaction

Thursdays (45 Respondents) Saturdays (43 Respondents)

Figure 3-51: Satisfaction of Coach Drivers with the provision of Facilities at the Coach Parking Site

Satisfaction with the Security of the Site

14 13

12 11

10 9 8 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 5 4 4 3 Number of drivers of Number

0 Very satified Fairly satisfied Neutral Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied No opinion Driver satisfaction

Thursdays (46 Respondents) Saturdays (42 Respondents)

Figure 3-52: Satisfaction of Coach Drivers with the Security of the Coach Parking Site

As well as indicating their satisfaction with the different elements of coach provision in Bath, the coach drivers were given the opportunity to provide comments on their survey forms to explain their feelings and indicate particular concerns or highlight areas in which the current arrangement performs well. A selection of these comments is set out below:

• “Bath needs tourists but hate/ despise/ detest coaches and make no effort to accommodate them. Drivers are humans with needs. 20 minutes to get to parking, 20 minutes back, refuel 300 litres fuel. 1 rest with no facilities, no banks, post office, shops, chemist. Maybe stop all coaches coming to Bath and see what happens “ • “Bath and NE Somerset council, in my opinion are unwilling to facilitate coaches i.e. supply a proper coach parking area, it has been like this for some considerable time. The Riverside Coach Park was an ideal place to park, but since the bays have been cut by 75% and limited to 30 minutes this puts extra pressure on drivers who are near their maximum driving hours. Please reconsider very carefully, maintaining a dedicated coach park in Bath and near the attractions, after accommodation. I would imagine that the council and local businesses could do with the increasing number of tourists visiting Bath each year generating vital revenue.” • “Contact Redwing coaches. I have been traffic ticketed when I only try to do my job because there is not enough space to park. Thank you. • “Public toilets at Bog Island would be good.” • “Bath needs a coach park badly. Could turn a park and ride to coach park & ride so total ban on coaches in town. All coaches go to same place. Charge coaches to park so passengers don't pay. Could even put food hut in for drivers to get extra money in. I feel Bath is not very coach friendly at the moment. “ • “The old Riverside Coach Park was a shambles. Lorries/ cars parked all the time and I could not park. Now needs to hold 50+ bays - if you want tourists then supply parking.” • “Christmas market - extortionate coach charge. Clares have lost lots of business due to difficulty of serving Bath by coach. Driver used to visit Bath twice a week with Globus - trips now cancelled. Suggested employ a coach driver to prepare strategy. Changes make driver's breaks difficult. Clares have been turned away at Western Island. Cafe -expensive - poor quality - don't know what you're eating.”

The main concerns of drivers relate to the current provision of coach parking, both in terms of quantity and location. The time taken to get to Weston Island and the impact that has on driver break times was cited, as was an instance of coaches being turned away from that location. The drivers don’t seem satisfied that the previous provision at the Riverside Coach Park has been adequately replicated.

3.3.10 Coach Operator Information, their Satisfaction and their Comments/Suggestions

Survey forms were sent to coach operators to determine details of their operations in Bath and to allow them to express comments on the current and potential future arrangements for coaches in the city. The coach operator responses that were received are as summarised below:

Information on the Services run by Tour Operators to Bath

The main operators of coach day excursion to Bath that responded to the survey, Golden Tours and Premium Coaches, indicated that they run a very high number of coaches, over 2000 each, to the city each year. These operators both run routes that include Stonehenge and Windsor as well as Bath. These operators estimate that they stay in Bath for approximately 2 hours, with Golden Tours specifying that they stay in Bath for 1.5hrs on tours involving 3 destinations, and 3 hours on tours involving 2 destinations.

Of the other operators that responded to the survey, the only one carrying high numbers of coaches to the city each year was Tourwise of London Ltd, who estimate that they visit Bath with 500 coaches a year on overnight coach tours. Of those 500 tours, 125 stay in Bath overnight.

Requirements for Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Coach Parking

All the coach operators surveyed indicated a requirement for pick-up/drop-off at North Parade/Terrace Walk. Golden Tours indicated that around 16:00 they will typically have four or five coaches dropping off at around the same time there, with pick-ups for those same four or five coaches occurring at around 17:30 (with two other coaches of theirs pick-up/drop-off in Bath at other times). Premium tours, the other main operator that responded, stressed the importance of pick-up/drop-off in that location and indicated that the Roman Baths was the most important destination for their clients.

Only one of the respondents indicated a need for pick-up/drop-off close to the Assembly Rooms/Fashion Museum/Royal Crescent.

Three of the operators, including Golden Tours, indicated a requirement to be able to park at the Riverside Coach Park. Premium tours stated that it was important that the coach parking is adequate to allow drivers sufficient rest, and should be located close to the city centre.

Concerns related to Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Coach Parking

Operators expressed concerns about the level of activity at the pick-up/drop-off point at Terrace Walk/North Parade, indicating that the facility is over-crowded during the summer and lacks space for modern coaches. Another concern was raised around this drop-off not being well policed, potentially leading to coaches staying too long and blocking use of the facility. The operators suggest that issues in this area are amplified by it also catering to a combination of sightseeing buses and delivery vehicles, restricting the room for coaches.

Premium tours were very critical of coach parking at Weston Island, indicating that it lacks basic facilities and requires a serious overhaul. Operators also indicated that the facility is located too far out of the city centre to give drivers adequate breaks, and the combination of these factors leads to coach parking occurring on-street around the city. Golden Tours indicated that if their coaches can’t park at the Riverside Coach Park they can’t achieve their full breaks.

Suggestions for Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Coach Parking

A number of suggestions were made for the Terrace Walk/North Parade pick-up/drop-off point, including increasing the space provided for coaches there and limiting local traffic, removing the sightseeing bus stops and removing the delivery spaces in that location. One operator suggested a limit of 5 minutes maximum for drop-off and 10 minutes maximum for pick-up, with this being strictly policed and monitored.

For coach parking, it was suggested that this should include clean toilets and a shop to buy coffee and a drivers’ lounge with some chairs. Operators also suggested central coach parking, which is reasonably priced (or preferably free).

Does a High Quality Coach Park within 500m of Attractions Remove the Need for a Separate Pick-Up/Drop-Off

The operators were asked if the provision of a high quality coach park within 500m of the Roman Baths would reduce the need for separate drop-off and pick-up facilities in the city? Five out of seven operators suggest this would be a good solution that will allow clients to have more time in Bath, however it was suggested that the success of this may depend on the mobility of the passengers.

Other Operator Comments

Other operator comments regarding the facilities for coaches in Bath included asking operators for more regular feedback and also checking TripAdvisor for direct feedback from clients about the destinations visited on tours. Stonehenge has been cited as a good example as the coach park there was put together by other tour operators resulting in a high quality coach park. It was also suggested that Bath needs a clear and efficient coach policy that is efficiently managed and controlled.

3.4 Summary and Conclusions

3.4.1 Introduction

A number of surveys were undertaken on Thursday 25 th and Saturday 27 th of August 2016 in order to understand coach operation in the city at present as well as the satisfaction, needs and wants of coach passengers and coach drivers. The following surveys were undertaken on those dates:

• A cordon video survey at a ring of 6 sites encircling Bath city centre • A log of coaches using the 4 main pick-up/drop-off locations in the city • A coach driver survey • A coach passenger survey

Subsequently, a survey form was sent to coach operators for them to fill out and return, indicating the details of their operations in Bath and their feeling regarding coach pick-up/drop-off and coach parking in Bath.

The main information and considerations coming out of the surveys, on a number of different issues, is summarised below.

3.4.2 Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations Summary

Coaches most commonly use the Terrace Walk/North Parade area for pick-up/drop-off, with approximately 50% of coaches observed to use the spaces at Terrace Walk and a further 5% observed to use the spaces on North Parade. The Riverside Coach park accommodated approximately 25%-30% of pick-up/drop-off and Royal Avenue accommodated between 15% and 20%. The vast majority of coaches (over 85%) pick-up/drop-off in the same location.

The official site for coach parking in the city, Weston Island, is unpopular and was used by less than 25% of coaches on the surveyed days. The majority of coaches are choosing to park on street (40% of coaches across the two days) or at the Riverside Coach Park (just over 25% of coaches), despite the 30 minute waiting restriction at that location. For overnight parking the majority of coaches use the Riverside Coach Park

3.4.3 Coach Arrival and Departure Routes Summary

The majority of coaches initially approach Bath from the east (from the A4/A36) and enter the city over North Parade Bridge (approximately 40% of coaches) or along London Road (32% of coaches on the surveyed Thursday, 21% on the surveyed Saturday), with over 60% using one of these two entry points (70% on the Thursday). The situation is similar for the departure of coaches from the city, with over 60% of coaches departing central Bath through one of these points on the Thursday and over 70% on the Saturday. On departure, however there is an increased likelihood of coaches using North Parade bridge as opposed to London Road, and a significant percentage, approximately 20%, also exit the city centre over Churchill Bridge.

Coaches typically entered the cordon area (central Bath) twice, entering the first time to drop-passengers off, then re- entering later to pick-up passengers. The movements made by coaches between their first entry to the cordon area and their last exit from it indicate the routes they were taking to get to and from coach parking. Having dropped passengers off in the city centre the majority of coaches departed the city centre over either Churchill Bridge or North Parade Bridge, which accommodated approximately 75% of coaches between them. On re-entering the city to pick passengers up, the majority of coaches used either Midland Bridge, Churchill Bridge or North Parade Bridge. The (relatively) high level of use of Midland Bridge, which is to the west of the city centre, for travelling to coach pick-up points potentially indicates that many coaches are parking in western Bath.

3.4.4 Coach Arrival and Departure Profiles and Coach Accumulation in Bath Summary

Coaches tend to arrive in the first half of the day, with the majority observed to arrive before 14:00, and tend to depart in the latter half of the day, after 14:00. This was observed to be the case on both the Thursday and Saturday surveyed. The daily patterns of flows were, however, observed to vary slightly between the two days. On the Thursday, there was an early peak of arrivals, between 9:00 and 10:00, with a second peak at around 13:00, and the departures hit a peak level at around 15:30 and stayed constantly busy then for an approximately 2hr period. On the Saturday, the arrivals peaked early in the day then declined gradually as the day progressed, with no lunch time peak of arrivals occurring. The departures did the opposite, increasing gradually over the course of the day, and did not include as sustained an evening peak of departures as occurred on the Thursday.

The accumulation of coaches in Bath was determined for both the surveyed Thursday and Saturday, peaking at 29 coaches on the Thursday and 27 coaches on the Saturday.

3.4.5 Coach Durations in Bath Summary

The most common duration of stay for coaches in Bath was between 2 and 3 hours, representing just over 30% of coaches. 70% of all coaches stay for between 1 and 4 hours in the city.

Coaches staying overnight in Bath represented between 10% and 20% of the coaches surveyed on the observed Thursday and Saturday.

3.4.6 Details of the Coaches Visiting Bath and the Trips they are Making Summary

The majority (in the region of 90%) of coaches visiting Bath on the surveyed days were full size coaches, with a similarly high percentage (over 85%) being UK style (as opposed to continental), with passenger doors located on the left hand side.

On the surveyed days, all of the observed trips were categorised by the coach drivers as either ‘day excursions’ (60% of the total) or ‘coach holidays’. 35% of the operators who were visiting Bath that day visit the city on a daily basis, with over 60% visiting Bath at least once a week.

London was the dominant start and end point for coaches visiting Bath, with approximately 50% of coaches starting and ending their journeys there. A very high proportion of the coaches visiting Bath do so as part of a linked tour that also includes Stonehenge. A smaller, but still significant proportion of coaches include a stop at Windsor as well as Bath. Roughly equal numbers of coaches stop at these locations before and after visiting Bath.

3.4.7 Details of the Coach Passengers Visiting Bath Summary

The average coach visiting Bath carried 36 passengers, over half of whom were travelling alone, or as part of a couple, with a further 16% travelling in a group of 3 or 4. Approximately two thirds of passengers surveyed were female.

The most common age range of passengers surveyed was between 60 and 69 years of age, but there was a significant variation in ages, with 19% of passengers being under 30, 37% being between 30 and 60 and 44% being over 60. Despite the high numbers of more elderly passengers, drivers reported that the majority of coaches (65%-80%, depending on the day) had no passengers with mobility issues.

There was a high instance of coaches (over 85% of the total) carrying groups made up mostly or wholly of passengers from overseas. Coaches carrying a single nationality of overseas passengers most commonly had Chinese or Japanese groups, representing 18% of the surveyed coach groups between them.

The mixed nationality coaches carried high numbers of passengers from the USA, Ireland, Australia, Canada and Spain. It is noted however that as (mostly) English speaking nationalities, these people may have been more likely to fill out the passenger survey forms, meaning they could be slightly over-reported.

3.4.8 Attractions Visited by Coach Visitors and the Passenger Spending Summary

The Roman Baths were by far the most visited destination by the surveyed coach passengers. 71% of passengers reported visiting the Roman Baths, of whom just under 65% had pre-booked tickets. Other common destinations were Bath Abbey, visited by 37% of passengers, No.1 Royal Crescent, visited by 22% of passengers and the Parade Gardens, visited by 17% of passengers.

Coach passengers spent significant amounts in the city, with an average spend per passenger of £51. About half of the passengers spent less than £30 and approximately half of the passengers spent more than £30. For passengers staying in the city for longer than two to three hours, an increased duration of stay didn’t significantly increase the amount spent by passengers – with the exception of those staying overnight, who did spend more.

3.4.9 Satisfaction of Coach Passengers and their Comments/Suggestions Summary

When surveyed about their satisfaction with coach arrangements in Bath, specifically the pick-up/drop-off arrangements, coach passengers expressed very high levels of satisfaction. With regard to the location of pick- up/drop-off, the quality of the environment at pick-up/drop-offs, information provided at pick-up/drop-offs, pick- up/drop-off facilities and security at pick-up/drop-offs, over 78% of respondents indicated that they were either ‘fairly satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’, with ‘very satisfied’ being easily the most common response. Less than 5% of respondents reported themselves either ‘fairly dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’, except in the case of pick-up/drop-off facilities, where a slightly higher 7% were dissatisfied, with lack of toilets being the main concern in this regard.

Passenger satisfaction was also reflected in their willingness to recommend Bath as a destination to others. and in the numbers of people who intended to return to the city. 94% of coach passengers would recommend Bath as a destination, and 60% are likely to return to the city. Being based a long way from Bath was cited by some as a reason that they were unlikely to return, despite feeling positively about the city and their time there. 61% of those intending to return are planning to stay overnight.

3.4.10 Satisfaction of Coach Drivers and their Comments/Suggestions Summary

The majority of coach drivers (between 70% and 80%) were satisfied with the pick-up/drop-off arrangements in Bath, both in terms of the locations of the pick-up/drop-off points and the pick-up/drop-off procedures.

3.4.11 Coach Operators Information, their Satisfaction and their Comments/Suggestions Summary

The responses of Golden Tours and Premium coaches, highlight the very high numbers of coach operated by the major day excursion operators to Bath each year. Both of these operators run over 2,000 coaches to Bath on routes that also include Stonehenge and Windsor (and with durations of stay in Bath of 1.5-2hrs).

The coach operator responses indicated a strong preference for a pick-up/drop-off point in the vicinity of Terrace Walk/North Parade, with all operators stating this was important to them (due to the Roman Baths being perceived to be the most important destination for the passengers of these responding operators). Operators did, however, express concerns about the level of activity at this point during busy times, indicating that the facility is over-crowded during the summer and lacks space for modern coaches. Another concern was raised around this drop-off not being well policed, potentially leading to coaches staying too long and blocking use of the facility. The operators suggest that issues in this area are amplified by it also catering to a combination of sightseeing buses and delivery vehicles, restricting the room for coaches. It was suggested that conditions could be improved by increasing the space provided for coaches there and limiting local traffic, potentially removing the sightseeing bus stops and the delivery spaces in that location.

The operators indicated a preference for central coach parking in the city and commented on the good location of the Riverside Coach Park. Golden Tours indicated that if their coaches can’t park at the Riverside Coach Park they can’t achieve their full breaks. Weston Island was criticised by Operators for being too far out and Premium Coaches were critical of that location, indicating that it lacks basic facilities and requires a serious overhaul. Operators suggested that coach parking should include clean toilets and a shop to buy coffee and a drivers’ lounge with some chairs.

When asked if the provision of a high quality coach park within 500m of the Roman Baths would reduce the need for separate pick-up/drop-off facilities in the city, five out of seven operators suggest this would be a good solution that will allow clients to have more time in Bath. It was suggested, however, that the success of that may depend on the mobility of the passengers.

3.4.12 Key Issues and Conclusion

The level of satisfaction of coach passengers and drivers with the current provision for pick-up/drop-off in the city is high, which needs to be considered when choosing future provision. The busiest point of pick-up/drop-off (driven by its proximity to the Roman Baths and other key attractions) is Terrace Walk, which accommodates 50% of coaches. Because of the high levels of activity there, coach operators have some concerns about its operation during peak periods. Some measures have been suggested by them to improve conditions at that point, which should be considered.

Drivers’ satisfaction with coach parking provision was, however, much less positive, with approximately 60% being satisfied with the availability of coach parking or the facilities provided at the Weston Island coach parking area. The lack of popularity of Weston Island as a coach parking location is reflected in the low numbers of coaches that use it, under 25% of the total, despite it being the official coach parking site in Bath. 40% of coaches are currently choosing to park on-street, something that needs to be addressed. One of the main concerns of drivers with the Weston Island location is associated with their driver’s hours’ regulations. These require a 45minute break for drivers after 4.5 hours continuous driving (which can be two separate periods of 15 minutes and 30 minutes). Many drivers complained that parking a coach away from Bath city centre makes it difficult for them to achieve their statutory rest periods.

The majority of coaches arrive to Bath from the East (A4 and A36) and depart to that same direction after their visits, entering the city mainly over North Parade Bridge or along London Road and departing predominantly over North Parade bridge. This needs to be reflected in the choice of future coach locations in the city. The most common duration of stay for coaches is between 2 and 3 hours, with over 70% staying between 1 and 4 hours. Many coaches visit Bath as part of a tour that also visits other destinations – approximately half of the observed coaches were also visiting Stonehenge on the same day. Visiting multiple destinations limits the length of time that coaches can spend in Bath. A recently extended dwell time in Stonehenge, for instance, is understood to be putting pressure on the dwell time of coaches in Bath. This time pressure needs to be considered in future arrangements and future arrangements should not make it more difficult for coaches to stay on schedule.

Although there was a range of ages amongst coach passengers, a high proportion of coach visitors are older, with 60- 69 being the most common age group. Correspondingly, up to 35% of coaches on the surveyed days were carrying mobility impaired passengers. These passengers are not able to walk a great distance to attractions, meaning there is a requirement for at least some very central pick-up/drop-off spaces.

4.1 Introduction

To ensure that the future coach strategy for Bath will reflect existing and future best practice, UK guidelines for the accommodation of coaches have been reviewed, as well as the current arrangements in place in a number of other towns and cities. This chapter details those reviews.

The assessed good practice guidelines are those set out by the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (the main voice of the coach industry in the UK) and by VisitEngland and the Coach Tourism Council.

The Confederation of Passenger Transport award a ‘Coach Friendly’ status to those towns and cities that meet their guidelines and are considered to accommodate coaches in an effective manner. Those towns and cities have been the primary focus of the assessment of best practice coach provision.

4.2 UK Coach Guidelines

This section summarises some of the national expectations with respect coach management for visitors.

4.2.1 Coach Passenger Transport Guidelines and ‘Coach Friendly’ Status

The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) is the national trade association representing bus and coach operators. It is the body that runs the ‘Coach Friendly’ status scheme which recognises and rewards destinations that demonstrate a clear commitment to welcoming coaches, coach parties and drivers. The aspects that are deemed important by the CPT in accommodating coaches and which are required in order to achieve the ‘coach friendly status’ are as follows:

• Dedicated and easy-to-find group/coach page/information on website;

• There must be clear evidence that the attraction welcomes coaches and consults with local bodies and the industry on issues relating to coaches i.e. planning, traffic etc.;

• Clear directional instructions and signs for visiting coaches;

• Dedicated, adequate, ideally free coach parking (policed to avoid misuse by other vehicles);

• An on-board Coach Welcome;

• They must provide, through literature and/or via the internet, a comprehensive tourism proposition;

• Adequate facilities for group comfort (toilets, refreshments, waiting areas etc.);

• Coach and drivers facilities;

• Facilities to handle disabled coach passengers;

• A named representative(s) who can be contacted or on hand to deal with difficulties and an agreed system to resolve conflicts and complaints;

• Consideration of an on board thank-you and a wave away.

4.2.2 VisitEngland ‘Welcoming Coaches and Groups’ Guidance

The ‘Welcoming Coaches and Groups’ advice document has been produced by VisitEngland in association with the Coach Tourism Council. In addition to describing trends and drivers within the UK coach industry it sets out the elements that are deemed important in welcoming and accommodating coaches at a location.

The fundamental requirements for coaches, as per this guidance, are good quality transport infrastructure and signage. In terms of transport infrastructure, the import features are:

• A road network that is suitable for coaches;

• Provision to pick-up/drop-off passengers safely;

• Dedicated parking spaces for coaches in the town centre, if possible or, if not:

• A central location for pick-up/drop-off ideally close to public toilets and refreshment outlets.

For signage, the main considerations are:

• The provision of clear signage from main roads guiding coaches along preferred route to destination;

• Signage to guide people to the main attractions within the destination.

On top of these fundamental requirements, this document also suggests the provision of information packs detailing coach facilities and other relevant issues, with coach information also to be available on an easy to navigate website. It also suggests that destination organisations and tourist information centres have a delegated member of staff to deal with coach groups and that attractions and hotels should actively plan how they can accommodate coach groups.

4.2.3 Summary of Main Desirable Elements Highlighted in Guidance

The guidance, as would be expected, highlights the need for adequate physical provision for coaches, i.e. pick-up/drop- off provision and/or coach parking. As per the VisitEngland guidance (and reasonably) this should be safe and central/convenient.

The need for signage for coaches and their passengers is highlighted in both guidance documents, as is the requirement for easy to access information for coach users (online and potentially also in other forms). A representative with responsibility for dealing with coaches in the area is also mentioned in both guidance documents, as well as the need for engagement with coach representative bodies.

At coach parks (or nearby) it is desired that facilities be provided for passengers and drivers, such as toilets and refreshments. The CPT guidance says that coach parking would desirably be free.

4.3 Review of Coach Operation in Case Study Towns and Cities

Nine towns and cities were selected for review as agreed with B&NES Council. These were chosen to include those that have high quality coach provision (as indicated by their designation as ‘Coach Friendly’ locations), historic cities and towns similar to Bath (Windsor, York, Chester etc.) and those that are similar/relevant for other reasons (Plymouth being of interest for its recent replacement of a city centre coach park, for instance). The locations that have been considered are as follows:

1. Chester 2. Windsor 3. Salisbury 4. York 5. Conwy 6. Bournemouth 7. Liverpool 8. Plymouth 9. Salzburg

Of these locations, six (all excluding Plymouth, York and Salzburg) have been awarded ‘Coach Friendly Status’ by the CPT.

4.3.1 Chester

Chester is a city (population 79,465) in the north west of England of comparable size to Bath with a similar historic appeal to tourists. It sees high levels of coach activity and has high quality provision for coaches, which has led to it being awarded Coach Friendly status by the CPT.

As illustrated in Figure 4-1 below, there are nine coach pick-up/drop-off points in Chester town centre. There is a waiting time restriction of 10 minutes at each stop which is clearly signed. General operation is for coaches to drop passengers off at the these stops and then proceed to the Little Roodee coach park (where they can stay overnight if required). Passengers are later picked up by the coaches from one of the same points as used for drop-off.

Figure 4-1: Map of Chester with information for coach operators

All of the pick-up/drop-off points are located centrally within Chester, just outside the pedestrianised area. The distances from each pick-up/drop-off to the centrally located Chester Cathedral are as set out below:

• CA: 0.43km • CB: 0.4km • CC: 0.5km • CD: 0.35km • CE: 0.2km • CF: 0.5km • CG: 0.4km • CH: 0.4km

One of the stops is near the Visitor Information Centre, where tourists can pick up maps, guides and souvenirs, and many are near public toilets as well or stores which participate in the Community Toilet Scheme. Overall, the coach stop points are well situated near the main attractions and just outside the pedestrianised centre.

The Little Roodee Coach Park, which is co-located with a car park, is situated at the southern edge of the town centre (about 1.2km from Chester Cathedral). Public toilets are included on site, as, until recently, was a café (a replacement operator for the café is currently being sought). Coaches can stay at the car park overnight, with variable charges for different durations of stay (as set out in Table 4-1). A pay and display system has been used previously but ANPR barriers have recently been installed, increasing ease of enforcement of parking charges and potentially allowing a more flexible charging regime.

Figure 4-2: Little Roodee Coach Park, Chester

Information for coach tours and operators can be easily found on the Visit Chester website, with maps being provided to show the location of public toilets, coach drop-off points, coach parking, places of interest and pedestrianised roads. The local authorities appear to value tour groups, with a dedicated page on their website offering services to help with booking accommodation and restaurants as well as providing information and tourist guides (including a group specific guide). They also organise familiarisation visits for group organisers to visit the area and send out quarterly newsletters to keep clients up to date. Groups can also be greeted upon arrival in the town centre by staff dressed as a Roman Soldier, Town Crier or Civil War Cavalier.

The Chester Races May Fair is held at the Little Roodee Coach Park annually. During the fair, coaches are advised to use the Wrexham Road Park and Ride facility for free, situated 3.7km miles south of the Little Roodee coach park.

A summary of the Chester coach parking provision is set out in Table 4-1 below.

Feature Provision • 9 pick-up/drop-off points Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • City centre coach park (Little Roodee) • Pick-up/drop-off points 0.2-0.5km of central Chester Cathedral. Locations • Coach park approx 1.2km from central Chester Cathedral Capacity • 30 bays at the Little Roodee coach park • 10 minute waiting time restriction at the pick-up/drop- Time restrictions off points • Coaches can stay in the coach park overnight Vehicle Signage • The coach park is indicated on sign posts. • Signage and maps (for £1) are provided at the coach Pedestrian Signage park • Up to 3 hours - £5.50 • Up to 6 hours - £8 Pricing (at the coach park) • Over 6 hours - £10 • Arrivals after 5pm - £5 • Toilets and café at coach park (café currently closed) Facilities on site • Many stops are located near public toilets or stores participating in the community toilet scheme • Market and Information networks for coaches Information provided by Marketing Cheshire • Coach park is closed for a few weeks in May to Special Events/Closures accommodate a fun fair. During this event coaches are accommodated at the Wrexham Road Park and Ride. Table 4-1: Chester Coach Provision Summary

4.3.2 Windsor

Windsor is a town on the River Thames in the southeast of England, and just west of London. Its proximity to London and historical attractions have made it a popular tourist destination. It has been included on many coach tours operating from London (including many that also visit Bath) and has to accommodate a significant volume of coach traffic. To do so, it has developed an effective coach strategy, earning the town ‘coach friendly’ status from the CPT.

Coach pick-up/drop-off and longer term coach parking all take place at Alma Road coach park in the town centre, which is located as indicated in Figure 4-3 in the context of main attractions, the main shopping area and other facilities.

Figure 4-3: Map of Windsor Illustrating Coach Park Location

The coach park has been clearly signed to drivers from all approach routes, and includes spaces to accommodate up to 74 coaches, as illustrated in Figure 4-4.

Figure 4-4: Alma Road Coach Park in Windsor

Parking at the coach park operates on a pay and display system (prices set out in Table 4-2). Parking tickets can be pre- purchased parking tickets (in the form of scratch cards), but it is not possible to pre-book a parking space. Facilities at the coach park are good, including toilets, restaurants, and gift and souvenir shops. Upon leaving the coach park, it is a 5-10 minute walk to Windsor Castle entrance (approximately 0.3km away). The coach park and city attractions are marked on pedestrian signage in the area.

The award winning Windsor Royal Information Centre, which provides coach information, is located in Windsor Royal Shopping centre, around 0.2km from the coach park in the direction of Windsor Castle. Information regarding travel for coach groups can be found on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maiden website. Free town centre maps are also provided to coach groups who book in advance (upon request).

A summary of coach provision in Windsor is provided in Table 4-2.

Feature Provision Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • Alma Bay Coach Park (and Pick-Up/Drop-Off point) • Alma Bay Coach Park is approximately 0.3km from Locations Windsor Castle

Capacity • 74 bays • No entry after 6:30PM Time restrictions • Exit allowed at any time • Road signage provided to guide drivers to the coach Vehicle Signage park • Coach park is located on pedestrian signs on main Pedestrian Signage routes in the area • Up to 1 hour - £10 • Up to 4 hours - £20 (£17.50 Advance) Pricing (at coach parks) • All day - £30 (£25 Advance) • Charges apply 9:00-18:00 • Toilets, restaurants, gift and souvenir shops provided Facilities on site at the coach park • Good information available on windsor.gov.uk website Information • Free town centre maps available to coach parties on request

Table 4-2: Windsor Coach Provision Summary

4.3.3 York

York is a historic city, population 154,000 approx, that attracts many visitors by coach. It has a well thought out coach strategy, with helpful information for coach users and drivers provided on the Visit York website and the City of York Council website.

Three passenger pick-up/drop-off points are provided just outside the city walls, as illustrated in Figure 4-5. These are located at Foss Bank, Fawcett Street and Leeman Road, close to York Minster, York Castle and York National Railway Museum respectively, being 0.25-0.5km from these attractions.

Figure 4-5: Map of York with information for coach operators

To get to the pick-up/drop-off points, coaches have been restricted to a number of permitted routes running towards and around the city centre (highlighted in yellow in Figure 4-5). Coaches (and minibuses with more than 16 passenger seats) are not generally permitted within the city walls of York and are restricted to using the Skeldergate Bridge only for crossing the River Ouse. Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 78

Under extenuating circumstances, arrangements can be made for a coach to pick-up/drop-off within the city walls (for example, a large proportion of the travelling party may be registered as disabled and attending a service at York Minster). Such a drop-off must be organised at least 7 days in advance and there is currently an administration fee of £10 attached. Coaches must proceed to one of the coach parks once passengers have been dropped off and return only at an agreed pick-up time.

After dropping passengers off and while waiting to pick passengers up coaches generally proceed to one of two main coach parks in the city – Union Terrace Coach Park, to the north of the city centre, and St George’s Field Coach Park to the south of the city centre. Coaches are again restricted to specific routes when travelling to these car parks but the routes are well marked, by the signage indicated in Figure 4-6.

Figure 4-6: York Road Signage for Coach Drivers

The coach parks (both of which are co-located with car parks) operate 7 days a week and have time variable (and season dependant) pay and display parking charges, as set out in Table 4-3. Coach parking can be booked in advance and this is recommended, especially during festival season such as the Christmas Festival and JORVIK Viking Festival.

Coach parks operate from 8:00am and new coaches are not permitted to arrive in the evening by 8:30pm at the Union Terrace coach park and by 6:30pm at the St. George’s Field Coach Park. Coaches are able to stay overnight in the St. George’s Field Coach park, but not in the Union Terrace Coach Park, which all coaches must vacate by 11pm. Between the two coach parks 62 coach spaces are provided, 35 at the union Terrace site and 27 at the St George’s Field site. Public toilets are provided at each, as is CCTV (and both locations have Park Mark Awards).

In addition to the two main coach parks, additional parking may be available to coaches booking in advance at the National Railway Museum Coach Park or the Transdev York Depot.

The local council appears to value coach groups and provides good information on the Visit York website, which has a dedicated Groups page. Information for coach operators is also provided on the City of York council website, including details of coach parking times and charges and maps such as Figure 4-5, showing restricted and permitted routes, height restrictions, parking and drop off areas and public toilets.

Information on coach parking during special events is also provided, when special regimes are put in place. During the Christmas market, in particular, a very different system is implemented and all coach parking must be booked in advance, for a flat rate of £60 a day. Pick-up/drop-off either takes place in Union Terrace coach park, for those coaches parked there, or at the Eye of York close to York Castle museum. All other pick-off/drop-off points are closed during that period. A coach parking area is provided at Morr Lane Car Park during the Christmas Market on the edge of the city. At the drop off point and at coach parks all passengers will be met by a steward, who will give out maps and guides to York.

A summary of the York Coach Strategy is set out in Table 4-3.

Feature Provision • 3 pick-up/drop-off points Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • 2 city centre coach parks – Union terrace and St George’s Field • Pick-up/drop-off points located 0.2-0.5km of closest Locations main visitor attractions • Coach parks within 1km of city centre • 35 bays at the Union Terrace Coach Park Capacity • 27 bays at St George’s Field Coach Park • 10 minute waiting time restriction at the pick-up/drop- off points Time restrictions • Coaches can stay in the St George’s Field coach park but not Union Terrace coach park overnight • Clear signage indicating coach parks in place Vehicle Signage • Maps indicating permitted and restricted routes provided online by City of York Council Pedestrian Signage • Limited • 1 April to 31 October: o up to 1 hour £5.80 o up to 3 hours £8.90 Pricing (at the coach park) o over 3 hours £12.60 • 1 November to 31 March: o up to 1 hour £5.80 o all day £8.90 Facilities on site • Public Toilets provided at coach parks • Good information easily available on City of York Information Council and Visit York websites • Different coach management regime in place during Special Events/Closures York Christmas Market, requiring pre-booking of coach parking Table 4-3: York Coach Provision Summary

4.3.4 Salisbury

Salisbury is a historic town that attracts many coach visitors (helped by its proximity to Stonehenge). Due to its high quality coach provision it has been awarded CPT’s Coach Friendly Status.

As with the majority of locations examined, it includes both a pick-up/drop-off point and an off-street coach park, as illustrated in Figure 4-7.

Figure 4-7: Map of Salisbury Indicating Coach Park and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Points

The coach pick-up/drop-off point is on St John’s Street, 0.35km walk away from Salisbury Cathedral, and a similar distance from the town’s Tourist Information Centre, which includes toilet facilities. Up to 3 coaches can be accommodated at the pick-up/drop-off, where there is a maximum waiting time of 10 minutes.

Millstream Coach Park is located in the centre of the town, beside a large surface car park. The coach park has 23 bays and is open 24 hours a day, with charges operating 8:00AM to 6:00PM Mon-Sat and 10:00AM to 4:00PM on Sunday. Coach parking is either pay and display or via the cashless MiPermit pay system used by Wiltshire Council. A coach driver’s rest room and public toilets are provided on-site. The coach park is clearly signed from the main approach roads into the town. In 2013, it was reported that approximately 6000 coaches used the Millstream Coach Park that year. An overflow coach parking facility is available at the Britford Park and Ride just south of the city. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The site has toilet facilities, CCTV and a Park Mark Safer Parking Award. Overnight parking is also permitted.

Information for coach groups is available on the Visit Wiltshire website, though it is limited relative to the coach information provided elsewhere.

It should be noted that there have been proposals for the Millstream Coach Park to make way for a new’ Maltings’ development, but so far this has not materialised. As part of this plan, the Brown Street Car Park would be turned into a short stay coach park with 8 to 12 bays and coaches would follow a set route to reach the coach park to ease congestion in the city’s narrow streets. ‘The Maltings’ developer has also said it will provide a second coach drop-off point in the city. A summary of the Salisbury coach provision is set out in Table 4-4.

Feature Provision • 1 pick-up/drop-off point Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • 1 City centre coach park – Millstream Coach Park • Pick-up/drop-off point on St John’s St, 0.35km from Cathedral and Tourist Information Centre Locations • City centre coach park, within 1km of cathedral and pick-up/drop-off point • 3 pick-up/drop-off spaces on St. John’s Street Capacity • 23 bays at Millstream Coach Park • 10 minute waiting time restriction at the pick-up/drop- Time restrictions off point • Clear signage indicating coach parks in place from Vehicle Signage main routes into town Pedestrian Signage • Limited (but not that necessary) • Mon - Sat • up to 1 hour - £1.50 • up to 2 hours - £2.50 Pricing (at the coach park) • up to 4 hours - £4.40 • All day - £8.80 • Sun • Any duration - £2.20 Facilities on site • Public Toilets and driver rest room at coach park • (Limited) information available on Visit Wiltshire Information website Table 4-4: Salisbury Coach Provision Summary

4.3.5 Conwy

Conwy has become one of the latest towns to have been awarded Coach Friendly Status, gaining the title in June 2016. The small town has both a central coach pick-up/drop-off point and a coach park.

Two coach drop-off bays are provided on Rose Hill St, conveniently situated just opposite the tourist information centre. These bays have a waiting restriction of 15 minutes and clear signage to show this. At the tourist information centre, visitors can get maps, souvenirs and see a free exhibition. Public toilets are also located here. It is also a short walk for visitors from the coach drop-off point to Conwy Castle – approximately 0.1km.

Coach parking in Conwy is located just outside the town centre, near Conwy Castle, at the Morfa Bach car park. This facility accommodates 5 coach bays, as shown in Figure 4-8, and is open for 24hrs Mon-Fri. Pay and display charging is in operation, at the rates set out in Table 4-5. Although no facilities are available at the coach park, the location is only 0.4km from the Tourist Information Centre, where facilities such as toilets are available.

Figure 4-8: Morfa Bach Coach and Car Park in Conwy

One coach parking issue that arises in Conwy is the inability of some executive high-sided coaches to get through the castle arch. For these vehicles, parking is available 6km away, at Builder Street West Coach Park in neighbouring Llandudno. That coach parking facility has CCTV, toilets and coach washing facilities. Payment at Morfa Bach coach park allows use of Builder Street coach park and vice versa.

Information for groups and coaches can be found on the Visit Llandudno website, from where there is a link to the Conwy County Borough Council website listing all the coach parking available in the area. Maps can also be downloaded showing the location of attractions, coach parking and public toilets.

Conwy’s coach provision is summarised in Table 4-5.

Feature Provision • 1 pick-up/drop-off point Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • 1 coach park – Morfa Bach • Pick-up/drop-off point within 0.1km of Tourist Information and Conwy Castle Locations • Coach park 0.3km from pick-up/drop-off point and Conwy Castle • 2 pick-up/drop-off spaces in total Capacity • 5 bays at Morfa Bach Coach Park • 15 minute waiting time restriction at the pick-up/drop- Time restrictions off point Vehicle Signage • Some, but limited • Provided from pick-up/drop-off point to tourist Pedestrian Signage information and Conwy Castle • Up to 4 hours - £5.50 Pricing (at the coach park) • Up to 24hrs - £10.00 • None, but Tourist Information Centre and facilities Facilities on site located in close proximity • General coach visitor Information available on the Visit Llandudno website and coach parking information Information provided on the Conwy County Borough Council website Table 4-5: Conwy Coach Provision Summary

4.3.6 Bournemouth

Bournemouth is one of the UK’s most popular seaside resort towns, attracting many visitors each year. Its high quality coach provision has been rewarded with ‘Coach Friendly Status’ by the CPT and it is considered a coach provision best practice example by Visit England.

As illustrated in Figure 4-9, three coach pick-up/drop-off points are located in the town centre, as well as two coach parks, one located centrally within the town and a second located on the outskirts, to the north east.

Figure 4-9: Bournemouth Map showing Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

The three pick-up/drop-off points, which have 15 minute waiting time restrictions, are located on Westover Road, by Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) and on the Exeter Road Extension. These locations are within 0.2km of the main centre of attractions in the town (the area around the pier, including Bournemouth international Centre, the Ocenarium, entry to the beach etc) and also the Tourist Information Centre and toilet facilities.

The two main coach parks are located at King’s Park and Queens Road, approximately 2km and 3.5km respectively from the main centre of attractions and pick-up/drop-off points close to Bournemouth Pier. Coach parking is charged for (rates shown in Table 4-6) through PayByPhone. Facilities at the coach parks themselves are limited, and no toilets are provided at either.

In addition to the two main coach parks, parking for coaches is also available (for up to 45mins) at Bournemouth Rail Station. Up to three visiting coaches can be accommodated there at any one time, for a fee of £3. Account facilities are available for frequent users.

There is a dedicated page on the Bournemouth Tourism website covering coach provision, as well as an annual ‘Group and Coach Guide’ providing useful information and suggested itineraries for visitors to Bournemouth.

A summary of coach provision in Bournemouth is provided in Table 4-6.

Feature Provision • 3 pick-up/drop-off points Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • 2 coach parks – Kings Park, Queens Road • Pick-up/drop-off points within 0.2km of main attractions Locations • Coach parks located 2-3km from pick-up/drop-off point • 5 pick-up/drop-off spaces in total • 9 bays at kings park Coach Park Capacity • 11 bays marked at Queens Road Coach Park (up to 20 coaches possible) • 15 minute waiting time restriction at the pick-up/drop- Time restrictions off point Vehicle Signage • None Pedestrian Signage • Limited • Up to 4 hours – £5.00 Pricing (at the coach park) • 24 hours - £9.00 • Weekly - £38.00 Facilities on site • None • Information available on the Bournemouth Tourism Information website including an annual ‘Group and Coach Guide’ Table 4-6: Bournemouth Coach Provision Summary

4.3.7 Liverpool

Liverpool attracts many coach visitors each year and its high quality coach provision has seen it be awarded ‘Coach Friendly Status’ by the CPT. Additionally, it has also won awards for ‘Best UK City for Groups’ and ‘Coach Friendly City of the Year 2012’.

Figure 4-10: Liverpool Map showing Central Coach Points

The current arrangement for coaches include 6 pick-up/drop-off points in the city centre, labelled 1 to 6 in Figure 4-10, which are as follows:

1. Gower Street at Albert Dock - 1 bay 2. Crosshall Street – Close to (0.2km from) Visit Liverpool centre – 2 bays 3. William Brown Street – Next to World Museum Liverpool - 3 bays 4. Liverpool Cathedral – 2 bays 5. Salthouse Quay at Albert Dock - 3 bays 6. Liverpool One Bus Station – 1 bay

These pick-up/drop-off points are located in the vicinity of key attractions such as Albert Dock (home to the Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum, and the Tate Liverpool, amongst others), Liverpool cathedral and World Museum Liverpool. A ‘coach welcome’ scheme is available at Liverpool Cathedral, Albert Dock and Liverpool ONE Bus Station from Monday-Saturday, 10am-3pm and during the months of March-October. It involves a personal welcome to the city by a coach host, information on what to do, free maps and access to toilet and refreshment facilities. Drivers are given information about coach drop-off facilities, parking, traffic and any road works in the city. They are also offered free refreshments at the Cathedral and Albert Docks.

Waiting time at pick-up/drop-off bays is limited to 10 or 15 minutes, so, after dropping off, coaches can proceed to longer term coach parking of one of two types: medium stay on-street coach parking or off-street coach parking. There are 7 medium stay coach parking locations, most of which are located further from the city centre than the pick-up/drop- off spaces (up to 4km from Albert Dock, the main centre of visitor attractions in the city). 39 of these bays are provided overall. These bays are free to use with no advanced booking required, and they are in operation from 8.00am-6.00pm.

Off-street coach parking is provided in 3 locations in the city:

- King’s Waterfront, Queen’s Dock -30 spaces - Arriva Green Lane Depot - Riverside Drive – 18 spaces

There is no maximum length of stay at the Riverside Drive or King’s Waterfront coach parks. Coach parking at the Arriva Green Deport is for up to 8.5hrs on weekdays (from 9:00AM - 5:30PM). The cost of off-street coach parking varies, being free at Riverside Drive (the least central location) and up to £20 a day at the other locations. Toilets are provided at the Arriva Green Lane deport, but at neither of the other two coach parking locations. Advance booking of coach parking is not a feature of any of the coach parks.

The local authorities seem to value coach visitors with a dedicated ‘Groups’ page for coaches provided on the Visit Liverpool website. The maps provided on that site contain helpful information for coach drivers and operators and can be easily found with a quick search online. There is a Coach Welcome Scheme in place which has been applauded by many for making coach groups feel welcome.

An area where improvements could probably be made is in the provision of signage for coach passengers and coach drivers. The pick-up/drop-off points are located in the vicinity of end attractions, so wayfinding to those shouldn’t be an issue. There doesn’t appear, however, to be signs/maps provided at the coach drop-off points to help people navigate further afield (if the coach welcome service is not being availed of). Road signage to guide drivers to pick-up/drop-off points and parking is either not provided in the city, or is not obvious.

A summary of the details of the Liverpool coach strategy is set out in Table 4-7.

Feature Provision • 6 short term pick-up/drop-off points (12 bays) Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • 7 Medium-stay coach parking locations (39 bays) • 3 off-street coach parking locations (50+ bays) • Pick-up/drop-off points under 0.5km of closest main visitor attraction • Medium stay on-street parking under 4km from Albert Locations Dock (main attraction) • Off-street coach parking under 5.5km from Albert Dock • 12 pick-up/drop-off bays Capacity • 39 medium term on-street bays • 50+ off-street bays • 10-15 minute waiting time restriction at the pick- up/drop-off points. Time restrictions • 10 hours maximum at medium stay spaces • Coaches can park overnight at 2 of the 3 coach parks Vehicle Signage • Limited Pedestrian Signage • Limited • King’s Waterfront, Queen’s Dock (Pay and Display) o up to 1 hour - £4 o up to 3 hours - £8 o up to 12 hours - £10 Pricing (at coach parks) o 24hrs - £15 • Arriva Green Lane Deport o £20 per day • Riverside Drive o Free • Limited facilities provided at coach parks and medium Facilities on site term coach parking spaces – toilets at Arriva Green Depot only • Good information available on Visit Liverpool Coach Information Welcome web page Table 4-7: Liverpool Coach Provision Summary

4.3.8 Plymouth

Although Plymouth is considerably larger than Bath, it has just been through the process of updating its coach provision, with the replacement of the old coach park with a new facility, so is a good reference point for Bath. The city’s old Bretonside Coach Station in the West End, shown in Figure 4-11, was deemed to be decrepit, unwelcoming and unbefitting of a modern city like Plymouth so the decision was taken to relocate the coach station to the disused Mayflower West Multi-Storey Car Park site nearby. The modern Mayflower Coach Station, shown in Figure 4-12, opened in September 2016.

Figure 4-11: The Old Bretonside Coach Station, Plymouth

Figure 4-12: The New Mayflower Coach Station, Plymouth

The new £4.85 million Mayflower Coach Station, which opened on the 8 th September 2016 is run by National Express and has 7 covered bays for long-distance coaches. Facilities provided on site include an indoor ticket office, a waiting room with toilets and seating, real time information screens and a food and drink outlet.

In addition to the new coach park, new coach pick-up/drop-off points are being installed at Derry’s Cross roundabout in the city centre, illustrated in Figure 4-13. The new pick-up/drop-off bays will be created around the outside of the existing roundabout, with hatched areas being provided between the spaces and the carriageway to allow for safe disembarking areas for continental coaches. For the first time there will be waiting time restrictions in place at coach pick- up/drop-off spaces to increase the turnover of coaches.

Figure 4-13: Artist’s Impression of the New Coach Drop-Offs at Derry’s Cross Roundabout, Plymouth

4.3.9 Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is a city in Austria with a population of 145,871. Similarly to Bath, it attracts many tourists each year with its architecture and history. The city sees high volumes of coach traffic and correspondingly includes significant provision for them.

The map shown in Figure 4-14 is provided by Salzburg city authorities to inform coach operators of the locations of coach parking, drop-off points and restricted routes.

Figure 4-14: Salzburg Map with Information for Coach Operators

The historic city centre of Salzburg is pedestrianised, and coaches are not permitted to enter it. Instead, there are two coach pick-up/drop-off points on the edge of the centre, with three coach parking areas being provided further out. The two coach pick-up/drop-off points are situated at the north and south bus terminals, approximately 0.4km from the Residenzplatz at the centre of the city. Like the majority of those in the UK, these pick-up/drop-off points have a waiting time restriction of 10 mins.

There are three coach parking areas in Salzburg - the Nord (North), 4km from the city centre, Süd (South), 3.7km from city centre, and Hellbrunn, 4.1km from the city centre. Charging is similar for North and South coach parks, with a flat rate of €38.00 being payable at time of entry through the automatic payment machine. Ticket entitles entry and exit of the facility freely during the 24 hours. At Helbrunn, coach parking is charged at a rate of €10.00 an hour, up to a maximum charge of €50.00 per day. Coach parking charges at the Helbrunn coach park are waived for coaches whose passengers visit Trick Fountains.

There are bus connections from the South coach parking area to the city centre and a shuttle service from the North parking area for coach drivers only. Facilities such as toilets are provided at each of the coach parks.

Information regarding coach facilities, parking, drop-off points, and restrictions are easily available online, in a number of languages, and the local authorities appear to value coach groups. The information provided includes details of where coach drivers can wash their vehicles and get repair services.

A summary of coach provision in Salzburg is set out in Table 4-8.

Feature Provision • 2 pick-up/drop-off points Coach Park and pick-up/drop-off provision • 3 coach parks – North, South, Helbrunn • Pick-up/drop-off points on north and south edges of Locations city centre – 0.4km from Residenzplatz • Coach parks approximately 4km from city centre • 40 bays at North Coach Park Capacity • 40 bays at South Coach Park • 9 bays at Helbrunn Coach Park • 10 minute waiting time restriction at the pick-up/drop- Time restrictions off point. Vehicle Signage • On approaches to coach parks Pedestrian Signage • Provided from pick-up/drop-off point to city centre • North and South Coach Parks o 24hrs - £34.00 Pricing (at the coach park) • Helbrunn Coach Park o Per hour - £8.90 o Maximum charge - £45.00 Facilities on site • Toilets provided at coach parks • Good coach information provided by city authorities Information and on Salzburg tourist website Table 4-8: Salzburg Coach Provision Summary

4.4 Summary of Case Study and Best Practice Review

In this chapter, the operation of coaches in a number of towns and cities has been investigated, with reference to the CPT (coach industry trade association) and VisitEngland good practice guidelines for coach provision. The studied towns and cities have been chosen for their high quality of coach operation (the majority having CPT ‘Coach Friendly Status’) and/or for their similarity to Bath in different aspects (Plymouth being similar in its recent replacement of a city centre coach park, for instance, York being a similar historic destination etc).

In the assessment, the following aspects have been focussed on:

- The provision of coach parking and/or coach pick-up/drop-off points - The locations of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off points - The capacity of coach parking and pick-up/drop-offs in terms of spaces provided - Time restrictions for pick-up/drop-off - Signage provision for coaches and pedestrians - Coach parking charges - Facilities provided at coach parks - Information provided for coach visitors and operators

All of the above are highlighted in the coach good practice documents and are of relevance when developing the future coach parking strategy for Bath.

An overview of the coach provision in the different case study locations is set out in Table 4-9 below.

Bournem Typical Chester Windsor outh Salisbury Conwy Liverpool York Salzburg Provision

Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Provision Number of Pick-up/ 9 3 1 1 6 3 2 At least 2 coach parks drop-off 1 and pick-up At least 1, but Coach parks 1 2 1 1 10 2 3 /drop-off often more From pick- 0.2- 0.2- Distances from 0.2km 0.35km 0.1km 0.5km 0.4km Under 0.5km up/drop-off 0.5km 0.5km main 0.3km From coach under Over 1km (and attractions 1.2km 2-3km 1km 0.3km 4-5.5km 4km parking 1km up to 6km) Pick-up/ Capacity of 14 5 3 2 12 4 Varies drop-off coach parks 74 At least 20-30 and pick- Coach parking 30 20 23 5 89 62 89 for major up/drop-off spaces towns/cities Time restrictions at pick- 10- 10 min - 15 min 10 min 15 min 10 min 10 min 10-15 minutes ups/drop-off 15min

Coach Parking Charges Up to 1 hr - £10 - £1.50 - £4.00 £5.80 £8.90 Significant variation. Up Coach Up to 3hrs £5.50 - - - - £8 £8.90 £26.70 to £30 per Parking 24hrs in UK, Charges Up to 4hrs - £20 £5 £4.40 £5.50 - - - but generally Up to 24hrs £10 £30 £9 £8.80 £10 £15 £12.60 £38.50 under £15

Other Provision Often Toilets x x x Facilities at provided coach parks Food and Drink x x x x x x Uncommon Vehicle signage Generally x x to coach park provided Signage Pedestrian signs x x x x x x Uncommon to coach park Table 4-9: Summary of Coach Provision in Different Towns and Cities

A summary of the key issues within each of the above categories is set out below.

4.4.1 Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Provision

This review shows that most locations employ a strategy including both coach pick-up/drop-off points and separate coach parking locations. Generally, coach pick-up/drop-off takes place at a number of locations, and always (for the examined towns/cities) within 0.5km of the main attractions. Coach pick-up/drop-off points generally include more than a single space, with a waiting time restriction being imposed of between 10 and 15 minutes.

The distances from coach parks to main attractions vary, being very central in some instances (under 1km away from attractions and probably within walking distance of them), and being more peripheral in others (up to 5.5km from the city centre), particularly in the larger cities (Liverpool and Salzburg). Sometimes a single coach park accommodates all demand, but, for most locations, a number of coach parks are used. The most common coach park size is between 20 and 30 bays.

The arrangement in Windsor is different from the other locations examined, with both pick-up/drop-off and longer term coach parking all taking place at the same large centrally located coach park. This coach park, with 74 spaces, is significantly larger than any of the others observed in this study.

Toilets are often provided at coach parks, but were not universally provided in the locations examined. A drivers’ rest room is provided at the Millstream coach park in Salisbury and a restaurant/café is provided at the coach park in Windsor (Little Roodee coach park in Chester also included a café until recently).

4.4.2 Coach Parking Charges

Coach parking is charged for in all the locations examined, though there is significant variation in the pricing structures applied, both in terms of the charges and the tariffs available. Although most locations allow coaches to pay for a single hour of parking, others make 2 hours the minimum charge, and Chester and Conwy make coaches pay for a minimum of 3 and 4 hours respectively. Charges vary from £1.50 to £10 per hour, with a broad range in between. The charge per 24hrs is more consistent, being generally in the region of £9-£15 for the UK towns and cities (though up to £30 in Windsor).

Pay and display is the most common revenue collection arrangement in place, with pre-booking only being available in some locations. In Windsor, pre-booking of coach parking earns a parking charge discount. Chester has recently installed barriers incorporating ANPR cameras at its coach park, with the aim of increasing the ease of parking charge enforcement and potentially allowing a more flexible future charging regime.

4.4.3 Signage and Information for Coach Drivers and Visitors

In terms of signage, the level of provision in the different towns and cities is variable. In some locations, the coach park(s) are clearly marked on road signs on main routes, in other areas such signage is more limited, or not in place at all. Surprisingly, coach pick-up/drop-off points are not indicated on signage in any of the locations examined, nor are variable message signs in place for coaches. Pedestrian signage from coach pick-up/drop-off points to main attractions is limited in the locations examined, though in general, the pick-up/drop-off are well enough located to mean the absence of such signage is not a major issue.

All the assessed locations provide good coach information on their websites and often in other forms (such as free paper city maps for coach users in Windsor).

5 Stakeholder Consultation

5.1 Introduction

A Stakeholder Consultation Meeting was held at BuroHappold’s offices in Bath on Thursday 13/10/16. This meeting was organised in order to understand the opinions, needs and wants of a range of those who will be affected by changes to coach arrangements in the city. The meeting was attended by, amongst others, coach operators, the CPT (the coach trade association), representatives from Bath local business and resident’s groups including the Federation of Bath Residents’ Associations (FoBRA) and the Bath Chamber of Commerce, Bath Preservation Trust as well as representatives from Bath and North East Somerset Council and BuroHappold. A full list of attendees is set out in Table 5-1 below.

Name Representing 1. Claire Parker B&NES project team 2. Martin Shields B&NES 3. Chris Major B&NES Parking services 4. Alison Herbert B&NES 5. Patrick Rotheram Federation of Bath Residents’ Associations (FoBRA) 6. Jon Raby Bath Bid 7. John Edwards Tourist Guides 8. Mick Heath Bath Tourism Plus 9. Steve Spiller Centurion Coaches 10. Colin Inman Arleen Coaches 11. John Burch Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) 12. Ian Bell Chamber of Commerce 13. Sandy Bell Initiative 14. Martin Curtis Bath Bus Company 15. Peter Dawson B&NES 16. Ian Taylor Abbey Hotel Group 17 . Sac ha Hunter Bath Preservation Trust 18 . Nick Helps BuroHappold 19 . Jon Foley BuroHappold 20. Billy Fogg BuroHappold 21. Anna Rothnie BuroHappold Table 5-1: Bath Coach Strategy Stakeholder Meeting Attendees

The event included a presentation on the following:

• An overview of the work being undertaken and its purpose • The coach surveys that had been undertaken and their results (as described in section 3) • A summary of benchmarking and best practice (as described in section 4) • An overview of the sites being examined for coach parking • A description of the criteria that the sites were to be assessed against • Observations about the current operation at pick-up/drop-off sites in Bath

Attendees were then provided with an opportunity to respond to a number of key questions and there was an overall discussion on key principles. The outcomes of those discussions are summarised in Appendix A.

6 Existing and Future Coach Demand in Bath

6.1 Introduction

This chapter sets out the existing and potential future peak demands for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off spaces in Bath. The coach parking demands have been broken down to determine the numbers of spaces required by coaches staying for different durations in the city.

6.2 Existing Provision for Coach Parking and Coach Pick-Up/Drop-off in Bath

The sections below describe the existing demand for coach parking and coach pick-up/drop-off. To put these in context, there are currently up to 85 bays available for coach parking in Bath, Monday to Saturday, at the First Bus depot at Weston Island. This reduces to 35 bays on Sunday, when more First buses are parked.

For coach pick-up/drop-off, 13 bays are provided at the Riverside Coach Park, 2 are provided on North Parade and another 2 are provided at Terrace Walk, making 17 bays in total. In practice, the Terrace Walk pick-up/drop-off point is very busy, and more than 2 coaches (up to 4) pick-up/drop-off there together at busy times. Significant levels of coach pick-up/drop-off activity also take place at Royal Avenue (as highlighted in section 3.3.1).

It is worth noting that observations suggest that some coaches exceed the permitted waiting restrictions at the pick- up/drop-off points, in essence using them as short term parking spaces, and there are reported instances of coaches parking un-officially at locations other than Weston island.

6.3 Existing Demands for Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off

This section sets out the demands for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in the city to date. The assessment represents the busiest conditions on the busiest days of the year as agreed by the working group steering the development of the strategy.

6.3.1 Existing Coach Parking Demand

The assessment of the existing demand for coach parking in Bath has been based on the surveys of existing coach operation, particularly the results of the cordon surveys described in section 3.3.3. The data from those surveys has allowed the demand for coach parking and coach pick-up/drop-off in Bath during the busy August period to be analysed and understood.

The accumulation of coaches that occurred in Bath over the course of both Thursday 25 th August and Saturday 27 th August is illustrated in Figure 6-1.

30 29

Figure 6-1: Coach Accumulation in Bath on Thursday 25 th August and Saturday 27 th August 2016

There was some variation between the two days in the rate of accumulation of coaches, and the length of the busy periods (Thursday being more peaky) but the peak accumulation values on both days were very close. At the very busiest time over the two surveyed days (which occurred on Thursday 25 th August) 29 coaches had accumulated in Bath.

The coach accumulation in Bath is not, however, a direct count of parking demand. On initially entering Bath, and just before leaving it, the coaches will not be parked, but will be moving or picking-up/dropping off. This means that the peak coach parking requirement that occurred is lower than the peak accumulation figure.

To determine the peak parking demand, the time that coaches are in Bath but not parked (occurring at the start and end of their periods in the city) has been taken to be 40mins, on average. Based on this, the peak parking demand of coaches in Bath on the surveyed days was as illustrated in Figure 6-2.

25 25

Thursday Saturday

Figure 6-2: Coach Parking Demand in Bath on Thursday 25 th August and Saturday 27 th August 2016

The peak demand for coach parking within Bath during the surveyed period was for 25 spaces, on Thursday 25 th August.

6.3.2 Parking Demand for Different Durations of Stay

It might be necessary, given spatial constraints at some of the potential future coach parking locations for Bath, to split coach parking provision between a number of different locations (as is relatively common in other locations). One basis for doing this would be by separating ‘short term’ and ‘long term’ coach parking. Operationally these two categories have slightly different needs. For those parking for a shorter period, having to use a coach park located a long distance from pick-up/drop-off points can be an issue, potentially causing drivers problems in achieving their necessary rests, and making it difficult for them to meet what are often tight schedules for their planned departure times from Bath. For coaches staying longer in the city, being parked away from the centre becomes less of an issue provided suitable facilities such as toilets are provided at the coach park.

In light of the above, the make-up of the peak coach parking demand in Bath has been assessed, to determine what proportion of the demand is made up of coaches staying for different durations. The results of this are as set out in Table 6-1. Interestingly, on Saturday 27 th August a significantly higher proportion of the parking demand was made up of longer stay coaches than on Thursday 25 th August.

Duration of stay Thursday 25 th August Saturday 27 th August 1.5hrs and under 0-5% of peak parking demand 0-5% of peak parking demand 2hrs and under 20-25% of peak parking demand 10-20% of peak parking demand 3hrs and under 45-55% of peak parking demand 40-45% of peak parking demand 4hrs and under 70-75% of peak parking demand 45-50% of peak parking demand Over 4hrs 25-30% of peak parking demand 50-55% of peak parking demand

Table 6-1: Percentage of Peak Parking Demand Made-Up of Coaches Staying Different Durations

Between 40% and 55% of the peak parking demand (46% on average across the two days) is made up of coaches staying for under 3hrs. The proportion of coaches staying for under 3hrs is lower at the weekend than on weekdays (assuming the Saturday and Thursday observed are typical of general weekend and weekday behaviour respectively). Between 45% and 75% of the parking demand is made up of coaches staying under 4hrs (61% on average, and significantly higher on weekdays than at the weekend).

‘Short stay’ coaches are harder to accommodate than ‘long stay’ coaches, being less suited to coach parking locations away from the city centre. Because the Thursday peak parking demand was made up of a higher proportion of shorter staying coaches, and because the Thursday peak parking demand was higher overall, the peak parking requirements for stays of different durations have been based on the observed Thursday conditions. Table 6-2 describes how much of the observed peak time August parking demand was made up of coaches of different stay durations. Of those staying between 1 and 2hrs, the vast majority are staying for at least 1.5 hours

Duration Peak Time Parking Demand in August 0-1hrs 0 >1-2hrs 6 >2-3hrs 7 >3-4hrs 6 >4hrs 6 Total 25

Table 6-2: Breakdown of August Peak Parking Demand by Durations of Stay

6.3.3 Existing August Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Requirement

In addition to their parking requirements, coaches in Bath also generate a demand for pick-up/drop-off spaces. Activity at Bath’s pick-up/drop-off points was observed as part of the 25 th and 27 th August surveys, during which time all coach arrivals to the pick-up/drop-off points in Bath (Terrace walk, North Parade, Royal Avenue and Riverside Coach Park) were logged and the times of coach arrival were noted.

As was observed for the daily accumulation of coaches in Bath, the daily profile of pick-up/drop-off demand varied slightly between the Thursday and the Saturday observed. The peak requirements on both days were very similar however. The very peak demand over the two days occurred on the Thursday, at just before 15:00, as illustrated in Figure 6-3 below.

Figure 6-3: Profile of Pick-Up/Drop-Off Demand in Bath on Thursday 25 th August 2016

Coaches have only 10 minutes to pick-up or drop-off at Terrace Walk and North Parade. At the Riverside Coach Park they can stay for a more generous 30 minutes. Considering this, and the balance of activity between the different pick- up/drop-off points, the average acceptable duration for pick-up/drop-off in Bath is approximately 20mins. Based on this duration, the peak demand for pick-up/drop-off spaces on Thursday 25 th August was for 9 spaces, as illustrated in Figure 6-3.

For comparison, the pick-up/drop-off demands that would have occurred if all coaches were allowed to (and did) stay for 30mins has also been assessed, and is illustrated in Figure 6-3, along with the demands that would have occurred for pick-up/drop-off times restricted to 15mins (which is common elsewhere). A 30 minute pick-up/drop-off duration would have meant a peak requirement of 11 spaces for pick-up/drop-off, a 15 minute duration restriction would have reduced the peak demand to 8 spaces.

In future, and following discussions with the project steering group, it has been agreed that a 20 minute pick-up/drop-off restriction is put in place, as a fair compromise between the 30 minutes allowed at the Riverside Coach Park currently and the 10 minutes allowed at Terrace Walk. This duration is generous relative to other cities and is also beyond the 15 minute minimum preferred by the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

6.4 Determining a Representative Level of Demand for Coach parking and Pick-up/Drop-off

August, while a busy month, is understood not to be the very busiest month for coach operation in Bath, as advised by local operators. The busiest time (excluding the Christmas Market, which is subject to separate arrangements) is July, so it is necessary to apply a growth factor to the data derived through the surveys in August in order to convert them to very peak time demands, and to provide an upper limit aspiration for the number of spaces to be provided to accommodate demand.

In order to arrive at a growth factor, visitor data for the Roman Baths has been used. A comparison of the observed activity (number of admissions) at the Roman Baths on the surveyed days with the conditions that occurred on the busiest days at the Roman Baths in 2016 is set out in Table 6-3.

Surveyed 2016 Conditions (August) Busiest 2016 Conditions (July) Scaling Day Roman Baths Day Roman Baths Factor Admissions Admissions Weekday Thurs 25 th August 4212 Thurs 21 st July 5098 1.2 Weekend Sat 27 th August 5308 Sat 23 rd July 6368 1.2

Table 6-3: Visitor Admissions at Roman Baths on Observed Days and Busiest Days in 2016

On the busiest weekday and weekend day in 2016 there were 1.2 times as many visitors to the Roman Baths as on the surveyed days.

Examining visitor trends for the Roman Baths over the period since 2000 shows that activity levels in 2016 are slightly down on the levels that were observed a few years previously. The busiest year to date was 2014, when there were 229,888 visitors to the Roman Baths between January and October. In 2016, by comparison, there were 208,723 visitors to the Roman Baths over those same months. This means that 2014 was 1.1 times as busy as 2016. Assuming that the coach activity in 2014 was also 1.1 times higher than in 2016 means that the busiest conditions that have been experienced to date are 1.2 x 1.1 = 1.32 times higher than those observed on the surveyed days. Applying that factor to the observed requirements results in the coach parking demands set out in Table 6-4.

Duration Existing Peak Time Parking Demand 0-1hrs 0 >1-2hrs 7 >2-3hrs 10 >3-4hrs 7 >4hrs 9 Total 33

Table 6-4: Existing Peak Parking Demands in Bath

In addition to the 33 spaces required for coach parking , at the existing peak time a further 12 spaces are required for pick-up/drop-off .

These are the peak demands for coach parking in Bath (outside the Christmas Market) that have occurred to date at the busiest times on the busiest days. It should be noted that, in general, parking and pick-up/drop-off demands are below these levels. (even on the very busiest day, for instance, the demand only exceeds 9 pick-up/drop-off spaces and 30 parking spaces for very short durations, the rest of that day, and even more so for the rest of the year, the demands are lower).

6.5 Future Peak Demands for Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off

6.5.1 Methodology for Increasing Existing Demand to Potential Future Levels

When considering the appropriate level of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off provision for Bath, it is important to consider potential future growth in coach demand, as well as the current requirements. In order to account for future increases in demand, tourist increase projections for the city have been analysed. The 2009 Bath Visitor Accommodation Study, prepared for B&NES Council by the Tourism Company, includes such predictions, up to a future horizon year of 2026. These predictions reflect the impact of growth in local and national economies, population increases, changing patterns of tourism, improvements in communication and access, and major developments that will affect the future attractiveness of Bath as a destination. Three growth scenarios for leisure tourism were considered by that study for the period between 2017 and 2026, which were as follows:

Low leisure tourism growth factor for Bath - 0.75

Mid leisure tourism growth factor for Bath - 1.25

High leisure tourism growth factor for Bath - 1.75

For the purpose of calculating potential future coach parking and pick-up/drop-off requirements for Bath, the mid growth factor has been applied. It has been assumed also that no change will occur between the observed situation in 2016 and 2017, the base year for the application of the tourism growth factor.

Although Bath is aiming to achieve an increased public transport mode share in future, it is considered that this increase will be driven by public transport modes other than coaches. It has been assumed, therefore, that the same proportion of future visitors to the city will use coaches as do currently.

6.5.2 Potential Future Demand

Applying the (mid) growth factor to current Bath coach requirements to account for the potential increase in tourist demand in the city would mean the (non-Christmas) peak levels of coach demand set out in Table 6-5.

Duration Potential Future (2026) Peak Time Parking Demand 0-1hrs 0 >1-2hrs 9 >2-3hrs 12 >3-4hrs 9 >4hrs 11 Total 41

Table 6-5: Potential Future Peak Parking Demands in Bath

In addition to the 41 spaces required for coach parking , a potential further 15 spaces could be required for future pick-up/drop-off . (again remembering that this is the very peak demand at the busiest time on the busiest day of the year, and the rest of the time the demand will be lower, often considerably)

6.6 Summary

This chapter has described the demand for coach parking and coach pick-up/drop-off in Bath, both now and into the future. For the calculation of existing demands, the results of the coach surveys undertaken in Bath on the 25 th and 27 th August 2016 have analysed. A scaling factor has then been applied to convert the August demands to July demands, as this is understood to be the busiest (non-Christmas) time for coach operation in the city. The peak existing (July) demands for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off are as set out in Table 6-6. These are the very peak demands at the very busiest time on the very busiest days of the year (the rest of the time the demands will be below these levels, often considerably below). Also shown Table 6-6 are the potential future (2026) coach parking and pick-up/drop-off demands for Bath, taking account of tourist growth projections for the city.

Existing Requirements (2016) Potential Future Requirements (2026) Parking Spaces for 0-1hrs Stays 0 0 Parking Spaces for >1-2hrs Stays 7 9 Parking Spaces for >2-3hrs Stays 10 12 Parking Spaces for >3-4hrs Stays 7 9 Parking Spaces for >4hrs Stays 9 11 Total Peak Time Parking Spaces Required 33 41 Peak Pick-Up/Drop-Off Spaces Required 12 15

Table 6-6: Current and Potential Future Peak Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Requirements in Bath

These demands represent the busiest conditions at the peak time on the busiest days of the year. On other days (and at other non-peak times on even the busiest days) the levels of demand are lower.

In addition to the total coach parking demands, the parking requirements have been broken down to determine the proportions of the total demand that are made up of different durations of coach stay. It has been proposed that if multiple parking areas are provided in Bath in future, some of the shorter stay coaches could be more centrally located, with longer staying coaches being more suitable for location away from the city centre.

7 Appraisal of Potential Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop- Off Sites for Bath

7.1 Introduction

This chapter introduces potential future sites for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath and appraises each of these sites against a range of relevant criteria. Using that appraisal, the sites have been scored and ranked based on their suitability as coach parking and/or pick-up/drop-off locations. Two appraisal situations have been considered: long term and shorter term. The long term situation looks for the best possible future solution, regardless of the timescale of its implementation. The shorter term situation considers those sites that can be more quickly implemented, and represents a more temporary arrangement that could be put in place to help get from the current situation to the proposed long term one.

7.2 Potential Future Coach Sites

7.2.1 Site Descriptions

Two broad categories of site have been assessed – off-street locations and on-street coach locations. The majority of these sites are located in central Bath, as illustrated in Figure 7-1 and Figure 7-2 (for off-street and on-street sites respectively), but a number of promising locations in slightly less central areas have also been assessed, as illustrated in Figure 7-3.

Figure 7-1: Potential Central Off-Street Locations for the Accommodation of Coaches in Bath

Figure 7-2: Potential Central On-Street Locations for the Accommodation of Coaches in Bath

Figure 7-3: Potential Coach Locations Outside Bath City Centre Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 105

Descriptions of each of the potential locations are provided in Table 7-1 below. Given the competition for space in central Bath, there are very few existing empty sites available in the city, and none that are suitable for coach parking. Almost all the potential locations examined, therefore, would require the replacement of an existing use with coach parking/coach pick-up/drop-off.

The off-street locations are of three main types, which involve either:

• Conversion of existing car parks (public or private) to coach areas • Conversion of existing commercial sites (containing offices, industrial units, warehousing) to coach areas • Conversion of existing public spaces to coach areas.

The on-street locations generally involve the replacement of existing provision for other modes (cars, buses etc) with coach provision. The on-street locations include:

• The replacement of (public or residents’) car parking with coach bays • The replacement of bus stops with coach bays • The replacement of taxi ranks with coach bays • The use of existing lay-bys • Conversion of existing road lanes into coach bays.

Spaces Site (Max) Type Description Manvers Street Car Park 20 Off-Street Conversion of the existing public off-street car park Stanier Road 40+ Off-Street Conversion of existing site of Magnet, Screwfix and Crown Pickfords 27 Off -Street Conversion of existing Pickfords site North Parade 2 On-Street Existing coach spaces Royal Avenue 14 On-Street Coaches replace existing car parking Odd Down Park and Ride 29 Off-Street Taking an area within the park and ride side for coaches Beazer House 19 Off-Street Conversion of existing Beazer House office site Homebase 40+ Off -Street Conversion of existing Homebase site Terrace Walk/Pierrepont St 6 On-Street Modified Terrace Walk arrangement with potential addition of bays on Pierrepont St Orange Grove 2 On-Street Coaches replace existing taxi-rank Cricket Club Car Park 17 Off -Street Conversion of the existing private off -street car park Turning one of the through lanes on Manvers Street into coach bays. Making this Manvers Street (on street) 7 On-Street street one-way, which depends on the proposed new road linking South Parade and Dorchester Street Turning a through lane on the eastbound carriageway into coach spaces between Rossiter Road 6 On-Street the pedestrian crossing and the railway bridge Grand Parade 3 On -Street Coaches replace some or all of the existing bus stops Pulteney Road 7 On-Street Coaches replace existing car parking (with bays potentially on both sides of road) Travis Perkins 40 Off-Street Conversion of existing Travis Perkins site Charlotte Street 40 Off-Street Taking an area within the existing car park for coaches Kingsmead Square 12 Off -Street Conversion of the existing public off -street car park Green Park Station 20 Off-Street Using area under old Green Park Station canopy Leasing coach parking that might be provided at the Rec as part of a refurbishment Recreation Ground 30 Off-Street of the rugby ground St John’s Catholic School 26 Off -Street Using grounds (including tennis courts) of old St John’s Catholic School Great Pulteney Street 18 On-Street Coaches replace existing residents' car parking Sydney Place/Sydney Road 7 On-Street Coaches replace existing car parking New shallow saw tooth bays on westbound carriageway, taking some land from the Green Park Road 6 On-Street green triangle between Green Park and Green Park Road Use of the existing lay -by on the dual carriageway section of the A4/Bristol Road A4 Lay-by 9 On-Street westbound, including potential lay-by extension Formalising the arrangement c urrently used for coach parking during Bath Christmas Market, with coaches parked along the westbound carriageway in the Lower Bristol Road 13 On-Street vicinity of Weston Island. Would require slight narrowing of road lanes and reduction in verge width. Table 7-1: Potential Future Bath Coach Sites Descriptions

In order to determine their feasibility, and to determine the likely numbers of spaces that might be accommodated, possible indicative layouts have been prepared for a number of the off-street sites, as well as the on-street sites where significant layout changes are being proposed. These are provided in Appendix B. Additionally, pictures of potential locations are included in Appendix C.

While on-street locations may, generally, be more suited for use as coach pick-up/drop-off sites, and off-street locations may more likely be used for coach parking, this is not always the case. A centrally located off-street site, for instance, could reasonably be used for passenger pick-up/drop-off. Conversely, an on-street location that has the capacity to accommodate a higher number of spaces may be a viable option for coach parking. This is reflected in the site appraisal exercise.

7.2.2 Limitations on Site Use Based on Location

The location of the sites is one factor that influences whether they could (or should) be used for pick-up/drop-off or coach parking. Pick-up/drop-off sites need to be within walking distance of the city’s main attractions, something that is not necessarily a requirement for coach parking areas. Coach parking sites need to be within a reasonable driving distance of the pick-up/drop-off locations, particularly if they are to be used for shorter stay coach parking.

When determining which locations are within walking distance of attractions, the guidance document ‘Guidelines for Providing for Journeys on Foot’, 2010, published by the Institute of Highways and Transportation, has been consulted. That document suggests a maximum acceptable walking distance of 1km for sight-seeing pedestrians, with a desirable walking distance of under 500m. On that basis, all those locations within 1km of the city centre have been considered to be within walking distance of attractions, at least for some groups of coach user, with those located within 500m being suitable for most coach users. It is recognised that many of those travelling on coaches are elderly, and many coaches are carrying mobility impaired passengers (up to 35% of coaches on the surveyed days). As such, the sites located between 500m and 1km of attractions would only be suitable for some groups - active day groups for instance which do not need to walk as a single large party. Those sites could not be the sole points of pick-up/drop-off in the city.

Figure 7-4 shows 500m and 1km walking distances from the Roman Baths. The majority of potential sites are within the 1km catchment area, and a large proportion are within the 500m catchment area. Five sites: Odd Down Park and Ride, Travis Perkins, Sydney Road/Sydney Place, Lower Bristol Road and the A4 Lay-by are more than 1km from main attractions, and are therefore unsuitable for pick-up/drop-off use by any groups. Details of the walking distances between sites and main attractions, and corresponding suitability for pick-up/drop-off use, are set out in Table 7-2.

When considering site suitability for coach parking use, the drive time between the sites and the city centre is important. Sites located a long distance from the city centre might only be suitable for coaches staying in Bath for more extended durations. A significant factor in this regard are drivers’ break requirements, which state that drivers need at least a 45mins rest after 4.5hrs of driving. Although it may not be possible for those staying for only a very short duration in the city, it should generally be possible for coach drivers to drive from a central drop-off point to the coach parking area (assuming they are not one and the same), have their mandatory length rest period, and then drive back to a central pick-up point in time to pick up their passengers. None of the examined sites are more than a 20min drive from the city centre in busy traffic conditions. Allowing 15mins for drop-off and pick-up, in line with current behaviour (drivers are permitted to take longer but wouldn’t generally, particularly if trying to achieve their rest), means that even the least central of the sites examined can be used by coaches staying for at as short a duration as 1hr 40mins in the city, with is the vast majority (around 85%) of coaches.

Figure 7-4: Site Suitability Based on Location

Site Type Walking Distance from Attractions Pick-Up/Drop-Off Suitability Terrace Walk/Pierrepont St On-Street North Parade On -Street Orange Grove On-Street Grand Parade On-Street Under 500m Suitable for Most Groups Manvers Street (on street) On -Street Royal Avenue On-Street Manvers Street Car Park Off-Street Pulteney Road On -Street Great Pulteney Street On-Street Rossiter Road On-Street Cricket Club Off -Street Recreation Ground Off-Street Charlotte Street Off-Street Kingsmead Square Off -Street 500m-1km Suitable for Some Groups Beazer House Off-Street Pickfords Off-Street Green Park Off -Street Homebase Off-Street Stanier Road Off-Street St John’s Catholic School Off -Street Green Park Road On-Street Sydney Place/Sydney Road On-Street Travis Perkins Off -Street Odd Down Off-Street Over 1km Not Suitable Lower Bristol Road On-Street A4 Lay -by On -Street Table 7-2: Walking Distances from Sites to Attractions and their Suitability for Pick-Up/Drop-Off

7.2.3 Limitations on Site Use Based on Size

A minimum number of spaces need to be provided in any location in order for it to be viable as a site. If only a very small number of spaces are provided at a location it increases the likelihood that coaches will arrive to find all of them occupied (either legally or illegally), reducing that location’s attractiveness to drivers. Similarly, if coach parking is provided in scattered small pockets around the city it makes wayfinding difficult for coach drivers and coach users. A provision of over five spaces has been assumed to be the minimum for potential coach parking locations, excluding many of the smaller on-street locations, and a provision of two spaces has been considered the minimum for a site to be considered viable as a pick-up/drop-off location.

7.3 Site Appraisal Methodology and Assessment Criteria

7.3.1 Initial Appraisal of Sites

The first step in the site appraisal exercise was the development of a suitable set of assessment criteria. WebTAG Transport Appraisal Process guidance was referred to, then adjusted to ensure a set of criteria that are relevant to coach provision. The criteria were also tested with local stakeholders. The agreed criteria fall under five categories:

• Ease of Coach Access and Impact on Highway Operation • Visitor Experience Getting to and from the Site – primarily quality and length of walking routes • Site Characteristics – Potential spaces, nature of access junctions, facilities and security • Environment – Environmental and landscape/townscape impacts • Ease of Implementation – How affordable, acceptable to the public and deliverable the site is

There are between 2 and 5 criteria in each of the appraisal categories, with 19 criteria in total. Each criterion is given a rating of between A and E. Each rating has also been given a numeric value in order to allow an overall score for each site to be developed. The different ratings, and their associated scores, are as set out in Table 7-3 below.

Rating Description Score A Performs very well 5 B 4 C 3 D 0 E Performs very poorly Fail Table 7-3: Ratings and Scores Applied to each Criterion

The full list of criteria and the corresponding meanings of ratings of A to E for each are as set out in Table 7-4.

Appraisal Criterion A B C D E Category

Very direct access - on or very close to Located a long For pick-up/drop-off locations Close to the A36 A36 on the east Located close to distance from the Ease of access for coaches to on the east side of side of Bath and the A36 in the west A36 with a less the site from the A36 in the Bath and linked to linked to it by of Bath suitable route from east of Bath it by suitable roads suitable non- it to the site residential roads Ease of Coach Access and Impact on Highway Operation

Under 10mins Under 15mins Under 20mins Over 20mins drive For coach parking locations: drive from city drive from city drive from city from city centre Drive time between sites and centre pick- centre pick- centre pick- pick-up/drop-off up/drop-off up/drop-off up/drop-off

Appraisal Criterion A B C D E Category

Very suitable - main roads. Suitable - main Somewhat suitable. Potentially already roads, only minor May include some Not very suitable – Suitability of local highway configured to changes may be sections of less tight turns, narrow, network to accommodate accommodate required/minor main, tighter, less wrong character coaches coaches (existing issues may be suitable character, etc on street bays etc). caused by inclusion residential etc No changes of coaches streets required

Significant adverse Limited impact - More significant impact, likely to low increase in increase in trips or greatly worsening trips at less increase in trips at Neutral or traffic conditions. sensitive point. sensitive point. Impact on and effect of local beneficial impact And/or potentially And/or small level And/or moderate traffic conditions (reduction in trips high levels of of disruption level of disruption etc) disruption caused caused by coaches caused by coaches by coaches pulling pulling in and out pulling in and out in and out of of parking of parking parking

Significant loss of Only small loss of Moderate loss of car parking or loss Effect on parking No effect car parking car parking of bus or taxi spaces

At or very close to Close to attraction Walking Distance to key Outside walking attraction with but requires a Further walk, up to attractions (e.g. Roman distance (over 1km attraction visible short walk (under 1km Baths/Royal Crescent) away) from point 500m)

Visitor Experience Good quality, safe Quite good quality Some issues with Getting to and From Site route. Well lit, safe route. More quality or safety of Convoluted Quality and safety of walking limited interactions interaction with walking route: difficult route, with routes to and from major with cars (no more traffic (multiple narrow footway, significant quality attractions (including Roman than 1 major crossings) or poor crossings or issues. Unsafe in Baths) crossing), wide some minor issues many crossings, places footways and clear like a localised unclear or route. footway narrowing unattractive route Difficult provision, Moderately easy local constraints Easy provision, provision though would make it hard access in place local constraints for vehicles to Access for large already, though Not possible to get Ease of provision and nature of (gradient, bends) enter and difficult vehicles already in modifications vehicles into the site entry/exit point(s) may make access for a more place required. On-street site more tricky, some generous access to parallel parking parking may need be implemented. access to be deleted Requires more parking loss Toilets and facilities can be accommodated Site Characteristics Toilets and Toilets and other Potential for provision of on- Existing facilities, with more difficulty facilities can easily facilities cannot be site facilities for passengers including toilets, on site. For on- be accommodated accommodated on and drivers (e.g. toilets) already on site street locations, on site site public toilets nearby could be reopened

Long walk to any Less centrally Less centrally Central location, off site located but close located and a Proximity to off-site facilities close to a range of facilities/limited to some toilets and moderate walk to facilities choice of facilities other facilities closest facilities in area

Appraisal Criterion A B C D E Category

On street in safe, well monitored On street in slightly area. Off street, but Safe. Easily isolated less well monitored with through and dedicated to area. Off street but movement of Security of site for vehicles coach parking only. with very people. Off street No through significant through and without movement. movement of through movement people but in more isolated area.

Number of coach parking/drop off spaces that 30+ 20-30 10-20 Under 10 could be provided

Site not located beside sensitive Located close to neighbours, but Site not located sensitive uses Isolated site, away getting there beside sensitive (residential etc), from neighbouring requires travel neighbours. Access and access to the Noise Impacts (at and on- uses. Doesn't through sensitive route doesn't location requires route to site) require travel areas. Or, some require travel travel through through sensitive mildly sensitive through sensitive sensitive areas. Or areas neighbours but areas located close to access route is not very sensitive areas through sensitive area

Located inside air Located outside air Located outside air quality quality quality management management management areas. Or located areas, limited areas, and not outside air quality Causing significant Air Quality and Greenhouse passage through requiring excessive management areas local air quality Gases them needed and lengths of driving but requiring more issues not requiring in the city. Passage extensive passage excessive lengths through air quality through them. of driving in the management areas And/or requiring city required longer driving routes in the city Requiring extensive loss of Requiring some Requiring a more No adverse impact green space or very localised loss significant loss of on trees, green have a significant Unacceptably high Environment Landscape impact of or small impact or impact on green spaces or park negative impacting landscape impact on green area (row of trees areas on an important areas/trees etc) green area - park etc

Located more in Located more in the city centre but the town centre not located in a but not located in Located at a Very little or no Townscape + Historic historic or a historic or historic spot Unacceptably high adverse impact. Environment (at and on-route showpiece spot. showpiece spot and/or close to impact on historic Avoids the historic to site) Doesn't require itself. Requires showpiece location areas of the city extensive coach coaches to drive buildings driving through through historic historic zones zones

Impacts residents and businesses Loss of business or Very little impact. more significantly residences on site Does not affect Indirect impacts on through bigger currently. Or New business them directly or residents and loss of parking, significant loss of being constructed Impact on residents and affect them in businesses through loss of other mode parking and on site. businesses secondary ways small loss of car (taxi or bus) or significant impact Unacceptable such as by parking etc worsening the to adjacent impact on them reducing their attractiveness of residences or parking provision their homes or businesses businesses etc

Appraisal Criterion A B C D E Category

Affordable. No Relatively Expensive, requires land purchase. affordable, no acquisition of land, Very expensive, Limited physical acquisition but not demolition requires the Requires a change, requiring required. of existing Affordability purchase of private purchase of land only line/sign Conversion of buildings land, demolition of that can't happen alterations existing car parks (conversion of existing uses (conversion of on- to coach parking private car parking street parking etc) etc etc)

Ease of Implementation Likely to be Potential Public will be unpopular with the Will be popular, objections for Likely to be unlikely to object public due to nicer than what is relative proximity unacceptably Public Acceptability to coach park on proximity to on the site to attractive spot unpopular with the site. Not a sensitive particular areas currently or loss of parking public spot and/or significant etc loss of parking

Short to medium - Short term – Long term - adapting existing conversion of on Medium - procuring private public car park, Short/medium/long term street parking procuring and sites, demolishing converting on implementation including just altering private car existing buildings street but requiring changes to lines parks etc and converting to removal of other etc coach parking operators etc

Table 7-4: Assessment Criteria and Scoring

An average score, of between 0 and 5, has been calculated for each of the different appraisal categories based on the scores achieved by its constituent criteria. The maximum unweighted score a site can achieve therefore is 25, by scoring 5 out of 5 in each of the 5 different appraisal categories.

Additionally, where an E rating, indicating a very significant difficulty, has been identified, this has being treated as a ‘showstopper’ and the site has been given a zero score overall and rejected from further consideration. Those sites with what are considered ‘showstopper’ issues are set out in Table 7-5 below.

Site Reason for Rejection This site is already in the process of being developed for another St John’s Catholic School purpose. Changing Great Pulteney Street to coach parking has been deemed to be publically unacceptable. The option would have a significant adverse impact on a grade 1 listed historic residential Great Pulteney Street street. It would involve the loss of significant quantities of residential parking, and have a significant noise impact on residents. All of these aspects would lead to very strong public opposition.

Table 7-5: Reasons for Rejection of Certain Sites.

7.3.2 Weighting

When assessing the different sites, not all of the aspects being examined are necessarily of equal importance. Similarly, the factors that are important when assessing a coach pick-up/drop-off site are not always the same factors that are important when assessing a coach parking location. For example, when assessing a pick-up/drop-off point, one of the most important considerations is how easy and attractive it is for coach visitors to walk between that point and the nearest attractions. For a coach parking site this can be completely irrelevant if passengers aren’t being dropped off or picked up at that location.

To reflect the relative importance of different issues, each of the appraisal categories has each been given a weight of between 0 and 5, as set out in Table 7-6. A weight of 5 indicates highest importance and a weight of 0 indicates no importance. Different weights are applied when assessing the sites for pick-up/drop-off use and for coach parking use.

Appraisal Category Pick-Up/Drop-Off Coach Parking Ease of Coach Access and Impact on Highway Operation 4 4 Visitor Experience Getting to and from Site 5 0 Site Characteristics 3 5 Environment 3 3 Ease of Implementation 2 4

Table 7-6: Weighting of Assessment Criteria

These weights were derived based on the consensus of the B&NES Council working group for the coach study.

The weighted scores are determined by multiplying the unweighted scores by the relative weights. The overall score achieved by a site is the sum of its weighted scores for each of the different appraisal categories, the higher the score the better performing the site.

7.4 Site Appraisal Scenarios and Results

7.4.1 Scenarios Considered

The ultimate objective of this work is to arrive at a long term solution to coach management in Bath. With that in mind the site appraisal has been undertaken for two situations ‘long term’ and ‘shorter term’ recognising that a phased approach to delivery of the long term goal of the strategy will be required.

The ‘long term’ scenario (taken to be beyond 5 years) looks for the best possible future solution, regardless of the timescale of its implementation. The ‘shorter term’ scenario (taken to be within 2-5 years) includes only those sites that can be more quickly implemented, and represents a potential stepping-stone from the current situation to the ‘long term’ solution.

In the case of both the ‘long’ and ‘shorter term’ scenarios, the sites have been assessed both for use as pick-up/drop-off and for use as coach parking. Based on the limitations set out in sections 7.2.2 and 7.2.3, some sites are only suitable for coach parking and others are only suitable for pick-up/drop-off. Other sites, however, could accommodate either, or both.

None of the off-street sites have been considered implementable in the shorter term. All of the on-street sites, apart from the on-street Manvers Street option, have been considered possible in the ‘shorter term’.

7.4.2 Long Term Appraisal Results

The results of the appraisal of sites for the long term situation are set out in Table 7-7 and Table 7-8, for coach pick- up/drop-off and coach parking use respectively.

Long Term Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites Appraisal

The top performing sites for pick-up/drop-off are two of those in use currently – Terrace Walk and North Parade. These sites perform well particularly due to the easy walking routes from them to the Roman Baths, which boosts their (heavily weighted) visitor experience scores. They also score well for the (also heavily weighted) ease of coach access from the A36 to the east of Bath, which is the main arrival and departure route for coaches in the city. As existing coach locations, they also perform well when considering ease of implementation (which compares favourably with the ease of adding coach pick-up/drop-off in some of the potential new locations).

Following Terrace Walk and North Parade, and scoring nearly as highly for pick-up/drop-off, are the two Manvers Street Options (using the existing Manvers Street car park site and providing coach parking bays on-street there, which would involve it becoming one-way). These options are very close to the Terrace Walk and North Parade sites, and would serve the same attractions as them, providing a similar pick-up/drop-off experience for visitors.

The next highest ranked site is Royal Avenue, which, although not an official pick-up/drop-off point at present, is heavily used by coaches. This site provides a good visitor experience for those visiting No.1 Royal Crescent and other nearby attractions, boosting its score. It performs less well, however, when considering ease of access from the A36, being located a long distance from that main entry point for coaches to the city, and requiring coaches to drive through city centre areas to get to it. It also scores lowly in relation to its environmental impact.

Scores On/Off Ease of Coach Visitor Site Ease of Total Location Spaces Street Access Experience Characteristics Environment Implementation Score Rank Terrace Walk/ Pierrepoint St 6 On 16.0 25.0 7.8 10.2 8.0 67.0 1

North Parade 2 On 16.0 22.5 7.8 10.8 9.0 66.1 2 Manvers St Car Park 20 Off 12.0 22.5 13.2 9.6 7.0 64.3 3 Manvers St (On-street) 7 On 17.0 20.0 7.8 11.4 7.0 63.2 4

Royal Avenue 14 On 9.0 25.0 10.8 7.2 8.0 60.0 5

Grand Parade 3 On 12.0 22.5 7.8 8.4 8.0 58.7 6

Orange Grove 2 On 12.0 25.0 7.8 8.4 5.0 58.2 7

Pulteney Road 7 On 16.0 15.0 6.0 12.6 8.0 57.6 8 Green Park Road 6 On 17.0 15.0 8.4 9.6 7.0 57.0 9

Pickfords 27 Off 17.0 15.0 11.4 9.6 4.0 57.0 9

Beazer House 19 Off 17.0 15.0 10.2 9.6 4.0 55.8 11

Rossiter Road 6 On 13.0 15.0 6.0 13.2 7.0 54.2 12 Cricket Club Car Park 15 Off 14.0 15.0 10.8 8.4 3.0 51.2 13

Stanier Road 40+ Off 17.0 7.5 12.0 10.2 4.0 50.7 14

Homebase 40+ Off 15.0 7.5 12.0 9.6 3.0 47.1 15 Charlotte Street 40+ Off 3.0 17.5 11.4 9.6 3.0 44.5 16

Kingsmead Sq 12 Off 6.0 15.0 9.6 8.4 4.0 43.0 17 Green Park Station 20 Off 7.0 15.0 9.0 4.8 0.0 35.8 18 Table 7-7: Long Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Site Appraisal Results

Long Term Coach Parking Sites Appraisal

The top ranked site for potential future coach parking use is the Odd Down Park and Ride, which scores especially highly for the (heavily weighted) site characteristics criteria. It scores well in this regard due to the high numbers of spaces that can be provided there, because of its existing on-site facilities and its existing access that is suitable for the accommodation of coaches. The use of that site would also have limited townscape impact, helping to boost its Environment score, and would be relatively easy to implement for coach parking (compared to many of the other sites investigated), meaning it scores highly in that regard too.

The second and third ranking options for coach parking are the two potential Manvers Street sites, which also performed strongly when considering pick-up/drop-off use. With scores only slightly below the Manvers Street options, the next highest ranked sites are Stanier Road and Travis Perkins, which are two sites on the A36 further west in Bath (on the Lower Bristol Road). These sites suffer when considering ease of implementation, as both would require the purchase of private land and the demolition of existing buildings in order to convert them to coach parking. If the sites are converted to coach parking, however, high numbers of spaces could be accommodated, as well as good facilities for drivers (toilets etc).

Scores On/Off Ease of Coach Visitor Site Ease of Total Location Spaces Street Access Experience Characteristics Environment Implementation Score Rank Odd Down Park and Ride 29 Off 16.0 0.0 20.0 13.2 16.0 65.2 1 Manvers St Car Park 20 Off 13.0 0.0 22.0 9.6 14.0 58.6 2 Manvers St (On-street) 7 On 18.0 0.0 13.0 11.4 14.0 56.4 3

Stanier Road 40+ Off 18.0 0.0 20.0 10.2 8.0 56.2 4

Travis Perkins 40 Off 18.0 0.0 20.0 10.2 8.0 56.2 4

A4 Lay-By 9 On 16.0 0.0 11.0 12.6 16.0 55.6 6

Pickfords 27 Off 19.0 0.0 19.0 9.6 8.0 55.6 6 Green Park Road 6 On 18.0 0.0 14.0 9.6 14.0 55.6 6

Royal Avenue 14 On 14.0 0.0 18.0 7.2 16.0 55.2 9

Pulteney Road 7 On 16.0 0.0 10.0 12.6 16.0 54.6 10

Beazer House 19 Off 19.0 0.0 17.0 9.6 8.0 53.6 11 Sydney Place/ Sydney Road 7 On 16.0 0.00 10.00 11.4 16 53.4 12 Lower Bristol Road 13 On 15.0 0.0 10.0 13.2 14.0 51.6 13

Homebase 40+ Off 16.0 0.0 20.0 9.6 6.0 51.6 13

Rossiter Road 6 On 14.0 0.0 10.0 13.2 14.0 51.2 15 Cricket Club Car Park 15 Off 14.0 0.0 18.0 8.4 6.0 46.4 16

Kingsmead Sq 12 Off 11.0 0.0 16.0 8.4 8.0 43.4 17

Charlotte St 40+ Off 8.0 0.0 19.0 9.6 6.0 42.6 18 Green Park Station 20 Off 9.0 0.0 15.0 4.8 0.0 28.8 19 Table 7-8: Long Term Coach Parking Site Appraisal Results

7.4.3 Shorter Term Appraisal Results

The results of the appraisal of sites for the shorter term situation are set out in Table 7-9 and Table 7-10, for coach pick- up/drop-off and coach parking use respectively.

Shorter Term Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites Appraisal

The top ranking sites for pick-up/drop-off in the short term are broadly similar to those that ranked highest for pick- up/drop-off in the long term. When considering the shorter term situation, however, neither of the Manvers Street options, which were the third and fourth ranked options in the long term, can be included (as they are longer term options). Without these sites, Royal Avenue (which was ranked fifth in the long term) becomes the third highest scoring option, followed by Grand Parade and Orange Grove. Those last two options have many of the same benefits as Terrace Walk and North Parade, which are in the same general area, so they score well for ease of coach access and visitor experience. The difficulties associated with moving taxis, in the case of Orange Grove, or buses, in the case of Grand Parade, in order to accommodate coaches are, however, issues that would need to be overcome for their implementation.

North Parade 2 On 16.0 22.5 7.8 10.8 9.0 66.1 2

Royal Avenue 14 On 9.0 25.0 10.8 7.2 8.0 60.0 3

Grand Parade 3 On 12.0 22.5 7.8 8.4 8.0 58.7 4

Orange Grove 2 On 12.0 25.0 7.8 8.4 5.0 58.2 5

Pulteney Road 7 On 16.0 15.0 6.0 12.6 8.0 57.6 6 Green Park Road 4 On 17.0 15.0 8.4 9.6 7.0 57.0 7

Rossiter Road 6 On 13.0 15.0 6.0 13.2 7.0 54.2 8 Table 7-9: Shorter Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Site Appraisal Results

Shorter Term Coach Parking Appraisal

Few of the assessed sites are viable as shorter term coach parking locations. Of those that are, Odd Down scores significantly higher than any of the other sites.

The next highest scoring sites are the A4 Lay-By and Green Park Road. The A4 Lay-By performs well for ease of implementation and would have limited townscape/landscape/noise impacts, helping to boost its Environment score. The scope for provision of on-site facilities, is limited however, and the site is not close to off-site facilities, lowering its Site Characteristics score. Green Park Road would be convenient for road access from pick-up/drop-off locations, helping to boost its Ease of Coach Access score, it is also close to off-site facilities. It would however have a landscape impact, involving the loss of some existing green space, lowering its Environment Score.

A4 Lay-By 9 On 16.0 0.0 11.0 12.6 16.0 55.6 2 Green Park Road 6 On 18.0 0.0 14.0 9.6 14.0 55.6 2

Royal Avenue 14 On 14.0 0.0 18.0 7.2 16.0 55.2 4

Pulteney Road 7 On 16.0 0.0 10.0 12.6 16.0 54.6 5 Sydney Place/ Sydney Road 7 On 16.0 0.0 10.0 11.4 16.0 53.4 6 Lower Bristol Road 13 On 14.0 0.0 9.0 13.2 16.0 51.6 7

Rossiter Road 6 On 14.0 0.0 10.0 13.2 14.0 51.2 8 Table 7-10: Shorter Term Coach Parking Site Appraisal Results

7.5 Consideration of Use of Sites for Overnight HGV Parking

The majority of the potential future off-street coach parking locations, and some of the potential future on-street locations, could be used by HGVs for overnight parking. Such overnight HGV parking currently takes place at the Riverside Coach Park, which is planned to no longer be available in future. The ability/suitability of different sites to accommodate HGVs is set out in Table 7-11 below.

Site Suitable for HGVs? Facilities on-site for drivers? Reason for lack of suitability Manvers Street Car Park Yes Yes Stanier Road Yes Yes Pickfords Yes Yes North Parade No - Unacceptable townscape impact Royal Avenue No - Unlit at night so maybe unsafe Odd Down Park and Ride Yes* Yes Beazer House Yes Yes Homebase Yes Yes Terrace Walk/Pierrepont St No - Unacceptable townscape impact Orange Grove No - Unacceptable townscape impact Cricket Club Yes Yes Manvers Street (on street) Yes No Rossiter Road Yes No Grand Parade No - Pulteney Road Yes No Travis Perkins Yes Yes Charlotte Street No - Unsuitable access Kingsmead Square Yes Yes Green Park Station No - Unsuitable access Recreation Ground No - Sydney Place/Sydney Road Yes No Green Park Road Yes** No Lower Bristol Road Yes No A4 Lay-by Yes Yes Table 7-11: Ability of Site to Accommodate HGVs

* HGVs could be left at Odd Down overnight, but only if they arrive before the site entry gate closes (currently 8:30PM Monday to Saturday, 6:00PM Sunday).

** The longest HGVs may be too long to use the sawtooth coach bays proposed

7.6 Site Appraisal Summary and Conclusions

This section has described the potential future on-street and off-street locations for the accommodation of coaches in Bath. The merits of each site for use as pick-up/drop-off and/or coach parking has then been assessed.

To appraise the different sites, a methodology has been derived to assess them against a range of relevant criteria. These criteria fall under five main appraisal categories: ease of coach access and impact on highway operation, visitor experience getting to and from the site, site characteristics, environment, and ease of implementation. The sites have been scored against those criteria and weights have been applied to reflect the relative importance of each, with different weights being applied for the assessment of sites for coach pick-up/drop-off and for coach parking.

Two scenarios have been assessed – the long term situation, which looks for the best possible future solution, regardless of the timescale of its implementation, and the shorter term situation, which includes only those sites that can be more quickly implemented. The best scoring sites for pick-up/drop-off use in the long term scenario were Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street and North Parade, followed by two options for Manvers Street then Royal Avenue. The best scoring sites for coach parking in the long term was Odd Down Park and Ride, followed by the two Manvers Street options and two options on the Lower Bristol Road – Stanier Road and Travis Perkins. In the shorter term, the top pick- up/drop-off options remained the same, with the exception of the Manvers Street options, which would not be available. For coach parking in the shorter term, Odd Down Park and Ride was again the highest scoring option, followed by the A4 Lay-By and Green Park Road sites.

A final site analysis was undertaken to determine the abilities of the different sites to accommodate HGV parking overnight, as the Riverside Coach Park does currently. It was found that the majority of off-street locations and some of the on-street locations were able to accommodate this.

8 Potential Future Arrangements for Accommodating Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off in Bath

8.1 Introduction

The preceding chapters of this report have set out an evidence base for the development of a new strategy for coach pick-up/drop-off in the city, including a consideration of:

• Existing arrangements for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in the city and their popularity (Chapters 2 and 3) • Best practice for coach provision (Chapter 4) • The views of stakeholders (Chapter 5) • The levels of demand for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off (Chapter 6) • Potential sites for the accommodation of coach parking/pick-up/drop and their suitability (Chapter 7).

This chapter sets out potential future arrangements for the accommodation of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath. Options have been developed for both the long term situation, which looks for the best possible future solution, regardless of the timescale of its implementation, and the shorter term situation, which includes only those sites that can be more quickly implemented. The shorter term options would aim to address the more immediate needs for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath.

8.2 Requirements and Desires of Different Affected Groups

The future coach arrangements in Bath will need to reflect B&NES council’s needs and objectives, as well as those of coach visitors, Bath residents and businesses and the coach industry/coach drivers. Before setting out a potential future strategy for the accommodation of coaches, it is worth summarising the main requirements/desires of each of these different groups.

8.2.1 B&NES Council Requirements

The coach strategy has been developed by BuroHappold in liaison with a number of representatives from B&NES Council, in order to ensure that it is consistent with the needs of different services, including Transport, Parking Services, Planning, Regeneration and Heritage Services. The strategy aims to:

Identify a Suitable Replacement for the Riverside Coach Park

One of the primary drivers of the strategy overall, but particularly from B&NES council’s perspective, is the need for a suitable future alternative to be found for the Riverside Coach Park, in order to support the delivery of Bath Quays. A new site, or sites, needs to be found to replace the existing short stay (under 30mins) coach provision at the Riverside Coach Park.

Be Consistent with the Getting Around Bath Transport Strategy (2014)

Another issue of importance to B&NES council is that the coach strategy is consistent with other strategy documents for Bath. One of those documents, the Getting Around Bath Transport Strategy (2014), has three strategies specifically related to coaches that need to be considered:

GABA34 Develop an additional site where coaches can drop off visitors

GABA35 Find an additional coach park site near the city centre to complement the use of Weston Island.

GABA36 Investigate measures to restrict coaches from driving into the city without contributing to the local economy.

The Getting Around Bath Transport Strategy also sets out a number of measures for reducing the impact of vehicles within the historic centre of the city, which are relevant to coaches. These can be summarised as follows:

• Improved accessibility for people with mobility impairments; • A parking strategy that supports economic growth but at the same time reduces the amount of off-street spaces within the city centre; • Supporting greater use of public transport to reduce the number of cars entering the city; • Continuing to expand existing Park & Ride sites where possible to help reduce the demand for parking spaces within the city; • Better management of Heavy Goods Vehicles within the city; • Finding a new location for coaches to park once they have dropped visitors off in the city centre. The transport strategy for Bath acknowledges the role that coaches will have within the longer term vision for Bath, as a means of supporting the important visitor and tourism function of the city, but it also seeks to minimise the impact of vehicles in the historic centre of the city. Balancing these two potentially competing aspirations is one of the key challenges for the longer term management of coaches in Bath. Should the strategy not successfully balance these competing interests, there is a risk that the economy will be adversely impacted, with fewer visitors coming (by coach) to the City and/or the proportion of visitors instead choosing to travel to Bath by car increasing, exacerbating the city’s already challenging traffic and parking issues.

Be Consistent with the Emerging Bath Placemaking Plan

Another strategy of relevance to the choice of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off locations in Bath is the emerging Bath Placemaking Plan. It is the desire of B&NES council that the choice of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off locations are as consistent with that plan as possible (ie the use of a site as coach parking should not be contrary to what is proposed for that site in the Bath Placemaking Plan).

Encouragement of Longer Coach Durations and Preference for Provision of Long Stay Coach Parking

It is an aspiration that coaches are encouraged to stay longer in the city in future. This aligns with the B&NES Destination Management Plan 2017, which aims to increase the length of visitor stay and spend in the city, whilst continuing to deliver high levels of visitor satisfaction. Consequently, preference, in terms of parking availability, should be given to encouraging longer stay visits through the provision of more abundant high quality coach parking facilities in areas away from the central area.

In order to achieve lengthened coach durations, focus needs to be given to those coach tours that are linked to other cities such as Stonehenge and Windsor, which often only stay in Bath for no more than 2 hours at present. Lengthening those stays would require a fundamental behavioural change in the way coach operators plan their trips.

Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations that Reflect Geographic Spread of Attractions in Bath

It has been noted that many coach users are unable to walk long distances, so the coach pick-up/drop-off provision should be in easy walking distance of attractions. Noting the geographic spread of attractions within Bath, a B&NES council aspiration is that the distribution of coach pick-up/drop-off locations in the city should reflect the locations of the different attractions, ensuring that the main tourist centres are adequately served.

Avoid use of Central Sites for Coach Parking that Could Otherwise be used more Productively

Noting the impacts of coach parking compared to other potential uses, and the Councils requirements for the most effective use of prime city centre sites to deliver its Economic and Placemaking Strategic objectives, it is a B&NES recommendation that coach parking is not located on central sites.

8.2.2 Bath Residents’ and Businesses’ Requirements

From a Bath business perspective, coach passengers are an important revenue stream. The undertaken surveys indicate that coach passengers spend, on average, approximately £51 per person (despite a high proportion of people only staying for relatively limited durations in the city). With an average of 36 people per coach, and over 100 coaches daily in the peak season, that is over £180,000 a day being spent in the city by coach passengers. It is important for the Bath economy, therefore, that coach groups continue to be accommodated and encouraged into the future. Further, as was expressed by stakeholders, there is a desire for coaches to stay longer in the city, particularly overnight, to boost their already beneficial impact on the Bath economy.

It is important, however, that the accommodation of coaches in Bath does not have a negative impact on local people’s homes and businesses, or on the city more generally. The introduction of coach parking shouldn’t lead to a loss of existing amenities. It also shouldn’t be to the detriment of transport services used by those living and working in Bath, such as public transport and taxi services. Considering the already limited car parking provision in Bath, and the difficulties those can pose for Bath residents, significant reductions to parking should be avoided, particularly significant reductions in any particular area. Many of the other factors affecting Bath residents and businesses are picked up in the site appraisal and scoring exercise (which covers important issues such as noise impact and air quality impacts, townscape and landscape impacts, effect on traffic etc). Considering the above, some particular aims of the coach strategy to address Bath residents’ and Bath businesses’ needs would be:

• To maintain and increase the beneficial impact of coaches on the Bath economy they should continue to be encouraged through high quality coach provision, and it should be an aim to increase the length of stays of coaches, particularly the proportion of coaches staying overnight • The provision of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off should, as far as possible, not be to the detriment of existing local facilities/amenities. Large loss of car parking in any particular area should be avoided and other transport provision should not be removed unless suitable alternatives can be provided

8.2.3 Coach Passengers’ Requirements

Coach passenger experience is affected primarily by coach pick-up/drop-off arrangements. Coach passengers don’t necessarily care about the coach parking arrangements, as long as the coaches are able to get from the coach parking to the pick-up/drop-off points in a timely manner. The results of the passenger surveys indicate that coach passengers are very satisfied with the existing pick-up/drop-off arrangements in Bath, driven in large part by the pick-up/drop-off locations, which fewer than 5% of passengers were dissatisfied with. Those existing pick-up/drop-off locations are close to the main attractions, including not just the Roman Baths/Bath Abbey area (the most popular destinations for coach passengers) but also the area around the Royal Crescent and Assembly Rooms, which is informally use as a pick-up/drop- off point by many coaches. The proximity of pick-up/drop-off points to the end attractions is particularly important given the more elderly nature of coach passengers (with 35% of coaches on one of the surveyed days accommodating at least one passenger with a mobility impairment). To replicate the existing levels of satisfaction with coach facilities amongst passengers, major aspects of the existing provision should be retained, and the aim should be to:

• Choose pick-up/drop-off points close to coach passengers’ end destinations (matching what is in place currently) • Ensure a geographic spread of pick-up/drop-off points to reflect the distribution of attractions in the city. The majority of, but by no means all, coach passengers visit the Roman Baths. Approximately 30% of coach passengers visit No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Assembly Rooms, the Fashion Museum and/or their surrounding area. These visitors should be provided for with appropriately located pick-up/drop-off points

8.2.4 Coach Industry/Coach Drivers Requirements and Desires

Like the coach passengers, coach drivers expressed high levels of satisfaction with the existing pick-up/drop-off locations and operation in Bath when surveyed (with less than 10% expressing any degree of dissatisfaction). The drivers and operators, did, however, express some concern about the peak time conditions at Terrace Walk (by far the most used of the existing pick-up/drop-off locations). That location can become very busy, with the numbers of coaches wishing to use the area exceeding the numbers of spaces available at the busiest times.

Bath’s existing coach parking, at Weston Island, is much less popular with drivers and operators, and consequentially is used by less than 25% of them (according to the undertaken surveys). The reasons cited for the lack of use of Weston Island included its location away from the city centre (an issue for those staying for shorter durations), the welcome they receive there, and the quality of the facilities provided there. The lack of attractiveness of Weston Island is a significant contributing factor to the high numbers of coaches parking informally at different locations around Bath currently (reported by drivers to up to 35% of coaches on one of the surveyed days).

Considering the above, some of the main requirements and desires for coach operators and drivers are:

• Maintaining pick-up/drop-off points close to main attractions. Those currently used are popular with drivers and operators, so consideration should be given to retaining them. • For modifications to be made to Terrace Walk if it is to be included in any future strategy. These should aim to better accommodate the high levels of peak demand experienced there. • For an alternative more attractive coach parking site than Weston Island to be provided, which includes better facilities for drivers. • That future coach provision is mindful of drive time and coach driver’ rest requirements, remembering that drivers should be able to achieve their 45min rest if necessary (which is needed after 4.5hrs of driving). • That coach drivers are given a choice of locations to drop off/pick up and park that suit their dwell times.

8.3 Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Demands to be Accommodated

When choosing the potential future coach pick-up/drop-off and coach parking locations in Bath, one of the key requirements is that they be able to accommodate the anticipated levels of demand. The peak demands for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off were calculated in chapter 6 of this report. For ease of reference they are shown again in Table 8-1 below. These demands reflect the busiest conditions at the busiest times on the busiest days of the year. The vast majority of the time the actual demands will be significantly lower. Pick-up/drop-off bay requirements are based on a maximum waiting time at bays of 20mins, which is a compromise between the maximum 10 minute stay currently applied at Terrace Walk, and the 30 minute maximum stay applied at the Riverside Coach Park. Based on the observations of the benchmarking and best practice exercise (described in Chapter 4), this is a generous waiting time restriction.

Existing Requirements Potential Future Requirements (2026) Parking Spaces for 0-1hrs Stays 0 0 Parking Spaces for >1-2hrs Stays 7 9 Parking Spaces for >2-3hrs Stays 10 12 Parking Spaces for >3-4hrs Stays 7 9 Parking Spaces for >4hrs Stays 9 11 Total Peak Time Parking Spaces Required 33 41 Peak Pick-Up/Drop-Off Spaces Required 12 15

Table 8-1: Current and Potential Future Peak Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Requirements in Bath

When determining the numbers of pick-up/drop-off spaces to be provided, it was decided by the B&NES stakeholder group that a provision of at least 15 spaces should be targeted in both the long term and shorter term scenarios. This is to minimise the reduction in pick-up/drop-off provision that would be brought about by the loss of the Riverside Coach Park (in total 17 official pick-up/drop-off bays are provided in Bath at present). Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 121

8.4 Potential Shorter Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off

8.4.1 Choice of Proposed Locations for Shorter Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Priority has been given to coach pick-up/drop-off over coach parking when allocating potential sites in the city centre. Given the need for pick-up/drop-off to be a short walking distance from attractions, it is more important for those sites to be located centrally than it is for the coach parking locations.

The ranked list of potential sites for the accommodation of coach pick-up/drop-off in the shorter term are as set out in Table 8-2 below (as determined by the site appraisal exercise described in chapter 7). Based on the requirements/desires set out in section 8.2 above, two of the potential sites have been excluded from further consideration, namely Grande Parade and Orange Grove. In each of those cases, the use of the sites for coach pick-up/drop-off would mean the loss of other transport provision, bus stops and a taxi rank respectively, which couldn’t be adequately replaced. That impact on other transport modes would be to the detriment of those living and working in Bath, so has been rejected.

Location Maximum Spaces On/Off Street Rank Reason for Exclusion from Further Consideration

Terrace Walk/ Pierrepoint St 6 On 1

North Parade 2 On 2

Royal Avenue 14 On 3 Would be unable to adequately replace lost bus stops Grand Parade 3 On - Would be unable to adequately replace lost taxi rank Orange Grove 2 On -

Pulteney Road 7 On 4

Green Park Road 6 On 5

Rossiter Road 6 On 6 Table 8-2: Shorter Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Site Appraisal Filtered Results

Although up to 14 spaces could be provided on Royal Avenue, the inclusion of that many coach spaces would mean the loss of a significant number of car parking spaces (both public pay and display and resident permit holders) in a single location (70+ spaces). That would be unpopular with Bath residents and businesses and against the aspirations to limit undue impact on parking provision in a particular area. For this reason, it is proposed that no more than 3 coach bays would be provided in that location. Those coach bays could be introduced with the loss of only 5 parking spaces – it is proposed that that the coach bays would mainly be located on an existing section of single yellow line. Similarly on Pulteney Road, the inclusion of the maximum 7 coach spaces would mean a significant loss of car parking. It is proposed, therefore, that no more than 3 coach bays are provided in that location, meaning a car parking reduction of only 12 spaces, which are pay and display/zone 1 residents parking spaces (the impact of this car parking loss could potentially be minimised through timed conditions on bay use, with the spaces being available for coaches during the day [8am – 7pm], but reverting to car parking in the evening).

Based on the surveys of coach pick-up/drop-off demand, and council aspirations to match the existing levels of provision, at least 15 coach pick-up/drop-off bays spaces are to be provided. It is proposed that this number of coach pick- up/drop-off spaces would be accommodated through the use of the top 5 ranking available sites from the site appraisal exercise:

• Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street – 5/6 spaces • North Parade – 2 spaces • Royal Avenue – 3 spaces • Pulteney Road – 3 spaces • Green Park Road – 4 spaces • Short Term Pick-Up/Drop-Off Total – 17/18 spaces

This arrangement provides coach drivers with a choice of locations that serve the various city centre attractions and would mostly maintain the current coach pick-up/drop locations, which are popular with both coach drivers and coach passengers. Terrace Walk, North Parade and Royal Avenue (currently used informally) would all continue to accommodate coach pick-up/drop-off. The addition of Pulteney Road and Green Park Road locations would, on top of increased provision at Terrace Walk and North Parade, act to cover the loss of spaces at the Riverside Coach Park.

The locations of the proposed pick-up/drop-off locations, and their proximity to major attractions in Bath, are illustrated in Figure 8-1 below.

Figure 8-1: Proposed Short Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations and their Proximity to Main Attractions

The Terrace Walk and North Parade pick-up/drop-off locations are ideally located to serve attractions in the city centre, particularly the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and other popular close by attractions such as Sally Lunn’s. This is the area that the largest proportion of coach passengers wish to visit, so it makes sense to have the most significant coach pick- up/drop-off provision in this area.

The pick-up/drop-off bays on Pulteney Road would serve two functions, the first would be to supplement those on Terrace Walk and North Parade for city centre pick-up/drop-off at peak times. If the Terrace Walk and North Parade bays are full, coaches would have the alternative option of dropping off or picking up on Pulteney Road. This would be a suitable option particularly for coaches with more active passengers, such as student groups, for whom the slightly longer walk to the city centre (of just over 500m) shouldn’t be an issue. The Pulteney Road bays would also allow tour groups to take a very attractive entry route into the city, passing the Holbourne Museum and then travelling along Great Pulteney Street, before passing over Pulteney Bridge and entering the city centre along Grand Parade.

The pick-up/drop-off bays on Royal Avenue would accommodate visitors to the Royal Crescent and No. 1 Royal Crescent, as well as the Assembly Rooms/Fashion Museum, all of which would be within 500m of the proposed bays. The attractions in this area are already visited by a significant proportion of coach visitors to the city, despite the lack of coach provision. Formalising the existing informal pick-up/drop-off in the area would accommodate the demonstrated demand for coach access to this part of the city.

The Pick-Up/Drop-Off Bays on Green Park Road would aim to maintain, to a more limited extent, coach provision in a similar location to the existing Riverside Coach park. That location accommodates a significant proportion (approximately a quarter) of coach pick-up/drop-off in the city at present. The coach bays on Green Park Road would be able to accommodate the same groups that are currently served by the Riverside Coach Park – typically students and other more active groups.

8.4.2 Details of Proposed Shorter Term Pick-Up/Drop-Off Sites

Although it is proposed that many of the pick-up/drop-off locations would remain the same as they are currently, it is suggested that, with the exception of North Parade, the details of the provision in those existing locations is altered. The amended arrangements for coach pick-up/drop-off at Terrace Walk and Royal Avenue, as well as the proposed new arrangements for coach pick-up/drop-off on Pulteney Road and Green Park Road, are described below.

Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street

Although Terrace Walk is a popular pick-up/drop-off location for coach passengers and drivers (particularly due to its proximity to main attractions), it does become extremely busy at times, with more coaches arriving to the area than can be accommodated. This leads to operational issues, which were observed during the survey period and which have been reported by drivers. For this reason, it is proposed that measures are put in place to increase the capacity of the coach pick-up/drop-off provision at Terrace Walk. At present, only 2 bays are formally indicated, although three coaches can actually be accommodated in the marked bays, with two coaches parking one behind the other in the bay alongside the island. Three options for increased provision are proposed, which would bring the number of pick-up/drop-off spaces to either 5 or 6. These options are illustrated in Figure 8-2 and Figure 8-3 and Figure 8-4.

The first option, illustrated in Figure 8-2, would maintain the current arrangements within Terrace Walk, though it is proposed that the marking next to the island is extended to reflect its potential use by two coaches, not just one. The main change, would be the introduction of two new bays on the eastern edge of the island. These bays would be accommodated in what is currently the northbound lane on Pierrepont Street. To facilitate this, the central lane on Pierrepont Street would become northbound, instead of accommodating two short sections of southbound lanes as it does currently. The southbound lane closest to the Parade Gardens would be unaltered (though it would now accommodate through as well as left turning traffic at the junction with North Parade). It is understood that a similar arrangement was temporarily put in place, without adverse traffic impact, during works on North Parade, at which time one of the traffic lanes was set aside for drop-off, restricting through flow to two lanes. This option would increase the number of coach bays at Terrace Walk to 5.

A proposed alternative option, illustrated in Figure 8-3, would again introduce the new additional bays on Pierrepont Street, but would also reverse the circulation direction within Terrace Walk, with vehicles entering Terrace Walk on its south end and exiting from its north end. This arrangement would allow 6 coach pick-up/drop-off bays to be provided. It would, however, require the exit junction from Terrace Walk to be let turn only for coaches, as those vehicles would not be able to make a right turn out onto Pierrepont Street and get into the correct by before the junction with North Parade. The alterations to the exit junction onto Pierrepont Street would be beneficial for pedestrians, narrowing what is currently a very wide entrance that needs to be crossed.

If the clockwise option described above is deemed to cause undue impact on the shops located on the west side of Terrace Walk, an alternative clockwise option is as illustrated in Figure 8-4. That option would include two bays for continental coaches on the island side within Terrace Walk. Providing the bays on that side might be preferred by shop owners, but would potentially overprovide continental coach bays relative for the demand for that type of space. This option would include 5 pick-up/drop-off bays overall.

Figure 8-2: Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street Option 1 – Maintaining Current Anti-Clockwise Circulation

Figure 8-3: Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street Option 2 – Altered to Clockwise Circulation

Figure 8-4: Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street Option 3 – Altered to Clockwise Circulation

Royal Avenue

Royal Avenue is currently used by coaches for picking-up and dropping-off passengers, but there are no formal coach spaces indicated there. Instead, coaches pick-up and drop-off on the single yellow lines immediately to the west of the short lane that links Royal Avenue and the Royal Crescent. It is proposed that coach provision is formalised in this same area. Two coach bays would be provided on the existing single yellow line, as illustrated in Figure 8-5, which could mostly be accommodated without loss of car parking. Two pay and display parking bays would, however, be lost to allow the coach bays to extend sufficiently far to the west. The block of resident parking next to the single yellow line would not be reduced in size, but would be shifted slightly further west, reducing the pay and display parking on that side by two bays. A third coach bay would be located just to the east of the lane. Because the approach to this bay would be quite straight on, the coach bay would not need to be as long as it would otherwise be, meaning that it could be accommodated for the loss of only three pay and display car parking spaces.

Figure 8-5: Royal Avenue Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Option Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 126

Pulteney Road

It is proposed that coach pick-up/drop-off bays on Pulteney Road would be located in the area that is currently used for coach parking during Bath Rugby matches (at the southern end of the section between of Pulteney Road between North Parade and the roundabout with Bathwick Hill). These coach bays would be accommodated by converting some of the shared zone 1 residents/pay and display car parking spaces in this area to coach parking, as illustrated in Figure 8-6. In total, the inclusion of the coach parking spaces would reduce the car parking provision in the area by 12 spaces. The impact of this car parking loss could potentially be minimised through timed conditions on bay use, with the spaces being available for coaches during the day (8am – 7pm), but reverting to car parking in the evening.

Figure 8-6: Proposed Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off on Pulteney Road Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 127

Green Park Road

The Green Park Road Option would involve the provision of 4 new sawtooth coach bays on Green Park Road (on the curved section south of the junction with James Street West). These bays would be accommodated by taking some of the area of grass on the west side of this road, and moving the existing kerb and footpath westwards. Additionally, the existing bus stop on the northbound carriageway would be relocated slightly to the north, as illustrated in Figure 8-7, and the existing pedestrian crossing would be relocated slightly to the south. A number of existing street lights would also need to be relocated.

Figure 8-7: Proposed Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off on Green Park Road Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 128

8.5 Potential Shorter Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Parking

8.5.1 Choice of Proposed Locations for Shorter Term Coach Parking

The sites identified for pick-up/drop-off provision are not sufficiently large to accommodate all coach parking as well as coach pick-up/drop-off activity. Consequently, a separate site or sites need to be identified for coach parking in Bath. The provision of separate coach pick-up/drop-off and coach parking sites is consistent with the strategy applied in all but one (Windsor) of the locations examined in the benchmarking and best practice assessment.

The ranked list of potential sites for the accommodation of coach parking in the shorter term is as set out in Table 8-3 below (as determined by the site appraisal exercise described in chapter 7). The best performing potential site for coach parking in the shorter term was the Odd Down Park and Ride site, followed by the A4 lay-by and Green Park Road.

Reason for Exclusion from Further Consideration Location Maximum Spaces On/Off Street Rank

Odd Down Park and Ride 29 Off 1

A4 Lay-By 9 On 2

Green Park Road 6 On 2

Royal Avenue 14 On 4

Pulteney Road 7 On 5

Sydney Place/ Sydney Road 7 On 6

Lower Bristol Road 13 On 7

Rossiter Road 6 On 8 Table 8-3: Shorter Term Coach Parking Site Appraisal Filtered Results

With 29 potential spaces, the Odd Down Park and Ride site could accommodate the vast majority of the 33 coach parking spaces required in Bath at very peak times. As the site is not in the very centre of Bath, however, drive times need to be considered when determining its appropriateness for shorter staying coaches. In particular, drivers should generally be able to achieve their 45 minutes rest at the site (required after 4.5hrs of driving) if they wish to. Odd Down park and ride is 10 to 20 minutes’ drive time from the city centre, depending on traffic conditions, with the trip typically taking between 12 and 18 minutes. Although it has been proposed that coaches would be permitted to stay for up to 20mins at the pick-up/drop-off points, they would typically be expected to take no more than 5 minutes for drop-off and 10 minutes for pick-up (in line with current operation at Terrace Walk), particularly if staying for a shorter duration in Bath and wishing to achieve their mandated rest. In peak traffic conditions then, the time required to pick-up and drop-off, drive to and from Odd Down and take a 45minute rest is 1hr 40 mins. Any coach staying at least that length of time can use Odd Down and still achieve their 45 minutes rest, even at the busiest traffic times (at other times, when drive time is closer to 10 minutes, coaches staying for as short a duration as 1hr 20 mins could use Odd Down). The surveys of existing coach operation in Bath indicate that approximately 85% of coaches stay for at least 1hr 40 mins, and that at least 90% of the peak coach parking space demand is made up of coaches staying for at least 1hr 40 mins. Considering this, it is appropriate to provide the full 29 spaces at Odd Down Park and Ride, to make up the core coach parking provision in the city.

The 29 spaces at Odd Down would be sufficient to accommodate the city’s coach parking demands at almost all times, but would be just below the 33 required at very peak times. Additionally, there are a small proportion of coaches that do not stay long enough in the city (at present) to use Odd Down Park and Ride, as described above. For these reasons it is proposed that short term coach parking in Bath is accommodated at the following three sites, which ranked highest in the site appraisal exercise:

• Odd Down Park and Ride – 29 spaces • A4 Lay-By – 4 spaces • Green Park Road (extended use of 3 of the pick-up/drop-off spaces for up to 1hr 30mins) – 3 spaces • Short Term Coach Parking Total – 36 spaces

The accommodation of coach parking at the A4 lay-by site, which ranked second in the site appraisal exercise, would act to provide coach drivers with some choice in coach parking location. Particularly, it may be attractive to a portion of those dropping-off/picking-up on Royal Avenue, saving them 5-10 minutes’ drive time for a round trip compared to travelling to Odd Down at some times. Additionally, the provision of spaces at the A4 lay-by (in addition to those at Odd Down) would mean that sufficient spaces would be available in Bath to accommodate even the very peak coach parking demand (for 33 spaces). The spaces in this location would not be intended for long coach stays and it is recommended that stays in this location are restricted to 1.5hrs maximum.

Allowing short stay coach parking at 3 of the coach pick-up/drop-off bays on Green Park Road could accommodate the small proportion of coaches staying for under 1hr 40mins in the city, who don’t have sufficient time to travel to Odd Down for parking when traffic is busy. No more than 10% of the peak coach parking demand is made up of coaches staying for under 1hr 40mins, meaning that no more than 3 such bays would be required. It is proposed that the bays would be free for the first 20mins, to facilitate pick-up/drop-off, but would then be available for parking, at a cost, for up to 1hr 30mins. The parking charge imposed should be high compared to the charges in place at Odd Down to prevent any coaches from using these bays except those who have insufficient time to travel to the Odd Down site. Although 17/18 pick-up/drop-off spaces are proposed across all pick-up/drop-off locations in Bath in the shorter term (maintaining a similar level of provision to what is currently in place), the calculated peak pick-up/drop-off demand is for 12 spaces. This means that 3 of the pick-up/drop-off bays on Green Park Road could be made shared pick-up/drop-off and short stay coach parking without an adverse impact on pick-up/drop-off operation. Green Park Road would likely, also, be the least heavily used of the proposed pick-up/drop-off sites, making it particularly suitable for the accommodation of the dual use spaces.

Almost all coach parking provision would be outside the city centre, helping to avoid any loss of central sites that could otherwise be used more productively, and no proposed sites are inconsistent with the emerging Bath Placemaking Plan. Between them these sites should better serve the needs of coach drivers than the unpopular Weston Island location used for coach parking currently.

8.5.2 Details of Proposed Shorter Term Coach Parking Sites

The proposed arrangements for pick-up/drop-off at Green Park Road were described in section 8.4.2. Apart from modified signage, no changes would be required to those arrangements in order to facilitate the proposed number of shared pick-up/drop-off and short stay (under 1hr 30mins) coach parking bays. The details of the other proposed sites for coach parking in the shorter term are as set out below.

Odd Down Park and Ride

The proposed arrangements for coach parking at the Odd Down Park and Ride site in the short term (as prepared by Jubb Consulting Engineers) are illustrated in Figure 8-8. The coach parking would be provided in the area immediately to the left on entry to the Park and Ride site. There will be no loss of car parking spaces at the P&R to accommodate coaches from that currently consented. In total, 29 new coach parking bays would be provided.

A number of facilities for coach drivers are proposed for the site, including toilets, toilet waste disposal, water supply and rubbish bins. These facilities, which wouldn’t all be available at the other coach parking sites, should help to make Odd Down the most attractive site for most coach drivers.

Figure 8-8: Proposed Coach Parking at Odd Down Park and Ride (Prepared by Jubb Consulting Engineers).

A4 Lay-By

The A4 lay-by, located to the west of Bath on the westbound section of dual carriageway approaching the Globe roundabout, is currently used formally for coach parking during the Bath Christmas Market. It is also used informally for coach parking at other times. It is proposed to formalise the use of this area for coach parking year round, with up to 4 coaches being accommodated, as illustrated in in Figure 8-9 (and Appendix B). Very little modification would be required to what is in place currently and no physical changes would be required to the lay-by itself – the use of part of the lay-by for coach parking would simply need to be marked and signed. Even with 4 parked coaches, space would still be available in the lay-by for other vehicles, sufficient for the accommodation of 6 cars. To keep the impact on other vehicles to a minimum, some or all of the coach spaces could be made available to other vehicles outside the peak months of coach activity, and/or outside daytime hours. The spaces in this location would not be intended for long coach stays and it is recommended that stays here are restricted to 1.5hrs maximum.

Figure 8-9: A4 Lay-By Coach Parking Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 131

8.6 Potential Long Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off

8.6.1 Choice of Proposed Locations for Long Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off

A potential arrangement has already been proposed for pick-up/drop-off in the city in the shorter term. One of the factors that influenced the choice of shorter term option, however, was the potential timescale of implementation of the potential sites, which may have excluded some of the otherwise best performing locations. The aim for the longer term, however, is to find the best possible solution, which may be different to what is achievable in the shorter term. To determine whether an even better long term solution is available, the ranked list of potential pick-up/drop-off sites for the long term, as set out in Table 8-4 below, needs to be examined.

Reason for Exclusion of Site Location Spaces On/Off Street Rank

Terrace Walk/ Pierrepoint St 6 On 1

North Parade 2 On 2 Inconsistent with Bath Placemaking Plan and excessive loss Manvers St Car Park 20 Off - of car parking in city centre

Manvers St (On-street) 7 On 3

Royal Avenue 14 On 4 Would be unable to adequately replace lost bus stops Grand Parade 3 On - Would be unable to adequately replace lost taxi rank Orange Grove 2 On -

Pulteney Road 7 On 5

Green Park Road 6 On 6 Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of pick-up/drop-off bays wouldn’t be cost effective Pickfords 27 Off - or a productive use of the site Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of pick-up/drop-off bays wouldn’t be cost effective Beazer House 19 Off - or a productive use of the site

Rossiter Road 6 On 7

Cricket Club Car Park 15 Off 8 Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of pick-up/drop-off bays wouldn’t be cost effective Stanier Road 40+ Off - or a productive use of the site Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of pick-up/drop-off bays wouldn’t be cost effective Homebase 40+ Off - or a productive use of the site Whilst in B&NES ownership and very central, access to the Charlotte Street 40+ Off 9 site via Queen Square is restricted.

Kingsmead Sq 12 Off 10

Green Park Station 20 Off - Table 8-4: Long Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Site Filtered Appraisal Results

The top performing sites in the short term assessment, which have been chosen as the proposed pick-up/drop-off sites for that timescale, are also among the top performing sites in the long term. Terrace Walk and North Parade are still the two highest performing options, with Royal Avenue coming in fourth, Pulteney Road fifth and Green Park Road sixth.

A number of sites that performed well in the initial site appraisal have been excluded from further consideration for different reasons. The use of the Manvers Street Car Park site, for instance (which might in other circumstances be a good location for pick-up/drop-off combined with an element of coach parking given its location close to major attractions) would not be consistent with the emerging Bath Placemaking Plan, and its use would involve the loss of a significant number of parking spaces (at least 80), contrary to the aspiration to limit such reductions. It has therefore been removed from further consideration. Also excluded have been those sites that would involve the purchase of large sites currently used for other purposes, including Pickfords, Beazer House, Stanier Road and Homebase. It would not be cost effective to purchase these sites to convert to relatively small numbers of coach pick-up/drop-off spaces. These sites are lower ranked than the existing pick-up/drop-off locations in any case.

The strategy to provide 17 or 18 pick-up/drop-off spaces in the short term, would mean that, even if coach demand increased into the future (up to the predicted peak requirement for 15 pick-up/drop-off spaces in 2026), the shorter term pick-up/drop-off arrangement would still be sufficient to accommodate the anticipated coach demand in the long term. There would be no capacity need therefore to include additional sites to increase the provision of pick-up/drop-off bays.

The only possible change to the short term provision might be the inclusion, in the longer term, of the Manvers Street on-street coach pick-up/drop-off option, which was the third best performing site in the appraisal exercise. The inclusion of this option, which could accommodate up to 7 pick-up/drop-off bays, should be considered if, even post proposed improvements, Terrace Walk is observed to struggle to accommodate the coach demands placed on it in future. In that case, Manvers Street could replace Terrace Walk, providing at least one additional bay in a less constrained site. The close proximity of Manvers Street to Terrace Walk would make it a suitable replacement.

8.6.2 Details of Potential Use of Manvers Street On-Street for Pick-Up/Drop-Off in the Long Term

The potential arrangement for coach bays on Manvers Street is illustrated in Figure 8-10 below.

Figure 8-10: Manvers Street On-Street Potential Long Term Coach Pick-Up/Drop-Off Location Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 133

This option would rely on the addition of a new road connection between South Parade and Railway Place, which is proposed as part of the emerging Bath Placemaking Plan. If that road is delivered, it is proposed that the existing section of Manvers Street between Railway Place/Dorchester Street and South Parade could become one-way northbound, with southbound traffic being accommodated on the new road link from South Parade to Railway Place. This would allow one of the two existing lanes on Manvers Street to be converted to coach bays, with up to 7 bays being potentially included.

8.7 Potential Long Term Approach for the Accommodation of Coach Parking

8.7.1 Choice of Proposed Locations for Long Term Coach Parking

When considering coach parking, it may be the case that better options are available in the long term than were available (and have been proposed) for the shorter term. To determine whether an even better long term coach parking solution is available, the ranked list of potential coach parking sites for the long term, as set out in Table 8-5 below, needs to be examined.

Location Maximum Spaces On/Off Street Rank Reason for Exclusion from Further Consideration

Odd Down Park and Ride 29 Off 1 Inconsistency with Bath Placemaking Plan and excessive loss Manvers St Car Park 20 Off - of car parking in city centre

Manvers St (On-street) 7 On 2 Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of coach parking bays wouldn’t be cost effective or Stanier Road 40+ Off - a productive use of the site Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of coach parking bays wouldn’t be cost effective or Travis Perkins 40 Off - a productive use of the site

A4 Lay-By 9 On 3 Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of coach parking bays wouldn’t be cost effective or Pickfords 27 Off - a productive use of the site

Green Park Road 6 On 4

Royal Avenue 14 On 5

Pulteney Road 7 On 6 Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of coach parking bays wouldn’t be cost effective or Beazer House 19 Off - a productive use of the site

Sydney Place/ Sydney Road 7 On 7

Lower Bristol Road 13 On 8 Acquisition and conversion of large site to provide a small number of coach parking bays wouldn’t be cost effective or Homebase 40+ Off - a productive use of the site

Rossiter Road 6 On 9

Cricket Club Car Park 15 Off 10

Kingsmead Sq 12 Off 11

Charlotte St 40+ Off 12

Green Park Station 20 Off 13 Table 8-5: Long Term Coach Parking Site Filtered Appraisal Results

Odd Down, which was the top performing site in the shorter term coach parking site appraisal, and which was chosen as the main proposed coach parking site for that timescale, is also the top performing site in the long term. That site should, therefore, remain the primary coach parking site in the city in the longer term.

As Odd Down would continue to form the bulk of the city’s coach parking provision in the long term, any other sites used would only be supplementing that provision, and would not need to accommodate large numbers of spaces. For that reason, those options that would involve the purchase of large sites currently used for other purposes, including Pickfords, Beazer House, Stanier Road and Homebase, have been excluded from further consideration. It would not be cost effective to purchase and convert a large privately owned site to perform such a supplementary coach parking role.

The Manvers Street Car Park site has been excluded for its inconsistency with the Bath Placemaking Plan, and for the large numbers of car parking spaces that would be lost if it were converted to coach parking. The Manvers Street on- street site scored highly as a potential coach parking site, but if that location were to become available in future it would be better suited for potential use as a coach pick-up/drop-off site, with its proximity to city centre attractions such as the Roman Baths being advantageous in that regard.

The main potential future change to coach parking in the city might be an increase in the numbers of spaces provided in the long term. There may be an increase in future coach parking demand if coach visitor numbers increase in line with growth predictions for general visitor numbers to the city – up to a calculated potential peak demand for 41 coach parking bays in the city by 2026. The coach parking provision in the city would need to be increased to accommodate that level of demand if it was observed to materialise over time. Additionally, the B&NES council aim to is to put strategies in place to increase coach stay in the city to at least 2hrs but preferably 3hrs in future. This aligns with the B&NES Destination Management Plan 2017, which aims to increase length of stay and spend of visitors whilst continuing to deliver high levels of visitor satisfaction. If the strategies put in place to encourage coaches to stay longer in the city (preferably for at least 3hrs) are successful, then the need for short stay coach parking provision could be eliminated. All coach parking could then be provided at Odd Down Park and Ride, where high quality facilities for coach drivers would be located. For this preferred scenario it is proposed that all coach parking in the longer term is provided at Odd Down Park and Ride. This would mean:

• 41 coach parking spaces at Odd Down Park and Ride in the Long Term

The coach parking provision at Odd Down would need to be increased from that provided in the shorter term in order to accommodate that number of coach parking bays.

If it is observed that a proportion of coaches continue to stay for under 1hr 40mins into the future, then provision for those shorter staying coaches could be retained at Green Park Road. The choice of whether or not to retain those combined pick-up/drop-off and short stay parking spaces should be based on future observations of coach stay and coach parking demand in the city.

8.8 Potential Phasing of Proposed Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Provision

This chapter has thus far talked about ‘Long Term’ and ‘Shorter Term’ when discussing the potential future arrangements for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath. It is useful, however, to set out a proposed timeframe for the implementation of different potential measures, based on observed and anticipated future needs. A potential timetable is set out below.

Short Term (by 2019) This phase would aim to address the two most urgent improvement needs identified by this study, specifically:

• Improving the popular but very heavily used pick-up/drop-off arrangements at Terrace Walk to increase capacity at that location. • Replacing the unpopular and underutilised coach parking provision at Weston Island with higher quality facilities at Odd Down Park and Ride supplemented with coach parking at the A4 Lay-By Site.

Medium Term (by 2021) Changes in this phase would aim to address the impact of the potential loss of the Riverside Coach Park on coach pick- up/drop-off in Bath. The proposed changes would therefore include:

• New coach pick-up/drop-off locations on Green Park Road and Pulteney Road • Formalised coach pick-up/drop-off on Royal Avenue

Additionally, during this phase coach operators would be encouraged to stay in the city for longer (3hrs +)

Long Term (by 2026) This final phase would implement the long term best solution for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath and would involve (provided there was an observed need):

• Expanded coach parking at Odd Down Park and Ride.

9 Parking Management: Use of Technology and Real Time Information

9.1 Introduction

9.1.1 Overview

This chapter reviews how the use of technology and real-time information can support the management of coach parking and coach pick-up/drop-off in Bath, helping to minimise the necessary resourcing and physical infrastructure associated with coaches, as well as ensuring that coaches are able to move efficiently around the city with minimal impact.

The three key areas of focus discussed in this section are:

• Management of coach operators and drivers experience;

• Management of the city’s transport objectives and support for B&NES Council operations;

• Management of coach passengers’ experience.

A market scan of alternative parking management technologies has been undertaken, considering each of the above. This chapter sets out alternative technologies that could be adopted and applied by B&NES Council, the key features of each, and how each of the parking technologies can support the three key areas identified above. Key market players behind the discussed technologies are also identified.

9.2 Background

The use of technology to manage parking is not an entirely new concept to B&NES Council. A Variable Message Signage (VMS) system is already in place to support parking facilities, and a portal, called MiPermit, is in use that allows coach operators/drivers to pay for coach parking at Weston Island, and to book a slot at within the Riverside Coach Park during the Bath Christmas Market.

9.2.1 Variable Message Signs (VMS)

The Variable Messaging Signage (VMS) system in Bath consists of two types – inner car park guidance signs within Bath itself, and outer VMS which are located on key strategic routes on the periphery of Bath.

The current system of 9 inner car park guidance signs shows occupancy data on the way to the car parks, allowing drivers to choose which car park they wish to use depending on how many spaces are available for parking. These signs help to alleviate traffic queuing and circulating within the centre of Bath. The outer VMS system consists of 4 signs displaying information including: parking availability, congestion, accidents, roadworks and events. Neither inner nor outers signs provide information on coach pick-up/drop-off or coach parking areas.

9.2.2 MiPermit

It is acknowledged that B&NES Council currently use an online portal called MiPermit to manage parking payments and permits. This portal is currently used to manage Christmas Market Coach Permits using the following process:

• Coaches book a 30 minute drop-off slot to offload passengers at the Riverside Coach Park;

• Coaches are then sent to a separate coach parking location;

• Coaches can book a further 30 minute pick-up slot at the Riverside Coach Park to collect passengers;

• Access to the Riverside Coach Park will not be granted outside of the 30 minute slots that have been pre- booked;

• Coach details are sent to patrolling enforcement officers hand-held devices in real-time.

MiPermit also allows pre-booking of coach spaces at the Weston Island facility.

9.3 Our Approach

Our consideration of the role of potential technologies for coach parking management in Bath has followed the stages set out in Figure 9-1. Initially a desktop research exercise was undertaken to examine the current parking technology market, the findings of which can be found in Appendix D. This research has been used to identify the parking technologies that are currently available and could be applied to coach management in Bath.

The next step was to identify what the objectives and requirements are for the system in Bath, considering the three main focus areas, which were the management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience, the management of the city’s transport objectives and support for B&NES Council operations, and the management of coach passengers’ experience. Based on those objectives and requirements, and considering the technology market scan, a number of potential technologies were then examined for use in Bath, and recommendations have been made for the adoption of those technologies considered most potentially beneficial.

Parking Technology Market Scan (included as Appendix D)

System Objectives

System Requirements

Consideration of Alternative Technologies

System Objectives and Alternative Technologies

Recommendation

Figure 9-1 – Overview of Approach for Assessing Potential Technology for Coach Management in Bath

9.4 System Objectives

9.4.1 Introduction

This section highlights the key objectives that the use of technology is seeking to achieve in relation to the management of coach parking and circulation in Bath. A number of objectives has been developed and are confirmed below for different groups.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• Provide seamless payment for operators and drivers;

• Provide seamless access to Bath’s coach parking facilities;

• Identify available spaces at both pick-up/drop-off and parking locations;

• Provide seamless route directions to available spaces.

• Provide an on-line pre-booking platform for pick-up/drop-off and parking.

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

• Provide support to B&NES Council parking enforcement officers;

• Provide a source of data collection for B&NES Council to analyse parking stock.

Management of coach passengers’ experience

• Provide a source of information for coach passengers.

9.5 System Requirements

9.5.1 Introduction

Following on from the identification of the system objectives, a range of system requirements are set out below to support the achievement of the objectives.

Management of coach operators and drivers experience a) Seamless Payment

• The system will provide a seamless experience for the driver or operator to pay for parking if and where parking charges are in place

• The system will offer a range of options for the payment of parking

• The system will adopt the coach parking payment structure set out within the Bath Coach Parking Study

• The system will integrate with or be consistent with any tools the operators currently use, in particular for routing. b) Seamless Access

• The technology should allow operators and drivers to easily access coach parking facilities across Bath

• The technology itself should be accessible to all operators and drivers. c) Seamless Route Directions

• The technology should direct the driver to a facility where there are available coach parking spaces, and then direct them into a free space

• The technology might offer the driver the opportunity to book a space.

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations a) Enforcement

• The system should identify (and if possible - prevent) illegal parking activity across Bath’s coach parking facilities;

• The system will be able to assist parking officers with the enforcement of legal parking;

• The system will support parking enforcement officers in identifying illegal activity across Bath’s coach parking facilities. b) Data Management

• The system will collect information that will allow B&NES Council to analyse the parking stock and record the movements/behaviour of individual operators and coaches;

• Any data collected by the system should be owned by B&NES Council;

• The system should be able to validate which operators and drivers are using which facilities.

Management of coach passengers’ experience a) User Experience

• The technology could inform the whole journey experience for the passenger, including booking a seat/ticket, planning their journey before and after the coach trip, and understanding where they are in their itinerary.

9.6 Consideration of Alternative Technologies

9.6.1 Introduction

BuroHappold’s market scan of the available technologies that might be applied to coach management in Bath is included as Appendix D to this report. This section describes the main technologies that emerged from that review as being potentially useful in Bath, and investigates the ways in which they might achieve the system objectives/requirements described above. In general, these technologies are not implemented individually, but are instead part of a holistic technology system that consists of a number of elements, including some or all of the below:

• An occupancy detection system (could consist of sensors, ANPR, RFID, etc.); • Parking management software/platform; • Variable message signs; • Smartphone applications (aimed at various end-users); • Other elements such as barriers and payment machines may also be required.

9.6.2 Parking Bay Sensors

Sensors installed on the ground within a parking space are commonly found in parking technology systems. The technology itself is relatively simple in that it detects the presence of a vehicle and feeds this data to a central database, and from there to real-time signage, apps or monitoring software. The value of this information to B&NES Council and the coach operators/drivers is significant, however, allowing them to understand the current situation for coaches and to adapt their behaviour accordingly. The advantages and disadvantages of parking bay sensors for different groups, and when considering different objectives/requirements, are set out below.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• Reduces congestion by assisting in guiding drivers towards empty spaces and away from busy areas. This would require data being fed from the sensors to a central database and onward, via an API, to coach drivers.

• Provides real-time information and is able to deal with peak time capacity.

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

Advantages

• Occupancy data is sent to a central database that provides valuable information for the improvement of payment, enforcement, and space management;

• Sensors are relatively inexpensive in comparison to other alternative technology (such as ANPR);

Disadvantages

• A physical sensor needs to be installed into each parking space in order to monitor the occupancy of a facility.

Management of coach passengers’ experience

• Potential for the system to alert passengers when the coach has returned to its pick-up point.

9.6.3 Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is a technology widely used in many parking technology solutions (many examples can be seen across the UK). ANPR is a basic sensing technology that uses cameras to record the number plates of vehicles as they arrive within the city and at parking/pick-up/drop-off areas. ANPR can also be used within a parking facility to identify whether spaces are occupied or unoccupied, whilst feeding this information to a central database in real time.

Collecting data on the number plate details of coaches would allow B&NES Council to check whether a vehicle is permitted/supposed to be at the pick-up/drop-off or coach parking facility, and also to gain data on the movement of coaches including the date and time of arrival and departure. ANPR allows the parking operator to streamline aspects such as entry/exit, payment and security. The potential impact of the implementation of ANPR for different groups is described below.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• To identify specific recurring users (for example, coaches making regular trips to Bath);

• To identifying whether coaches are parked or picking-up/dropping-off in the desired locations;

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

Advantages

• Occupancy data is sent to a central database that provides valuable information for the improvement of payment, enforcement, and space management;

• Collects data on the movements of individual coaches within Bath

• Date and time stamped information on coaches can combine with payment systems to check that parking time has been fully paid

• To provide enforcement support by triggering communication with those identified as being parked in an undesirable location

• Can be used to identify underutilised parking spaces which can then in turn influence pricing.

Disadvantages

• Relatively expensive in comparison to other alternative technologies (such as in-ground sensors and RFID)

• The data collected by ANPR cameras can at times be inconsistent

• ANPR cameras can look unsightly compared with other occupancy data collection technologies such as in- ground sensors.

Management of coach passengers’ experience

• To provide additional security through utilising the cameras for surveillance.

9.6.4 Radio Frequency Identification tags (RFID)

Radio Frequency Identification tags allow the entry/exit of vehicles to be monitored at a particular point. For the system to operate the vehicles would need to be provided with RFID tags to be carried on board. An RFID reader could then be included at the entry/exit point to a coach park, identifying a vehicle’s RFID tag and recording their entry or allowing them access/egress. RFID sensors are generally installed above ground, but can also operate with in-ground sensors.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience:

Advantages

• The ability to allow certain users a permit style parking experience (for example, all drivers can be given RFID tags which identify whether they are parked in the desired location);

• Payments can be made from an account linked to the RFID tag;

• Coach operators and drivers will have a certain level of control over their membership/account.

Figure 9-2: Smart Parking RFID Tag (source: Smart Parking)

Disadvantages

• Coach drivers without an RFID tag will not be able to easily access B&NES Council parking facilities (if access is linked to the identification of those tags).

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations:

Advantages

• Information read from the RFID tag is sent in real-time to a central database, allowing B&NES Council to identify coaches, and to monitor space occupancy.

• RFID readers could be located across the city to locate coaches in real-time.

Disadvantages

• B&NES Council would have to keep a record of which coach operators and drivers have RFID tags.

Management of coach passengers’ experience

• If RFID readers located across the city are able to locate coaches in real-time, this information could be fed back to coach passengers to let them know when to head to the coach parking facility to be collected.

9.6.5 Variable Message Signs

VMS can provide real-time information to drivers on parking availability in different areas. VMS can inform coach drivers of the areas where parking or pick-up/drop-off spaces are available, enabling coaches to proceed towards area where there are available spaces, cutting congestion and limiting the search time for spaces. The potential impact of the implementation of VMS for different groups is described below.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• Encourages drivers to use underutilised parking spaces by showing there is an abundance of available spaces;

• Allowing coaches drivers a better experience by providing them another source of information to easily guide them to available coach parking or pick-up/drop-off.

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

Advantages

• Prevents congestion from forming at facilities where there are no available spaces;

• Allows B&NES Council to dissuade groups from using certain facilities if necessary.

Disadvantages

• VMS needs to be applied alongside other parking technologies, as it requires parking occupancy/availability data to operate.

Figure 9-3: Park Assist APGS signage (source: Park Assist)

Figure 9-4: Car Park Guidance in Torquay (Source: Data Display) Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 143

9.6.6 Fixed Vehicle and Pedestrian Signage

As well as providing real-time VMS systems, the importance of fixed signage for both vehicles and pedestrians should not be overlooked. There are two main elements to fixed signage. The first is signage that is located around the city in order to allow wayfinding to be provided for coaches travelling to and from coach parking and pick-up/drop-off points within Bath. The second is pedestrian signage from the coach parking and pick-up/drop-off points to various destinations surrounding the area.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• Allows coach drivers to easily locate and travel to the coach parking and pick-up/drop-off facilities within the city.

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

Advantages

• Coaches will be less likely to get lost in the city centre and cause unnecessary congestion;

Disadvantages

• If changes are made to any destinations or attractions, fixed signage could be expensive to update and replace.

Management of coach passengers’ experience

• Wayfinding provided to nearby destinations will allow passengers to quickly locate things to do and see and then will also allow them to easily locate the coach park or pick-up/drop-off after their visit.

Figure 9-5: Bath Fixed Pedestrian Signage (Source: Pearson Lloyd)

9.6.7 Coach Parking Access Control

Entrances to coach parking areas can be managed through ticket barriers often paired with ANPR, RFID or more traditional ticketing systems. B&NES Council could utilise ANPR technology that records the number plate and time of entry of each coach entering a coach park, allowing the coach operator/driver to pay for parking using a number of options, and then allowing the coach to exit the coach park upon checking the full payment has been received. In this way, barriers may be used to allow authorised coaches (i.e. those who have paid in full for their parking time) to access/exit a coach park facility, but also to discourage unauthorised coaches from entering a coach park. Further features and of barriers include:

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• Certain barrier systems identify the individual coaches allowing drivers a user experience similar to having a permit for parking;

• If a vehicle/operator identification system is linked to the barriers, payments can be made from a linked account;

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

Advantages

• Barriers can automatically detect coaches that have not paid in full for their parking time or who should not be parking within certain facilities, and prevent their access/egress;

• Parking technology systems often integrate with barrier technology and can, for instance, count how many coaches are let through the barriers providing occupancy information;

Disadvantages

• Barriers disrupt the free-flow of coaches into parking facilities and have been known to cause congestion problems, particularly during peak times and when located next to busy roads;

9.6.8 Pre-Booking and Cashless Payment

Pre-booking and cashless payment solutions are commonly found in parking technology systems. The ability to pre-book a space is rarely seen at coach parking facilities, although Bath currently offers a pre-booking service during the Christmas Market. A cashless payment solution allows coach operators and drivers to pay for their parking time via an account that is set up to process payments against a credit or debit card. The coach operator or driver can access the service via a number of methods, including: smartphone application, text, online, or by phone call. The user commonly follows this pattern of usage: enter their location code (could be parking zone or bay ID), to choose how long they want to park for, and then to extend their parking time if required. The potential impact of the implementation of pre-booking and/or cashless payment on different groups is described below.

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• An enhanced user experience through an easy to use app, eliminating the need to physically walk to a payment machine or to carry cash;

• Pre-booking allows coach operators to organise a specific arrival/departure time to help create a seamless journey for the coach driver;

• Pre-booking could guarantee the coach driver a space at the coach parking facility;

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

• Simplified revenue collection compared to labour intensive revenue collection from physical machines;

• Pre-booking would allow B&NES Council to monitor how busy the coach parking facilities are, and whether there are any days, times or facilities where demand is particularly high or low. Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Page 145

9.6.9 Payment Machines

As the parking technology market develops, products are beginning to shift from the form of hardware to software, and as a result many private and public parking facility operators are moving away from physical payment machines. Some of the advantages and disadvantages commonly associated with physical payment machines are listed below:

Advantages

• Physical payment machines can be used by everyone as they do not depend on having access to a special type of technology;

Disadvantages

• They are often targeted by vandals and thieves even in the event that they only accepts credit/debit cards and do not collect cash;

• The physical costs of collecting the cash daily/weekly is labour intensive and relatively expensive compared to cashless solutions.

• Payment machines are not particularly aesthetically pleasing;

• If the network that they are connected to fails or drops out (even just for short periods of time) people can’t pay and the car park owner loses revenue;

• Manufacturers constantly bring out software upgrades and charge clients a lot of money for them.

9.6.10 Data Platforms

9.6.10.1 Data Management Software

The central component of a coach parking technology system would be the management software. This consists of a back office database that collects data from connected components of the technology system, and provides front-end analytics tools to enable the system owner/operator to achieve the maximise the effectiveness of coach operation. The parking management software would enable B&NES Council and the coach operators and drivers to benefit in a number of ways, including:

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• All collected data on available coach parking and pick-up/drop-off spaces could be provided to drivers, via VMS and smart phone applications. This would ease wayfinding and reduce congestion by assisting in guiding drivers towards empty spaces and away from busy areas.

• Parking management software is able to send alerts to coach operators and drivers.

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

• As all occupancy data available from ANPR, ground-sensors or RFID tags is sent to the central parking management software, it is able to support the B&NES Council in the detection and of illegal parking. The provision of that information to enforcement officers would ease the management of that illegal parking;

• Information and data on coach operators and drivers membership accounts is stored within this central location and is easily accessed by the parking operators;

• The parking management software also provides a window to manage the billing and revenue system;

• The parking management software provides the information necessary for B&NES council to monitor and understand coach operation in the city in a detailed way, and to tailor arrangements to observed needs.

Figure 9-6: Parking Management Software (source: Smarking)

9.6.10.2 Data User Platform

A data user platform would take the information collected by the different sensors, passed on by the data management software, and present it to end users (coach operators/drivers and passengers) in a useful, easily interpretable way. Smartphone applications tend to tap into this information through an Application Programming Interface. For coaches users, the provided information would cover things like coach parking and pick-up/drop-off occupancy. Additionally, the data user platform might allow the system users to input their own information, such as payment data. Features and benefits of a smartphone application data user platform include:

Management of coach operators’ and drivers’ experience

• All collected data on available coach parking and pick-up/drop-off spaces could be provided to drivers via a smart phone application. This would ease wayfinding and reduce congestion by assisting in guiding drivers towards empty spaces and away from busy areas.

• A variety of payment functions could be made available for coach parking, including pay and park and pre- loaded e-wallets;

• Coach operators and drivers are able to set up and control their own accounts and membership profiles;

Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations

• Smartphone applications can be used to allow parking enforcement officers to identify coach drivers who have been violating parking regulations.

Management of coach passengers’ experience

• If sufficient information is provided by the coach operator, a smartphone app could inform the whole journey experience for the passenger, including booking a seat/ticket, planning their journey before and after the coach trip, and understanding where they are in their itinerary.

9.7 Summary Assessment of Alternative Parking Management Technologies

9.7.1 Introduction

The matrix shown in Table 9-1 below illustrates which individual parking technologies help to meet the key system objectives set out earlier in section 9.4.

Parking Bay Sensors Sensors Bay Parking Plate Number Automatic (ANPR) Recognition Frequency Radio (RFID) tags Identification and Signs Message Variable Signage Fixed Management Parking Software Applications Smartphone Access Parking Coach Control Cashless and Pre-Booking Payment Machines Payment

Provide seamless payment for operators and drivers; √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Provide seamless access to Bath’s coach parking facilities; √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Identify available spaces at both pick-up/drop-off and parking √ √ √ √ √ √ locations;

Provide seamless route directions to an available space. √ √ √ √ √ √

Provide an on-line pre-booking platform for pick-up/drop-off √ √ √ and parking.

Provide support to B&NES Council parking enforcement officers √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Provide a source of data collection for B&NES Council to √ √ √ √ √ √ √ analyse parking stock.

Provide a source of information for coach passengers. √

Focus Area Management of coach operators and drivers experience Management of the City’s transport objectives and to support B&NES Council operations Management of coach passengers’ experience

Table 9-1: Matrix showing the Summary Assessment of Alternative Parking Management Technologies

9.8 Conclusions

9.8.1 Overview

This chapter has explored technologies that could be applied to improve coach management in Bath, for the benefit of coach operators/drivers, B&NES Council and coach passengers. Based on this analysis, a number of suggestions for technology that would be useful to introduce in Bath are set out below, along with a potential roadmap for their introduction.

9.8.2 Suggested Technology

It is recommended that B&NES Council consider the procurement of a holistic coach technology system, which would consist of a number of elements:

• An occupancy detection system – preferably ANPR;

• Variable message signs;

• Data platforms;

Additionally, it is advised that a review of fixed signage is undertaken to support the variable message signs and data platforms in guiding coaches and people to the relevant coach parking and pick-up/drop-off areas.

Each element of the proposed technology system is set out in more detail below.

Occupancy detection system – Preferably ANPR

It is proposed that the best form of occupancy detection system for B&NES Council to implement at a coach parking area would be ANPR. An ANPR system would collect real time occupancy and length of stay information. On top of that, and unlike an in bay sensor system, ANPR would also allow individual coaches to be identified and monitored, adding to the richness of data collected and helping to aid enforcement (by specifically identifying errant coaches).

Ideally an ANPR system would also be implemented at pick-up/drop-off points. As well as collecting occupancy and length of stay information, such a system would allow the coaches using different pick-up/drop-off points to be monitored and the times of that activity to be recorded. By comparing the information collected at the pick-up/drop-off points to that collected at the coach parking location, coaches that aren’t using the appropriate coach parking area could be identified. It is recognised that ANPR systems can be difficult to accommodate on-street in a way that is unobtrusive but still captures the necessary vehicle data. If ANPR is deemed too hard to accommodate for these reasons, an in-bay sensor solution is suggested as a potential alternative for on-street pick-up/drop-off locations.

An RFID system is unlikely to work as well for B&NES Council coach facilities, primarily because any new coaches entering the city won’t be fitted with the RFID tag required to identify and monitor them.

Variable Message Signs (VMS) and Fixed Signage

VMS should be a key part of the coach technology system, guiding drivers to the appropriate coach parking and pick- up/drop-off sites in the city. By providing drivers with site occupancy information it which would enable them to choose or avoid particular locations, as appropriate, easing wayfinding and combating any traffic congestion caused by excessive coach use of a particular area. Ideally, the VMS system introduced would allow B&NES Council to programme in routes that they wish for coaches to use to access various facilities in the city.

Fixed signage should also be provided/enhanced to guide coaches to parking and pick-up/drop-off facilities, and to help pedestrians to navigate to and from the city’s attractions.

Pre-Booking and Cashless Payment

The ability to pre-book pick-up/drop-off slots at Bath’s coach parking facilities throughout the year should be explored. In particular, the potential to use the existing pre-booking platform MiPermit. The ability for the coach operator/driver to use cashless payment should be provided, which could be accessed in a number of ways including: smartphone application, text, online, or phone call.

Data Platforms

All information collected by the occupancy detection system should be collated into back-end management software/platform that is owned and accessed by B&NES Council. This system would allow B&NES Council to monitor the operation of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off facilities, collectively and individually, therefore allowing B&NES Council to identify under or over utilised coach provision. It would also collate the necessary information for display on VMS. Any new parking management software that is adopted by B&NES Council should be able to link into the current MiPermit system that is used. This currently gathers vehicle registration plate details for coaches that book parking slots during the Christmas Market.

Front-end applications aimed at different users could be procured by B&NES Council as part of the parking technology system. The users of these applications would potentially include coach operators/drivers, coach passengers, and parking enforcement officers. For coach drivers, the front-end applications should aid them in identifying, locating and paying for coach parking in Bath. For enforcement officers the front-end application should inform them of any incidences of illegal coach operation, inform them of the location of those incidents, and the vehicles involved.

If B&NES Council wish to provide an application for passengers it is suggested that this could act as a point of contact between the coach driver and the passengers to inform them of the time and location of when they need to return to the coach. It is unknown whether an app of this nature has previously been developed or applied in any other location.

9.8.3 Suggested Roadmap

A number of parking technology elements have been suggested that could form the parking technology system for B&NES Council coach parking facilities. The information set out within this chapter, including the objectives and requirements for the system, can help B&NES Council to identify the types of technology and the companies that they may wish to engage with to procure each parking technology type. A possible road map that B&NES Council may wish to consider for the adoption of coach technologies in Bath is set out below:

Implementation Stage 1

Action 1: Undertake Coach Signage Review (vehicular and pedestrian) – this should be produced in the form of a report. The review would identify any gaps in the existing signage provision, and would ensure that a strategic and consistent approach was set out for all signage, to ensure an optimum user experience for both coach drivers and passengers.

This review should result in the identification of a range of quick wins and longer term strategies for Bath’s signage relating to coaches.

Action 2: Develop a detailed specification for a coach management system – this should be undertaken by B&NES Council and would include any preferred requirements and functions for the chosen technologies. This stage should result in an RFP which details the entire parking management system required, and should include the system elements recommended in this report.

Implementation Stage 2

Action 3: Initiate procurement exercise for parking management system - this can be done once the full specification from Action 2 is developed. The RFP would be issued to selected vendors identified through the Market Study (summarised in Appendix D) in order to procure a vendor to deliver a parking management system.

Action 4: Implement quick win signage improvements – this follows on from Action 1 and involves B&NES Council implementing any signage improvements that were identified in the Signage Review as being quick wins. The identification of someone within B&NES who will have overall responsibility for the implementation of quick wins is recommended to complete this stage.

Implementation Stage 3

Action 5: Implement new parking management system – by this stage, B&NES Council will have procured a parking management system and are now responsible for its successful implementation. The identification of someone within B&NES who will have overall responsibility for the implementation of the parking management system is recommended to be complete this stage.

Action 6: Implement remaining elements of signage - this follows on from Action 1 and Action 4 and involves B&NES Council implementing any remaining signage improvements that were identified in the Signage Review.

10 Management of coaches during events

10.1 Introduction

This chapter considers the implications of coach activity associated with major events in Bath, and sets out options for enhancing the coach management experience for events, to the benefit of coach users, coach operators, event organisers and the wider community.

The major events referenced throughout this chapter are the Christmas Market, Bath Rugby matches and major events held at the city’s universities. For each event, the current arrangements have been detailed including coach pick- up/drop-off and parking locations, the numbers of coaches and passengers, the frequency or timing of events, and the coach user experience.

A SWOC (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges) analysis has been applied to the current arrangements for each of the events. This analysis has been used to identify a series of recommendations for the enhancement of coach management for future events.

It should be noted that there are other events that occur throughout the year in Bath that have not been included in this chapter, including the Bath Half Marathon and the Fireworks Night event, however, the findings of this chapter are applicable to all events in the City.

10.2 Description and Analysis of Coach Management for Existing Events

10.2.1 Bath Rugby Matches

10.2.1.1 Overview

Supporters travelling to Bath Rugby matches have the option to travel by coach as an alternative to other modes like car or rail. Coach options are provided by Bath Rugby club for their fans to travel to both home and away matches. The club provides these coaches through partnerships with two local coach companies - Centurion Travel provide coach services for home matches, and Berkeley Coaches provide a coach for taking supporters to away matches. Additionally, the away clubs typically send a coach of their supporters to Bath Rugby matches at the Rec.

10.2.1.2 Pick-Up/Drop-Off Locations

For Bath Rugby home matches at the Recreation Ground, coaches carrying home supporters utilise four spaces on Pulteney Road for pick-up/drop-off and parking. The coaches use bays generally used for car parking (shared pay and display and residents’ parking), and Bath Rugby club pay B&NES Council for the use of those spaces. Passenger drop- off takes place more than 45 minutes before matches, and passenger pick-up takes place 30 minutes after matches finish, ensuring that coach passengers are not entering or exiting the Recreation Ground during periods of peak crowd flow. All coaches are scheduled to arrive and depart at the same time.

Arrangements for away supporters travelling to Bath are less formal, though they tend to drop-off their supporters on Great Pulteney Street, close to the ground. Similarly, Bath supporters travelling to away matches are picked up on Great Pulteney Street, in the vicinity of William Street.

10.2.1.3 Number of Coaches/Passengers

Centurion Travel provide four coaches to transport supporters from the local area to the Recreation Ground for home matches. These four coaches make a number of stops across the local area, depending on areas of expected travel demand – as determined by the locations of the supporters that have pre-booked tickets to travel. The coaches typically call at: Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Warminster, Frome, Melksham, Corsham, Radstock, Walburton, Devizes, Emersons Green, Kingswood, Hanham, Bitton and Midsomer Norton. The maximum number of supporters that could travel to a home match at the Recreation Ground is circa. 200.

Generally no more than a single coach (carrying 50-60 people) brings away supporters to Bath for matches, or Bath supporters to other destinations for matches.

10.2.1.4 Frequency/Timing of Events

Bath Rugby matches take place primarily between August and May each year. In the majority of cases, matches at the Recreation Ground take place on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Friday matches take place in the evening (after 7pm) while Saturday and Sunday matches kick-off in the afternoon. Other weekday matches (which are occasionally scheduled for Wednesdays or Thursdays) kick-off in the evening, similar to those on Fridays. Bath Rugby matches in the 2016/2017 season are listed in Appendix E.

10.2.1.5 Coach User Experience

Coach travel information is contained on the Bath Rugby website. For the purchase of coach tickets for travel to home matches, a link is provided from the Bath Rugby website to a Centurion Travel booking portal. The booking portal is simple to use and offers a choice of ticket type and pick up location to be selected. The ticket cost is dependent on the origin of travel, with tickets starting from around £6 from Bradford-on-Avon. Anyone looking to travel by coach has to pre-book a ticket and can do so up to 24 hours before a match. Supporters cannot turn up and buy a ticket on the day as the coaches do not provide a public service.

The supporters experience of travelling to the Recreation Ground by coach is straightforward, with coaches dropping supporters off on Pulteney Road in close proximity to the Recreation Ground.

Because the arrangement between Bath Rugby, B&NES Council and Centurion Travel allows only Centurion coaches to use the spaces on Pulteney Road on match days, it is easy to ensure that the bays are used only by the supporter coaches. Consequently, coach drivers don’t need to carry a permit to use those spaces.

10.2.1.6 Overview of Key Issues

A summary of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges associated with coach provision for Bath Rugby matches are summarised in Table 10-1 below.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES • Coach journeys present a low proportion of trips to • Good arrangements for coach pick-up/drop-off the Recreation Ground; nearby the Recreational Ground together with • The lack of a ‘turn up and go’ facility for spectators direct pedestrian link; not able to or not wishing to pre-book/pre-pay is a • Pre-booking and pre-payment of seats by coach potential deterrent to use, users is good; • There is a cost associated with parking on Pulteney • Coach services for home matches are flexible in Road (a potential weakness from Bath Rugby club’s their choice of route/stops, responding to demand; perspective); • The current arrangements adequately cater for • The arrangements in place for the management of existing demand levels; coaches associated with away teams appear to be • Use of supporter coach bays by authorised coaches limited. is easy to police;

OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES • There is evidence of a reducing number of coach • Plenty of opportunities for growing coach users; passenger numbers to secure a higher modal share • Identifying suitable locations for coach of all journeys parking/pick-up/drop-off should demand increase • Encourage coach use on days with high peak flows to include away fans; into Bath. • The price of coach travel is relatively expensive, • The cost of coach travel could be made dynamic to particularly when compared to car sharing as an reflect demand to change travel behaviour; option. • The booking of coach spaces by the Club/operator could be integrated with the existing/revised scheme for the City; • Through the provision of dedicated coach parking facilities for away supporters there could be a positive impact on reducing car use. Table 10-1: Bath Rugby Match Coach Provision SWOC Analysis

10.2.2 Bath Christmas Market

10.2.2.1 Overview

Bath’s established Christmas Market is held annually in the centre of the city. During this period, Bath experiences its busiest time of the year for coach travel to the city. Coaches travelling to the Christmas Market tend to be privately organised charters and tour groups. B&NES Council parking services provide a portal for coach operators to make bookings for their coaches at a (current) cost of £1 per seat. There are no arrangements in place between the organisers of the Christmas Market, Bath Tourism Plus and the coach companies regarding the management of coach customer experience in terms of cost of travel, booking of seats etc.

10.2.2.2 Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Parking Locations

During the Christmas Market, the Riverside Coach Park is used for the pick-up/drop-off of coach passengers. For 2017 and 2018 Christmas markets there are 13 spaces available at that location which have to be pre-booked, in 30 minute slots, for picking-up/dropping-off passengers. Those bookings are made using B&NES MiPermit portal. In 2016, additional pick-up/drop-off was permitted across the road from the Riverside Coach Park (in an area that was previously part of the old coach park) for coaches that hadn’t pre-booked a slot.

During the Christmas Market, off-street coach parking is provided at Weston Island bus depot (as it is for the rest of the year) – with up 85 spaces being available in that location Monday-Saturday and up to 35 spaces being available in that location on Sunday. Additionally, given the high demand experienced during the Christmas Market, coach parking spaces are also made available on the Lower Bristol Road, Wellsway and at Bath Racecourse. Coaches are able to pre- book parking at these locations, and each location has different potential durations of stay. Operators can see the potential durations of stay before booking, allowing them to choose the appropriate location. 10 marshals are provided across the various sites, who are all trained and hold a SIA licence. Coach operators are charged for parking at all of the above mentioned parking facilities.

Bath Tourism Plus and B&NES Council have established a working relationship in order to run the Christmas Market, with B&NES Council managing and administering the online booking system for the pick-up/drop-off slots for coaches and also taking responsibility for the operation and implementation of the coach arrangements.

10.2.2.3 Number of Coaches/Passengers

During the stakeholder engagement meeting for the Coach Parking Study it was indicated that up to 150 coaches arrive per day during the Bath Christmas Market – with an estimated 50% of Bath Christmas Market visitors arriving by coach. An increase in coaches of 10% per annum has been observed throughout the history of the market, with this increase expected to remain consistent and continue into the future.

Demand for coach travel during the market is likely to reflect the overall levels of visitor demand on different days. The market presents a fairly typical visitor demand profile, with Monday tending to be the quietest day, and Tuesday and Wednesday also being relatively quiet. Increased numbers of visitors arrive on Thursday, when the market stays open until later, and conditions become much busier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Saturdays are the busiest days overall.

On any given day, there is not a strongly defined peak travel time for coaches arriving or departing at the market. Coaches tend to arrive up until a couple of hours before the market closes.

10.2.2.4 Frequency/Timetable of Events

Bath’s established Christmas Market event is held annually in the Bath city centre, in 2016 the Christmas Market took place from 24th November-11 th December. The market opens at 10:00 each day and closes anytime between 18:00 and 20:30 during the period it is running (the market closes later from Thursday-Sunday).

10.2.2.5 Coach User Experience

The Bath Christmas Market website contains a page with detailed information on getting to the event by a variation of modes. The website directly recommends travelling by coach as the mode of preferred travel for attendees due to the popularity of the event.

Coaches visiting the Christmas Market are encouraged to use the online booking system provided by B&NES Council to obtain a 30 minute pick-up/drop-off slot at the Riverside Coach Park which is located centrally in Bath. This dedicated pick-up/drop-off time is likely to create a smooth user experience for coach passengers who will have adequate time to alight the coach at either end of their trip and will be picked-up and dropped-off at the same location, causing minimum confusion to coach passengers.

The traffic flow in Bath during the Christmas Market is much heavier than during the rest of the year. As the arrival and departure of coaches associated with the Christmas Market is likely to be fairly consistent throughout the day, with no defined peak, the experience of coach passengers travelling to the Market is likely to be of the lowest quality during general peak traffic hours as coaches are likely to get caught up in peak hour traffic.

10.2.2.6 Overview of Key Issues

A summary of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges associated with the Bath Christmas Market are summarised in Table 10-2 below.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES • Certain coach companies do not pre-book pick- • There is an existing pre-booking system in place for up/drop-off facilities coaches to park and pick-up/drop-off; • The large number of coaches travelling into the city • Coach passengers are both dropped-off and add to the busy city centre Christmas traffic; picked-up at the Riverside Coach Park which is • There does not appear to be an apparent overall located near to the city centre; travel plan for the Bath Christmas Market to • A large percentage of those travelling to the Bath understand the context within which coach travel Christmas Market travel by coach; sits and what strategy is for managing numbers of • An overall event management plan exists for the coaches. Bath Christmas Market, within which a section on coach parking management exists. OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES • If there is a change in arrang ement for coach • Improving the arrangements of the coach parking parking associated with the Bath Christmas Market, associated with the Christmas Market in order to how this is managed will present a challenge; improve the travel conditions for other road users • Managing the demand for coach parking is • As coach parking is charged there is an opportunity important, as a continuation of the rapid increase of for the cost of parking to reflect demand; coaches associated with the Bath Christmas Market • The event management plan can provide a good could overwhelm the coach parking facilities springboard for an event travel management available. strategy (travel plan) to look more holistically at how people to the Markets. Table 10-2: Bath Christmas Market Coach Provision SWOC Analysis

10.2.3 University of Bath Events

10.2.3.1 Overview

The University of Bath is situated in Claverton Down on the east side of Bath, approximately 3km, or a 10 minute drive, from the city centre. The variation of events held by the University can be categorised into the following types:

• Open Days

• Careers Fairs

• Sporting Events

Anyone wishing to travel to the University by coach may do so either by using existing commercially provided coach operators/services or by private coach organised by a school/college or team. Details of the coach parking arrangements for each of the above different type of events is set out below.

10.2.3.2 Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Parking Locations

In general, any coaches that are privately arranged to carry attendees to an event at the University are encouraged to contact the University to let them know the number of visitors, size of the coach, arrival time and contact details for information. Upon arriving at the University of Bath campus, coaches will generally be able to use the bus and coach drop-off point at the end of Convocation Avenue. There is no coach parking located on campus at the University of Bath. Any coaches that require parking after dropping passengers off are to use the general coach parking provision in the city.

There is no system in place to encourage coach operators to pre-book spaces pick-up/drop-off spaces at the University.

Open Days

Open Days present the lowest coach demand of the university events, with most attendees arriving at the university by private car. Therefore no special arrangements are put in place for coaches on these days.

Careers Fairs

Careers Fairs generate a large amount of coach traffic, with many schools and colleges sending coaches full of students to these events. As a result of the large amount of coach traffic, the University may open one of the campus car parking facilities to allow additional space coaches to drop-off and pick-up passengers.

Sporting Events

Sporting events are likely to generate less coach traffic than Careers Fairs but are more likely to attract coaches that arrive and depart at the same time. Special provision for coaches is not, however, generally put in place.

10.2.3.3 Number of Coaches/Passengers

The number of coaches arriving at the University of Bath campus is dependent on the event, as described below.

Open Days

Despite the University open days attracting up to 16,000 people, they place a very small demand on coaches, with most attendees arriving at the university by private car.

Careers Fairs

At Careers Fairs a large number of attendees travel by coach, and up to 60 coaches may arrive or depart the University campus over the course of a day. This number of coaches can place a significant strain on the pick-up/drop-off arrangements at the University, but also on the coach parking facilities throughout the city more generally. The arrival and departure of these coaches is likely to be staggered across the day to enhance the organisation of the day itself.

Sporting Events

The number of coaches arriving and departing the University campus on the day of a sporting event is dependent on the event that is being held that day. Any teams arriving for events at the University sports facilities are likely to arrive by coach, with the coaches associated with an event being likely to arrive and depart at the same time.

10.2.3.4 Frequency/Timetable of Events

Open Days

There are different kinds of open days that take place at the university each year: big open days (three per year), UCAS open days, and department open days (which run from Oct –Apr every Wednesday)

The three big 2017 open days are on the following dates:

• Thursday 15 June 2017

• Friday 16 June 2017

• Saturday 16 September 2017

All of the above Open Days take place from 9.30am to 4pm. The number of people attending these events varies hugely between events - the big open days attract anywhere from 11,000 to 16,000 people, departmental open days can attract anywhere between 40 and 2,000 people, and UCAS open days can attract up to 11,000 people.

Careers Fairs

Three key careers fairs are held at the University throughout the year, the name, date and time of the last three events are shown below:

• Autumn Careers Fair – Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October 2016 (11am-4pm)

• Summer Internships Fair - Friday 25 November 2016 (10am-3pm)

• Graduate Recruitment Fair – Tuesday 25 April 2017 (10am-3pm)

Careers Fairs attract around 2,000 people. The arrival and departure profile for these events is likely to be staggered throughout the day to enhance the event itself.

Sporting Events

A large variety of sporting events are held at the University of Bath each year. Major sporting events from November and December 2016 are presented in Table 10-3 below for information. As shown, events are held frequently and there is likely to be more than one held each week. There is a good mix of all-day events (including events that run over more than one day) and events that are held in the evening from 6.30-8.00pm. The number of people attending sporting events varies from 100 to 3,000.

Coaches arriving for sporting events at the University tend to arrive and depart at around the same times.

Event Date Time BUCS Super Rugby: Univ ersity of Bath v November 2 2016 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Durham University

Strength in Depth November 4 - November 6 2016 All Day

BUCS Super Rugby: University of Bath v November 9 2016 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Northumbria University Indoor Wheelchair Tennis November 15 - November 19 2016 All Day Championships BUCS Super Rugby: University of Bath v November 23 2016 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm University of Exeter South West Trampolining December 4 2016 All Day Championships BUCS Super Rugby: University of Bath v December 7 2016 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Hartpury College Table 10-3: Selection of Main Sporting Events at the University of Bath Sporting in November/December 2016

10.2.3.5 Coach User Experience

Within the Open Days section of the University of Bath website there is a page on getting to the University. This page includes a good level of detail on how to travel to the University by train, bus, park and ride, car and coach. The information provided includes service frequency, journey time and cost of transport.

Within the information on the University of Bath website, those wishing to travel to the University by coach are encouraged to book a seat through either Megabus or National Express. These services arrive in Bath at the bus station in the city centre. From the bus station it is recommended that coach passengers catch one of the regular bus services or a taxi to the University of Bath campus. This is likely to lead to a lower quality coach user experience than the experience of those passengers travelling as part of a private coach group that gets dropped off at the University coach drop-off point.

The booking and payment experience associated with coach journeys to the University is also likely to vary, as this involves dealing with a variety of private coach operators, each of whom has their own booking systems. The University itself does not facilitate any booking and payment for coach services.

10.2.3.6 Overview of Key Issues

A summary of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges associated with the University of Bath are summarised in the table below:

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES • On the day of major sporting events, a large • The University provide their own coach pick- number of coaches will arrive and depart the up/drop-off location on site university at the same time; • The University have previously staggered the • The large number of coaches generated by events running of various events so that they do not such as sporting events and careers fairs are overlap one another; required to find parking in Bath after dropping- • The University assist the operation of coach parking off/picking-up at the University. by opening up their coach parking facilities to enable additional pick-up/drop-off capacity during the busiest times; • The university provide coach travel information on their website. OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES • Ensuring that the large number of coaches • It is within the power of the University to avoid generated by Careers Fairs and large Sporting clashing events; Events do not have a detrimental impact on the • There is an opportunity to influence the parking coach parking facilities across Bath. location of coaches after pick-up/drop-off at the University. Table 10-4: Bath University Event Coach Provision SWOC Analysis

10.3 Coach Parking Locations for Major Events

10.3.1 Introduction

A number of coach parking locations across Bath are available for coaches to park at during major events. Each of these locations are illustrated in Figure 10-1, and are described in the sections below.

10.3.2 Weston Island Description

Weston Island is the main location for coach parking in Bath, and is available year round. The use of the site is subject to a lease between B&NES Council and First Bus. The site is located approximately 3.5km from the city centre in western Bath. Up to 85 spaces are available for coach parking Monday-Saturday, reducing to 35 spaces on Sundays, when local bus service frequency is less and more First buses are parked.

The Weston Island site is open to coaches daily between 9.30 and 18:00 and coach drivers must pay to use it. Charges vary from between £5 for 2-hours to £16 for over 8-hours and can be paid either in cash at the time or in advance through the MiPermit system. Coaches cannot enter the depot with passengers on board, so it is a site for coach parking only and no pick-up/drop-off occurs there - it is too far from the city centre to be useful in this regard in any case. Facilities provided on-site include toilets, a washroom, food and drink vending machines, and a free return journey to the city centre via bus route 5, which operates from Twerton High Street.

Figure 10-1: Bath Pick-Up/Drop-Off and Parking Locations for Major Events

10.3.3 Bath Racecourse Description

The Bath Racecourse coach parking site is available during the Bath Christmas Market, and can accommodate coaches between the hours of 8am and 5pm. The site is too far from tourist attractions to be used for pick-up/drop-off, so is used solely as a coach park. This is an off-street location and there are no facilities available at the site for coach drivers. The nearest food, drink and toilets are at the Blathwayt Arms public house, which is a 16 minute walk from the site.

10.3.4 Lower Bristol Road Description

The Lower Bristol Road coach parking site is available during the Bath Christmas Market, and can accommodate coaches between 8am and 9pm. The site is too far from tourist attractions to be used for pick-up/drop-off, so is used solely for coach parking. This is an on-street location and no facilities are available for coach drivers, either at the site itself or close-by. Coach parking on-street in this location may have an impact on peak traffic along the busy Lower Bristol Road during the Christmas market.

10.3.5 Wellsway Description

The Wellsway accommodates coaches between 8am and 9pm during the Bath Christmas Market. The site is too far from tourist attractions to be used for pick-up/drop-off, so is used solely for coach parking. This is an on-street location and no facilities are available for coach drivers at the site itself. The nearest food, drink and toilets are at the Red Lion public house, which is a 10-minute walk from the site.

10.4 Conclusions and Recommended Next Steps

10.4.1 Conclusions

There are a number of major events held at various locations across Bath throughout the year, for the purposes of this report we have looked at: Bath Rugby Matches, the Bath Christmas Market and events associated with the University of Bath.

Across these major events, the existing coach arrangements present a range of strengths and opportunities:

• The major events that are detailed within this chapter are relatively well dispersed across the year with the exception of Christmas time where the Bath Christmas Markets and some Bath Rugby matches are likely to clash, also some University Open Day’s may clash with Bath Rugby matches;

• Some events actively promote coach travel either through private coach arrangements or use of commercially operated services such as Megabus and National Express;

• There is accepted practice of charging for coach parking spaces;

• There is some evidence of the use of the Council’s MiPermit pre-booking system for parking spaces;

• The management of coaches at each event is flexible, responding to the needs of the event itself and the organising body;

• In the case of events that have a close link to the coach operator there is the potential to introduce dynamic pricing of passenger coach tickets to encourage more people to travel by coach rather than by other modes;

• In the case of one type of event (Bath Rugby matches) the pre-booking of coach seats, and the ability for coaches to respond to demand by offering pick-ups close to the event-goers point of origin, provides a great incentive to the user.

A number of weaknesses and challenges are also presented by the current coach parking arrangements, including:

• There does not appear to be an overarching set of guidelines for coach management at events across Bath as a whole, with individual event organisers left to manage their own arrangements in an inconsistent manner;

• There does not appear to be an overall strategy for visitor travel/event goer travel in Bath as a subset of the transport strategy for the City, and it is therefore hard to ascertain what the forecast/desired level of coach parking levels will be in the future and therefore how it is best managed;

• The existing coach management strategy for the Christmas Market is well developed, but with a reduced Riverside Coach Park and potentially no facility at this location in future, providing sufficient space for pick- up/drop-off will be challenging.

• University events can cause significant traffic generation in Bath. When this coincides with other events, such as Bath Rugby home matches, traffic congestion can be very severe. Coaches are then caught up in subsequent delays.

10.4.2 Recommendations

Following on from the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the current coach management for major events in Bath, some recommendations and opportunities for a new and improved strategy are set out below, with the key assumption being that all actions are taken forward through relevant functional areas of B&NES Council, including Events Management, Tourism, Travel and Transport and so on:

• Develop a visitor travel strategy or event travel management strategy for the city as a whole, which extends far beyond parking and coach parking issues. This would be linked to what the city’s event/visitor ‘offer’ looks like, as well as Bath’s overall transport strategy, in order that travel and transport can support the attainment of the city’s visitor and event aspirations. This could contain a modal hierarchy which would be very explicit about the role of the coach as part of events, alongside other modes. The strategy could perform a number of roles, including acting as framework for event organisers, tour operators, coach operators and others to operate within. It could also be a more informative advisory strategy setting out good practice guidance, checklists and so forth to help the relevant groups to prepare for the travel and transport aspects of an event.

• With or without an overarching event travel management strategy for the City, consideration should be given to developing a City wide coach management strategy for events. As with the above, this would provide good practice guidance and a framework for groups to follow when planning for coach management of events. It would act as an umbrella strategy within which individual events would then develop and implement coach management operational plans.

• On the occasion of large scale events, particularly the Christmas Markets, where it is known there will be multiple coaches in the City, it would be beneficial to develop a parallel Travel Demand Management (TDM) plan for the event. Used with great success in other major events, such as Commonwealth Games, Rugby World Cup. Olympics and so on, TDM has resulted in the change in travel behaviour of up to 35% of the local community (not going to the event) thereby freeing up capacity on the transport network for those going to the event, ensuring the success of the event and the vitality of the area. Put simply a TDM plan ensures that those not going to the event have a full appreciation of when it’s happening, when different modes of travel are expected to be busy and what alternative options may be available. This enables that group to make the right decisions about how and when they travel or indeed if they should travel at all and in doing so reduce the overall disruption associated with the event. The TDM Plan would also involve local business engagement activity, aimed at reducing the volume of delivery and servicing vehicles in the area on event days, and also promoting the application of flexible working practices with staff to avoid busy days, routes and modes of transport.

• There are also a number of practical actions that could be taken which could be done in isolation of or contained within any overarching strategy which include:

• Develop a simple ‘ten top tips’ on coach management for events for promotion to event organisers through the Council’s website.

• Convening a major events travel forum to provide a network for event organisers to share and exchange ideas.

• Promote, to event organisers, the principle of coach operators being encouraged to pre-book their arrival times and parking or pick-up/drop-off spaces.

• On dates where Bath is heavily congested with coach trips from major events, it may be possible to deter unrelated coach trips by advising operators and party organisers that it is worth avoiding Bath at certain times.

In summary Bath already demonstrates some good practice with respect to coach management however the activities are very much at an operational level without much consideration of the role of the coach as versus the car, train and so forth as part of a promoted transport strategy for events. A more strategic approach for events with respect to travel is anticipated to be central to also ensuring coach management can happen more effectively.

11 Potential Coach Parking Charging Regime

11.1 Introduction

This chapter considers Bath’s existing coach parking charging regime, and benchmarks it against those in place in a number of other cities. Based on these reviews, and considering a number of key principles (as set out below) for parking charging, a number of recommendations are then set out for a possible future coach parking charging regime in Bath. Parking charges can play a number roles, including collecting revenue to offset the cost of coach infrastructure, but also potentially influencing travel behaviour to manage demand in the most beneficial ways.

11.2 Key principles

There are a number of key principles that the parking charging regime should aim to adhere to:

1. The level of charging should be calculated such that the revenue generated can cover the costs of maintaining the city’s coach parking. 2. The penalty for failing to pay the required charge should be a clear deterrent. 3. The level of charging should be such that it will have a neutral impact on Bath’s attractiveness as a coach destination. 4. The regime should differentiate between short stay and long stay parking. 5. The regime should be transparent, understandable and consistent. 6. The pre-booking of parking spaces and multiple repeat visits should be rewarded. 7. Any changes from the existing charges should be introduced on a sliding scale over a period of time.

Furthermore, the opportunity to consider variable parking charges to influence time of arrival and departure could be considered as well as some seasonal variation.

11.3 Existing Coach Parking Charging Regime in Bath

11.3.1 Bath Coach Parking Charges

Coach parking in Bath is currently provided at the First Bus Weston Island Depot. The coach parking charges in place at that location are as set out in Table 11-1 below. Charges vary from £5 for up to 2 hours, to £16 for over 8 hours. It should be noted that Weston Island only allows parking for up to 8 and a half hours, meaning that, in practice, almost no coaches really stay at Weston Island for more than 8 hours. After 8 hours, they drive to the Riverside Coach Park, which provides free parking after 18:00. Charges can be paid either in cash, at the time, or in advance through the MiPermit system. Any revenue generated from Weston Island is retained by First.

Length of Stay Charge Up to 2 hours £5 2 to 4 hours £8 4 to 6 hours £11 6 to 8 hours £14 Over 8 hours £16

Table 11-1: Coach Parking Charges at Weston Island

To discourage the illegal parking of coaches in Bath, B&NES Council issues Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) to offending vehicles. For lower level contraventions, the charge is £50, reducing by 50% to £25 if paid within 14 days. Since the penalty charge is only £25, it may not be a deterrent to the illegal parking of coaches in Bath (who often park at unofficial locations around the city).

11.3.2 Comparison of Economic Contribution of Coach Parking Compared to Car Parking

In order to assess the importance of coach parking as a revenue generator, it is interesting to compare the revenue generated by a coach park with the revenue generated by a car park of a similar size. For this purpose, and as summarised in Table 11-2, the use of Manvers Street car park in Bath for coach parking, as opposed to car parking, has been considered. That car park is understood to generate a daily revenue of around £2,100 from the sale of car parking tickets. If it was used for coach parking, it could accommodate approximately 60% of the city’s coach parking demand, which would translate to a potential daily revenue from coach parking charges of approximately £310. Comparing just the revenue from parking it is clear that coach parks generate significantly less money than car parks of a similar size.

The revenue contribution of parking is not, however, linked solely to the sale of parking tickets, but is also related to money spent by visitors during their stay in the city. Based on the passenger surveys undertaken as part of this study, the average coach passenger spends £51 in Bath. If used as a coach park, Manvers Street car park could accommodate in the region of 40 coaches a day, each carrying approximately 35 passengers. That would mean a daily passenger spend of approximately £71,400, or a total contribution to the economy of approximately £71,700 (including both passenger spend and coach parking charges). In comparison, Manvers Street car park accommodates up to approximately 360 cars a day. Assuming a car occupancy of 1.5 people per car, and the same average spend per person as coach passengers (£51), the car park contributes only approximately £29,600 daily to the local economy, considering both passenger spend and parking charges.

Type Potential revenue through daily sale of parking Contribution to the local economy tickets

Coach Park £310 £71,700 Car Park £2,100 £29,600

Table 11-2: Comparison of a car park and a coach park in terms of potential revenue and contribution to the local economy

This is analysis highlights the total economic contribution of coach parking, over and above the direct revenue generated by parking charges alone, which are low when compared to car parking.

11.4 Parking Charges Benchmarking

It is important to understand the extent to which the level of parking charge could be a deterrent to coach operators coming to Bath. One approach to this is to understand how Bath compares to other cities in terms of coach parking charges being applied. This section therefore benchmarks the parking charges within Bath to other locations in the UK.

11.4.1 Locations Studied

The following 11 towns and cities in the UK were included in the benchmarking study (as described in section 4 of this report):

1. Chester 2. Windsor 3. Salisbury 4. York 5. Conwy 6. Bournemouth 7. Liverpool 8. Brighton 9. Westminster 10. Oxford 11. Cambridge

Almost all of the locations studied apply parking charges of some sort for the use of their coach facilities. The rates being applied would be expected to vary based on the following factors:

• Facilities that have been provided to serve the coach parks; • The coach park location (city centre/ out-skirts); • Parking capacity; • The turnover of spaces; • Passenger spending patterns in that location; • The ongoing cost of facility operation and maintenance; • Potential discounting to attract additional visitors; • Potential adoption of high fees for shorter durations to discourage short coach stays in that location.

Comparing the charges in place in other locations with those in Bath, and with reference to the above factors, allows the scope or necessity for changes to the existing Bath pricing structure to be better understood.

11.4.2 Comparison of coach parking charges

This section has been divided into two sub sections. The first section compares Bath’s parking charges with those in place in the other destinations commonly visited by coach tours arriving in Bath, specifically Windsor, Stonehenge and Salisbury. This helps to see if there are any trends on that route, or if Bath’s current charging structure is vastly different to other locations involved. The second section provides a wider comparison of Bath with other benchmark cities.

Windsor, Bath, Stonehenge and Salisbury

Windsor, Stonehenge and Salisbury are the most popular attractions visited by coaches on routes to and from Bath. A comparison of the coach parking charges applied in each of these locations for different lengths of stay is illustrated in Figure 11-1.

Windsor charges more for coach parking than Bath, and, in fact, charges more for coach parking than any of the other locations examined. This might be due to the central location of the coach park in Windsor, which is only 0.3km from the city centre and which also serves as a pick-up/drop-off point for coaches. Discounts in Windsor are available for advance ticket bookings (a 12.5% discount for stays of up to 4 hours and a 16% discount for an all day stay), but even considering these, Windsor’s coach parking charges remain the highest.

Bath’s coach parking charges are, however, higher than those in place at Stonehenge or Salisbury. Coach parking at Stonehenge is, in fact, free (the price of coach parking is covered by the entrance ticket fee for that attraction). Notably, entry to the coach park in Stonehenge is now only possible with timed tickets that must be purchased in advanced, making it easier to manage parking demand at that location. The charges in place in Salisbury are relatively low, particularly for coach stays of over 4 hours, which might be a tactic to increase the attractiveness of that location for coaches.

Bath currently charges £16 for parking over 8 hours, it is the only city amongst those studied that provides overnight parking for no extra cost.

£35

£30

£25

£20 Price (£) Price £15

£10

£5

£0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 Up to Time (hrs)

Windsor Salisbury Bath Stonehenge

Figure 11-1: Parking Charges Comparison for Bath, Windsor, Stonehenge and Salisbury

Comparison of all benchmark sites

The parking charges in place across all the benchmark cities vary from £1.50 to £16 per hour (with the exception of Windsor and Westminster, which charge up to £30 and £40 respectively). As set out in Table 11-3 and as illustrated in Figure 11-2, Bath’s current coach parking charges are higher than those in place in most other locations overall. Only Windsor, Brighton and Westminster charge higher rates than Bath. The charges being applied in Bath for short lengths of stay (2hrs) are, not however high relative to other locations. Interestingly, during the surveys of coach operator/driver opinions undertaken as part of this study indicate that they are happy with Bath’s current parking charging structure. It should be noted, however, that these charges are passed onto the passengers as a part of the booking fee, so operators aren’t directly affected by higher prices.

In Bath the minimum coach parking charge duration is 2 hours (costing £5), with the next available charge duration being 4 hours (costing £8). The pricing structure at most of the other locations allows coaches to pay for a minimum duration of 1 hour, with the next available charge duration being 3 or 4 hours. Some destinations, including Bournemouth, Conwy and Brighton, make 4 hours their shortest parking charge duration, perhaps to incentivise longer coach stays.

Bath theoretically offers up to 24-hours parking for £16. Weston Island depot however, is only open for 8 and a half hours, after which the River Side Coach Park accommodates overnight stay free of any extra cost. As a result of this, coaches parking overnight in Bath in practice pay £14 for 24-hour stay. This is consistent with, but perhaps slightly higher than, the charges in place elsewhere.

Location Up to 1 hr Up to 2 Up to 3 Up to 4 Up to 6 Up to 8 Up to 12 Up to 24 hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs hrs Bath £5 £8 £11 £14 £16

Chester £5.50 £8 £10

Windsor £10 £20 £30

Bournemouth £5 £9

Salisbury £1.50 £2.50 £4.40 £8.80

Conwy £5.50 £10

Liverpool £4 £8 £10 £15

York £5.80 £8.90 £12.60

Brighton £9 £16

Westminster £4.00 £8 £12.00 £16 £24 £32 £40 Oxford £5.00 £5.00 £5.00 £5.00 £10 £10 £10 £10 Cambridge £10.00 £10.00 £10.00 £10.00 £10.00 £10.00 £10.00 £10.00 Average £5.76 £6.10 £8.23 £9.21 £12.60 £16.40 £14.96

Table 11-3: Coach Parking Charges in Different Locations (Highlighting the Minimum Duration of Stay in Each Location)

Windsor 30

25 Westminster

Brighton Bath

Price Price (£) 15 Liverpool York Average Cambridge 10 Oxford Bournemouth Chester Salisbury Conwy 5 Bournemouth Liverpool

0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 Up to Time (hrs)

Chester Windsor Bournemouth Salisbury Conwy Liverpool York Brighton Westminster Average Bath Oxford Cambridge

Figure 11-2: Parking rates comparison for benchmark cities by duration of stay

Cities often use parking tariffs to modify travel behaviour to suit their needs, particularly to manage parking demand/supply, while at the same time using the funds collected from it for the maintenance of associated coach facilities. Different locations place different emphasis on travel demand management versus revenue collection. When considering Salisbury and Bournemouth, which are two cities with the lowest parking charges, it may seem questionable to charge such low amounts considering the aspiration for the collected money to be sufficient to at least maintain and operate the coach parks in those locations. In terms of accessibility, however, Bournemouth and Salisbury are often difficult to reach if not travelling by car. The cheap tariffs for these two locations therefore, can be seen as an incentives for attracting coach tourists.

As mentioned at the start of the chapter, one of the aspects that the coach charging should aim to cover is the costs of maintaining the coach parking area(s). There should be a relationship between coach parking charges and driver facilities provided at the coach parks. This relationship is investigated in Table 11-4 below. The location of coach parking within a destination and, to a certain extent, the size of the coach parks might also be reflected in the parking charges in place.

Bourne Westmi Bath Chester Windsor Salisbury Conwy Liverpool York Brighton Oxford Cambridge -mouth -nster

Facilities Toilets x x x x x at coach Food & x x x x x x x x parks Drink Number of coach 1 1 1 2 1 1 10 2 1 9 1 (P&R) 1 (P&R) parks Distances from Under 1 2-3 Under Under 1 2.7-3 1.2 km 0.3 km 1 km 0.3 km 4-5.5 km Under 4 km main attractions km km 1 km km 1 km km 55 Capacity of 39 (7) and 35 and 30 74 20 23 5 42 combi 9 coach parks 48+ (3) 27 ned

Up to 1 £5 - £10 - £1.50 - £4.00 £5.80 - £4 £5 £10 hr Up to 2 £5 £2.50 - £8 £5 £10 hr Up to 3 £8 £5.50 - - - - £8 £8.90 - £12 £5 £10 hrs Up to 4 Coach £8 - £20 £5 £4.40 £5.50 - - £9 £16 £5 £10 hrs Parking Up to 6 Charges £11 £8 ------£24 £10 £10 hrs Up to 8 £14 ------£16 £32 £10 £10 hrs Up to £16 - - - - - £10 - - £40 £10 £10 12 hrs Up to Free £10 £30 £9 £8.80 £10 £15 £12.60 - - £10 £10 24 hrs

Table 11-4: Summary of Coach Provision in Different Towns and Cities

Note: Red denotes the highest parking fee by duration of stay.

Food and drink facilities are not widely provided in the coach parks. Toilets are, however, provided at most of the locations studied. The relationship between increased charges and better facilities is not as clear as might be expected and is probably being hidden by other factors influencing cost, such as the location of facilities. It is interesting to note that cities like Windsor, Brighton and Westminster, which charge higher fees for coach parking than many other locations, all have centrally located coach parks with high capacity (the high cost of the provision of those sites being offset, presumably, by increased charges).

11.4.3 Conclusion and Recommendations

This chapter has analysed and assessed the coach charging regimes in place in Bath and in other locations. Bath’s charges are consistent with those in place elsewhere, being potentially on the higher side overall. Feedback from coach operators has, however, indicated that they are happy in general with Bath’s current parking charging structure. As a result, no major changes are recommended to the overall structure. Charging can, however, be used as a tool to influence travel behaviour, and it is suggested as a potential means of encouraging, through differential pricing, long stay over short stay coach durations, in line with one of the aspirations for the strategy.

It is important that any future charging regime can be enforced cost effectively. It is worth noting that a large percentage of revenue that could have been generated through the sale of coach parking tickets is currently being lost through coaches not parking at Weston Island Depot and parking illegally at various sites across the city. Hence it is essential to ensure that the coach parking policy and charges are enforced properly.

Pre-booking should be encouraged through special discounts made available for advance bookings. Incentives should also encourage loyalty or repeat visits. Offering discount of for example x% for pre-booking on-line and/or y% additional discount for booking on-line on over a certain number of occasions in a given time period will encourage operators to book coach parking spaces in advance and help the council to better manage the parking resources. However, such schemes do increase the administration and enforcement costs for the Council, and any proposals should be considered in light of those costs.

Bath is one of the only locations examined that cities doesn’t charge extra for 24-hour parking. It is recommended that Bath considers charging for overnight stays.

12 Summary and Proposed Actions

12.1 Overview

This report has described the work undertaken by BuroHappold in the development of a Coach Parking and Pick- Up/Drop-Off Strategy for Bath, and the outcomes of that exercise in terms of recommendations and potential options for the future accommodation of coaches within the city.

The report reviews the existing provision for coaches in Bath (in Chapter 2) and their patterns of operation (in Chapter 3) as determined by an extensive surveying exercise undertaken on Thursday 25 th and Saturday 27 th August 2016. The surveys also captured the opinions of coach passengers, drivers and operators about the current arrangements for coaches in the city. The results of a benchmarking exercise are set out in chapter 4, which reviewed good practice guidelines and precedents for the accommodation of coaches. Chapter 5 describes the results of a stakeholder consultation exercise that was carried out by BuroHappold to understand the views of local resident and business groups in addition to industry representatives. These sections indicate which coach issues and considerations are important to Bath, and which are important more generally, Chapter 6 then determines the peak coach demand for coach parking and pick-up/drop-off spaces in the city at present and into the future.

Taking the results of chapters 2 to 6 into consideration, Chapters 7 and 8 assess potential future sites for accommodating coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in Bath. Chapter 7 introduces the potential sites and appraises them for use for pick-up/drop-off and/or coach parking use in both longer term and shorter term scenarios. Chapter 8 describes long term and shorter term future options for the accommodation of coach parking and pick-up/drop-off in the city. Finally, Chapters 9, 10 and 11 analyse other aspects of potential future coach management in the city: the use of technology and real time information, coach event management and potential charging regimes for coaches in the city.

12.2 Background to the justification of the overall approach

In developing the Strategy, considerable technical work has been undertaken to understand:

• Current patterns of coach movement in the city • Typical duration of stay of those visiting the city by coach • Typical spend of those visiting the city by coach • The impact of coach movements and parking on the city, its inhabitants and its environment • The coach operator, driver and user experience • The longer term economic and tourism objectives of the city

A review of best practice around the UK has also been undertaken to inform the solution, including different experiences in relation to the management of coach movements and parking through the use of technology. It has been through understanding these wide ranging issues that it has been possible to arrive at a strategy which moves the city in a managed way from the current position, where Riverside coach park has been reduced in size and has become drop off/pick up, to a position where the city’s overriding transport and economic objectives are balanced.

It is clear from the technical work that:

• Coaches require no more than a maximum of 20 minutes to drop-off/pick-up passengers before moving on. • While there is demand for short stay parking, more could be done to encourage long stay visits which have a higher economic value overall to the City. • When combined with high quality supporting signage, facilities and management of expectations, it is not unreasonable for coach operators whose passengers wish to stay for 1 hour and 40mins or more to drive to a parking facility that may be 20mins from the drop-off/pick-up point. • With a supportive system of pre-booking, coach management software, signage and enforcement, coach operators overall experience can be improved.

As described in more detail below, the proposed Strategy involves a three phased approach, which includes a parallel monitoring regime to confirm progress between the phases. These phases are as follows:

• Short Term (by 2019) – Progressive movement of most coach parking to Odd Down Park and Ride site with drop off/pick up retained in the city centre, and additional coach parking being provided for at the A4 lay-by. Improvements to drop/off pick up at Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street. • Medium Term (by 2021) – Drop off/pick up retained in the city centre, but on-street at various new and modified locations. Coach operators encouraged to stay for longer (3hrs +) • Long Term (by 2026) – Long term solution. Encouraging coach operators to stay for longer and expanding out of town coach parking. In parallel with the above, and as detailed below, there would be incremental changes introduced to the use of technology and enforcement, as well as relationship building with the coach operators, users and trip attractors. This would be combined with review points in the delivery of the strategy to ensure that all the building blocks are in place to progress between Phases.

The above rationale and philosophy is elaborated on below.

12.3 A proposed Coach Management Strategy for Bath

The guiding principle for the development of the Strategy has been the Getting Around Bath Transport Strategy (2014), the vision from which is:

“Bath will enhance its unique status by adopting measures that promote sustainable transport and reduce the intrusion of vehicles, particularly in the historic core. This will enable more economic activity and growth, while enhancing its special character and environment and improving the quality of life for local people”

The Transport Strategy goes on to note that reducing the impact of vehicles within the historic centre of the city is vital and requires a combination of measures. The Transport Strategy summarises these measures as being:

• A walking/cycling strategy to make Bath the UK’s most walkable city; • Improved accessibility for people with mobility impairments; • A parking strategy that supports economic growth, but at the same time reduces the amount of off-street spaces within the city centre; • Supporting greater use of public transport to reduce the number of cars entering the city; • Continuing to expand existing Park & Ride sites where possible to help reduce the demand for parking spaces within the city; • Better management of Heavy Goods Vehicles within the city;

• Finding a new location for coaches to park once they have dropped visitors off in the city centre.

The overall transport strategy for Bath acknowledges the role that coaches will have within the longer term vision for Bath, as a means of supporting the important visitor and tourism function of the city, but it also seeks to minimise the impact of vehicles in the historic centre of the city. Balancing these two potentially competing aspirations is one of the key challenges for the longer term management of coaches in the city. Should the strategy not successfully balance these competing interests there is a risk that the economy will be adversely impacted, with fewer visitors coming (by coach) to the city and/or an increased proportion of visitors choosing to travel to Bath by car, exacerbating the city’s already challenging traffic and parking issues.

Through the process of developing this strategy, the view has emerged from stakeholders that it is important to ensure that those visitors wishing to arrive by coach are able to do so in a safe, convenient and comfortable manner and in such a way that has the most positive outcomes across a wide range of criteria.

The objectives of the coach management strategy for Bath (to 2026)

The strategy for the period to 2026 has, at its core, the vision that Bath should continue to be seen as an attractive city for those wishing to arrive by coach, which aligns with the Destination Management Plan (2017). This will be achieved by applying the following principles:

• Coaches should be able to pick-up/drop-off passengers in the central area of the city, close to its many attractions.

• Preference, in terms of parking availability, should be given to encouraging longer stay visits through the provision of more abundant high quality coach parking facilities in areas away from the central area.

• Short stay coach parking spaces to be provided on the periphery of the city.

• That parking spaces are pre-bookable, with pre-booking being encouraged, and that there is a pricing regime that incentivises long stay coach visits. The pre-bookable element would also be used to provide priority to certain categories of coach/coach user (for example, those coaches with a high proportion of passengers with restricted mobility being provided access to the most convenient pick-up/drop-off location for their needs).

• That pedestrian and vehicle wayfinding to and from the pick-up/drop-off locations and the parking areas ensures easy, convenient and high quality movement and, in the case of coach passengers, high quality links to and from the city’s key attractions.

• That the efficient management of coaches is achieved using new technologies to enable improved monitoring, improved enforcement and optimised movement and parking of coaches in the city.

• That all large events in the city will be expected to have a clear action plan associated with the management of coaches, which will be agreed with B&NES Council. This will include:

• Confirmation of how event organisers intend to promote access to the event by all modes of travel, particularly sustainable travel.

• Confirmation of the ways in which event goers wishing to travel by coach will be assured of a high quality experience through the provision of information on getting to and from the drop-off/pick-up points in the city and so forth.

• An indication of how the drop-off/pick-up arrangements for those attending the event will be accommodated in the city, and what measures will be introduced to enable coaches to park at agreed locations away from the central area.

• Details of what measures will be taken to understand the likely number of coaches/coach users expected to arrive for the event, and how that will be communicated to the Authority.

• Overall, that the event organiser will take responsibility for liaising with coach operators and take responsibility for the whole experience.

The phased approach for achieving these aspirations is as described below, with a number of action areas being proposed in each phase. A key initial activity should be the development of an implementation plan that incorporates detail actions associated with each of the following action areas.

Short Term (by 2019)

• Action Area 1.1: That 33 coach parking spaces be provided at the following locations:

o Odd Down Park and Ride Site – 29 spaces

o A4 Lay-By – 4 spaces (short stay)

Based on the surveyed accumulation of coaches in Bath on the 25 th and 27 th August 2016, and applying scaling factors derived from Roman Baths visitor data to convert August to peak July demand levels (as described in section 6.5 and section 6.4), a provision of 33 coach spaces is required in Bath to accommodate the coach parking demand during peak periods (excluding the Christmas market).

Odd Down Park and Ride can accommodate the majority of that demand, providing 29 of the 33 spaces required at the very peak time. Out of all the potential sites appraised for the accommodation of coach parking in the short term, that site scored most highly. The site is away from the city centre and could accommodate coaches relatively easily, and with minimal impact on Bath residents and businesses, although it is recognised that coaches travelling in and out of the city will generate traffic movement. There will be no loss of car parking spaces at the P&R to accommodate coaches from that currently consented and 29 coach bays could be accommodated. It is proposed to encourage drivers to utilise Odd Down by providing suitable driver facilities such as toilets, toilet waste disposal, water supply and rubbish bins and the facility will be secure with CCTV coverage linked to the central Comms Hub. In addition, drivers can also use the P&R bus to return to the city centre where there are many amenities for coach drivers to use.

The A4 lay-by site is located to the west of Bath on the westbound section of dual carriageway approaching the Globe roundabout. It is currently used formally for coach parking during the Bath Christmas Market and it is also used informally for coach parking at other times. It is proposed to formalise the use of this area for coach parking year round, with up to 4 coaches being accommodated. Providing 4 coach parking spaces at the A4 lay-by site would bring the total coach parking provision in Bath to 33 spaces, sufficient to accommodate even the very peak coach parking demand in the city. It would also provide drivers with a choice of coach parking location. The location may be particularly attractive to a portion of those dropping-off/picking-up on Royal Avenue, saving them 5-10 minutes’ drive time for a round trip compared to travelling to Odd Down at some times.

No physical changes would be required to the lay-by itself – the use of part of the lay-by for coach parking would just need to be marked and signed. Even with 4 parked coaches, space would still be available in the lay-by for other vehicles, sufficient for the accommodation of 6 cars. To keep the impact on other vehicles to a minimum, some or all of the coach spaces could be made available to other vehicles outside the peak months of coach activity, and/or outside daytime hours. The spaces in this location would not be intended for long coach stays and it is recommended that stays in this location are restricted to 1.5hrs maximum.

• Action Area 1.2: Improvements are made to coach pick up/drop-off at Terrace Walk/Pierrepont St – 5/6 spaces

At present, 2 extended coach bays are formally indicated at Terrace walk, although 3 coaches can in reality be accommodated by those bays at busy times (and a fourth coach is sometimes observed to be able to simultaneously pick-up/drop-off passengers using the loading bay outside the Abbey Hotel). It is proposed that coach provision at this location (which is popular with coach passengers) is increased, with 2 additional bays potentially being included by converting the northbound traffic lane on Pierrepont Street closest to Terrace walk into coach parking bays (requiring the 2 southbound lanes here to be converted to 1).

A potential option has also been proposed that, as well as adding the two new bays on Pierrepont Street, would further increase coach pick-up/drop-off provision by reversing the circulation direction within Terrace Walk. That would allow another additional coach bay to be provided.

Medium Term (by 2021)

• Action Area 2.1: That up to 17 pick-up/drop-off spaces with waiting time restrictions of 20 minutes be provided across the following locations:

o Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street – 5/6 spaces

o North Parade – 2 spaces

o Royal Avenue – 3 spaces

o Green Park – 4 spaces

o Pulteney Road – 3 spaces

Based on the surveyed coach pick-up/drop-off activity in Bath on the 25 th and 27 th August 2016, and applying scaling factors derived from Roman Baths visitor data to convert August to peak July demand levels (as described in section 6.5 and section 6.4), the provision of 15 pick-up/drop-off spaces, with waiting time restrictions of 20 minutes, can accommodate the peak (non-Christmas market) demand levels experienced at present. The demand calculations actually show that a provision of 12 pick-up/drop-up spaces would likely be sufficient, but it was decided by the B&NES Council stakeholder group that a provision of at least 15 spaces should be targeted, and 17 spaces could be accommodated in the various locations. This is comparable with the current formal provision of 17 pick-up/drop-off spaces provided at Riverside Coach Park (13) North Parade (2) and Terrace Walk (2).

The proposed 20 minute waiting time restriction at pick-up/drop-off spaces would represent a compromise between the 10 minute restrictions in place at Terrace Walk and North Parade and the 30 minute restriction in place at the Riverside Coach Park. This duration is generous relative to other cities and is also beyond the 15 minute minimum preferred by the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

The spaces at Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street and North Parade are suitable for visitors to the Roman Baths and the spaces at Royal Parade are suitable for mobile visitors and for attractions in the upper part of the City. Pulteney Road is suitable for more mobile visitors wishing to visit the Roman Baths/Bath Abbey area, but also would allow groups a showpiece entrance to the city past the Holbourne Museum, along Great Pulteney Street, over Pulteney Bridge and along Grand Parade overlooking Pulteney Weir. Green Park Road would provide a similar walking route to the former Riverside Coach park.

The proposed locations are the ones that ranked most highly in the pick-up/drop-off site appraisal exercise (which considered ease of coach access, visitor experience, site characteristics, environment and ease of implementation). Each of the chosen locations is already used for coach pick-up/drop-up, with the exception of Green Park (though Pulteney Road is only formally used by coaches associated with Bath Rugby on match days).

At Royal Avenue, it is proposed that the existing informal pick-up/drop-off activity is formalised through the provision of 3 spaces located in the vicinity of the lane that connects Royal Avenue to the Royal Crescent. These would primarily be accommodated on the section of single yellow line immediately to the west of that lane. There would, however, be a loss of 5 pay and display (up to 4hr stay) car parking spaces.

Pulteney Road would involve the conversion of 12 parking bays (shared resident parking and 1hr pay and display) on the northbound lane of that road, between North Parade and Edward Street, into 3 coach parking spaces, formalising the arrangement currently used on match days by Bath Rugby Club. The impact of this car parking loss could potentially be minimised through timed conditions on bay use, with the spaces being available for coaches during the day (8am – 7pm), but reverting to car parking in the evening.

On Green Park Road, the verge can be utilised to accommodate 4 spaces on the northbound carriageway in a sawtooth configuration. The provision of these spaces would require the local relocation of a pedestrian crossing, as well as an existing bus stop and a number of street lamps.

These proposal would provide drop off/pick up in several locations close to visitor attractions, accommodating coaches arriving into the city from all directions.

• Action Area 2.2: That 3 of the pick-up/drop-off spaces at Green Park Road also accommodate short stay coach parking (for stays of up to 1.5hrs)

As set out in Action Area 1.1, a provision of 33 coach spaces is proposed across Odd Down Park and Ride and A4 Lay- By sites. Those sites are no more than 20mins drive from the city centre, which allows any coach staying in the city for 1hr 40mins or more sufficient time to get from the city centre to coach parking and back and still achieve their 45 minute rest (required after 4.5hrs of driving). 90% or more of coach parking demand in the city is made up of coaches staying for at least 1hr 40mins, so Odd Down and the A4 Lay-By are suitable for all but the shortest staying coaches.

In order to facilitate those small number of coaches staying for less than 1hr 40mins it is proposed that 3 of the coach pick-up/drop-off bays on Green Park Road would become joint pick-up/drop-off and short stay coach parking bays. The bays should be free for the first 20mins, to facilitate pick-up/drop-off, but would then be available for parking, at a cost, for up to 1hr 30mins. The parking charge imposed should be high compared to the charges in place at Odd Down to prevent any coaches from using these bays except those who have insufficient time to travel to the Odd Down site. Green Park Road would likely be the least heavily used of the proposed pick-up/drop-off sites, making it particularly suitable for the accommodation of the dual use spaces.

• Action Area 2.3: That the necessary parking charging regime to support the move to separate short stay and long stay parking is introduced, as well as incentives to encourage the pre-booking of spaces.

The consultation with coach operators highlighted no issues with the existing coach parking charges in Bath, and the benchmarking exercise found the charges in place in Bath to be reasonable compared with other similar cities. However, to incentivise longer stay coach parking, it is proposed that the pricing structure should be adapted to reflect the proposed separate short stay and long stay coach parking provision in the city.

Consistent with the patterns observed elsewhere, the short stay spaces, should be priced more highly than the long stay spaces to encourage a higher proportion of coaches to choose to use the long stay spaces, consistent with aspirations.

The pre-booking of spaces is a tool than can aid coach management in the city, allowing, for example, demand to be spread more evenly throughout the day, and helping to maximise the use of the physical coach provision. Accordingly, the pre-booking of spaces should be encouraged through special discounts being made available for advance bookings. Incentives should also encourage loyalty or repeat visits.

• Action Area 2.4: That a full standard coach parking management system is specified, market tested and procured, which incorporates ANPR, VMS and active data management and monitoring (as detailed in Chapter 9).

An assessment of potential coach management technologies has been undertaken with reference to the main objectives for such a system in Bath (management of coach operators and drivers experience, management of the City’s transport objectives and support of B&NES Council operations, and management of coach passengers’ experience). Based on this it is recommended that B&NES Council consider the procurement of a holistic parking technology system.

It is proposed that the system would include ANPR occupancy detection, which would allow real-time detection of whether coach spaces are occupied and can allow B&NES Council to track the movements of individual coaches, aiding enforcement. It is also proposed that VMS would be a key part of the system, guiding all coaches to the appropriate locations around the city – this includes guiding coaches as efficiently as possible to the nearest pick- up/drop-off areas and to the suitable coach parking facility. All information from the system should be collated into a back-end management software platform that is owned and accessed by B&NES Council. Front-end applications to provide information to different users could be procured by B&NES Council as part of the parking technology system.

A roadmap for the implementation of such a system has been set out in section 9.8, which includes three main stages. Initially, a detailed specification for a coach parking management system using on-street parking sensors and ANPR should be developed, with the output of the process being an appropriate RFP. The RFP can then be issued to appropriate vendors for procurement and finally the new system can be implemented.

• Action Area 2.5: That a full vehicle and pedestrian signage review is undertaken and measures are implemented to make signage consistent with the new parking regime and locations – to include appropriate use of VMS and fixed signage.

The proposed provision for coaches in the city will include a number of changes to what is in place currently, both in terms of the locations of spaces, and also in terms of the quantities of spaces being provided in different areas. These changes, as well as potential gaps in the signage currently provided, necessitate a review of coach signage in the city, to ensure that coaches are clearly and correctly guided to the appropriate locations, and that pedestrians are similarly well guided from their pick-up/drop-off points to their likely destinations and back.

It is proposed that initially a signage review, in the form of a report, should be undertaken to identify any gaps in the existing signage, and to assess the impact on signage of proposed changes to coach provision in the city. This will ensure that a strategic and consistent approach is been taken across all signage to ensure an optimum user experience for both coach drivers and passengers. Based on this review, a range of quick wins and longer term strategies for amending Bath’s coach related signage should be developed and then implemented.

• Action Area 2.6: That the multi-modal (including coach) visitor and event travel management strategy is developed and its implementation is commenced.

In reviewing the current operation of coaches during events in Bath, the lack of a wider event travel management strategy for the city was highlighted as an obvious area that should be addressed. It is proposed that such a strategy should be developed, being linked to the city’s event/visitor ‘offer’ as well as the city’s overall transport strategy. This should contain a modal hierarchy that would be very explicit about the role of the coach as part of event travel, alongside other modes. The strategy could perform a number of roles, including acting as framework for event organisers, tour operators, coach operators and others to operate within, it could also be a more informative advisory strategy that sets out good practice guidance, checklists and so forth for use of these groups to help them prepare for the travel and transport aspects of an event.

• Action Area 2.7: That a monitoring and review plan is developed and implemented.

To ensure the effectiveness of the strategy, it is proposed that it is regularly monitored and reviewed against a number of key performance indicators, as set out in section 12.4 below. This will help to identify the more successful aspects of the strategy, as well as those that may need alterations. It is suggested that this monitoring is undertaken, at a minimum, every 3 years.

Long Term (by 2026) – end goal and best possible solution

It is the intention that by 2026 the following elements will be key features of Bath’s coach management solution:

• Action Area 3.1: That at least 17 pick-up/drop-off spaces with waiting time restrictions of 20 minutes be provided across the following locations:

• Terrace Walk/Pierrepont St – Up to 6 spaces OR Manvers Street (On-Street) – Up to 7 spaces

• North Parade – Up to 2 spaces

• Royal Avenue – Up to 3 spaces

• Green Park – Up to 4 spaces

• Pulteney Road – Up to 3 spaces

Based on existing coach parking demand levels and predicted visitor growth to Bath (as described in section 6.5), the peak pick-up/drop-off demand in the city is expected to increase to 15 pick-up/drop-off spaces by 2026 (from the peak of 12 predicted for the current situation, as described in section 6.4 and section 6.3). It is proposed, as part of Action Area 2.1, that the number of spaces are already provided in phase 2, to minimise the impact of the loss of pick- up/drop-off spaces brought about by the loss of the Riverside coach park. There is a potential opportunity, however, to amend the locations used for pick-up/drop-off in phase 2, if beneficial.

A potential option that should be considered in phase 2 is the provision of coach pick-up/drop-off bays on-street along Manvers Street. This option would only be available if the future new road linking South Parade and Dorchester Street, included in the Place Making Plan, is in place. That would allow Manvers Street to become one-way, with one of the existing through traffic lanes being converted to coach bays. The provision of pick-up/drop-off bays in that location could replace some or all of the provision at Terrace Walk/Pierrepont Street or North Parade.

• Action Area 3.2: That up to 41 parking spaces be provided at:

• Odd Down Park and Ride Site

Based on calculated existing coach parking demand levels, and predicted visitor growth to Bath (as described in section 6.5, the peak (non-Christmas market) coach parking demand in the city is expected to increase to 41 spaces by 2026.

It is an aspiration that coaches are encouraged to stay longer in the city in future, which aligns with the B&NES Destination Management Plan 2017 that aims to increase length of visitor stay and spend whilst continuing to deliver high levels of visitor satisfaction. Attention needs to focus on those coach tours that are linked to other cities such as Stonehenge and Windsor and often only stay for no more than 2 hours. This will require a fundamental behavioural change in the way coach operators plan their trips.

If the strategies put in place to encourage coaches to stay longer in the city (preferably for at least 3hrs) are successful, then the need for short stay coach parking provision could be eliminated, meeting the B&NES aspiration to remove coach parking provision in the city. In this scenario, all future coach parking could be provided at Odd Down Park and Ride, to cover a demand of up to 41 spaces. Whether it is feasible for shorter stay coach parking to be removed should be based on observations of the future coach parking durations and parking demands in Bath.

• Action Area 3.3: That the parking charging regime is updated to reflect the emerging short stay and long stay coach parking situation in Bath.

The parking regime put in place in phase 2, as per Action Area 2.3, should be adjusted based on changes to long and short stay parking demand and provision in the city. If short stay parking is no longer to be provided, those charges should be eliminated. Alternatively, increases to the short stay parking charges can be used as one of the measures to help to encourage longer coach stays in the city.

• Action Area 3.4: That a monitoring and review strategy is in place and being adhered to.

The monitoring and review strategy, which should have begun in Phase 2 as part of Action Area 2.7, should be continued. A full review of the coach strategy should be undertaken in 2025, with a revised strategy being produced from 2026.

12.4 Monitoring and Reviewing the Strategy

It is proposed that the implementation of the Strategy is regularly monitored and reviewed against the following key performance indicators.

• The proportion of visitors arriving into Bath by coach

• The duration of stay of those visitors arriving into the Bath by coach

• The volume of coaches in the city and using the parking and pick-up/drop-off facilities

• The operational performance of the city’s coach facilities

• The satisfaction of coach operators with their experience of visiting Bath compared to other cities

• The satisfaction of passengers arriving into Bath by coach

• The satisfaction of local stakeholders and the community on the arrangements for coaches in the City

The baseline for many of the above can be taken from the findings of the technical work that supports this strategy. Monitoring should be undertaken as a minimum every 3 years, with an interim review of the strategy taking place in 2021 and a full review in 2025 prior to a revised strategy being produced from 2026.

Appendix A – Stakeholder Consultation Comments

A.1 Stakeholder Views and Comments

Both in response to the work presented and more generally, the stakeholders raised a number of questions and suggestions and provided details of what they need/consider important. The comments of stakeholders are summarised below under the following categories:

• Coach operator and CPT preferences and needs • Views of local groups • Commentary on future pick-up/drop-off provision • Commentary on potential future coach parking site options • Commentary and information on coach operation in Bath to date • Christmas Market coach arrangements • Commentary on the surveys

A.2 Coach Operator and CPT Preferences and needs

• Steve Spiller, of Centurion Coaches, warned that making it more difficult for short period coach stays in Bath won’t make coaches stay longer, but will be more likely to discourage them completely. • The availability of overnight coach parking was agreed by coach operators to be an important consideration in the coach strategy. It was preferred that there would be no time limit on length of stay, so coaches can stay as long as they need. John Burch, of the CPT, indicated that you certainly don’t want to be making coaches leave around 8:00 in the morning, during the morning peak hour. • John Burch of the CPT set out what that body (representing coach operators) deem to be important for a coach park: o Toilets for visitors and drivers are very nice to have o Security – theft, including fuel theft, has been an issue in other locations o Toilet waste disposal nice to have, and is an attraction for operators o Also nice to have are bus washing facilities and a water refill point (tap) o Rest facilities for drivers, potentially including tea and coffee, are very nice to have o Waste receptacles at coach parks are important, if not provided it can cause littering at the coach park • John Burch of the CPT described why a minimum of 15mins permitted duration for pick-up is good (as opposed to the 10mins in operation in some places). Firstly, it often takes a while for all of a coach group to return, and with a shorter duration coaches can be forced to leave without all their passengers, which is distressing. Secondly, drivers can break their mandatory 45 minute rests (required after every 4.5hrs driving) but only if they spend at least 15mins resting at a time. • There was agreement among coach operators that when the coach park is located a long way from the town centre and pick-up/drop-off points it erodes the drivers’ break times, which can be a big issue for drivers and coach operators. o This was highlighted as an issue experienced with the Weston Island site currently being used for coach parking in Bath • The coach operators highlighted that medium/short stay coaches and long stay coaches have different requirements. • Chris Major of B&NES indicated that at Weston Island almost all coaches are paying on the day at present, not booking ahead. Steve Spiller of Centurion Coaches explained that it is difficult logistically to plan in advance what coach will be arriving when with what driver etc. and that they prefer to pay slightly more to avoid that difficult pre-planning, so avoid pre-booking. Pre-booking also reduces flexibility.

• Colin Inman of Arleen coaches indicated that as well as tourist coach activity, other types of coaches operate in the city as well, serving local needs and schools etc., which needs to be considered in the proposals. • Steve Spiller of Centurion Coaches raised the issue of phone signal in the city being patchy, which can cause issues for drivers who need to contact base.

A.3 Views of Local Groups

• There was a general consensus that we want to encourage more overnight coach stays in Bath. • Patrick Rotheram of FoBRA wanted to highlight the effect of coaches on Bath residents, particularly with regard to traffic associated with them within the city centre. He questioned the connection between the coach strategy and B&NES overall transport strategies, which included as aspirations: o Reducing traffic in Bath o Rebalancing travel away from the private car and towards public transport, walking and cycling. • Peter Dawson of B&NES agreed with the need to align the coach strategy with the overall Bath Transport Strategy but clarified that coaches are actually a form of public transport. • Patrick Rotheram of FoBRA stressed the need to capture and balance the correct criteria for the assessment of the coach park. • Ian Bell of the Bath Chamber of Commerce questioned whether Bath really wanted to be coach friendly? • Ian Bell also indicated that he would like fewer coach visitors staying longer and spending more. • Martin Curtis of the Bath Bus Company indicated that there is a definite link between coach trade and his business. • Patrick Rotheram of FoBRA noted instances of coaches coming into Bath, doing a loop of the Circus, going to the Royal Crescent and then exiting Bath. Coach operators indicated that this isn’t likely as coaches will avoid Bath if they can as it is difficult location for them. It is likely that coaches seen around the Circus and Crescent will have entered Bath by diverting down from Lansdown and will proceed afterwards to the areas further South in Bath where they will drop-off their passengers for a longer stay. • Sacha Hunter of Bath Preservation trust indicated that, as a manager of 4 visitor attractions in Bath, Bath Preservation Trust understand the need to re-provide coach parking facilities and have the possibility of pick-up/drop-off (though not necessarily lay-up) in Central Bath. As a result they are keen to assist in the development of a solution to the problem, while wishing to see heritage and setting considerations taken into account in deciding on a final answer.

A.4 Commentary on Future Pick-Up/Drop-off Provision

• Valet parking of coaches was not popular as a suggestion to coach operators or others present. • Royal Avenue was a generally popular potential location for coach parking or pick-up/drop-off. • Pulteney Road was suggested by coach operators as a potential location for drop-off. Its use on Bath Rugby match days at present was mentioned. • A drop-off area on Rossiter Road, at Widcombe, close to the railway station was suggested. There is already a lay-by located here. o Peter Dawson of B&NES commented that the impact on traffic flows in that area would need to be assessed as well as safety. o It was noted that the existing lay-by is narrow.

• It was highlighted that a negative aspect of providing separate pick-up/drop-off and coach parking points would be an increase in coach movements compared to a combined pick-up/drop-off and coach parking location.

A.5 Commentary on Potential Future Coach Parking Site Options

• Patrick Rotheram of FoBRA observed that no sites to the North or North East of the city are being assessed, which will likely be commented on by the public. John Raby of BID made a similar comment, questioning the ability for coach parking/drop-off to be provided in the area of Walcot Street, which might increase footfall in the area with the associated economic benefits that brings. • John Burch of the CPT observed that the Kingsmead Square location was rejected as unsuitable for use as a coach park in the previous site assessment exercise undertaken a few years ago. • Steve Spiller of Centurion Coaches questioned whether any consideration was being given to retaining the Riverside Coach parking location? Claire Parker of B&NES indicated that the preference was to find an alternative site, and accommodating coaches at the Riverside location would be contemplated only if a suitable alternative couldn’t be found. • Steve Spiller of Centurion Coaches questioned whether coach parking could be provided under new buildings at the riverside location. Tower Hill in London was mentioned as an example where coaches have been facilitated under a central business district. Claire Parker of B&NES explained the difficulties in providing suitable column spans for coach parking beneath buildings. • In the previous coach park site analysis exercise, Royal Avenue was one of the most popular sites identified. • The use of park and rides for overnight use by coaches was suggested. • Steve Spiller of Centurion Coaches recommended that when considering the location of the coach park in terms of pedestrian access three groups be considered: o Young and agile o Less agile and elderly o Mobility impaired • The edge of the city centre was suggested as a good location for a coach park. • Ian Bell of Bath Chamber of Commerce suggested an arrangement where all coaches proceeded to a park and ride to the East of Bath and none entered the city. Coach passengers would then be bussed into Bath by a fleet of small electric buses. • Some criticisms of Ian Bell’s proposal were raised by coach operators and John Burch of the CPT, including: o The logistics of making sure all people get back to the coach ok and at the same time. This is difficult enough at the moment when people can be walked to pick-up/drop-off points together in a single group over the short distances from attractions. The difficulty would be increased very significantly if passengers had to make their way back to the coach park on smaller buses, with the group being split between a number of vehicles. o The coaches entering the city would simply be replaced with a similar and potentially higher (given the numbers of passengers accommodated by large coaches) number of buses. o It was noted that most of the coaches operating in Bath have come from London and are correspondingly very clean vehicles due to their need to comply with London emission standards. • The importance of providing good signage to the coach parks was highlighted in relation to a coach park in the vicinity of Homebase, the location wouldn’t be so bad if good signage was provided to guide people. This applies in general.

• An issue that has arisen in Plymouth was highlighted by John Burch of the CPT – the user of smaller private hire feeder buses to bring passengers to coaches. These vehicles, which are prevalent in that location, are not allowed in the new Plymouth coach park, which is causing issues. A related issue is drop-off by cars (for away trips from the city) at a private hire coach area.

A.6 Commentary and Information on Coach Operation in Bath to Date

• Coach bay provision is down to 13 bays from 43 previously. • Up to 4 dropping-off or picking-up coaches use Terrace Walk at a time at present. • Up to 85 spaces are available for coach parking at First Bus depot at Weston Island, reducing to 35 on Sundays when bus service frequency is less and more First buses are parked. • The lack of toilets at Terrace walk was highlighted as a deficiency in the current arrangement. • Riverside Coach Park proximity to city centre was deemed by coach operators to be acceptable. • Coach operators confirmed that Terrace walk was only used previously for dropping off when passengers had a mobility issue. Otherwise the coaches would just drop people off at the coach park. • Martin Curtis of Bath Bus Company indicated that they have observed a drop in coaches recently, which could be due to the changes in the Riverside Coach Park in Bath. • Bath rugby don’t know where to park away coaches on match days at present. • 50 coaches were required for the Bath Rugby ‘home match’ at Twickenham in April 2017. • Ian Taylor of the Abbey Hotel Group wanted to know if coaches would still enter Terrace Walk for pick- up/drop-off in future, commenting that it is a chaotic/polluted and unsafe space at present, located right outside the Abbey Hotel. As an alternative he suggested whether coaches could potentially be relocated to Orange Grove from Terrace Walk. • Bath Preservation Trust suggested that while the majority of the coaches enter the city on its east side, this does not necessarily means that they come from the east more generally - coach traffic from Wales and the M5 would also come via this route for example.

A.7 Christmas Market Coach Arrangements

• Mick Heath of Bath Tourism Plus indicated that up to 150 coaches arrive per day during the Bath Christmas Market, which is the very worst period for coaches in the city. • Mick Heath of Bath Tourism Plus also estimated that at least 50% of Bath Christmas Market visitors come by coach. • It was noted that a subsidy for drivers in some food/drink outlets in Bath is provided at the time of the Bath Christmas Market. • Mick Heath of Bath Tourism Plus anticipated a 10% increase in coaches for the 2016 Christmas Market, which is the same increase that has historically been observed year on year. • Chris Major of B&NES indicated that the coach management plan for the 2016 Bath Christmas Market this year had already been prepared at that time (October 2016). • Coaches for the Bath Christmas Market predominantly come from South Wales.

A.8 Comments on the Surveys

• It was noted by John Burch of the CPT that the dates surveyed (in August) were outside school time and also that the weekend examined was a bank holiday, both factors might affect the patterns observed. • When analysing the arrival and departure routes of coaches into Bath, as highlighted by the cordon survey that was undertaken by BuroHappold, the use of Lansdown Road by coaches, being large vehicles, was queried by Patrick Rotheram of FoBRA. It was confirmed that the TRO regulating the use of that route by large vehicles does not apply to buses and coaches. • Coach operators indicated that an assumption of coach activity in July being 30% higher than in August is a reasonable one. • John Edwards indicated that the coaches that had been picked up by the cordon survey are primarily what he referred to as the ‘London inbound’ tours, which visit Bath as part of a linked itinerary including generally Windsor and Stonehenge amongst other places. • John Burch of the CPT as well as Colin Inman of Arleen coaches indicated that different types of coaches (not just the ‘London Inbound Tours’) are seen at other times of the year (outside July and August). • Colin Inman of Arleen Coaches suggested that one of the other trends for coach use not picked up in the August survey is the significant use of coaches by students learning English, this activity peaks between January and March. • It was suggested by Steve Spiller of Centurion Coaches that the short durations of coach stay are most likely to occur early in the day, with those coaches then needing time to proceed to other destinations. • The £51 average spend by coach passengers observed in Bath was agreed to be good and John Burch of the CPT indicated that it was significantly higher than he had observed elsewhere. • Coach operators think August features more British visitors and families and July features more foreign visitors and students (this is not necessarily backed up by the survey data). • John Edwards indicated that at least half of those who don’t have pre-booked Roman Baths tickets also go to the Roman Baths, which tallies fairly well with the coach passenger survey data.

Appendix B – Option Plans

Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION.

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

2.765 7.1 1.4

Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length 15.000m Overall Width 2.500m Southbound Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m middle lane Track Width 2.500m Lock-to-lock time 5.00s converted to Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m 15m 6WS Luxury Coach become

15m15m15m 6WS 6WS6WS Luxury LuxuryLuxury CoachCoach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach northbound. Key: New markings Existing markings retained Existing markings removed Two new coach bays created in existing northbound lane on 15m 6WS Luxury Coach Pierrepont Street 15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

00 DRAFT ISSUE 23/06/2017 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

Double Decker Bus DRAFT

Double Decker Bus Status of drawing

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP: TERRACE WALK AND PIERREPONT STREET ANTI-CLOCKWISE OPTION Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 23/06/2017

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK11 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\170614 Terrace Walk and Pierrepont Street Anticlockwise\170609_035699_BUR_SK11.dwg

Rev 00 Oliver Renton © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION.

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION. Left turn only

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

2.765 7.1 1.4

Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length 15.000m Overall Width 2.500m Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m Track Width 2.500m Lock-to-lock time 5.00s Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Key: 15m 6WS Luxury Coach New markings Existing markings retained Existing markings removed

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

00 DRAFT ISSUE 23/06/2017 OR/BF No left turn entry from south Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

Double Decker Bus DRAFT

Double Decker Bus Status of drawing 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP: TERRACE WALK AND PIERREPONT STREET CLOCKWISE OPTION Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 23/06/2017

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK12 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\170614 Terrace Walk and Pierrepont Street Clockwise\170609_035699_BUR_SK12.dwg

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION. Left turn only Left turn only

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

2.765 7.1 1.4

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length 15.000m Overall Width 2.500m Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m Track Width 2.500m Lock-to-lock time 5.00s Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m 15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach Key: New markings Existing markings retained Existing markings removed

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

00 DRAFT ISSUE 28/06/2017 OR/BF No left turn entry from south No left turn entry from south Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

Double Decker Bus Double Decker Bus DRAFT

Double Decker Bus Double Decker Bus Status of drawing 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP: TERRACE WALK AND PIERREPONT STREET CLOCKWISE OPTION ALTERNATIVE

Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 28/06/2017

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK18 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\170628 Terrace Walk and Pierrepont Street Clockwise Alternative\170609_035699_BUR_SK18a.dwg

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Notes

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

2.765 7.1 1.4

Key: New markings/kerb Existing markings/kerb retained Existing markings/kerb removed

01 FIRST REVISION 31/07/2017 OR/BF

00 DRAFT ISSUE 28/06/2017 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

DRAFT

2 pay and display car parking Status of drawing spaces removed (residents' car parking supply unchanged) 2 coach parking spaces to replace single yellow line

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 1 coach parking space to 15m 6WS Luxury Coach replace 3 pay and display car parking spaces Client B&NES COUNCIL 15m 6WS Luxury Coach Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH PICK-UP/ DROP-OFF: ROYAL AVENUE OPTION

Scales@A3 1:1000 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 31/07/2017

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK17 \\SRV-bath03\project cad\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\170731 Royal Avenue\170731_035699_BUR_SK17.dwg

Rev 01 Oliver Renton © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING 1 coach parking space to CONSTRUCTION. replace 4 shared pay and

display/ zone 1 resident's MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION. car parking spaces

15m 6WS Luxury Coach DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION. 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

Notes

2.765 7.1 1.4

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

Key: New markings/kerbs Existing markings/kerbs retained Existing markings/kerbs removed 1 coach parking space to replace 4 shared pay and display/ zone 1 resident's car parking spaces

00 DRAFT ISSUE 16/06/2017 OR/BF

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

DRAFT

Status of drawing

1 coach parking space to replace 4 shared pay and display/ zone 1 resident's car parking spaces

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP: PULTENEY ROAD OPTION

Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 16/06/2017

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK16 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\170616 Pulteney Road Alternative\170616_035699_BUR_SK16.dwg

Mercedes Benz Citaro G Bendy Bus Mercedes Benz Citaro G Bendy Bus MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION. New bus stop to replace existing

Notes

15 Existing bus stop to be replaced

2.765 7.1 1.4

Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length 15.000m Overall Width 2.500m Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m 15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach Track Width 2.500m Lock-to-lock time 5.00s Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m

Key: New markings/kerbs Existing markings/kerbs retained Existing markings/kerbs removed Existing streetlights to be relocated Existing pedestrian crossing to be replaced 15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach 00 DRAFT ISSUE 16/06/2017 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

DRAFT

Status of drawing

15m 6WS Luxury Coach 15m 6WS Luxury Coach

Client B&NES COUNCIL

15m15m 6WS 6WS Luxury Luxury Coach Coach Realignment of 15m 6WS Luxury Coach Project BATH COACH pedestrian footpath Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP: GREEN PARK OPTION Existing streetlight to be relocated Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF 15m 6WS Luxury Coach New pedestrian crossing Date 16/06/2017 to replace existing Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK15 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\170615 Green Park\170615_035699_BUR_SK15.dwg

Rev 00 Oliver Renton KEY N 171.3m Carriageway INDICATIVE 168.2m Footway NORTH ODD DOWN ROUNDABOUT Landscaping 2.4m x 45m visibility splay Ticket machine Road sign Fence line Existing gate and one way traffic S6 LP Lighting column flow plates be relocated CC CCTV Induction loops

ROMAN ROAD (A367)

Def

6.0m DOCTORS SURGERY 20.0m 1 CAR PARK 15.0m Boro Const Bdy

4.0m 5.5m LP 2 Co Const & Ward Bdy COMBE HAY LANE

LP 17 3

18 4

19 5

New kerb line No entry signs COMBE HAY LANE diag 616 PARK & RIDE Existing trees 6 may be affected 16.0m

Relocated feeder pillar 7.0m 7 and control box R65.0m LP no left turn 8 sign diag 613 PARK & RIDE

20 9

10 21 Existing CCTV to be relocated 11 No entry sign except busses 22 LP 12 Uncontrolled pedestrian 23 crossing point S5 LP Alligator teeth 13 P6 23.03.17 Scheme area reduced JH DG in exit lane only 24 P5 23.02.17 Coach egress amended JH DG P4 13.02.17 RSA comment amendments JH DG P3 20.12.16 Lamp columns added JH DG Footway added Lockable gate CC 14 P2 13.12.16 JH DG Pavilion P1 17.11.16 FIRST ISSUE. JH DG for bus entry lane only Rev Date Description By Apvd S4

15 Project COACH ONLY BATH QUAYS NORTH Existing hedge to be trimmed LP back to provide 1.5m x 25m 16 visibility to the uncontrolled Trief kerb crossing between gates No entry signs CC "Coach only" sign diag 616 Title S3 ODD DOWN P&R COACH PARKING No entry sign Relocated diag 616 25 LP CCTV position GENERAL ARRANGMENT Low level planting which does not Alligator teeth interfere with forward visibility 26 Client No entry sign diag 616 27

28 Double height Scale @ A1 restriction barrier PARK & RIDE Play 1:250 29

No entry signs Area Project Ref Drawing No Rev diag 616 LP 16211 122 P6

LP REVISION REFERENCING P = Preliminary A = Approval T = Tender C = Construction

COMBE HAY LANE © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION.

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Notes

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

2.765 7.1 1.4

Key: New markings/kerb Existing markings/kerb retained Existing markings/kerb removed

00 DRAFT ISSUE 04/08/2017 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

DRAFT

Status of drawing

15m 6WS Luxury Coach

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Client B&NES COUNCIL 15m 6WS Luxury Coach Project BATH COACH

15m 6WS Luxury Coach Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH PARKING: 4 coach parking spaces A4 BRISTOL ROAD OPTION WITH 4 COACHES Scales@A3 1:1000 Drawn by OR Space for up to 6 cars Checked by BF Date 04/08/2017

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK21 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH PARK OPTIONS\170804 A4 Bristol Road (4 Coaches)\170804_035699_BUR_SK21.dwg

Rev 00 Oliver Renton © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Plaxton Panther Bus DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION.

Plaxton Panther Bus MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

Proposed one-way southbound road. 2.765 7.1 1.4

5 proposed coach parking spaces. 7529

4160

00 FIRST ISSUE/ 11/10/2016 OR/NJH

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

DRAFT

23507 Status of drawing

Plaxton Panther Bus

3500

Plaxton Panther Bus Client B&NES COUNCIL Existing bus stop Project BATH COACH to be retained. 2 proposed coach PARKING STUDY parking spaces. Drg Title COACH DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP: MANVERS STREET OPTION

Scales@A3 1:1000 Drawn by OR Checked by NJH Date 11/10/2016

Job No. 035699

Plaxton Panther Bus Drg No. SK06 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH DROP-OFF PICK-UP OPTIONS\161011 manvers street\161011_035699_BUR_SK06.dwg

Plaxton Panther Bus

Rev 00 Oliver Renton

P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH PARK OPTIONS\161011 manvers street\161011_035699_BUR_SK04.dwg manvers OPTIONS\161011 PARK Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH Study\F33 Parking Coach Bath P:\035699 Renton Oliver OR/BF 15.000m 2.500m 4.157m 0.397m 2.500m 5.00s 12.500m Drn/Chk 1.4 15 DRAFT 7.1 SK04 035699 00 BATH COACH OR BF 11/10/2016 B&NES COUNCIL PARKING STUDY 1:500 FIRST ISSUE/ 11/10/2016 Description/Date 2.765 Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length Overall Width Overall Body Height Min Body Ground Clearance Track Width Lock-to-lock time Wall to Wall Turning Radius COACH PARK: MANVERS STREET OPTION Status of drawing Client Project Scales@A3 Drawn by Checked by Date Job No. Drg No. Rev Drg Title 00 Rev © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. its group Limited or Happold © Buro its group and Buro Happold reserved. All Rights 89 of the Copyright, rights under s.77 to writing) their TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ASSOCIATED WITH THE Notes companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in assert (unless otherwise companies THE FOLLOWING ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE CONSTRUCTION. MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION. DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION. Designs and Patents Act 1988. Designs and SCALE THIS DRAWING. DO NOT AND SAFETY INFORMATION HEALTH NORMALLY IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS 9359

Existing trees to be removed. R6000 with 20 coach parking spaces. Existing car park to be replaced

Existing hut to be removed. 3500

16000 trees to be Existing removed.

8778

R3500 Plaxton Panther Bus Panther Plaxton

Plaxton Panther Bus © Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION.

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

Existing trees to be removed.

2.765 7.1 1.4 Plaxton Panther Bus Proposed entry for coaches. Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length 15.000m Overall Width 2.500m Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m Track Width 2.500m Plaxton Panther Bus Lock-to-lock time 5.00s Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m

Existing access to Existing warehouse to be be used as an exit replaced with 27 coach parking spaces. Plaxton Panther Bus for coaches. 00 FIRST ISSUE/ 11/10/2016 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk 3500

DRAFT

16000 Status of drawing

Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH PARK: PICKFORDS OPTION

Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 11/10/2016

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK05 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH PARK OPTIONS\161011 pickfords building\161011_035699_BUR_SK05.dwg

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

2.765 7.1 1.4

Existing trees to be potentially relocated Plaxton Panther Bus R6000 Overall Length 15.000m R6000 to the island between the accesses. Overall Width 2.500m Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m Track Width 2.500m Lock-to-lock time 5.00s Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m

R6000 R6000

Plaxton Panther Bus

00 FIRST ISSUE/ 11/10/2016 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk Existing office building to be replaced with 19 coach parking spaces. DRAFT

3500 Status of drawing

Plaxton Panther Bus 16000

Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH PARK: BEAZER HOUSE OPTION

Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 11/10/2016

Job No. 035699 Drg No. SK02 P:\035699 Bath Coach Parking Study\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH PARK OPTIONS\161011 beazer house\161011_035699_BUR_SK02.dwg

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Notes

Plaxton Panther Bus 15

1:10 1:10

2.765 7.1 1.4

Existing cricket club car park to be Plaxton Panther Bus replaced with 17 coach parking spaces.

00 FIRST ISSUE/ 11/10/2016 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk

16000

3500 DRAFT

Status of drawing

2000 Existing indoor cricket building to be retained.

Client B&NES COUNCIL Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH PARK: CRICKET CLUB OPTION

Scales@A3 1:500 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 11/10/2016

Job No. 035699 C:\Users\rdmesa\Desktop\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH PARK OPTIONS\161011 bath cricket club\161011_035699_BUR_SK01.dwg

Drg No. SK01

Rev 00 Rachelle De Mesa

© Buro Happold Limited or its group companies. All Rights reserved. Buro Happold and its group companies assert (unless otherwise agreed in writing) their rights under s.77 to 89 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. DO NOT SCALE THIS DRAWING. HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION IN ADDITION TO THE HAZARDS/RISKS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TYPES OF WORK DETAILED ON THIS DRAWING, NOTE THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTION.

MAINTENANCE/CLEANING/OPERATION.

DECOMMISSIONING/DEMOLITION.

Existing school buildings to be replaced with 26 Notes 15 coach parking spaces. Existing mature tree to be removed.

2.765 7.1 1.4

Plaxton Panther Bus Overall Length 15.000m R2000 Overall Width 2.500m Overall Body Height 4.157m Min Body Ground Clearance 0.397m Track Width 2.500m

11003 Lock-to-lock time 5.00s Wall to Wall Turning Radius 12.500m

2000

R2000

Plaxton Panther Bus

10565

00 FIRST ISSUE/ 11/10/2016 OR/BF

Rev Description/Date Drn/Chk 16000

3500

Status of drawing 1:20

Plaxton Panther Bus

Existing small trees and section Client B&NES COUNCIL of existing wall to be removed. Project BATH COACH

Drg Title PARKING STUDY COACH PARK: FORMER SCHOOL OPTION

Scales@A3 1:1000 Drawn by OR Checked by BF Date 11/10/2016

Job No. 035699 C:\Users\rdmesa\Desktop\F33 Transport\Sheet\SKETCHES\COACH PARK OPTIONS\161011 former st john's school\161011_035699_BUR_SK03.dwg

Drg No. SK03

Rev 00 Rachelle De Mesa

Appendix C – Site Images

Manvers Street Off-Street Car Park

Stanier Road South Facing Off-Street Car Park

Stanier Road North Facing Off-Street Car Park

Pickfords

North Parade Eastbound On-Street Parking

North Parade Westbound On-Street Parking

Royal Avenue On-Street Parking

Beezer House

Homebase Off-Street Car Park North Facing

Orange Grove On-Street Parking

Bath Cricket Club Off-Street Car Park

Manvers Street (On-Street Parking)

Rossiter Road Eastbound Rossiter Road Westbound

Grand Parade On-Street Parking Southbound

Grand Parade On-Street Parking Northbound

Pulteney Road

Travis Perkins

Charlotte Street Off-Street Car Park

1 FigureEntrance Error! to KingsmeadNo text of specified Square styleCar Park in document. —1

Queen Square On-Street Parking

Green Park Station

The Recreation Ground

Great Pulteney Street

Appendix D – Parking Technology Market Scan and Case Studies

Bath Coach Parking and Pick-Up/Drop-Off Strategy Revision 03 Final Report 24 August 2017 Copyright © 1976 - 2017 BuroHappold Engineering. All Rights Reserved. Holistic Parking Technology Solution Companies

Graphic

Description These companies offer parking technology solutions as a complete service. They focus on creating parking ‘ecosystems’ creating a seamless user experience.

Holistic Parking Solutions can often be found forming close relationships with city governments in order to deliver city parking solutions.

Benefits of this technology type:  Integrated solution;  Client owns and manages data;  Consistent data available to all users.

Singular Parking Technology Solution Companies

Graphic

Description These companies offer a range of parking technologies solutions, but they each tend to specialise in one particular technology. Parkare/Parkeon specialise in parking meters Nedap and Urbiotica specialise in sensor technology; Siemens Car Finder and VivoPark’s Tesco parking system are great examples of ANPR technology; Smarking provides market leading data analytics software; GreenParking have developed a remote control space reservation unit.

Benefits of this technology type:  Extensive experience in consortiums;  Often offer unique speciality products; Products are often designed to integrate with other products.

Smartphone Applications Companies

Graphic

Description A large number of parking based smartphone applications have emerged in recent years, many of them proving to be a huge success.

Smartphone applications for parking traditionally follow the process of: find a space; book a space; and check in and park.

COMPANY NAME PRODUCT NAME PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Smart Parking (partnered Combination of parking technology products and SmartPark with Viarium) services designed for both on and off-street parking

Combination of parking technologies that create a Real-time mobile parking 'ecosystem' applications: Parker, 1. sensors detect arrival and departure in real time ParkerMap. 2. Motorist guided to space Streetline Applications, data and 3. Motorist parks analytics: ParkSight, 4. pays by phone, timer activated/pays by meter ParkEdge, Guided 5. officer guided to unpaid cars Enforcement 6. Staff receives analytics for decision making

Worldsensing’s Fastprk solution uses innovative sensor and radio technologies to detect the presence of vacant parking places, both indoors or outdoors.

SOLUTION Worldsensing Fastprk This information is made available in real-time to those in need of it, either via smart phones (using free-of-charge smart apps) or displays along the road.

The M4 Camera Sensor offers the ability to sense, identify and count vehicles per individual garage

TECHNOLOGY parking space. Configured with one or two CMOS

digital cameras, sensors monitor up to four parking M4 Park Assist Camera spaces simultaneously. Camera images are Park Assist System continuously processed by the onboard computer to detect parking space occupancy changes using

PARKING proprietary image processing software. For

surveillance purposes, the cameras’ output can be streamed over the network.

Sensors allow a picture of where available spaces are

HOLISTIC and length occupied Highlights improper use of non-parking areas Siemens Integrated Siemens Routing and enforcing applications and city Smart Parking Solution dashboards - info accessible by various audiences Multiple complimentary applications can be linked on a single platform

Xerox offer a wide variety of parking products based around these four components:

Xerox Smart Parking Solutions  Customer Experience  Street Operations  System Support & Analytics  Compliance

Skidata Skidata Parking Barriers and columns, automated payment machines, Management reservations and booking, reports and statistics, expert services, points of sale and validation, tickets, operating and monitoring.

COMPANY NAME PRODUCT NAME PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Madrid City has installed parking meters that Parkare/Parkeon Madrid Smart Parking charge users according to how sustainable their Meters vehicle is.

TRANSIT, UPASS, Nedap offer a variety of technologies including Nedap ANPR, SENSIT wireless parking sensors, automatic number plate recognition, RFID technology that identifies vehicles and people.

U-Spot: wireless parking sensor that detects parking space occupancy; Urbiotica U-Spot, U-Flow U-Flow: smart traffic measurement sensor;

U-Admin: software allowing control and analysis of sensors.

Flinkpark is a remote control space reservation GreenParking unit. The parking space user is able to use a Flinkpark remote control to access the space. Solar panelled charging Flinkparks are available.

Integrates CCTV, digital recording, advanced automatic number plate technology, bay Siemens monitoring, barrier control and customer Car Finder information kiosks to assist motorists in finding parking spaces and locating their vehicles on

SINGULAR PARKING TECHNOLOGIES PARKING SINGULAR their return.

Customers entering the car park would be registered by ANPR cameras, and following their shop would be given a voucher by the cashier. At the VivoPark terminal, customers VivoPark/Metric Streatham Tesco simply input their car registration, select their vehicle from images on screen and scan the voucher to validate their parking. This simple process should take no longer than 60 seconds.

Uses predictive analysis to improve parking experience; Optimises staffing and reduces operational cost; Smarking Smarking database Foresees future demand and maximises utilisation of parking assets; Shares availability information with end-users.

Barriers and columns, automated payment Skidata Parking machines, reservations and booking, reports Skidata Management and statistics, expert services, points of sale and validation, tickets, operating and monitoring.

COMPANY NAME PRODUCT NAME PRODUCT DESCRIPTION AppyParking has collated on and off-street parking information across London and 11 of the UK's biggest cities. Free app and website allows you to see when and where you can park and at what time of day, including the following features: AppyParking AppyParking  Real-time availability;  Different types of spaces for different types of drivers (unsure whether coaches are currently included)  Helps user find the nearest and cheapest spot.  Details of controlled parking times.

1. Find a parking garage Mobile booking ParkNow 2. book your space platform 3. check in and park

Mobile payment service available for both parking Pango Pango+App lots and on-street parking

SMARTPHONE APPLICATIONS SMARTPHONE

Allows users to use mobile (app, website, phone call, text) to pay, extend parking session, receive Mobile Pay notifications of expiry, view and print reciepts online; Allows client to use own branding, also gives client Private Label Mobile Pay complete control over architecture, flow of the app, PassportParking or the messaging; Operations Back office tool provides complete control and Management analytics of mobile payments; Cloud based application; Reporting and management suite.

User can search and compare parking spaces User can book parking space in one 'tap' paying by ParkWhiz ParkWhiz App credit card, apple pay, or Google Wallet User gets directions to parking spot and walking directions to destination

User can search and compare parking spaces User can book parking space in one 'tap' paying by JustPark JustPark App credit card, apple pay, or Google Wallet User gets directrions to parking spot and walking directions to destination

Case Studies

Dresden

Overview

Dresden, a city in Germany with an urban population of around 800,000, attracts over 12 million visitors each year and more than 10% of these visitors travel to the city by coach. On average this leads to 100 coaches visiting Dresden on an average day rising to over 800 coaches during the Christmas market which is very popular with tourists.

Parking Technology Solution

The city of Dresden has adopted a parking technology system consisting of sensors and dynamic signage that alerts and guides parkers to where available parking spaces are located in real-time. The system was integrated by Swarco and creates a range of benefits to both coaches and the city itself. Consistent political support for over a decade has made the city a leading destination for coach tourism and a role model for other cities using state-of-the-art technology.

Dresden Parking System (Source: Nedap)

Key Features of Solution

Sensors

As the coach parking areas within the city are mainly located in open air sites, any type of roof mounted sensors would not be suited to the type of facilities that exist. The sensors installed in each space (around 2 inches in depth) are dual detection sensors, featuring a combination of both infrared and earth magnetic field. These sensors allow a high level of real-time accuracy and also allow the detection of larger vehicles such as coaches and HGV’s.

Parking and Guidance System

A large part of providing a good user experience for coach parking is the planning of optimised routes and the provision of information regarding stopping places and special parking areas for coaches. To assist coach drivers with this information, the city provides a parking and guidance system that saves coach drivers valuable time searching for available parking spaces and taking unnecessary detours – this system consists of both physical and online elements.

Dynamic street signage (otherwise known as Variable Message Signage) is located around the city and allows coach drivers to be guided to the nearest available parking spaces. The city of Dresden authority also use an online available parking guidance system which provides both private car and coach drivers with real-time parking information to allow them to locate the nearest available parking space at any time.

Results

Benefits to coach operators and drivers:

 Coach drivers save valuable time searching for available parking spaces and are saved from taking unnecessary detours;

Benefits to city:

 The system has won awards for the city of Dresden, including winning the Smart Move City Trophy twice from the International Road Union (IRU). This was awarded to the city for the continuous updating of the dynamic and flexible coach parking and guidance system.

 The system has also created a number of positive side effects for the city, including a reduction in congestion

and also a reduction in CO2 emissions.

Chester

Overview

The Benchmarking and Best Practice technical note compiled as part of our Study cited Chester as an example of a city comparable to Bath. Chester is a city (population 79,465) in the north west of England with a similar historic appeal to tourists. It sees high levels of coach activity and has high quality provision for coaches, which has led to it being awarded Coach Friendly status by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).

Key Features of Solution

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)

The Little Roodee Coach Park, which is co-located with a car park, is situated at the southern edge of the town centre (about 1.2km from Chester Cathedral). Coaches can stay at the car park up to overnight, with variable charges for different durations of stay. A pay and display system has been used previously but ANPR barriers have recently been installed.

Results

The application of ANPR at Little Roodee Coach Park has contributed towards increasing the ease of enforcement of parking charges and has also allowed the potential to create a more flexible charging regime.

Appendix E – Bath Rugby 2017/2017 Fixture List

Game Home/Away Date Kick-off

Yorkshire Carnegie Away Saturday 13 Aug 2016 18:00

Scarlets Away Saturday 20 Aug 2016 14:30

Leinster Rugby Away Friday 26 Aug 2016 19:30

Northampton Saints Away Saturday 3 Sep 2016 15:30

Newcastle Falcons Home Saturday 10 Sep 2016 15:00

Worcester Warriors Home Saturday 17 Sep 2016 15:00

Leicester Tigers Away Sunday 25 Sep 2016 15:00

Gloucester Rugby Away Saturday 1 Oct 2016 15:00

Sale Sharks Home Friday 7 Oct 2016 19:45

Pau Away Saturday 15 Oct 2016 20:45

Bristol Rugby Home Thursday 20 Oct 2016 19:45

Exeter Chiefs Away Sunday 30 Oct 2016 15:00

Leicester Tigers Home Friday 4 Nov 2016 19:45

Scarlets Away Friday 11 Nov 2016 19:05

Bristol Rugby Home Friday 18 Nov 2016 19:45

Harlequins Away Sunday 27 Nov 2016 15:15

Saracens Home Saturday 3 Dec 2016 12:15

Cardiff Blues Away Saturday 10 Dec 2016 14:30

Cardiff Blues Home Thursday 15 Dec 2016 19:45

Wasps Away Saturday 24 Dec 2016 14:00

Exeter Chiefs Home Saturday 31 Dec 2016 15:00

Newcastle Falcons Away Friday 6 Jan 2017 19:45

Bristol Rugby Away Friday 13 Jan 2017 19:45

Pau Home Saturday 21 Jan 2017 15:00

Gloucester Rugby Home Friday 27 Jan 2017 19:45

Newcastle Falcons Away Saturday 4 Feb 2017 15:00

Game Home/Away Date Kick-off

Northampton Saints Home Friday 10 Feb 2017 19:45

Harlequins Home Saturday 18 Feb 2017 15:00

Bristol Rugby Away Sunday 26 Feb 2017 13:00

Wasps Home Saturday 4 Mar 2017 15:00

Saracens Away Sunday 26 Mar 2017 15:00

Brive Home Saturday 1 Apr 2017 12:45

Leicester Tigers Away Saturday 8 Apr 2017 14:00

Worcester Warriors Away Saturday 15 Apr 2017 15:00

Stade Francais Away Sunday 23 Apr 2017 13:30

Gloucester Rugby Home Sunday 30 Apr 2017 15:00

Sale Sharks Away Saturday 6 May 2017 16:00