Milton Keynes Transport Strategy Review September 2008 (Draft)
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Milton Keynes Transport Strategy Review September 2008 (Draft) CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Study Context 1 1.2. Engagement of Partners and Stakeholders 2 1.3. Linkages with Other Initiatives and Processes 3 1.4. Implications of Growth and Visions for the Future 3 1.5. Scope of Report 4 2. TRANSPORT CHARACTERISTICS 6 2.1. Introduction 6 2.2. Car Ownership 6 2.3. Traffic Flow Patterns 8 2.4. Journey to Work 13 2.5. Bus Network 15 2.6. Freight Vehicle Movements 16 2.7. Other Use of Transport Infrastructure 16 3. PREDICTING FUTURE TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS 23 3.1. Extent of Planned Growth 23 3.2. Multi-Modal Transport Model 25 3.3. Model Upgrading 26 4. EXISTING TRANSPORT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES 28 4.1. Transport Policy Framework 28 4.2. National Policy 29 4.3. Regional Policy 31 4.4. Milton Keynes & South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy 32 4.5. Local Transport Plan 33 4.6. Other Local Strategic Documents 36 5. HIGHWAY NETWORK MANAGEMENT 37 5.1. Guiding Principles 37 5.2. Junction Types 38 5.3. Provision for Bus Priority 39 5.4. Special Cases 39 5.5. Constraints to the Provision of Additional Highway Capacity 40 5.6. Ongoing Work Programme 41 5.7. Future Works Programme 42 5.8. External Road Network 45 6. MANAGING TRANSPORT DEMAND 49 6.1. Requirements and Objectives 49 6.2. Assumptions and Conclusions 49 6.3. Central Milton Keynes 52 6.4. Implications for CMK Parking Provision 54 6.5. Critical Role of the Bus Network 59 6.6. Travel Planning 61 6.7. Changes to Development Control Requirements 64 6.8. The Need for Monitoring 64 7. CONCLUSIONS AND ACTIONS 67 7.1. Introduction 67 7.2. Key Conclusions 67 7.3. Work Streams 69 7.4. Summary 71 1. Introduction 1.1. Study Context 1.1.1. Milton Keynes Partnership (MKP) and Milton Keynes Council (MKC) have for the past two years been pursuing a programme of transport infrastructure improvements associated with the planned growth of Milton Keynes to 2016. However, while there is a broad understanding between the two key partners of the strategy underlying these actions and various documents have been put in place by Milton Keynes Council to guide actions in the short term (up to 2011), no formal overarching strategy document exists relating to the longer term. 1.1.2. During the same period, there has also been intensive study of the options for Milton Keynes growth beyond 2016 as part of the work on the MK 2031 Long-Term Sustainable Growth Strategy. This has raised a number of additional transport strategy issues, which also need to be addressed. In particular, transportation was seen by the MK 2031 Growth Strategy Peer Group as an area where further work would be required to enable informed decisions to be made by the local authorities involved in accommodating growth beyond 2016. 1.1.3. The debate around MK 2031 has indicated that there is a general lack of consensus in the community over the broad directions that transport strategy needs to take to accommodate growth in the longer term, and how the potentially difficult transport strategy issues involved are to be resolved. However, MKP, the Council and key partners, have endorsed the need for a strategy that can communicate simply and clearly to a wider audience key messages about these broad directions. 1.1.4. Whilst the strategy and its associated action plan consider the short term (up to 2011), medium term (up to 2016), Regional Plan (2026) and longer term (up to 2031) planning horizons, the main focus is on the requirements of the longer-term situation, with a recommendation that continuous progress needs to be made to achieve these over the intervening period. 1.1.5. A Brief for the work was endorsed by MKP and the Council, and other partners were briefed on the proposed scope and remit of the review of transport strategy in Milton Keynes, in September 2006. The overall aim is to build a consensus among partners on the way forward. The outcome – in the form of an integrated transport strategy 1 statement – will both support evidence to the South East Plan EIP and provide a clear direction for any further work to be undertaken by Milton Keynes Council and other key delivery partners. Ultimately, it could help underpin the Council’s Local Development Framework, including transport aspects of the Core Strategy, which will establish policies that guide the future development of Milton Keynes. A further report on the progress of the Review was made to the Partnership Committee’s meeting in December 2006. This was part of a public agenda. 1.1.6. The objective of this review has therefore been to inform and facilitate agreement on a broad Milton Keynes transport strategy, provide general consensus on a clear statement of the existing position (based on the existing Local Transport Plan and other documents), establish the directions that need to be pursued, and the timing, and outline the requirements and responsibilities for specific follow-up actions. This will then provide a clear framework for policy-making and transport project implementation in the medium and longer term. 1.2. Engagement of Partners and Stakeholders 1.2.1. The Review has been undertaken by a consultant employed by MKP, in consultation with key partner and stakeholder groups and under the direction and guidance of the Joint Transport Delivery Team (JTDT)1, which has been responsible for overseeing and managing the Review. This has involved inputs from: • Milton Keynes Council officers – primarily those involved in transport policy, bus service development, parking management, highway management, and sustainable transport; • the Highways Agency (in relation to impacts on motorways and trunk roads, and related sustainability issues) – primarily through a monthly HA Liaison Meeting; • local bus operators – primarily through the regular Bus Day liaison meetings organised by MKC; • Representatives of other local transport authorities in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-region (Buckinghamshire County Council, Bedfordshire County Council, Northamptonshire County Council and Luton Borough Council); and 1 The Joint Transport Delivery Team is chaired by Milton Keynes Council’s Corporate Director Environment, with membership representing MKC, MKP, the Highways Agency (HA) and the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). 2 • the Transport Partnership (part of the Local Strategic Partnership) – primarily through its Executive group; • representatives of other interested parties: SEERA, the Milton Keynes Parks Trust, and the Economy and Learning Partnership. 1.2.2. Through these contacts the Review has been a catalyst for identifying issues, challenging assumptions and developing common understandings relating to the nature and extent of the required transport strategy. 1.3. Linkages with Other Initiatives and Processes 1.3.1. In addition to closely liaising with the partners and stakeholder groups, as outlined above, the consultant undertaking this Review has also provided inputs to other initiatives and processes with transport strategy implications. These include inputs and support to: • The Local Development Framework process, in which Transport Strategy has been identified as being relevant to all three key study strands – Social, Economic and Environmental; • Transport-related aspects of the post 2016 growth agenda and the Partnership’s submission to the South East Plan EIP; • The South East Regional Assembly (SEERA) regional transport prioritisation process; • MKC’s emerging Supplementary Planning Guidance on Transport Planning. 1.3.2. The output of the study will form part of the evidence base for the new Local Development Framework (LDF) and also for the South East Regional Plan 2026. It will also assist key funding and delivery partners – MKC, MKP, the Milton Keynes Economy and Learning Partnership (MKELP) and the South East Regional Assembly (SEERA) – to understand how and when future investment should be made. 1.4. Implications of Growth and Visions for the Future 1.4.1. Various ‘visions’ have been developed to underpin the future growth of Milton Keynes. The Local Plan Vision talks about ‘high quality of life for all’, ‘sustainable lifestyles’, ‘real choices for transport’, a ‘clean and green environment’ and a ‘stronger role as a regional centre’. Similarly, the MK2031 Vision, produced by Milton Keynes Partnership to support the statutory planning process undertaken by Local Authority partners, also talks about ‘changes in lifestyles necessary to 3 ensure a sustainable future’, ‘living and working in a uniquely green and landscape city’, and ‘the whole city linked together by a safe, modern and efficient public transport system’. 1.4.2. More specific visions for transport were incorporated into the Council’s Sustainable Integrated Transport Strategy (SITS), which was first published in 1999 and has guided successive Local Transport Plans. The SITS vision was to: “open up Milton Keynes by making it a place where everyone can afford to move around conveniently, where economic, social and cultural life can flourish, whilst damage to our environment is minimised.” 1.4.3. This was later expressed (in the Local Transport Plan) in terms of the following guiding objectives: • Enabling all people to move around conveniently and safely, regardless of their circumstances, with those able to pay doing so. • In developing planning policies, to actively seek to reduce the number, length and need to make journeys. • To encourage walking, cycling, and quality public transport whilst reducing journeys by car and promoting a healthier lifestyle. • To ensure that Milton Keynes’ economic prosperity is enhanced by helping people to travel when and where they want, but in more environmentally friendly ways. 1.4.4. These approaches have attracted considerable public support over the past few years, and whatever transport strategy is eventually adopted it should support, rather than undermine these core values.