Henley in Transition
Henley Transport Project Summary Report November 2013
1 Introduction
The Henley Transport Project was a collaboration between Henley in Transition and Henley College that took place throughout June and early July 2013. It received the support of Henley Town Council as well as many local businesses and residents. 60 A-level Economics students were involved in an on-line survey, research projects and conducting interviews with local businesses and community organisations. 530 people responded to the on-line survey and the key findings are to be found in the Appendix. For more information and background to the project please see the web site: www.transport.henley-in-transition.org.uk
Consultant
We were very fortunate to have the support of Dr Karen Anderton as consultant to the project. Karen is a research fellow at the Transport Studies Unit, Oxford University. She has been working on environmental issues for well over a decade and has focused on climate change issues since 2003, working for international organisations including The Climate Group, Sustainable Energy Action, the Environment Investigation Agency and the Living Earth Foundation. The primary focus of her research is now the processes necessary to decarbonise the transport sector and understanding the societal change required to deliver low carbon transport at various scales. Karen contributed to the overall development and implementation of the Henley Transport Project as well as taking the lead in the design and analysis of the on-line survey.
The Neighbourhood Plan
The work of which this is a summary is offered as a contribution to the development of the Joint Henley & Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan. Henley already has serious problems of congestion and pollution. If 450 homes are built (a figure that does not include infilling and may soon become a minimum requirement), then these problems will only get worse. What can be done?
Recommendations
The Henley Transport Project found that there are no quick fixes. However, it did come up with a significant number of recommendations for practical initiatives that could be implemented now or in the near future. The 'aggregation of marginal gains' worked well for the British Olympic Cycling team: it could also improve the quality of life for all of us who live in Henley, work here or enjoy visiting the Town.
The project also identified the need for further research on a number of specified larger scale proposals.
This summary report contains recommendations synthesised from the overall findings of the project. However Henley in Transition is continuing the work of the project and has set up working groups on Air Quality, Cars & Parking, Cycling & Walking and Public Transport. These groups will seek strategies to implement the following recommendations.
2 1. Air Quality
The on-line survey showed that most people are not aware of the serious pollution problem that exists in the town. Subsequent meetings have also shown that it is an issue that generates very strong feelings. 2 pertinent facts: 1. HGVs and buses make up 4% of the traffic flowing through the town but contribute 39% of the pollution 2. During 2012 Air Quality measurements at some sites in Henley continued to exceed the UK's annual mean limit for nitrogen dioxide of 40 ug/m3
Low Emission Zone for HGVs and Buses Introduce a low emission zone. This could improve air quality significantly and is a measure that would be widely supported.
Through Traffic There is anecdotal evidence that there is a lot of through traffic. A professional survey is needed to determine the extent that this is occurring. Meanwhile, we recommend:
Exploring with SatNav companies and the Road Haulage Association the scope for ensuring that vehicles are not being directed through Henley instead of using the M4, M40 or Marlow by-pass.
Low Emission Vehicles Discuss with Henley Town Council, Oxfordshire County Council and bus & coach operators the potential for the replacement of old vehicles operating in Henley with low emission ones. Can this be built into contracts?
Idling Encourage drivers to switch off their engines when waiting at drop-off/pick-up points such as school and college as well as at traffic lights. Install 'countdown' displays at traffic lights so drivers know how long it is until the lights turn green.
Information Publish air quality figures regularly, in a format accessible to the layman, to raise public awareness of the pollution problem and whether the situation is improving.
2. Public Transport
Trains Set up a train passenger group if none exists and campaign for more frequent trains more carriages at peak times later trains from London Buses 3 set up a bus passenger group to represent passengers' needs to the bus companies and local authorities publicise routes and times of all available services in and from the town provide more services to surrounding villages and other local towns such as Maidenhead, Wycombe and Wallingford seek improvements to local services during the construction of the new hospital so that the loss of parking places is ameliorated as well as ensuring that a good bus service is provided when the hospital is completed eliminate the need for buses travelling from High Wycombe to Reading to pass through the centre of the town twice
3. Cars and Parking
Car Sharing Scheme Implement a car sharing scheme either by adding a Henley page to an existing site such as Oxfordshire's Liftshare or using a new web site.
Investigate the practicalities of an 'electronic hitching' scheme.
Car Club Pursue the idea of a car club. Existing car clubs estimate that each car club car can eventually replace up to 25 private cars. Low emission cars would be used to help tackle the pollution problem as well as reducing the carbon footprint of the town. Charging points would need to be installed for electric cars - see below. Further research is needed on the best way forward.
Electric Charging Points Seek the installation of public charging points to encourage car owners to buy electric cars.
Park and Glide (boat) Although a full blown park and ride scheme appears to be inappropriate for a town the size of Henley, the idea of a park and glide scheme could be considered for tourists in the summer months. A site, or sites would need to be found, perhaps at Remenham and Mill Lane. This could be a novel and fun way for visitors to approach the town.
Car Parking / Park and Stride Encourage drivers to make more use of the station car park with better signage and a price differential with town centre car parks.
Look for opportunities to increase the amount of parking available in the town, particularly at peak times, until a comprehensive transport strategy is developed and implemented.
20 mph Speed Limit Consider the case for a 20 mph speed limit on safety grounds, although the benefits with regard to air quality are disputed. 4. Cycling and Walking
4 Cycling Foundations for cross-town cycle routes along paths, quiet roads and streets already exist. Sign post and map these routes drawing on the recent example of Reading Publicise routes and cycle rack locations via media, on-line and in leaflets Publicise longer routes for the benefit of residents, rail commuters on Henley branch line and tourists exploring surrounding countryside and villages Advise cyclists on theft prevention measures in media and leaflets Encourage use of national ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme to subsidise cycle purchase and use Consider a Henley cycle hire scheme Promote electric bikes Work with Shiplake Parish Council on the project for a cycle track alongside the railway line between Shiplake and Henley
Walking Improve signage of footpaths. Prepare a map of safe routes in the town and also picturesque routes starting in Henley.
Introduce a 'Beat the Street' Scheme for primary schools. The aim of the scheme is to encourage children to walk more. This involves a competition between schools with weekly prizes as well as a target to be achieved within a year. Each child should be given a key fob which enables them to check in at 'Beat Boxes' around the town.
5. Travel Plans
Encourage organisations or groups of organisations to produce travel plans for their employees and/or clients. These might include the provision of transport such as mini-buses or coaches, a car share scheme or measures to encourage cycling and walking.
Further Research
Of all the various wide-ranging topics investigated, the following have been identified as having the potential to make a major difference to the congestion and pollution problems. These initiatives are also either expensive to implement or the evidence for the benefits is inconclusive. Further detailed research, planning and costing are essential and no recommendations have therefore been made at this stage.
Extension of the 1-way system Extension of the pedestrianised area of the town as well as the use of shared spaces and more traffic calming measures Introduction of a Park and Ride scheme but see Park and Glide and Park and Stride below Introduction of Flexible Bus Services and Shared Taxi Schemes
A Big Thank You to:
5 Steering group: Karen Anderton, Laila Meachin, Dick Fletcher, Adie Menzies and Nancy Bradley Mentors: Malcolm & Gill Dodds, Ron White, Jon Lock, Liz Smith, Keith Brown, Susan Edwards and Charles Langler Phil Chappell & Best of Henley Julie Perigo & The Henley Partnership Peter McConnell, Town Centre Manager Nick Crowder & Rob Denison, Reward Your World for their generous support of the web site Henley Town Council The Henley College Invesco Perpetual Henley Young Partnership All those who agreed to be interviewed and/or completed surveys Paul Morse, Lecturer in Economics at The Henley College; and last but by no means least...... Henley College first year A-Level Economics students, without whom a project on this scale could not have been tackled.
Henley Transport Project
If you would like to be involved with the working groups (Air Quality, Cycling & Walking, Cars and Parking and Public Transport) or the ongoing development of the project then email: [email protected] or telephone/text: 07703 102688
Henley in Transition works with other local organisations to consider ways that individuals, and the community as a whole, can become more sustainable and resilient to the instabilities of future energy supplies. For more information email: [email protected] and website: http://www.henleyintransition.org.uk/
Dave McEwen On behalf of Henley in Transition November 2013
Appendix
6 Henley Transport Project: On-Line Survey Headlines
Over 500 responses from a good cross-section of the Henley population
Most people were not aware of the serious pollution problems in the town
Support for restricting access to HGVs as well as making Henley a low emission zone for buses and HGVs
Dissatisfaction with public transport. In particular, people want to see a more frequent, cheaper train service with later trains from London.
More people would use public transport if improvements were made
Many journeys by car are of 2 miles or less. There is scope for getting people to use alternatives.
A lot of people would cycle more if they felt it was safer Key Points
Based on 530 responses we can be 95% confident that our findings represent the views of residents of Henley and the surrounding area. We had a broad mix of people in terms of the demographic information received, although as self-selecting participants, we don’t have a fully random sample.
63% of respondents lived in Henley, with 37% travelling to or through, mainly for work.
75% of respondents were not aware of the air pollution issues in Henley.
87% of respondents were car owners. 60% of households had two or more cars.
Cars were used more than all other modes of transport put together.
70% of participants owned a bicycle - a very high proportion - but only 5% used their bicycle to commute.
Over 20% of respondents said their main mode of transport was walking, which is encouraging.
26% of responses said another mode of travel was possible - of these responses most felt that an improved train was the most practical alternative, with cycle lanes and an improved bus service coming after.
There was more evidence that people have tried train travel than bus travel with 87% having used the Henley Branch line.
7 However overall respondents were not happy with the train service - respondents felt that it was cheaper and easier to use a car.
From all responses a 10 mile commute was the most common, with 5 and 2 miles the next most common.
50% of all 2 mile journeys and 25% of all 1 mile journeys were by car, therefore there is a big potential to shift these commuters to another form of transport such as the local bus service, walking or cycling.
The local bus service was praised highly, however it is underused - especially by younger people - only 26% of respondents had ever used it.
For the longer journeys between 2 miles and 10 miles the survey results suggested that improved bus services with better connections could help shift people away from car use.
The top three suggestions for easing congestion and air pollution that were shown clearly from the results in order were: restrictions on HGV access; more walking and cycling infrastructure; and a low emission zone.
More information including reports on the 13 research areas carried out by the Henley College students can be found on the project website at: http://www.transport.henley-in-transition.org.uk
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