Attleborough Smarter Choices Study
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Attleborough Smarter Choices Final Report Breckland Council 29 November 2012 CAPITA SYMONDS Capita Symonds/Breckland, Elizabeth House Walpole Loke Dereham Norfolk NR19 1EE http://www.breckland.gov.uk/category/department/planning-building-control Quality Management Title Attleborough Smarter Choices Draft Report. Location Dereham Date 29 November 2012 Prepared by Natalie Beal Signature (for file) Checked by Phil Mileham Signature (for file) Authorised Martin Pendlebury Signature (for file) by 1 Introduction Contents 1. Introduction 2 2. Vision and Objectives 6 3. Reducing the Need to Travel 8 4. Walking and Cycling 13 5. Public Transport - Bus 25 6. Public Transport - Rail 40 7. Car Share 57 8. Using More Efficient and Low Carbon/Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles. 64 9. Using Existing Vehicles More Efficiently. 69 10. Travel Plans 71 11. Getting the Message Across 81 12. Delivery and Implementation 85 13. Evaluation and Monitoring Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendices Appendix A– Attleborough and Snetterton Heath Walking and Cycling Network, Showing Improvements. 94 Appendix B–Schedule of Improvements to the Town Walking and Cycling Network 94 Appendix C – Schedule of Improvements to the Village and Employment Area Walking and Cycling Network. 94 Appendix D - Schedule of Cycle Parking Improvements 94 Appendix E- What Local Residents Said 94 Appendix F– Smarter Choices and the Link Road 94 Appendix G – Smarter Choices and the Town Centre. 94 CAPITA SYMONDS Attleborough Smarter Choices Final Report - 1 - 29/11/12 1 Introduction 1. Introduction 1.1 ABOUT THE REPORT 1.1.1 In summer 2012, Capita Symonds was commissioned to undertake transport work to support the Attleborough and Snetterton Heath Local Plan. The ASHLP plans the growth of Attleborough and Snetterton Heath. Headline figures are: 4,000 dwellings as an urban extension in Attleborough; 10Ha of employment land at Attleborough; Related infrastructure to include a new link road, an expanded High School and 2 to 3 Primary Schools; 20Ha of employment land at Snetterton Heath; and An improved town centre 1.2 WHAT ARE SMARTER CHOICES? 1.2.1 Smarter choices are techniques for influencing people's travel behaviour towards more sustainable options - walking, cycling or using public transport, seeking to reduce the number and length of trips and not making the journey in the first place. 1.2.2 Importantly smarter choices is not an anti-car campaign. The car will still be an important mode of transport for the area due to levels of ownership in the study area, but also for some in outlying rural areas with little or no bus service provision. Furthermore, car sharing is an ever increasingly popular smarter way to travel. There are also ways of driving a car that can reduce fuel consumption, reducing driving costs and emissions. 1.2.3 However, by improving the choice of transport modes, improving the provision for certain modes, promoting the different smarter choices available as well as emphasising the benefits to an individual’s finances and health this smarter choices strategy will result in modal shift to more sustainable modes of transport. 1.2.4 In the case of Attleborough and Snetterton Heath, smarter choices is about being part of a strategy for seeking to reduce the traffic impact on the town centre as well as seeking to accommodate the traffic related to the growth of the town. The trips to nearby villages, towns and cities are the third element that will benefit from the smarter choices work. 1.2.5 Smarter choices will provide attractive and deliverable alternatives to single occupancy car journeys. 1.3 THE BRIEF 1.3.1 The key elements the smarter Choices work is required to address are as follows: i) The Smarter Choices Report will be both a technical evidence document to inform the policy approach in the ASHLP as well as being a report which will influence the activities of agencies that have a responsibility for delivering smarter travel choices. ii) The Report will address how smarter choices can contribute to reducing local traffic congestion; enhance accessibility for all residents to jobs and services; make local roads and rail crossings safer and improve local environmental quality (including air pollution). iii) The Report is required to identify a combination of the hard measures (infrastructure) and softer/complimentary measures to sustain modal shift and provide an attractive and deliverable alternative to single occupancy car journeys. iv) Critically, the report will contain an implementation and delivery section which will set out how the measures can be delivered, approximate costs and identify prospective delivery bodies, including developers, and be mindful of the forthcoming CIL regime. v) It is important that the Report identifies targets for modal shift and how they can be monitored. CAPITA SYMONDS Attleborough Smarter Choices Final Report - 2 - 29/11/12 1 Introduction 1.4 LINKS WITH OTHER TRANSPORT STUDIES 1.4.1 At the same time as commissioning the Smarter Choices Study, Breckland Council also commissioned studies to look into the traffic movement around Attleborough Town Centre as well as look in more detail at a new link road between the B1077 to the south of the railway and London Road. 1.4.2 All three studies were awarded to Capita Symonds in summer 2012 offering the opportunity for close working between the three separate project teams. 1.4.3 During the production of the three reports, all three teams were in regular contact. Figure 1 Interactions between the three teams Town Centre Report Town centre walking and cycling Modelling. network and Surveys for extra interventions. data. Crossings. Diversionary effect Cycle parking. of a new link road. Sharing local feedback. Baseline. Links to villages Visions. and destinations around Attleborough. Smarter Choices related principles to consider. Smarter Choices Baseline Link Road Report Report 1.5 A SMARTER MODE HIERARCHY 1.5.1 The report is set out in a form that reflects a mode hierarchy. The hierarchy is based on potential to benefit carbon emissions, health and personal finances. A potential hierarchy could be: i Reducing the need for travel in the first place ii Walk iii Cycle iv Public transport v Car share vi Reducing the number and length of trips vii Using more efficient, lower carbon vehicles/fuels. Electric cars/hybrid cars viii Using existing vehicles more efficiently CAPITA SYMONDS Attleborough Smarter Choices Final Report - 3 - 29/11/12 1 Introduction Figure 2 Comparison of Smarter Modes. Red: The mode of transport does not result in benefits Amber: The mode of transport could see benefits Green: The mode of transport results in benefits Health Carbon Monetary Convenience Journey Benefits Emissions benefits Time Single Occupancy Car Use Reducing the need for travel in the first place Walk Cycle Public transport Car share Reducing the number and length of trips Using more efficient, lower carbon vehicles/fuels. Electric cars/hybrid cars Using existing vehicles more efficiently CAPITA SYMONDS Attleborough Smarter Choices Final Report - 4 - 29/11/12 1 Introduction 1.5.2 The table at Figure 2 compares the Smarter Modes against key criteria of Health Benefits (moving more or impact on air quality), Carbon Emissions, Monetary Benefits (impact on an individual’s finances), Convenience and Journey Time. 1.5.3 Taking walking as an example, whilst it sees people moving more, has no direct carbon emissions and is effectively free, for some journeys it is less convenient and journey time is greater that using the car for example. 1.5.4 Turning to Car Sharing, carbon emissions are amber as they are less than single occupancy, but not as low as walking and cycling. Money is saved when compared to single occupancy car use, but again is more than walking for example. But convenience and journey time are equivalent to single occupancy car use. 1.6 REDUCING THE NUMBER AND LENGTH OF TRIPS 1.6.1 Whilst forming part of the mode hierarchy, this is linked to other Smarter Choices options. For example, the number of car trips can be reduced by making walking and cycling or public transport more attractive. The number of total trips can be reduced by working from home. 1.6.2 There is also a role for masterplanning of the new development and responding to the needs of the people who will live there. For example it is common practice to provide Primary Schools within residential areas. Furthermore, there are employment opportunities around the town at the moment and will be in the future with the provision of 10Ha of Employment Land near to Attleborough. As such, this element of Smarter Choices does not have its own section. 1.7 SMARTER CHOICES INCREASING CAPACITY? 1.7.1 It is important to understand that whilst the Smarter Choices work will result in increased use of alternative modes instead of single occupancy car use, by doing so, this could result in more capacity on the roads for more vehicular traffic. 1.7.2 With the ASHLP area undergoing such significant change, including growth, this extra capacity created could be taken up by related traffic movements which could be seen as one of the aims of Smarter Choices work. Conversely, a commuter choosing to cycle or take the bus for example could remove that particular car trip which leaves the car available for someone else to use (although not necessarily in the peak hour). 1.7.3 It is therefore essential that the Smarter Choices Strategy maintains its effectiveness over time and that the benefits to encourage modal shift are locked in. The Strategy, once started, is likely to be ongoing. CAPITA SYMONDS Attleborough Smarter Choices Final Report - 5 - 29/11/12 2 Vision and Objectives 2. Vision and Objectives 2.1 THE VISION FOR SMARTER CHOICES 2.1.1 As part of the Stage 1 report, a vision for Smarter Choices has been produced.