Cumbria Provisional Local Transport Plan 2000 - 2005 SURVEY OF LOCAL COUNCILS FOR VIEWS ON TRANSPORT ISSUES Summary Findings Structure of Report Introduction and Background 2 Key points 2 Findings 2 Access 3 Environment 3 Safety 4 Parking 5 Public transport 5 Roads 6 The transport issues rated as being most important 6 District Differences 7 What could be done to improve matters 10 Disagree with an aspect of the Plan 11 Other comments concerning transport in Cumbria 11 Further information 11 Appendixes 12 Appendix 1: Verbatim responses to the question: 'Are there any other (transport) issues which (you think) should be covered in the 12 Plan?' Appendix 2: Verbatim responses to the question: 'In the light of your responses to the above questions what should be done to improve (transport) matters?' 13 Appendix 3: Verbatim responses to the question: 'If you disagreed (with an aspect of the plan) please explain?' 22 Appendix 4: Verbatim responses to the question: 'If you have any other comments concerning transport in Cumbria, please use the spade below.' 23 Appendix 5: Verbatim responses to the question: 'Local Councils responding to the Survey.' 26 ] Cumbria County Council, Information & Intelligence, Community Economy & Environment, The Courts, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8NA Telephone 01228 606299 N:/data/local transport plan/tables.doc Page 1 Cumbria Provisional Local Transport Plan 2000 - 2005 Introduction This briefing summaries the responses of 1621 local councils who as part of the County Council's commitment to consultation were contacted and asked their views on transport issues and the content of the 200/2005 provisional Cumbria Local Transport Plan. Also detailed are the verbatim comments to a number of open-ended questions. This analysis is based on a 61% response rate from local councils. Key points • Access to shops, services, healthcare and other facilities topped the importance bill in almost all cases. Around nine in every ten of the local councils responding to the questionnaire highlighted this issue as either very important or important. • For the majority of parishes, improving road safety is seen as an important issue. A particular concern is reducing excessive traffic speed. • Parishes were more in favour of sorting out indiscriminate parking than creating more parking spaces. • Parishes place the more importance on addressing the 'inadequate public transport service' situation than addressing the problem of inadequate public transport information and facilities such as bus stops. • Over nine in ten of those parishes felt that there is a need to keep roads frost and snow free. A similar proportion gave equal importance on improving and maintaining the quality of road services. • Views on the relative importance of transport issues varied slightly between districts. • Less than one in ten of tlocal councils returning a questionnaire indicated they disagree with any aspect of the Plan. Notes for tables -- Denotes a value of zero. * Denotes a value of less than Due to rounding percentages may 0.5%. not total exactly 100. 1 A list of local councils responding to the survey is provided in Appendix 5 - One Council returned 5 questionnaires - For purpose and analysis base equals 167. Cumbria County Council, Information & Intelligence, Community Economy & Environment, The Courts, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8NA Telephone 01228 606299 N:/data/local transport plan/tables.doc Page 2 Cumbria Provisional Local Transport Plan 2000 - 2005 Findings Access When it comes to accessibility, access to shops, services, health care and other facilities was rated more important than access to workplaces - but only marginally. Eighty eight percent of those responding to the survey rated access to shops services, healthcare and other facilities as being either important or very important. Eighty five percent rated access to the workplace as importantly (Table 1). Tackling congestion was seen as a less important issue than access - especially tackling off peak congestion. However, it still remains that just over fifty percent rate combating peak time congestion as being either important or very important (Table 1). Table 1: How important is each of the following transport issues for your local community? (Access) Percentage Agreeing Very Not Not Mean important Important important applicable score* Access to shops, services, healthcare and other facilities 71 17 2 9 2.77 Access to workplaces 59 26 6 8 2.58 Congestion - peak times (e.g. at school start & finish 31 20 20 29 2.15 times) Off peak congestion 9 16 29 45 1.63 * Mean score calculated on the basis three equals 'very important', two equals 'important' and one equals 'not important.' Base: 167 Environment In terms of reducing the environmental impact caused by transport the proportion (59%) of those parishes saying improving air quality is an important or very important issue was similar to the proportion (61%) rating the importance of reducing traffic noise (Table 2). Table 2: How important is each of the following transport issues for your local community? (Environment) Percentage Agreeing Very Not Not Mean important Important important applicable score* Air/quality fumes 28 31 20 16 2.09 Traffic noise 23 38 19 17 2.05 * Mean score calculated on the basis three equals 'very important', two equals 'important' and one equals 'not important.' Base: 167 Cumbria County Council, Information & Intelligence, Community Economy & Environment, The Courts, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8NA Telephone 01228 606299 N:/data/local transport plan/tables.doc Page 3 Cumbria Provisional Local Transport Plan 2000 - 2005 Safety For the majority of those parishes returning a questionnaire, improving road safety was seen as an important issue. This was especially so when it comes to reducing excessive traffic speed - ninety percent of parishes rated as being important or very important issue (Table 3). Other areas of transport safety, agreed as being important, by around three quarters of those parishes returning a questionnaire, were: • the need to increase the number of safe walking routes (75%); • improve the residential environment by introducing traffic management schemes (72%); and • put in place measures to divert inappropriate traffic such as heavy lorries (72%). There was also importance placed on the need to create more cycle ways. Just over seven in ten parishes thought this was an important issue that should be addressed. A slightly smaller proportion (65%) rated the need to alleviate transport problems at school gates as importantly. However, if you only take into account the views of those parishes who have a school, tackling the transport problem at the school gates becomes one on the most importantly rated issues (Table 3). Only fifty percent of parishes felt is important to do something about inadequate street lighting (Table 3). Table 3: How important is each of the following transport issues for your local community? (Safety) Percentage Agreeing Very Not Not Mean important Important important applicable score* Residential environment (rat runs and safety) 35 37 7 19 2.35 Problems at the school gate 36 29 7 30 2.39 Excessive volume of traffic 23 37 17 19 2.08 Inappropriate traffic (e.g. heavy lorries) 43 29 14 11 2.33 Lack of safe walking routes 46 29 11 11 2.41 Lack of safe cycling routes 38 33 14 13 2.28 Excessive traffic speed 64 26 5 5 2.62 Inadequate street lighting 19 31 23 25 1.94 * Mean score calculated on the basis three equals 'very important', two equals 'important' and one equals 'not important.' Base: 167 Cumbria County Council, Information & Intelligence, Community Economy & Environment, The Courts, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8NA Telephone 01228 606299 N:/data/local transport plan/tables.doc Page 4 Cumbria Provisional Local Transport Plan 2000 - 2005 Parking On the issue of parking a significantly greater proportion of parishes were in favour of sorting out indiscriminate parking than were in favour of creating more parking spaces. Seventy three percent rated the former issue as being either very important or important. Whereas only fifty seven percent placed as much importance on the of issue insignificant parking spaces (Table 4). Table 4: How important is each of the following transport issues for your local community? (Parking) Percentage Agreeing Very Not Not Mean important Important important applicable score* Insufficient car parking spaces 26 31 15 26 2.16 Indiscriminate parking 38 35 11 16 2.32 * Mean score calculated on the basis three equals 'very important', two equals 'important' and one equals 'not important.' Base: 167 Public transport When it comes to public transport, parishes placed much more importance on addressing the 'inadequate public transport service' situation (eighty one percent rating this an important or very important issue) than on improving public transport information, where only seventy percent attached some degree of importance. However, improving such information was seen as being more important than improving the quality of public transport vehicles which in turn was viewed more importantly than the need to address the problem of inadequate public transport facilities such as bus stops Table 5). Table 5: How important is each of the following transport issues for your local community? (Public transport) Percentage Agreeing Very Not Not Mean important Important important applicable score* Inadequate public transport services 47 34 11 6 2.39 Inadequate public transport information 32 38 16 10 2.18 Inadequate public transport facilities (e.g. bus shelters) 26 25 26 18 2.00 Quality of public transport vehicles 27 32 23 11 2.04 * Mean score calculated on the basis three equals 'very important', two equals 'important' and one equals 'not important.' Base: 167 Cumbria County Council, Information & Intelligence, Community Economy & Environment, The Courts, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8NA Telephone 01228 606299 N:/data/local transport plan/tables.doc Page 5 Cumbria Provisional Local Transport Plan 2000 - 2005 Roads Past research has shown that the quality and state of the county's roads always give rise to emotive responses.