Ref: 725/3 MARSH LANE, NEW MILLS, DERBYSHIRE Client: John Rose August 2009 TRANSPORT STATEMENT MARSH LANE, NEW MILLS Client: John Rose Report Reference: 725/3 © 2009 by Ashley Helme Associates Ltd No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the permission of Ashley Helme Associates Ltd Ashley Helme Associates Ltd 76 Washway Road SALE, Manchester M33 7RE Tel: 0161 972 0552 TRANSPORT STATEMENT MARSH LANE, NEW MILLS CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS 3 3. ACCESSIBILITY BY NON-CAR MODES 5 4. GENERATED TRAFFIC 7 5. PROPOSED SITE ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS 9 6. SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS 12 FIGURES (1-3) TABLES (1-3) APPENDICES A Speed survey results B Figure B1 C TRICS data DRAWINGS Drg No 725/04 Drg No 725/SP/01 __________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1 Introduction ___________________________________________________________________ 1.1 Ashley Helme Associates Ltd (AHA) are appointed to prepare a Transport Statement (TS) report for the proposed residential development at land on Marsh Lane, New Mills, Derbyshire, henceforth referred to as the Site. The location of the Site is presented in Figure 1. 1.2 The Site land is currently occupied by a vicarage, a barn and properties 11 & 13 Marsh Lane. The vicarage is served by a dedicated access on Marsh Lane and there is a second access point on Marsh Lane serving the barn and properties 11 and 13. 1.3 Planning permission for 29 dwellings at the Site was granted in February 2002. This planning permission included the formation of a new access on Marsh Lane, with an alignment requiring demolition of the vicarage and retention of property Nos 11 & 13. 1.4 The current planning application proposes the retention of all of the existing buildings and the construction of 28 new residential units. The access strategy for the Site is as follows: • New Access: proposed 28 new dwellings, converted barn (1 dwelling) and retained property Nos 11 & 13, • Existing Vicarage Access: Vicarage only (ie 1 dwelling). 1.5 The planning application proposes a revised Site/Marsh Lane access arrangement from that previously permitted. The access proposed in the current planning application avoids the need to demolish the vicarage, and continues to retain property Nos 11 & 13. Thus, the current proposal is for a total of 31 dwellings accessed from a new Marsh Lane access, with removal of the existing access to the barn and property Nos 11 & 13. 1 1.6 The issues addressed within the TS fall broadly into the following areas: • Accessibility of the Site by non-car modes, and • The vehicular traffic impact of the proposed redevelopment of the Site. 1.7 The existing conditions are described in Chapter 2. The accessibility of the Site by choice of mode is considered in Chapters 3. 1.8 The traffic impact of the proposed residential development is quantatively assessed in Chapter 4. 1.9 The proposed Site access arrangements are outlined in Chapter 5 and the summary and conclusions of the TS are presented in Chapter 6. 2 ___________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2 Existing Conditions ___________________________________________________________________ 2.1 The Site is located on land off Marsh Lane, New Mills, Derbyshire. 2.2 Marsh Lane is a single carriageway road, varying in width from between 5.5m to 8.0m. Marsh Lane is circa 7.3m wide in the vicinity of the site, and subject to a 30mph speed limit. There is footway present on both sides of Marsh Lane. 2.3 The Site is served by two existing accesses on Marsh Lane. The vicarage is served by a dedicated access on Marsh Lane and there is a second access point on Marsh Lane serving the barn and properties 11 and 13. 2.4 The Marsh Lane forms a priority controlled cross roads junction with Low Leighton Road, Church Road and Church Lane circa 50m north of the Site accesses. There is an assisted pedestrian crossing across Low Leighton Road circa 10m west of the junction. 2.5 TRAFFIC FLOWS 2.5.1 AHA undertook a traffic count survey on Marsh Lane, at the location of the proposed development access, on 8 May 2008. This establishes that the AM and PM peak hours for traffic flows on Marsh Lane are 0745-0845 and 1630-1730 respectively. The recorded peak hour traffic flows (vehicles) are: PEAK HOUR NORTHBOUND SOUTHBOUND 2-WAY (towards Church Road) (from Church Road) AM 176 188 364 PM 201 163 364. 2.5.2 The DfT publication TA 79/99 'Traffic Capacity of Urban Roads' advises that the one- way hourly capacity of a 6.75m wide UAP3 road is 900 vehicles, and for a UAP3 road 6.1m wide is 750 vehicles. The width of Marsh Lane varies, but the recorded traffic 3 represents a maximum of only 27% of the one-way capacity of the road, (PM peak hour northbound, based on UAP3 road 6.1m wide). 2.5.3 Thus, the peak hour traffic flows on Marsh Lane are very low, and well within the capacity of the road. 2.6 VEHICULAR SPEEDS 2.6.1 AHA undertook a speed survey at the location of the proposed development access on 8 May 2008. The survey was undertaken in accordance with the methodology in the DfT TA 22/81 'Vehicle speed measurement of all purpose roads'. Speeds were recorded in the morning and the afternoon, for both directions of travel and the survey sample corresponds with the DfT guidelines. 2.6.2 Tables A1-A4, Appendix A, present the speed survey results. The 85%le wet weather journey speed is adopted as the design speed for the proposed new access. From the speed survey, the 85%le wet weather journey speed (WWJS) for vehicles travelling along Marsh Lane is as follows: • AM northbound: 38.47 kph • AM southbound: 33.98 kph • PM northbound: 38.13 kph • PM southbound: 34.42 kph 2.6.3 The speed survey results indicate a design speed of 40kph should be adopted. 2.7 ACCIDENT DATA AHA ordered the accident data from Derbyshire Constabulary (DC) for the period 1 May 2006 to 30 April 2009, for highway in the vicinity of the site. Figure B1, Appendix B, presents the area of interest for the accident data. DC confirmed (via email) that there have been no recorded accidents within this area for the period May 2006 to 30 April 2009. 4 ___________________________________________________________________ Chapter 3 Accessibility by Non-Car Modes ___________________________________________________________________ 3.1 WALK 3.1.1 National guidance in PPG13 sets out that: "Walking is the most important mode of travel at the local level and offers the greatest potential to replace short car trips, particularly under 2 kilometres" (para 75). 3.1.2 The IHT provides guidance about journeys made on foot. It does not provide a definitive view of distances, but does suggest a preferred maximum distance of 2000m for walk commuting trips. A 400m distance corresponds to a walk time of 5 minutes, based upon typical normal walking speed. Figure 2 presents the 5, 10 & 25 minute walk time isochrone for the Site, (ie reflecting a 400m, 800m & 2000m distance). 3.1.3 Review of Figure 2 indicates that part of New Mills town centre is within a 10 minute walk (800m) of the Site and the whole of New Mills is within a 25 minute walk (2000m). New Mills contains a range of amenities including shops, schools, Post Offices, religious buildings etc providing opportunity for residents of the Site to undertake walk trips for a range of journey purposes, such as walks to work, school and for shopping. This is in accordance with the aims and objectives of current national and local policies. 3.2 CYCLE 3.2.1 National guidance sets out that: "Cycling also has potential to substitute for short car trips, particularly those under 5 kilometres and to form part of a longer journey by public transport" (para 78). 5 3.2.2 Figure 3 indicates the 10 and 25 minutes cycle isochrones for the Site. This comprises a substantial area, including New Mill, Disley, Furness Vale, Whaley Bridge and Hayfield. This provides opportunity for residents and their visitors to make journeys by cycle to/from the Site, for those trips that they consider to be beyond a convenient walking distance. 3.3 BUS 3.3.1 There are bus stops on both sides of Low Leighton Road/ Church Road and further bus stops within 5, 10 and 25 minutes walk of the Site. Table 1 presents the bus services calling at stops within a 5 minute walk. In the typical weekday situation there are 4 buses per hour calling at stops within a 5 minute walk of the Site. Services calling at these stops offer a range of destinations including Hayfield, Marple, Stockport, Glossop, Whaley Bridge and Macclesfield. 3.3.2 It is demonstrated that the Site is accessible by bus, with journeys to/from the Site by bus available for a range of destinations. This is in accordance with the aims and objectives of current national and local policies. 3.4 RAIL 3.4.1 As indicated on Figure 2, New Mills Central and New Mills Newtown rail stations are within a 25 minute walk of the Site. Services calling at these stations provide direct rail access to a range of destinations including Manchester Piccadilly, Sheffield, Buxton and Hazel Grove. Thus, residents of the proposed dwellings have the opportunity to travel by rail to a number of destinations, for a range of journey purposes, including travel to work. 3.4.2 It is also relevant to note that New Mills Central rail station can be reached by a bus journey from the Site.