Green Travel Plan: Updated June 2014
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GREEN TRAVEL PLAN: UPDATED JUNE 2014 1. INTRODUCTION The objective of this plan is to remove unnecessary travel, with an emphasis on the minimisation of the use of and reliance upon travel by car. To this end, use of more sustainable modes of travel – bicycles, shared cars and public transport all need to be promoted in more practical ways. The updated Travel Plan will apply to all users of the College – students, staff and visitors. Priestley College has one main campus located on Loushers Lane, Warrington. The College attracts learners from over 40 high schools and also offers a wide and diverse combination of subjects to young people beyond Warrington. The main daytime age range of students is 16 to 18 years. In the evening, courses on offer are aimed towards adult learners. In addition to offering adult courses on one evening a week at the main site, the College runs a range of adult courses, focused mainly on skills for life, in some 30 outreach centres in the Warrington area. The use of outreach centres is designed to ‘take learning to the learners’ and generally in venues such as church halls and community centres. Analysis of learner post codes demonstrates that learners very rarely travel far to study in these centres. At present, the only restriction limiting the number of students and staff bringing cars on to the campus is the parking space available. In 2009, the College introduced separate car- parking arrangements for staff and for students. The College now designates 40 parking spaces for students, which reduces car traffic movement about campus during peak hours (improving safety). Many staff arrive on campus early in the morning and leave late afternoon unlike sixth form students who tend to have very staggered start and end times. It is made very clear to prospective students that there is only very limited car-parking on campus, with students being encouraged to make use of the public transport options which the College routinely negotiates and, in some instances, subsidises. 2. RATIONALE 2.1 Why is a Travel Plan necessary? The College has a Sustainable Development Policy approved by Governors in May 2010 which was developed in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Committee of the Consortium of Cheshire & Warrington Colleges. A key strand of this policy is to ‘promote practical measures to reduce the impact of travel’ and the effective implementation of a Green Travel Plan is seen as essential to deliver improvements in this area. The College has a track record of achieving improvements in targeted areas through its Travel Plan over the last few years. The College recognises the need for continued efforts in this field and seeks to embed existing good practice within the plan, whilst also identifying new initiatives to provide momentum for further progress. The College naturally aims to continue to meet the demand for sixth form provision in the area, but recognises that there are a significant number of factors that have impacted or will impact on recruitment in future years including: The opening of the sixth form centre at Birchwood Community High School The closure of Frodsham High School with pupils now located at Helsby High School The conversion of Halton High School into Ormiston Bolingbrook 1 The development of Hope Academy to replace St Aelred’s and Newton le Willows High Schools The Heath School will be opening a Sixth Form in September 2014 The opening of the new Sixth Form block at Great Sankey High School The strong national focus on expanding Apprenticeship provision. The opening of the new free schools in Woolston and Sandymoor with the Sandymoor school opening a Sixth Form Centre from September 2014 The opening of the new Studio School sponsored by Warrington Collegiate in September 2014 The approval for the University of Chester to open a University Technical College to open in September 2015. The conversion of Bankfield to an academy and the associated plans to open a Sixth Form from September 2015 The proposed phased closure of Culcheth Sixth Form from September 2014 The overall impact of some of the above has resulted in a recent decline in student recruitment (5% since 2010/11) The College aims to keep student enrolment at the current level moving forward, but it envisages that maintaining this will prove challenging. The factors above will also impact on the geographical distribution of our student community in the coming years and much work has been undertaken to anticipate in advance the likely travel patterns of future student cohorts. Such is the College’s continuing significance in the area that the need or duty to cultivate environmentally supportive attitudes and beliefs has never been greater and the College recognises the need to encourage effective sustainable modes of transport. This Travel Plan outlines a package of measures designed to tackle different aspects of travel to and from College and promotes sustainable modes of transport. Its purpose is to make alternatives to single-occupancy car travel easier and more attractive to use by providing choice and information on the options available. It is acknowledged that the car will continue to play an important part in future transport needs.However, the College is committed to encouraging more appropriate use by combining journeys or by using other modes of transport. National statistics showing the rising levels of obesity in young people and the health related problems of inactivity suggest that cycling and walking as part of a daily routine should be more actively encouraged. The College has promoted cycling over the past few years; increasing cycle parking in prominent locations, introducing cycle lockers, running cycle to College days, bicycle raffles, advertising cycle grants for learners and operating a Cycle to Work Scheme. 2.2 What are the overall benefits of a Travel Plan? At Priestley College, an effective Travel Plan provides benefits for all users of the College and for those who live or work nearby. These benefits are associated with the replacement of car usage by healthier/safer alternatives. The more tangible benefits include: - improved air quality and less traffic congested streets - exercise for users of the College; seeking to reduce the costs/losses subsequent to ill health, through promoting widespread community health - safer and more accessible College grounds - reduced costs in maintaining the College site and its car-parks - personal savings for those who opt out of single-user cars Less obvious or immediate benefits include: - inculcation of healthier attitudes and outlooks amongst students - setting of good examples for others to follow 2 - better value obtained from public transport services - compliance with local and central government environmental and planning initiatives - minimized negative impact on the immediate local community 3. SITE AUDIT 3.1 Location The College is situated on Loushers Lane; near the southern edge of the town centre. A driveway allows vehicular and bicycle access, as well as pedestrian access, from Loushers Lane. A separate pedestrians-only access from Wilderspool Causeway (via Menin Avenue) is the main route into College for those on foot from the Town Centre/railway stations or who exit from certain buses that stop on Wilderspool Causeway. Indeed, for many years this was the only vehicular and pedestrian entrance and exit. The College is close to a number of small residential avenues, but we co-operated with the Borough Council and local residents in the introduction of ‘residents only’ parking restrictions in these roads, this development being funded by the College. 3.2 Staff, students and visitors At present, there are some 2,160 full-time students and up to 240 staff attending the College during the core day, with Wednesday and Thursday being the quietest days. Moreover, there are up to 20 staff members working within our community provision and they access College on a daily basis to collect teaching resources. The College regularly reviews the timetabled structure of the day and has tried to stage student start and end times to reduce pressure on public transport at peak times and therefore hopefully increase the chances of learners opting for this mode of transport. Following the 2012/13 travel survey which highlighted issues using public transport on certain routes for early morning lessons, due to congestion, in September 2013 the College changed the start time for the first lesson of the day from 8.45 am to 9.00 am and paid to put on additional buses to supplement the Warrington Borough Transport buses and so ease pressure on routes to and from Wilderspool Causeway and the Bus Interchange. In 2012/13 the College introduced a 4 day week for our level 2 cohort of students (some 130). Moreover, some of our Level 3 Vocational students undertake work placements and this results in a lower figure attending College each day than the full-time roll may suggest. Indeed, this varies between 1870 and 1900 across the week in 2012/13 with Tuesday being the busiest day. 3.3 Car Parking Planning permission for a new building that opened on site in 2007 had the effect of reducing the number of designated car parking spaces. Designated spaces are provided for some 170 cars, including 6 disability spaces. As outlined earlier these spaces are divided between staff and students, with students using the Crescent Car Park which is situated nearest to the vehicular entrance to the campus. The College has 25 spaces allocated to motorcycles/mopeds. 3.4 Car Park Management Prior to 2008, other than to ensure orderly usage of the car parks on site, the College had not sought to bring into play any management measures designed to affect car usage.