Hastings Walking and Cycling Strategy (May 2014)
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eastsussex.gov.uk Hastings Walking and Cycling Strategy May 2014 Contents Walking and cycling in Hastings – It’s a timely opportunity . 1 1. Why are we developing the strategy? . 2 2. How does this fit with national and local policies? . 3-6 3. Where are we now? . 6-8 4. What will guide the delivery of the strategy? . .. 8-11 5.How will we deliver the strategy? . 11-12 Appendices Appendix 1: Hastings Strategic Walking & Cycling Route Map Appendix 2: Implementation Plan Appendix 3: Consultation stakeholders 2 Walking and cycling in Hastings - It’s a timely opportunity Hastings is a community of some 90,000 people, Transport improvements have also been with 8 miles of coastline, extensive natural and progressed to aid regeneration, including the new formal open space and surrounded by the mainly Hastings railway station and the commencement rural district of Rother . Together with its urban of the Bexhill to Hastings Link Road. The Hastings neighbour Bexhill there is a combined population Quality Bus Partnership has been set up, which of about 135,000 . has resulted in the improvements in bus waiting Hastings has developed from a small fishing port facilities and bus priority measures, an increase to a substantial town . Two phases of development in service frequency and passenger numbers, have particularly shaped the borough: the creation and the reduction in the age of the bus fleet. of St Leonards on Sea and the expansion of There have been significant improvements to the Hastings in the Victorian era which established pedestrian environment in our shopping areas in the towns as successful tourist resorts; and the Old Town, Central St Leonards and Hastings town development of new housing and employment centre, along with the creation of a 11km traffic through the Town Development Area scheme in free walking and cycling route along the coast to the 1970s and 80s . Bexhill . Tourism is no longer the main focus for the town, So, with the positive changes taking place in the although it is still an important part of the local town, and building on the growing popularity, in economy and image of the town, together with the particular cycling, following the successes at the fishing fleet. The economic base of the town has Tour de France, Olympics and Paralympics, and been diversified with manufacturing employment, the proven health benefits that regular walking and more recently office usage, adding to retail provides, this provides a timely opportunity for and leisure uses. The diversification was initially East Sussex County Council, Hastings Borough insufficient to fully make up for the decline Council and key local stakeholders to work in tourism, and the borough has suffered an in partnership to embed walking and cycling extended spiral of decline, which the Borough improvements and initiatives into the daily lives of Council and partners have sought to reverse . local communities and for visitors to the town . Major regeneration initiatives have progressed since 2004 with the creation of a new University Centre, the new Sussex Coast College Hastings, employment space in Hastings town centre and the industrial areas on the western side of the borough . In addition, considerable action has been carried out by partners to improve education, reduce crime and improve the housing stock. Significant efforts have also been made to encourage and enforce improvements to the built environment . iii1 Hastings Walking and Cycling Strategy May 2014 1.4 The creation of safer routes for walking 1. Why are we developing and cycling and other measures to reduce the strategy? the risk of accidents is an important aim, to reduce both the human and health ‘To develop a culture of walking costs of injuries . and cycling’ 1.5 The strategy is accompanied by an 1.1 The strategy provides a supporting implementation plan that includes document to the County Council’s Local an ambitious, short and longer term Transport Plan 2011 – 2026 and the complementary mix of new and improved accompanying Implementation Plan; walking and cycling infrastructure and these provide the evidence base for ‘softer measures’, including training, the development of this strategy . The initiatives and marketing, to motivate a strategy also aligns to Hastings Local Plan, behaviour change towards more active Development Management Plan . travel . It is recognised that this is required to make it easier and safer for people to These documents clearly outline that 1.2 walk and cycle in the town. walking and cycling has the opportunity to make a significant contribution to 1.6 The delivery of the strategy will include a supporting the local economy in Hastings strong partnership base of local authority alongside the larger infrastructure projects partners, the voluntary sector and local that are being developed, by tackling walking and cycling groups, who are congestion on the local road network committed to collaborating to seek and unlocking development sites by investment and support ongoing delivery . supporting access by active travel . 1.3 Research, particularly ‘Understanding Walking & Cycling’ 1, has shown that the attitudes to walking and cycling are generally positive and more people would like to engage in more active travel, but there are a number of factors that often inhibit this . 1.4 These include people’s concerns about the physical environment, especially in regard to whether it is safe enough to walk or cycle, the difficulty of fitting walking and cycling into a busy household and also that walking are cycling are sometimes seen as abnormal things to do . This strategy and the accompanying implementation plan will focus on infrastructure improvements, but will work towards engaging with other partners to look at the social issues and how these could be overcome . 1.3 The health and wellbeing of the local community will also be significantly improved, if active travel becomes part of people’s everyday lives, for travelling to work and school, going to the shops or for leisure purposes . 2 Hastings Walking and Cycling Strategy May 2014 2. How does this fit Government’s ‘Ambition for Cycling’ – August 2013 with national and local 2.3 As part of the Government’s Ambition for Cycling paper, there is recognition that policies? since 2010, over £700m of government National funding has been available for local authorities to bid to invest in sustainable Department for Transport - ‘Creating travel measures and infrastructure, growth, cutting carbon: making including the Local Sustainable Transport sustainable local transport happen’ Fund, Cycle Safety Fund and Linking 2.1 The Transport White Paper, ‘Creating Communities Fund . As part of this, a growth, cutting carbon: making commitment is included to ‘cycle proof’ sustainable local transport happen’12 roads by encouraging local authorities to identifies that cycling presents an easy ensure that road design reflects the needs and cheap way for people to incorporate of cyclists and making greater provision physical activity in their everyday lives . for cyclists on the strategic road network. As well as the health benefits, the white This is complemented by increasing the paper also highlights that cycling and provision for access to cycle training for walking offers other benefits when it children and encouraging a culture of replaces vehicle trips, in particular for sharing the road amongst all road users . journeys under five miles, including All this is supported by a Government reducing carbon emissions, improving air led Cycle Stakeholder Forum who are quality, and reducing congestion . developing a Cycling Delivery Plan . Department for Transport –‘ Door to NICE Public Health Guidance 41 – Walking Door Strategy’ - A strategy for improving and cycling: local measures to promote sustainable transport integration walking and cycling as forms of travel or 2.2 The ‘Door to Door strategy’s main aim is recreation – November 2012 to encourage local authorities to increase 2.4 The main purpose of this guidance is journeys made by sustainable transport, to support commissioners involved in specifically public transport, supported physical activity promotion or who work by cycling and walking. It focuses on four in public health, transport planning and core areas so that people can be confident leisure sectors, to integrate walking and in choosing sustainable transport, cycling into policies and projects . including accurate, accessible and reliable information about the different transport Sub regional options for their journeys, including convenient and affordable tickets for an South East Local Enterprise entire journey; regular and straightforward Partnership (SELEP) - Strategic connections at all stages of the journey Economic Plan (SEP) and between different modes of transport; 2.5 The Government removed the regional tier and safe and comfortable transport of government and this has been replaced facilities . by Local Enterprise Partnerships . East Sussex sits within the South East LEP . Their main role is providing opportunities for enterprise, while addressing barriers to growth . 1 Understanding Walking & Cycling – Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 3 Hastings Walking and Cycling Strategy May 2014 2.6 LEPs can secure funding through the • Improve safety, health and security Government’s Local Growth Fund . This – walking for up to two miles and is a key strategic funding allocation for cycling for up to five miles for everyday transport, skills, and housing, which LEPs journeys can significantly improve will competitively bid for to target their an individual’s health and wellbeing . identified growth priorities. This allocation It can help to reduce the risk of a will include funding for major transport range of health problems, notably schemes, additional integrated transport heart disease and cancer, the leading capital funding and the capital element of preventable causes of premature the Local Sustainable Transport Fund . death . 2.7 In order to secure funding, LEPs are • Tackling climate change - one of the developing Strategic Economic Plans most significant benefits associated (SEP), which outlines their priorities for with increasing the levels of walking growth .