Item 14 (1)
SOUTH LAKELAND DISTRICT COUNCIL
TRAVEL PLAN
Consultation Draft - November 2003
CONTENTS
Page 1. INTRODUCTION
Travel Plan Background – What is a Travel Plan Why Prepare a Travel Plan Kendal Work Travel Plan
2. SOUTH LAKELAND TRAVEL PLAN
Scope Consultation and Awareness Raising South Lakeland Travel Plan – corporate arrangements Data Collection
3. QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY AND RESULTS
A profile of Respondents Current Travel to Work Patterns Attitudes to Alternatives to Travelling to Work by Car Business Travel and Essential/Casual Car Users Parking and Car Park Permits Working Practices Additional Comments
4. ASSESSMENT OF MAIN WORK SITES AND ORGANISATIONAL POLICY
Assessment of Main Work Sites Organisational Policy
5. OBJECTIVES, MEASURES, TARGETS AND INDICATORS
Objectives The Measures – making it happen Local Authority Commitment Education, Awareness and Promotion Improved Accessibility to Work Sites and Provision of Work Facilities Car Sharing Bus and Train Travel Walking and Cycling Business Travel Flexible Working Practices Cars and Car Parking
6. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING and REVIEW
APPENDICES
A - Objectives of Kendal Travel Plan Steering Group B - Staff and Members Questionnaire-Initial Analysis C - Detailed Work Site Assessment and Organisational Policy Review. D – Car Parking and Permits for Staff and Members in Kendal and South Lakeland House Car Park Detail E – Train and Bus Services F – Travel Allowances and Essential/Casual Car users
FIGURES
1. Location of Staff Work Sites 2. Kendal – Main Work Sites and District Council Car Parks 3. South Lakeland House Area 4. Canal Head Depot and Aynam Mills 5. Kendal Leisure Centre
TRAVEL PLAN
SOUTH LAKELAND DISTRICT COUNCIL
Mission Statement: The South Lakeland Travel Plan aims to promote greener, cleaner travel choices and reducing reliance on the car.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 South Lakeland District Council has committed itself to preparing a Travel Plan for its staff and elected members:- a decision first made by the Policy and Resources Committee in July 2001 which was endorsed by Cabinet in March 2002.
1.2 This Consultation Draft Report (November 2003) presents outline proposals for consultation and discussion with staff, members, union and management. The outline proposals are based on findings from the staff and member questionnaire survey undertaken in Summer 2002 and a recent review of how travel choice is influenced by the Council’s current policies, as well as the facilities and management of the principle work sites and car parks.
1.3 The Travel Plan aims to increase travel choice through better travel awareness and the exchange of travel information. The Plan seeks to identify alternatives that will lead to a less congested and polluted Kendal Town Centre and a healthier workforce. The District Council would like to encourage staff and members to use more environmentally friendly alternatives than driving alone, at least for some of their journeys. To do this the Travel Plan will enable employees to see alternatives as viable, which may require upgrading the quality of alternatives and the way we organise work practice at South Lakeland.
1.4 The 3 essential ingredients for a successful South Lakeland Travel Plan are:
1. Visible commitment to the Travel Plan, and implementing it at all levels in the organisation; including leading by example and providing minimum resources required.
2. An emphasis on education and awareness of the benefits of the Travel Plan to staff and members-winning hearts and minds through persuasion and appropriate inducement and incentives.
3. An emphasis on implementation and monitoring -agreeing and putting in place practical measures, rather than preparing weighty reports.
What is a Travel Plan?
1.5 A Travel Plan is a means whereby an organisation agrees a package of measures aimed at reducing reliance on car travel and promoting alternative travel choices. Travel Plans are not about banning cars, saving money or restricting individual freedom, but taking steps to promote realistic alternatives, where they exist. Important components of the Travel Plan will include:
• A set of objectives identifying what South Lakeland District Council is trying to achieve from the Travel Plan
• Actions/measures for achieving the objectives
• Targets to determine whether the objectives are being achieved
• Steps to ensure on-going implementation and periodic review as the organisational and external conditions change.
• On-going monitoring of The Plan
Why Prepare a Travel Plan?
1.6 Travel Plans are a key element of National Transport Strategy (White Paper, 1998), which recognises the benefits of Travel Plans and their important contribution to traffic management in towns and cities. South Lakeland District Council is a significant employer in Kendal and it is hoped that the Travel Plan, when implemented, will change employee and member travel behaviour. Although significant, the District Council is not a large employer. To overcome the issue of size, in Kendal several larger public and private employers are preparing Travel Plans so that the combined effort can make a real impact on travel patterns. It is important that the Council is an active participant in this town-wide initiative. The District Council as Local Planning Authority requires that Travel Plans are submitted alongside applications for major developments. Such requests carry more weight when the Council has itself prepared and adopted its own Travel plan. The South Lakeland Local Plan includes a policy on Travel Plans which stems from the White Paper and National Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 on transport.
Kendal Work Travel Plan
1.7 Travel Plans are usually prepared by large single organisations, often with several thousand employees. The Government’s Energy Efficiency Best Practise Programme (EEBPP) is providing free consultancy advice for an innovative approach in Kendal, where several medium sized employers are working together preparing their own Travel Plans as part of a town wide `Kendal Work Travel Plan’, see Appendix A.
1.8 The exercise arose from Cumbria County Council’s commitment in its Local Transport Plan (July 2000) to prepare a Travel Plan for its own site in Kendal and to encourage the co-ordinated preparation of Travel Plans by other larger employers (on a voluntary basis). The Kendal Travel Plan Steering Group, whose objectives are set out at Appendix A, oversees this process. Kendal organisations preparing a Travel Plan include:
• Cumbria County Council (County Offices Complex, including Police, Fire, Ambulance) • South Lakeland District Council • Lake District National Park Authority • Westmorland General Hospital • K. Village Outlet Centre • Westmorland Shopping Centre • Booths • ASDA • Stricklandgate House
1.9 The aim is to have the Travel Plans completed for all of these organisations by the Spring 2004. The South Lakeland District Council Travel Plan has not been prepared in isolation but is part of a wider “Kendal Work Travel Plan” approach. These (and other) collective measures to “manage traffic demand” are intended to complement the physical traffic measures already introduced and those still proposed for Kendal. Working jointly to introduce measures, or working in partnership with transport providers, will be more effective than working in isolation.
2. SOUTH LAKELAND TRAVEL PLAN
Policy Context
2.1 South Lakeland District Council is responsible for the environmental, social and economic well being of the District. The District Council has set 6 objectives in its strategic plan to develop and improve services throughout the District. Those strategic objectives relevant to the Travel Plan are:
• A high quality environment • Good transport facilities • Healthy and safe communities • Homes which meet need • Opportunities for enjoyment • Quality jobs in a diverse economy
2.2 The District Council’s objectives link with the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP). The LSP is a diverse group of organisations pulled together to provide a starting point for developing the community strategy. The community strategy is based on the needs and aspirations of local people. Consultation on these needs and aspirations has raised the issues of transport and environment as being important. The community plan, when finished, will be the overall strategy that drives the priorities of the District Council. Other key documents and initiatives feeding into the community plan are:
• The Improvement and Modernisation Programme undertaken by The Morecambe Bay Health Trust • Statutory Planning documents prepared by District and County Councils • The Promotion of Economic, Social or Environmental Well-being. Recent legislation empowers local authorities to undertake activities that promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well being of their area.
2.3 The Travel Plan picks up elements of all of the strategies and plans and provides a manageable tool for identifying and implementing travel choice measures
Scope
2.4 The Travel Plan will establish travel patterns with its questionnaire survey. Having established a baseline of data a thorough investigation was undertaken to assess the needs of employees and Members in terms of their travelling and working requirements. Those Kendal offices will be South Lakeland House, Canal Head and the Leisure Centre, but measures and benefits will apply across both the Council and the District as far as possible in the interest of inclusion and equity. The Travel Plan will seek to encourage and enable staff and members to use alternatives to the car, where practicable, when travelling to work or on Council business. Travel Plans are about widening choice, not about banning cars or limiting individual freedom. Fleet management has not been part of the assessment.
2.5 Travel choice is determined by a number of factors. Factors such as employee contracts, the availability of parking spaces and the need to travel during the working hours are controlled and administered directly by the District Council. Other factors such as the availability of buses are not directly related to the District Council, but such information can be used to apply pressure to those organisations responsible. As part of the Kendal Work Travel Plan Group the District Council can work in partnership to achieve improvements together with other organisations in Kendal.
Consultation and Awareness Raising
2.6 A corporate working group, representing staff, members and unions, has prepared the draft Travel Plan. A questionnaire sent to all staff and Members in June 2002 gathered information on current travel patterns and factors that might influence choice of alternative means of travel. Travel Plan preparation has benefited from advice from Alan James, of the Government’s Energy Efficiency Best Practise Programme (EEBPP). Alan has been funded to provide 5 days free consultancy advice to each organisation participating in the Kendal Travel Plan Steering Group.
2.7 Raising awareness and providing travel education is key to a successful Travel Plan. Momentum in the Travel Plan will be maintained through staff involvement as initiatives are `rolled out’. Successes will be publicised to keep staff and members in touch and involved in achieving the Plan’s targets and objectives.
The South Lakeland Travel Plan – corporate arrangements
2.8 The Travel Plan has been prepared under the auspices of a Working Group comprising:
• Car Parks and Transportation Portfolio Holder, Cllr Bob Barker • Elected Member representatives, Cllr David Miller and Cllr David Foot • 2 representatives from each Department • Unison and GMB representation • Director of Strategy and Planning, the Human Resources Manager and Assistant Director Development. • 2 Travel Plan Co-ordinators
2.9 Prior to consultation with staff and members on the draft Travel Plan, the Working Group will report and seek views from Cabinet, the Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Middle Management Forum and the Joint Consultative Panel. The results of consultation will be taken into account in drafting a final Travel Plan and reported again to Cabinet and Council for adoption
Data Collection
2.10 A staff and member survey was completed in the Summer 2002 with an excellent response of 334 (about 50%). Data was inputted into a statistical package and the raw results can be found in Appendix B. A review of organisational policies and an assessment of South Lakeland District Council work sites was also undertaken, Appendix C. The analysis of these two pieces of work has helped determine the Travel Plan objectives and a package of proposed measures.
3. QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY RESULTS
3.1 This section provides an initial review of data on the circumstances and opinions of staff and members on work/business travel issues, based on a questionnaire survey undertaken in June 2002. It seeks to draw out conclusions, which point to issues, and opportunities for possible Travel Plan measures set out later. A fuller review, including cross-tabulation of responses, can follow to address particular issues and questions.
3.2 A Profile of Respondents
3.2.1 Response (Q21)
334 questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 49%:
Total Staff Questionnaire Members Response Full Time Staff 515 256 (50%)
Part Time Staff 116 57 (49%)
Members 55 18 (33%)
Totals 686 331
3.2.2 Gender and Age (Q33 &Q34)
42% of respondents were male and 58% female. The largest number of staff / members fall in the 45-54 age bracket (31%). 17% were 55 years old or over, but only 6% were aged 24 or under. The age and gender had little relation to travel mode, although it may have affected reasons for choosing a particular mode of transport.
3.2.3 Disability (Q35)
9 respondents indicated a disability that affected choice of transport.
3.2.4 Work Location (Q19) see figure 1
The main sites were (approx)
• South Lakeland House - 180 • Shearman House - 35 • Canal Head/Aynam Mills - 23
…with smaller numbers at Kendal and Ulverston Leisure Centres. Of 79 “elsewhere”, about 25 worked in Ulverston and 25 in Ambleside/Windermere.
3.2.5 Home (Q36)
Most responding lived in the following towns and villages
• Kendal 129 • Ambleside 7 • Ulverston 21 • Milnthorpe 4 • Windermere 19 • Kirkby Lonsdale 2 • Grange 8
Others living in smaller villages or rural areas of South Lakeland;
• Furness - 7 • Cartmel Peninsula - 16 • South Westmorland - 66 • Lake District - 5 • Yorkshire Dales - 6
Outside South Lakeland;
• Rest of Cumbria - 22 (Including 9 at Barrow and 2 at Dalton) • North Lancashire - 21 (Including 5 at Lancaster) • Cheadle - 1
3.2.6 Conclusions – Profile of Respondents
• The questionnaire response appears broadly representative
• Largely supports a focus on Kendal work sites, while noting that significant numbers work elsewhere, notably Ulverston and Ambleside/Windermere
3.3 Current Travel To Work Patterns
3.3.1 Methods of Travel to Work (Q1) Percentage %
Cars Walk Cycle Motorbike Bus Train Taxi Other SLDC 66 * 24 3 4 3 0 0 8 County 79 13 6 3 1 1 Offices North 78 16 3 1 6 1 West UK 70 11 3 1 8 6 (* Including 10% or 35 people, participating in car share)
3.3.2 Secondary Mode of Travel to Work (Q2 & Q3)
Of 287 responses, 30% have no alternatives. Relatively popular alternatives to travelling in a car alone included:
• Car Sharing - 14% • Walking - 13% • Bus - 8% • Cycling - 6%
Of the 207 respondents who gave further details on how often they used a secondary mode of travel to work, 39% rarely or never used the secondary mode over their primary method of travel. A further 11% only used the secondary mode on a seasonally basis due to factors such as the weather. 57 respondents stated that they used the secondary mode of travel either one or two days a week. This represents over a quarter of the respondents who use an alternate mode of travel every week.
3.3.3 Distance and Time to Work (Q4 & Q5)
Of 321 responses, 27% live within 1 mile of work and a further 26% live between 1 and 5 miles. When using the main mode of transport to work 44% of staff/members live within a 15-minute journey of work. This increases to 84% when the journey time is increased to 30 minutes. The results are similar when considering the secondary mode of travelling to work. 46% have a journey of 15 minutes or less and 84% a journey of less then 30 minutes.
3.3.4 Reasons for Using the Car (Q6)
The main reasons cited were:
• Car required for work (or to be available at work) • Public transport not available • Speed, convenience and cost including its use by other family members and weather factors
3.3.5 Conclusions – Current Travel to Work Patterns
• SLDC staff and Members travel to work by car 10% less than the regional average. Also 10% journeys already involve car sharing. Building and developing existing good practise may be a valuable way forward. • Secondary modes of travel also point to the potential for more car sharing and walking and to a lesser extent transfer to biking, bus or cycling. • The high proportion living within 1 to 5 miles of work points to the potential to increase walking and cycling and perhaps using buses.
3.4 Attitudes to Alternatives to Travelling to Work by Car
3.4.1 Park and Ride (Q7)
Of 257 responses, 67% would not use it (or it would not apply) mainly because the car is needed for work or other purposes, and the inconvenience of transferring to public transport or other modes.
3.4.2 Using a Car Less Often? (Q8)
While 24% would not change for any reason, modest numbers indicated that the following factors would “encourage” them to use the car less often.
Primary Factors Secondary Factors • Better bus services/facilities 22% • Better train services 4% • effective car share scheme 9% • increased driving costs 3% • Pool cars available (business • Improved transport information 2% travel 9% • Worse traffic conditions 9% • Better pedestrian and cycling facilities 2% • employee bus service 7% • discounted travel costs 6%
3.4.3 Factors in Not Travelling to Work by Car (Q12)
The main factors were:
• Being close enough not to need to drive • Enjoying walking or cycling • Cheaper not to drive • Health and fitness
Others noted not having parking at work or environmental reasons, several did not have the option due to not having a car or license.
3.4.4 Alternatives available to Usual Methods of Travel (Q13)
Respondents noted the bus, cycling, walking or taking a taxi as available alternatives. 14% had no access to any alternative.
3.4.5 Factors, which would encourage use of Alternative (Q14-17)
The most common factors, which would encourage use of the following alternative modes, are: