DEVON COUNTY COUNCIL BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
April 2016
Devon County Council County Hall Topsham Road Exeter Devon EX2 4QD [email protected]
PREPARED BY Name: James Anstee Position: Principle Transportation Planning Officer Date: May 2016
AGREED AND ISSUED BY Name: Andrew Ardley Position: Transportation Manager (Policy) Date: May 2016
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CONTENTS
Page
1. INTRODUCTION 6
1.1 Purpose of this Document 6 1.2 Use of this Document 6 1.3 Transport Modelling 6
2. NORTHERN DEVON PROFILE 7
2.1 The North Devon and Torridge Areas 7 2.2 Population 9 2.3 Travel Patterns 10
3. THE TRANSPORT NETWORK 15
3.1 Context 15 3.2 Parking 21 3.3 A39/A361 North Devon Link Road 22 3.4 Road Safety 25 3.5 Barnstaple and Bideford Traffic Data 28 3.6 Summary 32
4. TRANSPORT STRATEGY 34
4.1 Priorities 34 4.2 Strategy Formulation 34 4.3 Core Highway Improvements 38 4.4 Core Walking and Cycling Improvements 42 4.5 Core Bus Improvements 44 4.6 A39/A361 North Devon Link Road 46 4.7 Locally Specific Strategies 47 4.8 Summary 54
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TABLES
Table 1: Cycle flows Barnstaple ...... 19 Table 2: Cycle flows Bideford ...... 20 Table 3: Off Street Car Park Capacity ...... 21 Table 4: Road Casualties percentage change ...... 25 Table 5: Casualties by Road Network ...... 26 Table 6: Casualties by Road User ...... 26 Table 7: Traffic Flows Barnstaple Outer Cordon ...... 30 Table 8: Barnstaple Traffic Composition ...... 32 Table 9: Bideford Outer Cordon Traffic Flow...... 32 Table 10: Trip generation of forecast development 2011-2031 ...... 35 Table 11: Car and Bus Forecast Summary ...... 36 Table 12: Northern Devon Land Supply Summary ...... 47
FIGURES
Figure 1: Northern Devon Local Plan area (Torridge & North Devon Districts excluding Exmoor National Park) ...... 7 Figure 2: North Devon District Urban-Rural Population Split 2011 ...... 8 Figure 3: Torridge District Urban-Rural Population Split 2011 ...... 8 Figure 4: Population percentage aged over 65 (source datashine and ONS Census 2011) 10 Figure 5: District Level Travel to Work ...... 11 Figure 6: Commuting to work by mode of travel 2011 ...... 12 Figure 7: Travel to work patterns into Bideford (source datashine and ONS Census 2011) ...... 13 Figure 8: Travel to work Patterns into Barnstaple ...... 13 Figure 9: Purpose of Weekday Car and Bus Trips ...... 14 Figure 10: AM Peak Journey delays Barnstaple (source Google Maps) ...... 15 Figure 11: PM Peak Journey delays Bideford (source Google Maps) ...... 15 Figure 12: Northern Devon Bus Routes ...... 16 Figure 13: Barnstaple Bus Routes ...... 17 Figure 14: Bideford Bus Routes ...... 17 Figure 15: Devon Rail Network ...... 18 Figure 16: Northern Devon Cycling Heatmap (source Strava Labs) ...... 19 Figure 17: Barnstaple Cycling Heatmap (source Strava Labs) ...... 19 Figure 18: Bideford\Northam Cycling Heatmap (source Strava Labs) ...... 20 Figure 19: Barnstaple Car Parks...... 21 Figure 20 Bideford Car Parks ...... 22 Figure 21: A39\A361 North Devon Link Road ...... 22 Figure 22: A361 Traffic Flows – Seasonal Variation ...... 23 Figure 23: A361 Traffic Flows – Hourly Variation ...... 24 Figure 24: Road Casualties per Population ...... 25 Figure 25: Road Casualty Map ...... 25 Figure 26: Casualties by Urban Rural Area ...... 27 Figure 27: Road Casualties Local Drivers ...... 27 Figure 28: Road Casualties and Tourist Traffic A361 NDL ...... 27 Figure 29: Regional Traffic Volumes ...... 29 Figure 30: Barnstaple Traffic Cordon Map ...... 29 Figure 31: Barnstaple Traffic Inner Cordon ...... 31 Figure 32: Future Development Trips By Car...... 37
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Figure 33: Future Development Trips By Bus ...... 37 Figure 34: Future Trip Distribution (2031 AM peak) ...... 38 Figure 35: Barnstaple Core Highway Improvements ...... 41 Figure 36: Bideford Location of Core Highway Improvements ...... 42 Figure 37: Barnstaple Cycle Network Improvements ...... 43
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Purpose of this Document
1.1.1 This document sets out the strategy and provides the evidence to support the delivery of transport enhancements around the Barnstaple and Bideford area required in connection with development proposals contained within the Joint Northern Devon Local Plan prepared by Torridge and North Devon District Councils.
1.1.2 This document will assist local councils and developers in preparing the transport improvements that should form part of future developments. This strategy focussed specifically upon Barnstaple and Bideford and the surrounding communities which have a close travel relationship.
1.2 Use of this Document
1.2.1 This strategy does not over-ride the formal advice provided by Devon County Council in the preparation of any plan or planning application.
1.3 Transport Modelling
1.3.1 The aim of the transport model for Barnstaple and Bideford is to assess the impact of future developments on the major road network and to identify appropriate transport infrastructure requirements.
1.3.2 Torridge District Council and North Devon District Council have jointly produced a Local Plan which will cover the period to 2031. The Plan has been produced over a number of years. The first consultation on an Issues and Options report was undertaken in 2009. The most recent consultation on the full Plan was undertaken in March 2015 (Proposed Main Changes).
1.3.3 The North Devon Transport Model was developed to assess the impact and implications of different development options for the area. The model has been updated periodically during the preparation of the Local Plan. The Transport Model was updated in 2012 and again in 2015 to review the base year and reflect the latest housing and employment allocations identified within the local plan area. The Model Validation and the Model Forecasting reports are included as Appendices.
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
2. NORTHERN DEVON PROFILE
2.1 The North Devon and Torridge Areas
2.1.1 North Devon and Torridge collectively known as Northern Devon have the second and third largest District areas within Devon. North Devon is the fourth largest District in terms of population and employment. Torridge by comparison is one of the smallest. It should be noted that the Northern Devon Local Plan excludes the parts of North Devon district which fall within Exmoor National Park.
Figure 1: Northern Devon Local Plan area (Torridge & North Devon Districts excluding Exmoor National Park)
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Figure 2: North Devon District Urban-Rural Population Split 20111 2.1.2 North Devon and Torridge Districts are closely linked. From within Torridge there is a net outflow for commuting traffic to employment predominantly into North Devon and in particular Barnstaple. In North Devon there is a net inflow to employment again predominantly from Torridge particularly from the Bideford and Northam areas along the A39\A361 corridor. The Districts share the key A39/A361 strategic corridor linking Northern Devon to the M5 and national strategic road network. Barnstaple provides rail links to Exeter and the strategic rail network. The A39/A361 corridor also links to Tiverton which also provides a connection to the strategic rail network.
Figure 3: Torridge District Urban-Rural Population Split 20112
2.1.3 Torridge covers an area of 995,912 m2. The District is located to the north west of Devon and has borders with Cornwall to the west and West Devon to the south. The majority of land within the District covering 938,231 m2 (95%) is classified as green space. The District has a low population density of 0.7 persons per hectare compared to the England average of 4.1. Of the 64 parishes only four parishes have a population density above this average. Bideford, Northam, Great Torrington and Holsworthy. Bideford is the strategic centre for the District. Combined with the neighbouring town and parish of Northam this centre accounts for around half of the district’s overall population.
1 http://www.devonomics.info/sites/default/files/documents/North%20Devon%20Area%20Profil e.pdf 2 http://www.devonomics.info/sites/default/files/documents/Torridge%20Area%20Profile.pdf
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
2.1.4 North Devon covers an area of 1,105,607 m2. To the east, the District borders with Somerset and incorporates parts of Exmoor National Park To the south the District borders Mid Devon and to the west with Torridge. North Devon District also has 95% of its total land area classified as green space. The average population density is 1.1 across the District. This increases to 24.4 persons per hectare within Barnstaple. Barnstaple is the sub-regional centre for the Northern Devon region and a centre for key services including the hospital, retail and employment. With Exmoor and popular beaches, tourism plays an important role in the local economy. In 2011 visitor related spend was estimated to be £322 million.
2.2 Population
2.2.1 The following information has been obtained from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2011 Census and from Devon County Council’s statistical analysis of national data sources3. Over the census period 2001 to 2011, the population within North Devon District increased by 6.8% from 87,700 to 93,700. Within Torridge the corresponding population increase was 8% from 59,100 to 63,800.
2.2.2 The North Devon and Torridge areas are predominantly rural in nature. A high proportion of the population is centred around the main market towns. Figure 4a shows the current 2014 populations for both districts and for the key Market Town Areas surrounding Barnstaple and Bideford. The majority of new
growth to 2031 is also focused on these two areas.
Population
Figure 4a: Populations for each District, Barnstaple & Bideford Town Areas (2014) 2.2.3 North Devon and Torridge areas have a lower proportion of the population at working age than the national average. Figure 4 illustrates the geographic distribution by percentage for the over 65’s across the Bideford and Barnstaple areas. There is a significant older population within the Parish of
3 Available on the facts and figures pages of the DCC website https://new.devon.gov.uk/factsandfigures/
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Northam. And a high proportion of the younger working age groups are located within the main urban areas of Barnstaple and Bideford.
Figure 4: Population percentage aged over 65 (source datashine and ONS Census 2011)
2.3 Travel Patterns
2.3.1 From within Torridge in 2011 there was a net outflow of commuter traffic totalling 4801 people travelling to employment outside of the District. Within North Devon there is a corresponding net inflow to employment totalling 2965 people. Figure 5 illustrates the origin\destination of commuter travel into and out of Torridge and North Devon.
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Figure 5: District Level Travel to Work 2.3.2 North Devon has a high 64% of inbound commuter traffic travelling from within Torridge and 34% of outbound traffic travelling to work in Torridge. North Devon also has strong employment links with Mid Devon and outbound to Exeter. Torridge has strong employment links with Cornwall and West Devon. But the most significant relationship is with neighbouring North Devon with 46% inbound to Torridge from North Devon and 59% outbound.
2.3.3 Figure 6 illustrates the mode of travel to employment within each district as a whole and within the key market town areas of Barnstaple and Bideford. The method of travel to work in each area is strongly dominated by car travel.
2.3.4 Within Barnstaple and Bideford urban parishes, commuting by car and public transport is lower than the County and National averages. Although low in comparison overall to car travel, walking and cycling to work is still higher than the County and National averages. This reflects the compact towns with shorter travel distances between home, work and leisure activities.
2.3.5 Outside of the two town parishes, car use is higher than the national average, and is particularly high in Northam, and Fremington.
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Figure 6: Commuting to work by mode of travel 2011
2.3.6 Between North Devon and Torridge Districts the principal points of origin and destination for commuter travel are centred around Barnstaple and Bideford. Figures 7 and 8 indicate the level of commuter demand into each town from outside of the two towns. There is very strong demand for travel into Barnstaple from the Bideford area. For travel into Barnstaple there is also strong demand from South Molton, Braunton and Ilfracombe on the A361 and from the Goodleigh area. For commuting into the Bideford area there is clear demand from the more major settlements within the District and although not shown on the map area, to the south of the District there is strong demand from Cornwall travelling in to the Holsworthy area. There is a considerable movement of traffic between Bideford Town and East-the-Water.
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Figure 7: Travel to work patterns into Bideford (source datashine and ONS Census 2011)
Figure 8: Travel to work Patterns into Barnstaple (source: Datashine and ONS Census 2011)
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
2.3.7 Figure 9 indicates the purpose of travel by bus and car for residents of the Bideford, Barnstaple and Northam parishes. The tables show the variance in travel purpose over different core times of the day.
2.3.8 For car travel, the proportion of work trips dominates during the am and pm peaks. For the interpeak hours, travel by car to shops becomes more dominant. For the off peak period the majority of car travel is for other social and leisure purposes.
2.3.9 The level of bus travel is lower overall but the data shows that in the AM peak there is a much higher proportion of total bus travel (40%) that is linked to education. During the inter peak period the purpose of bus travel for work, education and shopping is more equally distributed, with trips to shops being the most dominant. During the off peak hours it is bus trips for social, leisure and other purposes that becomes dominant.
AM PEAK : 0700-1000 hrs INTER PEAK : 1000-1600 hrs 1600 1600 1400 1400 1200 1200 1000 1000 800 Other 800 Other 600 600 Shop etc Shop etc 400 400 200 Education 200 Education
0 Work 0 Work
CAR TRIPS TRIPS CAR / 1000 HOUSEHOLDS TRIPS CAR / 1000 HOUSEHOLDS
PM PEAK : 1600-1900 hrs OFF PEAK : 1900-0700 hrs 1600 1600 1400 1400 1200 1200 1000 1000 800 Other 800 Other 600 600 Shop etc Shop etc 400 400 200 Education 200 Education
0 Work 0 Work
CAR TRIPS TRIPS CAR / 1000 HOUSEHOLDS TRIPS CAR / 1000 HOUSEHOLDS
Figure 9: Purpose of Weekday Car and Bus Trips
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
3. THE TRANSPORT NETWORK
3.1 Context
3.1.1 The road networks in both Barnstaple and Bideford are constrained by rivers which divide the towns. The original bridges have been supplemented by new crossings. The A39 provides the main link between Barnstaple and Bideford. The A361 North Devon Link is the main road connection to the strategic national road network and is well used throughout the year and by tourist traffic. The route represents a key transport link for the area and whilst it is no longer a trunk route, it performs a strategic function for Northern Devon.
Figure 10: AM Peak Journey delays Barnstaple (source Google Maps)
Figure 11: PM Peak Journey delays Bideford (source Google Maps) 3.1.2 Around both Barnstaple and Bideford there are areas of localised congestion, particularly during peak periods. The main corridors in and around Barnstaple are particularly susceptible to queuing at peak times, this includes the Bickington Road, Braunton Road and A39/A361 routes around the town. Within Bideford, problems occur around Longbridge and the Quay and on the road network through the main A39 Heywood Road Roundabout. These routes are also vulnerable to disruption when accidents or other obstructions
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
cause delays due to limited alternative options for travel through the town centres.
3.1.3 Transport demand is characterised by the dispersed location of the two town centres, the employment areas, hospitals, colleges and schools. Cycling and walking are popular within the towns but private car is generally used for longer distances as public transport services are only attractive (by way of comparison) for journeys along the main corridors. The resulting high car use combined with the road network constrained by the rivers can result in congestion at key junctions during peak commuting and holiday peak periods. The new A39, the Barnstaple Inner Relief Road and the more recent A361 Barnstaple Western Bypass have all eased congestion within the region but junctions on the A39\A361 are already at or close to reaching capacity during peak periods. With a constrained historical urban road layout there are limited options for increasing road and junction capacity in the town centres and the emergence of any retail development proposals are likely to pose the problem of additional congestion.
3.1.4 Bus services tend to operate on the main routes through Barnstaple. Barnstaple acts as a public transport hub. Most bus services terminate at Barnstaple bus station with a good service frequency along corridors to Bideford, Braunton, Ilfracombe, South Molton, Appledore and Westward Ho!. There are low frequency bus services to Exeter and to other regional centres and these links require lengthy journeys with consequent accessibility problems. Access to services by bus is particularly limited during the evenings and weekends when frequencies are reduced or services do not operate.
Figure 12: Northern Devon Bus Routes
3.1.5 In Barnstaple the train and bus stations are half a mile apart (10 minute walk) although the perception of the distance is exaggerated by the severance
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
caused by roads in the Seven Brethren area and the river. The employment areas in both Barnstaple and Bideford are not so well served and there are bus services within the towns themselves which tend to be more circuitous and represent a compromise between accessibility and direct access to the main centres.
Figure 13: Barnstaple Bus Routes
Figure 14: Bideford Bus Routes 3.1.6 Access to rail is generally obtained locally from Barnstaple utilising the “Tarka Line” with its direct link to Exeter. Alternatively, some journeys are made by car on the A39\A361 to Tiverton Parkway for access to onward longer distance train services especially to London, Bristol and the Midlands. The rail service between Barnstaple and Exeter has experienced patronage growth with approximately 500,000 passengers carried during 2011 compared to 300,000 in 2006.
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Figure 15: Devon Rail Network 3.1.7 There are a number of cycle routes within the area that are well used by tourists as well as local residents. The most significant of which is the Tarka Trail which includes a largely traffic free cycleway between Torrington Bideford, Barnstaple and Braunton. The trail also continues to Ilfracombe but utilising sections of the highway network pending completion of a full traffic free route. The Tarka Trail carries over 140,000 cycle trips per year. Approximately 60% of these users are from outside the area bringing important tourist benefits to the local economy, estimated to be worth around £20 million annually.
3.1.8 A cycling heatmap for the area in Figure 16 indicates the desire lines for cycling recorded by riders on both the Tarka Trail between Torrington, Bideford Barnstaple and Braunton. And on the B3233 between Bideford and Barnstaple.
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
Figure 16: Northern Devon Cycling Heatmap (source Strava Labs) 3.1.9 Census data indicates that cycling and walking are popular within Barnstaple. Cycling is higher than both the Devon and National averages.
BARNSTAPLE CYCLE NETWORK AADT / year 2014 2013 2012 2011 A361 Taw Bridge Western Bypass (segregated paths) 384 320 272 259 Sticklepath to Rail station (A361 offroad underpass) 303 311 288 282 Taw Vale (quiet road route) 288 298 297 324 Newport (offroad cyclepath) 204 181 160 180 Tarka Trail to Braunton (offroad cyclepath) 393 399 384 426 Table 1: Cycle flows Barnstaple
Figure 17: Barnstaple Cycling Heatmap (source Strava Labs) 3.1.10 The heatmap in Figure 17 provides an indication of local cycling desire lines within Barnstaple. Both River Taw Bridge crossings are key parts of the local network. The new A361 Taw Bridge has dedicated cycle facilities. But the historical Longbridge crossing is narrow with no dedicated provision for
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
cyclists away from the main A3125 traffic. The Tarka Trail to Braunton and Bideford is also a popular route. Dedicated Town cycle routes, quiet road routes and roads with segregated paths are popular. But also on road cycling using busy roads as this can often provide a more direct route for confident cyclists to reach a local destination. Table 2 provides a snapshot from the town’s cycle monitoring sites. There is no significant growth in numbers over recent years but with future demand from development and limited town parking capacity, consideration for providing more direct cycle routes between key areas should be made.
BIDEFORD CYCLE NETWORK AADT / year 2015 2014 2013 2012 A386 Bideford Quay (segregated 235 235 229 241 path) Tarka Trail south (offroad) 142 141 161 144 Instow Tarka Trail North (offroad) 126 207 185 152 Table 2: Cycle flows Bideford
Figure 18: Bideford\Northam Cycling Heatmap (source Strava Labs) 3.1.11 The heatmap in Figure 18 indicates the cycling desire lines between Bideford and Barnstaple\Torrington on the Tarka Trail and between Northam\Appledore and Bideford Town centre. The Tarka Trail is an established and well developed leisure route but the cycle network within Bideford and Northam is less well developed. Demand from Northam, Westward Ho! and Appledore is following a mixture of busy road routes with limited dedicated cycle facilities. With significant new development in both Bideford and Northam consideration should be made for improving access over the A39 corridor to better integrate the wider area for cyclists and walkers.
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3.2 Parking
3.2.1 A 2008 survey of public off street car parks in Barnstaple town centre and Seven Brethren showed short durations for shopping and personal business and longer durations for work and employer’s business trips. Parking accumulation analysis (Figure 19) shows incoming vehicles remaining high through the morning and into the early afternoon. Outgoing vehicles increase through the day reaching a peak in the 1500-1600 hours period. Maximum parking accumulation occurs around lunchtime. The highest number of parked vehicles is about 1,000 compared with a total capacity of 1,700 spaces (roughly half short stay and half long stay) for the car parks that were surveyed. Only the Queen Street surface and Cattle Market car parks are shown to reach capacity with considerable spare capacity at other car parks. Public car parks were surveyed on one weekday in March and greater demand is known to occur at these car parks on Saturdays and other times of the year.
3.2.2 A 2010 car park survey in Bideford found that all car parks, with exception of The Quay for a short period, operate with surplus capacity throughout the day. The data indicates that Riversbank, Clarence Wharf, the Pill, Cattle Market, and Honestone Street all currently operate with significant surplus capacity, in excess of approximately 50 spaces. The Quay car park is the only car park that currently has periods of excess demand, which are in the region of less than 10 vehicles. During these periods the small number of excess vehicles can be accommodated within the various alternative car parks within Bideford.
No. of Spaces Town Centre Disable Short Long d Bideford 316 695 20 Barnstaple 1216 1483 69 Table 3: Off Street Car Park Capacity
ALL SURVEYED CAR PARKS 1200
1000
800
600 In
Out NO. OFNO. VEHICLES 400 Parked
200
0 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 17-18 18-19
HOUR OF DAY
Figure 19: Barnstaple Car Parks
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Figure 20: Bideford Car Parks
3.3 A39/A361 North Devon Link Road
3.3.1 The A39/A361 North Devon Link road provides access via the M5 to Exeter and to other parts of Devon and the national strategic road network. The A361 provides an essential strategic link to Northern Devon generally. The road is well used at present especially during the working week and traffic flows reach high levels during the summer holiday period. There are plans for considerable future housing and employment growth in North Devon, Torridge and Mid Devon. This will place added pressure on the A361 at peak times. Figure 21 indicates the current Average Annual Daily Traffic Flows (x1000) for key sections of the corridor between the main communities and gives an indication of the future growth potential identified for each of these communities.
Figure 21: A39\A361 North Devon Link Road 3.3.2 Austomatic Traffic Count (ATC) data does not show significant overall increases in traffic volumes on the A39/A361 over recent years. With the
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BARNSTAPLE & BIDEFORD AREA TRANSPORT STRATEGY
exception of a large increase in traffic on the A39 from Roundswell to Lake junctions and Portmore to Lake junctions on the A361, both following the opening of the Western Bypass. There has also been a smaller increase in traffic overall travelling between South Molton and Barnstaple on the A361.
3.3.3 The corridor has a significant seasonal increase in holiday traffic. Figure 22 shows how volumes can change throughout the weekday and weekend over a typical year. Figure 23 shows how the hourly peaks at a number of monitoring sites on the A361 can change over a typical year. Large differences in traffic flow through the year are shown in inter peak hours and at weekends. The lower AM peak hour flows in August may be due to a reduction in commuting trips amongst local residents, possible due to holidays. The later start of holidaymakers’ leisure trips is shown by the high PM peak hour. The high holiday season peak is most prominent on the weekend with flows at the Landkey ATC site in August over 60% higher than in January and flows are more than twice as high at the other sites.
WEEKDAY - LANDKEY 1800
1600 Jan 1400 Feb
1200 Mar Apr 1000 May 800 Jun 600 Jul 400 Aug
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/DAY) 200 Sep Oct 0
Nov
01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 Dec HOUR BEGINNING
WEEKENDWEEKDAY --ASHLANDKEY MILL 16001800 Jan 14001600 Jan Feb 12001400 Feb Mar Mar 10001200 Apr 1000 800 May 800 Jun 600 Jun 600 Jul 400 400 Aug
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/DAY) 200 Sep AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/DAY) 200 Sep Oct 0
Nov
01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
00:00 Dec
17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 00:00 Dec HOUR BEGINNING
Figure 22: A361 TrafficWEEKEND Flows - ASH – MILL Seasonal Variation 1800
1600 Jan 1400 Feb 1200 Mar Apr 1000 May 800 Jun 600 Jul 400 Aug
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/DAY) 200 Sep Oct 0
Nov
19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 00:00 Dec HOUR BEGINNING
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WEEKDAY - DAY 0000-2400 HRS 25000
20000
A361 Landkey 15000 E Aller Cross Ash Mill 10000 Beaples Moor Rackenford Moor
5000 AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/DAY)
0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
WEEKDAY - AM PEAK HOUR 0800-0900 HRS 1800
1600
1400
1200 A361 Landkey 1000 E Aller Cross 800 Ash Mill
600 Beaples Moor Rackenford Moor 400
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/HR) 200
0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
WEEKDAY - PM PEAK HOUR 1700-1800 HRS 1800
1600
1400
1200 A361 Landkey 1000 E Aller Cross 800 Ash Mill
600 Beaples Moor Rackenford Moor 400
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW( VEH/HR) 200
0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
WEEKDAY - INTER PEAK HOUR 1100-1200 HRS 1800
1600
1400
1200 A361 Landkey 1000 E Aller Cross 800 Ash Mill
600 Beaples Moor Rackenford Moor 400
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/HR) 200
0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
WEEKEND - DAY 0000-2400 HRS 20000 18000 16000 14000 A361 Landkey 12000 E Aller Cross 10000 Ash Mill 8000 Beaples Moor 6000 Rackenford Moor 4000
AVERAGE AVERAGE TWO WAY FLOW(VEH/DAY) 2000 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Figure 23: A361 Traffic Flows – Hourly Variation
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3.4 Road Safety
3.4.1 Road safety statistics for the area show that casualties per year in 2014 increased significantly within North Devon but decreased within Torridge.
Figure 24: Road Casualties per Population
Table 4: Road Casualties percentage change
Figure 25: Road Casualty Map
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3.4.2 Figure 25 shows the typical distribution of road casualties recorded across the county.
Table 5: Casualties by Road Network
3.4.3 Data across the County shows that although the major roads accounts for less than 15% of the road network, in terms of the Killed and Seriously Injured (KSI) collisions and for all injury collisions, they account for the majority. It should be noted however that the major roads carry a significantly higher volume of daily traffic.
3.4.4 Countywide statistics show that incidents involving cars account for the vast majority of major road traffic casualties but this is to be expected given cars also represents nearly 80% of major traffic. The percentage of pedestrian injuries is significant at 10% considering pedestrians do not contribute to the major traffic total. The percentage of casualties for motorcycles and pedal cycles is also significant in proportion to their percentage of the total major road traffic.
Table 6: Casualties by Road User
3.4.5 With populations in excess of 7000, both Barnstaple and Bideford are considered to be urban areas. Although Countywide the urban areas account for only 34% of the Collision injuries. The significance for injuries to vulnerable road users like cyclists and pedestrians (including children) is significant within the urban areas.
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Figure 26: Casualties by Urban Rural Area
Figure 27: Road Casualties Local Drivers
3.4.6 Across the County the percentage of injury collision involving non local drivers is very low. Devon residents accounted for around 9 out 10 drivers involved in collisions during 2014.
3.4.7 Although traffic volumes in the Northern Devon region increase significantly during the tourist season there is no clear evidence to suggest that injury collisions increase accordingly. Figure 28 illustrates the change in seasonal flows on the A361 NDL and the County collision trends. The peak month for traffic in August incurred nearly the same number of collisions as January the quietest month.
Figure 28: Road Casualties and Tourist Traffic A361 NDL
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3.4.8 The road safety performance of the Devon County managed major road network is analysed annually by comparing the collision performance of different road sections based on their length and traffic flows. From the 138 DCC A-Road route sections across the County, the 2014 rankings show that sections of A361\A39 corridor are performing well in term of safety. The worst performing section of the route ranked 55th out of 138. Along the corridor the current rankings by A-Road section in order of severity are:
A39 Roundswell to Heywood Rd (ranked 55th) A361 South Molton to Bolham, Tiverton (ranked 70th), A361 Portmore to Bish Mill, South Molton (ranked 84th), A39 Abbotsham Cross to Clovelly (ranked 87th), A361 Bishops Tawton to Lake (ranked 96th) A39 Heywood Road to Abbotsham Cross (ranked 109th) A361 M5 to Bolham, Tiverton (ranked 120th) A39 Lake to Roundswell (ranked 128th) A361 Portmore to Bishops Tawton (ranked 138th) 3.4.9 However within the top ten worst performing A-Road sections, the A3125 in Barnstaple from Old Torrington Road over the Longbridge to the A39 Inner Relief Road is ranked 7th and the A386 in Bideford from the Longbridge along the Quay to Heywood Road is ranked 9th. Both these urban routes reflect the combination of high urban traffic flows and high vulnerable road user activity. All significant collision sites are subject to an annual collision cluster review process which seeks to identify collisions patterns which can be addressed by changes to the highway network.
3.5 Barnstaple and Bideford Traffic Data
3.5.1 The variance in traffic flows across the region is indicated in the Figure 29 The significance to the road network of the A39\A361corridor between Bideford and the M5 is evident. This is one also of the most important routes within the County.
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Figure 29: Regional Traffic Volumes
3.5.2 Within Barnstaple a series of permanent traffic monitoring sites are maintained within the town (1-7 Inner cordon) and on the surrounding major roads network (A-F outer cordon).
Figure 30: Barnstaple Traffic Cordon Map
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3.5.3 Traffic data for the outer cordon does not show significant increases in traffic volumes over the last few years and longer term trends show increases consistent with the rest of the County. Only the A39 west of the town is indicating higher potential growth. (Note that traffic on the B3233 was disrupted in 2014 due to road works).
REF BARNSTAPLE TRAFFIC OUTER CORDON 2015 2014 2013 2012 A A361 North 18724 18582 18556 18248 B A39 North 7469 7498 7299 7251 C A361 NDL South 18370 18423 18498 17949 D A377 South 7003 6952 6662 6713 E A39 Lake to Bideford 26120 24498 24874 24090 F B3233 West 10202 9855 10902 11827 Table 7: Traffic Flows Barnstaple Outer Cordon
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1
2 3
4 5
6 7
Figure 31: Barnstaple Traffic Inner Cordon 3.5.4 Following the construction of the A361 Western Bypass and associated highway network changes within the town traffic on the A39 Eastern Avenue, the A39 Alexandra Road and the B3149 Braunton Road dropped and has remained fairly consistent over the years since. To the north of the town on the A39 North Road, the traffic volumes have also remained fairly constant.
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But on the A3125 Long Bridge route traffic volumes dropped significantly with the opening of the bypass, which is reflected in the new traffic flows north and south on the bypass which have continued to grow over the last few years.
3.5.5 Within the town cars represent the bulk of all vehicular traffic. Table 8 indicates the percentage by class for the town’s traffic and indicates that in recent years there has been little variance in the proportion of the different traffic classes.
Vehicle Class 2013 2014 2015 Motorcycle & Moped 0.5% 0.7% 0.4% Cars 95.8% 95.9% 95.1% Light Goods 1.0% 1.0% 2.2% Bus & Coach 1.1% 1.0% 1.2% HGV 1.5% 1.4% 1.0% Table 8: Barnstaple Traffic Composition
3.5.6 For Bideford and Northam there have not been any significant changes to the road network over recent years. The A39 Westleigh junction to the east was upgraded to a signalised junction to improve safety and access to East The Water but the Outer Cordon Monitoring sites for the town do not show any significant variance in major road flows over recent years despite growth to the east of the town on the A39.
BIDEFORD TRAFFIC OUTOR 2012 2013 2014 2015 CORDON A386 South 8522 8636 8861 9087 A39 West 7416 7067 7756 7984 A39 East 18003 18582 18602 19893 Table 9: Bideford Outer Cordon Traffic Flow
3.6 Summary
3.6.1 This section of the report has pulled together a range of evidence sources to establish the transport baseline for the Barnstaple and Bideford area. This evidence has informed the County Council’s transportation response to the Local Plan and the associated transport infrastructure requirements.
3.6.2 Barnstaple and Bideford are the sub-regional and strategic centres for North Devon and Torridge. They provide a significant proportion of the current housing and employment development across both Districts. There is evidence of strong demand for travel between Torridge and North Devon and in particular for travel to employment within Barnstaple. The A39/A361 between the two town areas is a vital corridor for managing the current levels of travel demand and for connecting the Northern Devon region to the rest of Devon and the wider strategic road network.
3.6.3 Overall traffic growth has been limited over recent years but the region’s major roads experience significant increases in seasonal traffic demand. The level of new development planned for these towns over the local plan period to
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2031 will have a significant impact on the A39/A361 corridor. To manage future travel demand, it will be necessary to consider improvements to the A39/A361 corridor in order to increase the capacity on this route.
3.6.4 Within the town areas there are opportunities to increase modal shift to bus walking and cycling and reduce the level of future traffic growth. To achieve this it will be necessary to consider improvements to sustainable transport facilities within both towns. This will be delivered through the provision of new bus services and facilities in conjunction with improvements to the cycling and walking network.
3.6.5 Increased traffic on the major road network and increased traffic within these urban areas will have a potentially detrimental effect on local road safety. New facilities for vulnerable road users and major road improvements will need to designed to high standards in order to reduce impacts on road safety.
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4. TRANSPORT STRATEGY
4.1 Priorities
4.1.1 The Devon & Torbay Local Transport Plan (LTP3) has five transport priorities for the market and coastal towns and rural areas, the priorities are to:
. Assist in supporting existing and future development of the towns; . Work with the community to demonstrate a low carbon approach to travel; . Improve accessibility by developing a core bus and rail services; . Make Devon ‘the place to be naturally active’ through investment in the leisure network; . Develop an approach to parking policy which supports the vitality of town centres. 4.1.2 These priorities have been central in developing the transport strategy for the Barnstaple and Bideford area.
4.2 Strategy Formulation
4.2.1 Barnstaple and Bideford have benefited from a consistent programme of highway investment over the last 30 years. The A361 North Devon Link provides a connection to the M5 and the national strategic road network. The route was built as a Trunk Road and forms a strategically important part of the wider road network for the County. The A39 ‘new road’ route provides an additional link between the towns bypassing both Barnstaple and Bideford town centres, and provides second crossings of the rivers for both towns. The more recently completed Barnstaple Western Bypass opened in 2008, provides a north-south bypass for Barnstaple and improves access to other parts of North Devon.
4.2.2 Recent local road schemes also include the construction of Manteo Way in East the Water (Bideford) providing an enhanced link to the A39 via the recently improved Westleigh junction. Roundswell roundabout junction on the A39 was enlarged in 2014 in advance of significant traffic growth predicted from new development in the region. These historical schemes together provide a coherent primary road network for the two major towns.
4.2.3 The quantity of housing and employment growth proposed in the Local Plan will contribute to continued traffic growth. Future traffic volumes will place strain on the A39\A361 corridor and on the local road network with increasing congestion and potentially detrimental effects for growth, the local economy and road safety. The strategy is aimed at improving capacity of the A39/A361 corridor to meet future traffic growth and improving sustainable transport services and infrastructure within the towns.
4.2.4 Devon County Council has prepared and updated a SATURN based transport model to contribute towards and inform a response to the Local Plan. The aim of the transport study for the two towns is to assess the future impact of new development and identify appropriate transport infrastructure requirements.
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4.2.5 The earlier SATURN highway assignment model was developed for the working weekday AM and PM peak hours and an average Inter Peak hour. The model has been updated to a new 2014 base year. The network and zoning was reviewed and extended to reflect the level of present trip generation and the revised development areas. Validation was aimed to achieve near Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Webtag criteria. The development and validation of the base year transport model is detailed in the Local Model Validation Report LMVR included in the Appendices. Forecasting and assumptions made for the 2031 road network are detailed in the North Devon Transport Model Forecasting Report included in the Appendices.
4.2.6 Forecast demand for the future 2031 reference case has been derived from the housing and employment development for each land use option. The development option forecasting method needed to take account of differing employment and age characteristics for the different residential areas. For instance there is a higher working population in the Barnstaple area and a higher retired population in Northam. Higher peak hour trip rates would be expected in Barnstaple and higher inter peak trip rates in Northam.
4.2.7 The housing and employment trip rates were applied to the future development identified in the amended draft Local Plan for the period 2011 to 2031. Completions in the period 2011-2013 were included in the base year trip model. The trip rates for each development depended on the location of the site. Estimates of inbound and outbound trip generation for each site were made for car and bus travel for each model period (AM & PM peaks and average Inter peak hour).
Car Bus AM Peak Inter Peak PM Peak AM Peak Inter Peak PM Peak Area Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Hour Out In Out In Out In Out In Out In Out In HOUSING:
Barnstaple Area4 936 173 340 361 328 869 166 33 49 63 20 92 Bideford 795 155 309 325 291 746 143 28 47 58 19 83 Northam 348 68 135 142 127 326 63 12 21 25 8 36 South Molton 267 51 102 107 96 250 44 8 14 17 5 25 Torrington 135 26 51 54 49 126 23 5 7 9 3 13 Ilfracombe / Mullacott 286 56 110 116 105 269 55 11 18 22 7 32 Cross Total 2,767 529 1,046 1,106 994 2,586 495 98 156 195 63 280 EMPLOYMENT:
Barnstaple 111 675 186 164 632 104 21 120 32 24 67 6 Bideford 59 360 99 88 337 55 11 64 17 13 36 3 Northam 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 South Molton 25 153 42 37 143 23 5 27 7 5 15 1 Torrington 9 57 16 14 53 9 2 10 3 2 6 1 Ilfracombe / Mullacott 12 71 20 17 66 11 2 13 3 2 7 1 Cross Total 216 1,315 362 320 1,232 202 41 234 63 46 131 13 Table 10: Trip generation of forecast development 2011-2031
4 This includes sectors 1-10 as displayed in Figure 34.
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4.2.8 A total of around 3300 car trips and 600 bus trips from all residential development were estimated in the AM peak hour, of which 29% would be generated in Barnstaple. There would be 1500 car trips and 275 bus trips to employment development in the AM peak hour with around 24% in Barnstaple. In the inter peak there would be 2150 car trips and 350 bus trips in each direction for housing development. Car and bus trips for employment would be much lower in the inter peak average hour.
4.2.9 Modal shift assumptions were made based on the current car parking capacity of Barnstaple town centre. Adjustments were made to transfer private vehicle trips to bus in 2031 of around 10%. A total of 314 passenger trips were estimated to transfer from car to bus in the AM peak hour, 32 in the inter peak and 110 in the PM peak. The transfer to bus would represent a 47% increase in existing bus trips to and from the town centre in the AM peak hour. Taking into account local future development which would add 491 bus trips making a total 54% increase. New and improved bus services and facilities will be needed to support this level of modal shift to bus.
AM Peak Hour Inter Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Car :
2014 Base 15,394 10,419 13,718 2031 Base 15,639 (+1.6%) 10,489 (+0.7%) 13,970 (+1.8%) Development 2,647 1,137 2,241 Car to Bus Shift 314 32 110 2031 Car 18,045 (+17%) 11,604 (+11%) 16,122 (+18%) Forecast Bus :
2008 Base 1,498 887 2,168 2031 Base Bus 1,498 (+0%) 887 (+0%) 2,168 (+0%) Car to Bus Shift 314 32 110 Development 491 238 292 2031 Bus Total 2,303 (+54%) 1,157 (+31%) 2,569 (+19%) Table 11: Car and Bus Forecast Summary
4.2.10 Figures 32 and 33 indicate the increases in car and bus trips for each sector modelled within SATURN.
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ADDITIONAL CAR TRIPS 2014 TO 2031 - OUTBOUND FROM SECTOR 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400
CAR TRIPS (VEH/HOUR) TRIPS CAR 200 0
AM Peak Hour Inter Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
ADDITIONAL CAR TRIPS 2014 TO 2031 - INBOUND TO SECTOR 700 600 500 400 300 200
CAR TRIPS (VEH/HOUR) TRIPS CAR 100 0
AM Peak Hour Inter Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Figure 32: Future Development Trips By Car
ADDITIONAL BUS TRIPS 2014 TO 2031 - OUTBOUND FROM SECTOR 700 600 500 400 300 200
BUS TRIPS (VEH/HOUR) TRIPS BUS 100 0
AM Peak Hour Inter Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
ADDITIONAL BUS TRIPS 2014 TO 2031 - INBOUND TO SECTOR 700 600 500 400 300 200
BUS TRIPS (VEH/HOUR) TRIPS BUS 100 0
AM Peak Hour Inter Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Figure 33: Future Development Trips By Bus 4.2.11 Figure 34 representing the AM peak period indicates the strong growth in car travel between the Bideford\Northam\Appledore Sector 12 and the sectors modelled around Barnstaple.
37
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14 13
2 1
8 6 4 7 3 9
16 5 12 10 11
21
17 19
Sector Areas Included 1 Barnstaple Town 2 Pottington, Bradiford 3 Newport South 4 Whiddon Valley 5 Bishops Tawton, Landkey 6 Seven Brethren 7 Sticklepath 8 Bickington 9 Roundswell 10 Fremington, Yelland, Instow 11 Bideford East the Water 12 Bideford, Northam, Appledore 13 Braunton, Ilfracombe 14 Combe Martin, Lynton 15 Somerset, Rest of UK 16 South Molton Area 17 A377, Crediton, Exeter Area 18 A386, Okehampton, Plymouth Area 19 Torrington Area 20 Cornwall 21 Clovelly Area Figure 34: Future Trip Distribution (2031 AM peak)
4.3 Core Highway Improvements
4.3.1 Future highway improvements have been identified in the development of the Barnstaple and Bideford Area Transport Strategy and in Devon’s Transport Infrastructure Plan: Delivering Growth to 2030 (November 2014). The following improvements were identified as being required to provide additional
38
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capacity and to serve growth from future development. These are also illustrated on the local development plan maps in Figures 35 and 36.
. 1) A39 / Heywood Road, Bideford – roundabout improvement with widening to three lanes on each approach to provide additional capacity for development in Northam and Bideford; . 2) A39 / Westleigh – improvement of existing traffic signals with additional lanes on the A39 approaches to provide additional capacity for increased traffic due to development; . 3) Improved A39 / Abbotsham Road junction with provision of southbound on and off slip roads and closure of the right turn from the A39 to provide enhanced, safer access to the west Bideford strategic development area; . 4) Signalisation of A39 / Buckleigh Road junction to provide enhanced, safer access to the Northam development sites; . 5) A39 / Roundswell – new roundabout on A39 at the western end of Roundswell with an associated Tews Lane link to Old Bideford Road and junction. With a link between Old Bideford Road and B3233 it would provide access for buses enabling them to serve Roundswell employment area and education facilities and to provide additional capacity for vehicular access to future employment and housing development. Provides enhanced highway network resilience; . 6) Link between Tews Lane site and B3233 - in conjunction with scheme to provide a link to the A39 to deliver improved access, core bus route and enhanced network resilience. Provides traffic relief to B3233 through Bickington; . 7) Park & Change site in the locality of Roundswell / Larkbear (approx 150 flexible use long stay spaces) - to reduce car travel to the town centre providing environmental and congestion benefits and enhancing the long stay parking provision for the town; . 8) New junction on A361 Barnstaple Western Bypass - to provide principal vehicular access to the Larkbear development and a Park & Change site. Potential additional/alternative access to rear of Petroc college; . 9) New roundabout or grade separated junction on A361 at existing Landkey junction - to upgrade the present major/minor junction to provide access for the Westacott development site. The A361 route is a high standard inter-urban route which provides the main link to North Devon and it is important to maintain optimum capacity as traffic levels are high and forecast to grow considerably;
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. 10) A39/A361 Portmore roundabout - widening of the Eastern Avenue approach and widening of A361 approaches and exits to provide an additional lane through the roundabout and extra capacity for increased traffic due to residential and employment development; . 11) Park & Change site off the new A361 Landkey junction - to reduce the need to travel by car into the town centre and would provide environmental and congestion benefits; . 12) A39 / Westaway Plain / North Devon Hospital – road realignment and replacement of traffic signals with roundabout; . 13) Widening of approaches and exits at Rumsam (Bishops Tawton) and Portmore roundabouts - to ease existing congestion and to provide additional capacity for future development. 4.3.2 These highway improvements were included in the 2031 road networks for subsequent testing. The total trips on the highway network are forecast to increase by 15% in the AM and PM peak hours between 2014 and 2031 and total travel time by 38% without and 31% with the highway improvements in the AM peak hour and by 24% without and 19% with the highway improvements in the PM peak hour. Even with the transfer to bus predicted in the model due to Barnstaple town centre parking restraint, bus service improvements and the junction improvements described previously there would still be a significant increase in over capacity queues although the identified highway improvements would reduce these considerably. The total delay in both peak hours are not large compared with the number of vehicles trips. The delays are spread around the network and there are no junctions with excessive delay.
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Figure 35: Barnstaple Core Highway Improvements
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Figure 36: Bideford Location of Core Highway Improvements
4.4 Core Walking and Cycling Improvements
4.4.1 Cycling and walking to work trips in Barnstaple and Bideford are much higher than the national average and measures to increase these modes will reduce the strain on the road network as well as having important health and social benefits. New cycle and pedestrian routes to form a coherent network that links with the new development areas could provide an attractive alternative to car travel for short journeys and improve the opportunities for increasing cycle use within the towns. With the establishment of a key link between
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Roundswell, Larkbear and the former railway Iron Bridge over the river Taw, it would be possible to establish a high quality cross town cycle route in Barnstaple. Within Bideford a new route linking the Quayside with West Bideford development utilising the former railway alignment would be crucial to establishing a usable utility route avoiding the steep gradients within the town centre, with a further leisure and utility link on to Westward Ho!. From Appledore and Northam improving the network south to link to the Quay via the existing A39 underpass would also provide a more attractive route away from the busy A39 Heywood Road junction.
Figure 37: Barnstaple Cycle Network Improvements 4.4.2 Figure 37 highlights the key walking and cycling infrastructure identified for Barnstaple. Barnstaple has an established network of cycle paths and quiet road routes and the Tarka multi use Trail runs also through the town. But there is also strong demand from cyclists on some of the main roads around the town that can offer a more direct route to key services for more confident cyclists. With significant new development identified to the south east and south west of the town there is an opportunity to develop a more direct east to west corridor to promote cycling and walking. This corridor would provide good links to many existing and planned residential and commercial developments within the town as well as providing better links to the town centre, leisure and education facilities.
4.4.3 The corridor will be developed by utilising a mixture of existing off-road paths, new paths through development and new facilities along existing roads. Key items of required infrastructure include a new cycle bridge crossing over the A361 Western Bypass and Tarka Rail Line between Larkbear and Seven
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Brethren. To the north of the corridor both new and existing paths will link to the town centre via a second proposed bridge crossing from Anchorwood to The Strand over the River Taw. And to the south west, new employment and commercial development located south of the A39 corridor will also be linked to the corridor and the rest of Roundswell by a new bridge crossing. This land is proposed to incorporate a new Park and Change facility offering opportunities for modal shift to bus, walking and cycling from the west of the town.
4.4.4 Within Bideford there is a significant level of development to the north and south of the A39. New developments should incorporate requirements for walking and cycle access and where possible support improved links between Northam and Bideford parishes. Figure 36 identifies a proposed cycle path between Bideford along the Kenwith Valley and the route of the former Bideford to Appledore Railway. The map also identifies a potential extension to an existing cycle route on the A386 connecting Bideford to Appledore and Northam via the A39 underpass. This would provide an alternative to crossing the busy A39 Heywood Road junction at grade. Bideford is a key destination on the Tarka Trail network. Journeys may be made for local access as well as for recreation and tourism bringing benefits in terms of both health and the local economy.
4.5 Core Bus Improvements
4.5.1 In general, bus use across the wider Districts is proportionally low at present due to the low population density, dispersed employment and activity centres causing low demand which is largely uneconomic for bus operations beyond a few core commercial corridors. There are opportunities to substantially increase bus patronage as development occurs by ensuring that the strategic development sites are well served by these core bus routes and that new developments are used to open up new routes avoiding congested main road corridors in the urban areas.
4.5.2 From previous experiences within Barnstaple there is strong evidence to support that investment in bus services at an early stage of a new development that are direct and convenient will have a very good chance of becoming financially sustainable over a period of time. Over a time period that coincided with increased expansion and investment in the public transport network in Barnstaple, bus patronage figures showed over a 100% increase from 243,428 in 2003/04 to 531,054 in 2008/9. Growth since 2010 has been slower by comparison. But with significant new development planned for the town, there are new opportunities to increase bus travel by providing more direct services and by providing new park and change facilities on the outskirts of the town.
4.5.3 Long term parking in Barnstaple town centre is unlikely to meet all future demand therefore access to the town centres will increasingly depend upon access by bus, walking and cycling in combination with appropriate interchanges at planned locations. The improvement of bus services from Bideford to Barnstaple Town Centre, including the new housing development areas along the corridor, would capture a large proportion of additional commuting trips. Good links to employment areas and college should also
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prove attractive for commuting. It will be important to provide as much bus priority as possible to give a journey time and convenience advantage. In this respect, it will be necessary to incorporate bus priority routes through, or in connection with, new strategic development sites.
4.5.4 The delivery of improved local bus services will require a partnership approach between the Local Authorities and the bus operating companies. There will be an expectation that infrastructure and planning measures will be largely delivered by the relevant Authorities whilst service improvements will be delivered by the bus operators. Developer contributions will be utilised to adapt the network to serve new developments and pump prime new services in the early stages of the developments in order to encourage early adoption of bus travel.
4.5.5 The addition of Park & Change sites would allow improved access to the town centre by providing an interchange between additional long stay parking capacity for the town at peak times and appropriate bus, walking and cycling routes to the town centre and other local destinations. Again, bus priority measures would be needed for an attractive service. Park & Change sites are proposed in Roundswell area primarily for A39 traffic from Bideford and to provide improved access to Petroc College; Within the Westacott (Whiddon Valley) area for A361 traffic from South Molton; And at Pottington (adjacent to the former Evans Transport Site) for Braunton, Ilfracombe and Western Bypass traffic. In connection with new developments these sites provide the opportunity for interchange on the main corridors into Barnstaple. The role of Park & Change is to provide flexible additional peak capacity for parking and will also serve as parking for adjacent employment sites and facilities such as, Industrial Estates, community facilities and the town centre. To ensure that people are able to undertake day to day trips economically it will be necessary to ensure that sites are served by a choice of transport options. Facilitating short trips by non-car modes allows better use of the existing highway network for those trips most appropriately made by car.
4.5.6 The ability to provide a high quality bus route through the Tews Lane, Roundswell and Larkbear development sites is critical to achieving the level of access to the town centre which is being predicted by the strategic modelling. Various options for serving the Roundswell area are being investigated and will be largely dependent on the location and pace of new development completions. With development to the west of Barnstaple and in Fremington, Bideford and Northam there are opportunities to fund new routes and enhance existing services into the town avoiding some of the more congested major road sections and provide more direct and frequent access to bus services for new and existing residential areas.
4.5.7 Possible variations of the existing bus routes could be achieved by creating a route which diverges on the B3233 west of Bickington using the final stage of the planned Tews Lane Link road. Other options include providing additional bus services via the A39 thereby providing a more direct link between Bideford and Barnstaple, this service could make use of the new junction planned to the west of Roundswell and the Tews Lane Link. Or via the junction and a new access to the south of the A39 directly serving the planned park and change site at this location. To serve Larkbear in the short term, a solution could involve direct A39 bus services like the 19 service using the
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existing Roundswell Roundabout prior to the implementation of the Tews Lane Link scheme and new junction.
4.5.8 Development within Northam is primarily to the west of the parish adjacent to both sides of the B3236 Buckleigh Road. With widening of Buckleigh Road and new highway access for buses through the NOR01 Daddon Hill site there are opportunities for connecting new services from Bideford Town Centre to employment and housing in the western extension to the town, and on to Northam, Westward Ho! and Appledore. Current services from Bideford to Barnstaple can run up to every 10 minutes and increasing connectivity and access for bus travel across the neighbouring parishes could significantly contribute to the modal shift required as part of the modelling and traffic study for the region.
4.6 A39/A361 North Devon Link Road
4.6.1 With significant levels of new development identified along the A39/A361 North Devon Link Road corridor in the Mid, North and Torridge Districts, a separate strategy is being developed for major corridor improvements to increase the routes capacity, resilience and safety.
4.6.2 The route is vital for the wider region and is subject to considerable additional traffic demand during the holidays season. The growing issues on the route resulted in increased political pressure for improvements to be made that has recently been recognised by the Government. In the Autumn of 2015 statement the Government announced £1.5m for Devon County Council to develop a business case for the NDL corridor. A strategic Outline Business case is planned in 2016 following an initial options assessment and public consultation. This would lead to detailed design and sifting before completing an Outline Business Case in 2018. The Government confirmed £475m of funding from the Local Majors Fund for two schemes in tranche 1, while listing six schemes in tranche 2 that could bid for the remaining funding (including the NDL). Devon County Council has been investigating potential designs for improvements to junctions and section links that either build on or complement the Core Highway junction improvements for the NDL corridor that are identified within this strategy. Improvements are being considered for widened carriageway sections to provide dualling, three lane sections and extra capacity at key junctions.
4.6.3 Subject to the bidding process, improvement schemes for the NDL Majors Fund could be onsite before 2020. This Transport Strategy needs to consider and complement the emerging strategy for the wider route and consider match funding opportunities from individual developments through agreement and through the development of a CIL funding stream.
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4.7 Locally Specific Strategies
Site Policy Dwellings Employment No Ha NORTH DEVON Westacott BAR01 950 5 Larkbear BAR02 820 1.5 Old Torrington Rd BAR02a 100 Tews Lane BAR03 350 Mount Sandford Green BAR04 175 2.8 Westaway Plain BAR05 158 North Road South of Hospital BAR06 105 North Lane Bickington BAR07 65 Roundswell former school site BAR08 50 Glenwood Farm Barnstaple BAR09 170 0.8 Roundswell BAR10 0 11.5 Anchorwood Bank BAR12 240 Barnstaple Other 956 BARNSTAPLE TOTAL 4139 21.6 BRAUNTON 390 10 FREMINGTON 426 0 ILFRACOMBE 1429 5 SOUTH MOLTON 1240 10.8 TORRIDGE BIDEFORD Western extension BID01 950 10 Cleave Wood BID02 250 Manteo Way BID03 215 South Bideford East BID04 600 Caddsdown BID05 9.2 South of Clovelly Road BID09 700 Clovelly Road BID10 1.2 Bideford Other 5 BIDEFORD TOTAL 4127 25.4 Daddon Hill NOR01 500 West of Buckleigh Road NOR02 600 Landsdowne Park NOR03 20 Tadworthy Road NOR04 150 Pitt Hill NOR07 130 Clevelands Park NOR08 120 Heywood Road NOR09 210 Northam Other 186 NORTHAM TOTAL 1916 0 TORRINGTON 632 4 HOLSWORTHY 670 7.1 LOCAL CENTRES 1123 0.9 VILLAGES 1034 0.3 RURAL SETTLEMENTS 120 0 TOTAL 17246 85.2 Table 12: Northern Devon Land Supply Summary
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4.7.1 BAR02 Larkbear
4.7.1.1 The Larkbear development will have a primary vehicle access from a new signalised junction onto the A361 Barnstaple Western Bypass (Figure 35 Ref 8) and a secondary vehicular access from Old Torrington Road. It is proposed that Old Torrington Road will become restricted to bus access only north of the secondary access point. The secondary vehicular access point will link west via Gratton Way to Roundswell and the A3125. This route will form part of the proposed east west cycle route corridor and it is anticipated to form part of a new primary bus corridor serving this site and sites to the west of the town, including the proposed Park and Change site located within BAR10 south of the A39.
4.7.1.2 Buses will be able to access the site from Old Torrington Road. Suitable routes will be required through the site to a third access point to the north onto Sticklepath Hill. This will provide a bus connection through the site to an existing bus only link under the A361 to the railway station and then on to the town centre and bus station. A convenient bus route through the site to Sticklepath Hill will provide access to the rear of PETROC college and provide a more direct route to the railway station and Town Centre, avoiding much of the congested A3125 Bickington Road corridor or the busy A361 approach to the main Western Bypass (Squareabout) junction. The College is a major generator of bus travel during the AM peak with over 20 services accessing the site from Old Torrington Road and from Sticklepath Hill. The College’s current vehicle access is also from Old Torrington Road. Reducing the traffic impacts from Old Torrington Road onto the A3125 by providing an alternative route through Larkbear will provide benefits and opportunities for reducing congestion on the A3125 Bickington Road corridor.
4.7.1.3 Walking and cycling links will be provided through the site from Old Torrington Road as part of The East West Cycle Corridor. A new cycle bridge crossing is proposed over the A361 and rail line linking the site with the cycle network between Seven Brethren and with Newport via the existing “Iron Bridge” crossing over the River Taw. Links within the site to the north onto Sticklepath Hill will join the existing cycle route under the A361 from Sticklepath to the rail station and Town Centre. Additional walking and cycle routes will be considered into the site from the neighbouring built up areas around Sticklepath and to the rear of PETROC college. The primary access to the site from the A361 will provide opportunities for College travel to the rear of PETROC. The principle of achieving good permeable connections through new development is to encourage short trips by bus, on foot or bike to minimise the impact of a major development like this situated close to the Town Centre. It is anticipated that Larkbear would also provide a contribution towards the proposed pedestrian and cycle bridge crossing of the A361 and railway line as part of the wider strategy for the East West Cycle Corridor.
4.7.1.4 To mitigate the traffic impact on the A361 Corridor, Larkbear will be required to contribute towards junction improvements on the A361 primarily on the A361 junctions at Rumsam, Portmore and Landkey.
4.7.1.5 The section of the A39 south of the Larkbear development experiences high volumes of traffic during peak periods. Traffic volumes currently approach link capacity and this poses a problem for maintaining strategic connectivity for
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the region. Whilst not directly related to access, the opportunity for securing a land contribution from the Larkbear development would be required to enable improved capacity between Roundswell Roundabout and Lake Roundabout to be considered in the future as part of the wider A39/A361 North Devon Link Road project.
4.7.2 BAR03, BAR07 & BAR09 West of Roundswell
4.7.2.1 The BAR03 Tews Lane Development will have a primary access to the south of the site served by Old Bideford Road but ultimately the proposed Tews Lane Link will provide a connection through BAR09 Glenwood to join the A39 west of Brynsworthy Lane (Figure 35 Ref 5 & 6). These proposals are necessary because the current Old Bideford Road and its junction with the A3125 Roundswell Link represent the sole access to the Roundswell residential area and DCC would be concerned about the resilience of the network in the context of further growth from this route and the link capacity of the A3125 north and south of Old Bideford Road.
4.7.2.2 The Tews Lane Development will also incorporate a suitable route through the site designed for general traffic, including buses to allow for a link to be made onto the B3232. In terms of design this will require the route to reach the north western extent of the site for future continuation through land that is not currently identified within the local plan land supply and is not within the control of the developer. The through route will need to be designed to Manual for Street principles but without compromising its future role.
4.7.2.3 Development at BAR09 Glenwood on land between Old Bideford Road and the A39 would also be served initially from Old Bideford Road but will need to provide a future route through the site as part of the full Tews Lane Link. Land will be required and potential contributions towards providing the new junction onto the A39 west of Brynsworthy Lane. The through route will need to be designed to Manual for Street principles but without compromising its future role.
4.7.2.4 The new junction between the proposed for the Tews Lane Link and A39 will take the form of a roundabout, potentially with the scope to include a 4th arm south of the A39 to serve BAR10 southern employment sites and a new road link through any western expansion for this allocation. Alternative options have been explored for a grade separated junction serving sites north and south of the A39.
4.7.2.5 The full Tews Lane Link road is identified to accommodate future through traffic towards Roundswell and the A39 avoiding the B3233 through Bickington and Cedars junction. The proposed junction on the A39 will improve access to existing and future employment within Roundswell north and will relieve some of the traffic pressure on the existing A39 Roundswell Roundabout and the A3125 Roundswell\Bickington Road corridor. A full link will provide the best opportunity for new bus services to divert from existing corridors on the B3233 and A39 to serve the Tews Lane/Roundswell/Larkbear developments.
4.7.3 BAR10 Roundswell South of the A39
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4.7.3.1 A site to the south east of the A39 Roundswell roundabout is committed development for retail employment and BAR10 incorporates a new employment allocation to the south west of the roundabout. The primary access for both sites is from a new roundabout on the B3232 constructed in 2014 as part of the Roundswell roundabout capacity improvements.
4.7.3.2 The south western site will incorporate a park and change car park area of approximately 150 spaces. This facility will provide an interchange point for onward travel by scheduled bus services, walking and cycling.
4.7.3.3 Good links between the north and south of Roundswell over the A39 are essential for sustainable development south of the corridor. The strategy includes provision of a new bridge crossing from the park and change area to the west of the site and Roundswell north. This replaces earlier proposals for a signalised crossing from the committed site to the east. With additional development identified to the south of the A39 and with significant traffic growth on the A39 corridor from Bideford in the west, an at-grade crossing facility would be detrimental to the link capacity of the A39 corridor and introduce road safety issues for the crossing and the junction. A good quality walking and cycling link from the Park and Change provides opportunities for walking and cycling to employment north of the A39 and to the rest of the town for education, leisure and employment trips.
4.7.3.4 The south west site should maintain scope for providing a secondary access point to the west. The allocated site south west of the A39 has the potential to expand further to the west if required during the plan period. This may make the provision of a secondary access point a possibility. This access would connect and be served from the new junction planned on the A39 planned west of Brynsworthy Lane as part of the Tews Lane link. A continuation of the Tews Lane link to the south of the A39 would provide improved access for southern employment sites, public transport and the proposed park and change facility.
4.7.3.5 Development to the south of the A39 should not preclude the ability to widen the A39 to improve the future capacity of this strategic corridor.
4.7.4 BAR12 Anchorwood Bank and Seven Brethren
4.7.4.1 Development at Anchorwood will primarily be accessed from the A3125 with improvements to the road layout being required between the A361‘Squareabout’ junction on the western bypass and the Long Bridge.
4.7.4.2 The most appropriate access and junction layout to serve the site may be for a new signalised junction on the A3125. Access into the Anchorwood development site should make provision for two lanes of outbound traffic from Seven Brethren junctions on the A3125 towards the A361 Squareabout junction. There are currently two lanes inbound but road widening should make provision for a dedicated slip road into the site.
4.7.4.3 Development at Anchorwood Bank will be required to ensure that an attractive route for the Tarka Trail and South West Coast path can be established along the waterfront of the site and link west to join with the Tarka Trail west of the
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site for leisure connections and to provide walking and cycling links from the site to education.
4.7.4.4 As part of an aspiration to create optimum connectivity between the Anchorwood Bank development site and the town centre, a pedestrian and cycle bridge across the River Taw is identified. This would improve accessibility to/from the town centre allowing the site to function as part of the town centre The feasibility and preliminary design of the crossing is being undertaken by Devon County Council and it is expected that developer contributions towards the bridge are made by developers at Anchorwood and Seven Brethren. Contributions should also be made to the wider cycle network and to Traffic management improvements for the Longbridge junctions on the A3125.
4.7.5 BAR01 Westacott
4.7.5.1 The proposed strategic site at Westacott refers to the area of development located to the east of Whiddon Valley and north of the A361 NDL. The site will incorporate a mixture of residential and employment development.
4.7.5.2 The primary access will be from the A361 NDL to the east of the site by upgrading the existing Landkey priority junction to either a roundabout or a grade separated junction. The secondary access point will be via one of three potential routes linking into Whiddon Drive/Westacott Road, within the Whiddon Valley estate. The development should be expected to deliver a roundabout junction on the A361 or contribute towards the cost of a grade separated junction with on and off slips north and south of the A361.
4.7.5.3 The development should make provision for land to enable the A361 corridor to be widened in the future between Portmore and Landkey junctions.
4.7.5.4 Existing walking and cycle facilities within Whiddon Valley are located close to the proposed development and extensions would need to be provided throughout the development to improve access into Landkey and for links to West Barnstaple and Town centre facilities via the East West Cycle Corridor.
4.7.5.5 The route through the site connecting the two access points will form an east – west corridor through the development. This route will need to be suitable for use by core bus services (especially those on the South Molton/Barnstaple corridor). This route will have direct access to the Park & Change facility within Westacott.
4.7.5.6 A Park and Change facility should be identified through any master planning for the site. Parking capacity for a minimum of 150 spaces in addition to any shared parking for employment or community facilities should be considered. The parking facility should have direct access from the A361 Landkey junction and route through the development. A Park and Change service will build on extended bus links from the east of the town in combination with new or enhanced services from South Molton.
4.7.6 BAR04 Mount Sandford Green
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4.7.6.1 The Mount Sandford Green development is located between the A361 NDL corridor and Landkey Road. The site will provide a mixture of new residential and employment development.
4.7.6.2 Two access points will be required for the site. The primary site access will be from a new junction onto the A361 at Portmore. The development will contribute towards the cost of providing the new junction and the cost of upgrading the capacity of the A361 junctions at Landkey, Portmore or Bishops Tawton (Rumsam) junctions. The primary junction will provide the access point for heavy traffic to employment within the site. The second access will be from Landkey Road. The development should be phased to limit impact on this route into town.
4.7.6.3 Contributions should be sought towards improving cycle and walking connections from the site along the Landkey Road corridor, passing Newport School towards where it joins with the East West Cycle Corridor linking to the Town Centre and secondary education at Park School and college at Petroc.
4.7.7 BAR05 & BAR06 Barnstaple North
4.7.7.1 Sites to the north of the town are served by the A39 North Road. New developments east and west of the A39 will contribute towards the joint delivery of an improved Westaway plain junction. The current signalised junction serves Pilton West and the Hospital. The Hospital is the main emergency and medical centre for the sub-region. A new roundabout junction is being proposed for traffic management on this corridor.
4.7.7.2 The Hospital is a big employer for the town. New developments should contribute towards cycle, walk and bus facilities in the Pilton area.
4.7.8 NOR01 & NOR02 Westward Ho!
4.7.8.1 Sites within NOR01 and NOR02 are located east and west of the B3236 Buckleigh Road. The primary access for these sites will be from the B3236 onto The A39.
4.7.8.2 The current junction onto the A39 is a priority junction with right turn lane. The new junction onto the A39 delivered by developments to the north, should be considered as signalised in order to manage the increase opposing flows and right turn manoeuvres from the A39 and to improve road safety. Earlier design consideration was given to a roundabout junction improvement. This may still be considered if additional funding sources can be identified.
4.7.8.3 The B3236 Buckleigh Road is narrow. Road widening should be required from Cornborough Road to the A39.
4.7.8.4 A continuous walking and cycling route should be created along Buckleigh Road from the new developments to the minor road leading to Kenwith, Abbotsham and Bideford. From this junction quieter road links would connect south under the A39 to the proposed Bideford to Westward Ho! Cycle path following the route of the proposed Old Bideford Railway and Kenwith Valley.
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4.7.8.5 Walking links should be provided between sites within these allocations and to the existing road network of the parish.
4.7.8.6 Road links for buses should be provided through NOR01 linking Buckleigh Road to the rest of the Parish via Bay View Road. Traffic restrictions should be considered east of the site on Daddon Hill to restrict vehicular travel from these developments on these routes to Heywood Road.
4.7.8.7 Developments should contribute towards improvements to the A39 junction at Heywood Road.
4.7.9 NOR04 and other Northam & Appledore Sites
4.7.9.1 Development NOR04: Tadworthy Road will provide approximately 150 dwellings. A vehicular route connecting Lakenham Hill to Golf Links Road.
4.7.9.2 This and other site will be required to contribute to an improved junction on the A386 at Heywood Road/Churchill Way/Lakenham Hill.
4.7.10 BID01 BID09 BID05 West Bideford
4.7.10.1 Principal development sites to the west of Bideford comprise BID01 The Western Extension to the town between Clovelly Road and Abbotsham Road providing around 950 new dwellings and 10 Ha of employment and commercial land at Atlantic Park; BID05 an Extension to Caddsdown Industrial Park of around 9 Ha and; BID09 South of Clovelly Road providing around 700 new dwellings.
4.7.10.2 The primary access for BID01 will be onto the A39 through an enhancement of the Abbotsham junction to create a grade separated junction utilising the A39 overbridge and slips to the A39 (Figure 36 Ref 3). A vehicular route will connect this junction through the site to Clovelly road.
4.7.10.3 This through route will be designed to Manual for Streets principles and be suitable for use by bus services. The site will require a new junction onto Clovelly Road and a second junction for Atlantic Park.
4.7.10.4 BID05 and BID09 will require a new distributor link from Clovelly Road through BID09 to BID05. BID05 will require an estate spine road connecting with the existing Caddsdown Industrial estate.
4.7.10.5 Walking and cycling links will be required through all sites and improvements to walking links will be sought for Abbotsham Road and for the Bideford to Westward Ho! Cycle Route.
4.7.10.6 Developments should contribute towards improvements to the A39 junction at Heywood Road.
4.7.11 BID02 BID03 BID04 East Bideford
4.7.11.1 Development sites to the east of the river and the Long Bridge comprise BID02 Cleave Wood providing around 250 dwellings; BID03
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land adjoining Manteo Way providing around 215 dwellings and; BID04 south of East the Water providing around 600 new dwellings.
4.7.11.2 The primary vehicular access for BID02 will be provided from Manteo Way with a secondary access from Alverdiscott Road to the east of the allocation.
4.7.11.3 The accesses for BID03 and BID04 will also be from Manteo Way. BID04 will will be accessed from Gammaton Road, through junction improvements at Manteo Way.
4.7.11.4 All sites will require integrated pedestrian, cycle and public transport networks that provide connections to neighbouring residential and commercial areas and to the Tarka Trail.
4.7.11.5 Contributions towards junction improvements onto the A39 at Westleigh junction will be sought in order to improve capacity. (Figure 36 Ref2).
4.8 Summary
4.8.1 The function of the A39/A361 strategic corridor is vital to the future traffic management and local economy of the Northern Devon area. New development identified in the local plan will have a significant impact on the A39/A361 corridor. This strategy identifies the improvements required for key junctions on the A39\A361 corridor in order to increase capacity and manage future demand to 2031. With significant levels of new development being identified along the A39/A361 North Devon Link Road through the Mid Devon, North Devon and Torridge Districts, a separate strategy is being developed to bid for further major corridor improvements to increase the route’s capacity, resilience and safety. The aims of this strategy recognise and support the wider strategy for major improvements to the corridor.
4.8.2 In the urban areas, and in particular within Barnstaple, the future impact of increased traffic generated from new development will need to be mitigated by providing new facilities to enable modal shift to bus, cycling and walking. This strategy recognises the importance of providing improved connectivity for these modes of travel by supporting safe and direct alternatives to using the car for local trips and for travel into Barnstaple town centre by bus from the surrounding major road network.
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