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1 Project Summary All proposals must include evidence of real commitment from at least one relevant bus operator which should be demonstrated throughout the proposal. Tick the box to show that you have completed this requirement. (please see letter of support from Stagecoach Oxfordshire) 9 Applicant Information Local transport authority name(s)*: Oxfordshire County Council Senior Responsible Owner name and position: Steve Howell, Deputy Director for Environment & Economy Bid Manager name and position: David Taylor, Public Transport Development Team Leader Contact telephone number: 01865 816519 Email address: [email protected] Postal address: Environment & Economy, Speedwell House, Speedwell Street, OXFORD, OX1 1NE. Website address for published bid: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk Section A. Overview A1. Project name: Bicester and East Oxford Bus Growth Package A2. The Geographical Area: Bicester is a rapidly expanding town which has grown substantially over the last 50 years and now has a population of 30,000. Oxford is a world famous university city of 150,000 permanent residents and 40,000 students. Further population growth in Bicester, to 40,000, is projected by 2026 and 60,000 by 2034. A total of 11,000 new jobs are planned. Bicester is one of Oxfordshire's three strategic growth areas - defined by the Bicester - Oxford - Science Vale "Growth Arc". In addition Bicester's location, on the Oxford-Cambridge arc and London-Birmingham corridor, makes it well located for economic and housing growth. The local economy is focused on the defence activities at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) site, storage / distribution, food processing, engineering and publishing. Bicester's proximity to, and close 2 relationship with, Oxford creates opportunities for economic development. However, it can also make it difficult to draw investment into the town and results in high levels of car-based out-commuting. Specific developments in Bicester include: • Bicester Business Park: 60,000sqm of B1 employment space. • North West Bicester Eco Town - A new settlement, integrated into the existing urban area, creating 5,000 homes and 5,000 jobs; supported by education and community facilities. • Graven Hill - Mixed use development of 1,900 homes, community facilities, major retail unit, employment floor space comprising B1/B2 25,000sqm and B8 uses up to 67,000sqm (potentially creating 2,200 jobs). • Town centre - £70m re-development including seven screen digital cinema, a Sainsbury's supermarket, a range of new retail and restaurant units, a new bus interchange and improved town centre car parking. 600 new jobs will be created. • South West Bicester - 1,600 homes, health village, a primary and a secondary school. • Gavray Drive - 500 homes and primary school. Whilst travel to the centre of Oxford is currently well catered for by bus, it is difficult to get to major employment sites, strategic health care facilities and higher educational establishments in the eastern part of Oxford - in particular the John Radcliffe, Nuffield and Churchill hospitals; Oxford Brookes University; and to employment areas on the Oxford "Eastern Arc" e.g. BMW (UK) Manufacturing at Cowley. 3 A3. Description of Growth and Carbon Emission Problem: Vision and Growth Proposals The town of Bicester will make a significant contribution to economic and housing growth proposals (see Figure 2) that are being promoted by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Over the next 22 years the town will effectively double in size; with significantly greater employment opportunities. The resulting trip generation linked with this expansion will put increased strain on the road transport network and make it difficult to deliver sustainable economic growth. This economic investment is dependent on having a transport network that provides efficient and reliable journey times; whilst reducing local air quality impacts and "global" carbon emissions. This is the specific objective of the North West Bicester eco town proposals; which aim to provide an exemplar of sustainable and economically vibrant urban living across the whole town. Figure 1 - Proposed Future Development in Bicester 4 Both the local highway network and strategic links - the M40 and A34 in particular - will come under increasing pressure, from growth-related travel demand, unless targeted investment in public transport improvements are made in the near future. The rail network is already seeing significant investment with Evergreen 3 and East-West Rail. Both local and inter-urban bus services will need to be developed in order to cater for increases in travel demand and to reduce forecast levels of congestion. Both Oxfordshire County Council and the developers (including Bicester Eco Town) are promoting a package of capital infrastructure and revenue funded measures. The aim of this Better Bus Area Fund (BBAF) is to provide a relatively modest up-front investment to support the wider package of measures to enable sustainable housing and economic growth to happen. Current and Future Travel Demand Issues Mode split for journey to work for residents from these areas: Bicester: Car = 56%; Bus = 3%. Oxford: Car = 47%; Bus = 17% East Oxford: Car = 53%; Bus 13%. Self-containment: Only 27% of people travelling to work by car stay within Bicester, leaving the remaining 73% to travel elsewhere. In the peak hour journey to work there are 1,535 car trips to East Oxford from Cherwell District (which includes Bicester). There are over 12,500 staff at major key destinations in East Oxford: • John Radcliffe Hospital: 6,000 staff and 1,621 parking spaces. Car = 57%; Bus / Park & Ride = 17% (of trips made to the site). • Churchill Hospital: 838 staff and the same number of parking spaces. Car = 47%; Bus / Park & Ride = 13% (of trips made to the site). • Oxford Brookes University: 2,000 staff. 52% of trips made by car. • BMW Cowley: 3,700 staff. 75% of trips made by car. With the current growth plans generating additional travel demand, key congestion hot spots within Bicester and on the corridor to East Oxford are predicted to be: • London Road / Buckingham Road corridor including town centre. • A41 and B4030 outside Bicester Village Retail Park at weekends / Bank Holidays (contributes to queuing on the M40 Junction 9). • A34 southbound and northbound approaches to M40 Junction 9. 5 A4. Description of Proposal: Output 1 - High frequency premium bus service from Bicester to East Oxford via Kidlington and Water Eaton (existing Park & Ride site and proposed new "parkway" railway station as part of the Evergreen 3 project). Addressing Issues Identified: Poor bus connectivity between Bicester, hospitals, non central university sites and East Oxford industrial areas leading to high car-based demand. Output 2 - Bus Priority in Bicester town centre and on A41 corridor between Bicester and M40 Junction 9 (in both directions). Addressing Issues Identified: Circuitous and congested route for buses in town centre. Current and predicted congestion on A41 / B4100 between M40 junction 9 and Bicester Village. Output 3 - New bus interchange / Park & Ride on A41 south west of town. Addressing Issues Identified: Need for a remote Park & Ride site where cars can be intercepted before they reach congested locations such as M40 Junction 9 and A40 / A44 Wolvercote Roundabout. Output 4 - Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) system. Addressing Issues Identified: Lack of customer confidence in buses adhering to the published timetable. Output 5 - Web-based travel information portal displaying static timetables, real-time information and journey planner. Addressing Issues Identified: Lack of knowledge / awareness of service options particularly amongst occasional users and people new to living in Bicester. Output 6 - Integrated Ticket Scheme for all town services and to key destinations - Oxford, Banbury, Brackley, Buckingham and Milton Keynes. Addressing Issues Identified: Removal of key barriers to greater bus usage amongst infrequent and non-users. Facilitates easier interchange between town and inter-urban services. Output 7 - Travel marketing campaign based on travel plans for major employers, the railway stations and Bicester Village, including an "integrated travel shop" in the town centre and a mobile bus which will take information and marketing to locations around the town. Addressing Issues Identified: Tackling the reasons for low levels of bus usage, raising awareness of travel choices available and integrating services into people's journey patterns. 6 Output 8 - Purchase of two low emission buses for Bicester town services 22/23 which will be re-branded "Bicester Hopper". Addressing Issues Identified: Relatively poor image of local town bus services which is inconsistent with the need to promote "green" bus services as part of the "Eco Bicester" concept. Output 9 - Enhanced pedestrian/cycle/bus access to rail interchanges at Bicester Town and Water Eaton Parkway Station to complement the Evergreen 3 and East-West Rail projects. Addressing Issues Identified: Integration of transport modes on Bicester - East Oxford corridor. A5. Total package cost (£m): 9.450 A6. Total DfT funding contribution sought (£m): 1.710 (18% of total package cost). A7. Source of local contribution: (1) Provision of high quality buses by Stagecoach; (2) Developer Funding from section 106 agreements from developments within Bicester; (3) Supporting contribution from Local Sustainable Transport Fund travel planning in Headington / East Oxford. Figure 2 - Package Proposals within