Paper 3

STREET MANAGEMENT OPERATIONAL ISSUES

CONTENTS

1 Issues and initiatives 1.1 Introduction 1.2 A406 NCR Bounds Green to Green Lane 1.3 Coulsdon Town Centre Improvement Scheme 1.4 A40 Western Avenue and A406 Hanger Lane Bridges Replacement 1.5 World Squares for All 1.6 Thames Gateway River Crossings 1.7 Road Safety Strategic Review 1.8 20 mph Zones 1.9 London Traffic Information System 1.10 London Traffic Control Centre 1.11 Vauxhall Cross Transport Interchange 1.12 Tower Bridge Closure 1.13 London Bus Initiative 1.14 Congestion Charging Update 1.15 Review of Provision for Walking, Cycling and Area Based Schemes

2 CURRENT PERFORMANCE ISSUES 1.2 Best Value Performance Indicators 1.3 Demand 1.4 Service Delivery 1.5 Safety 1.6 Reliability 1.7 Enforcement 1.8 Woolwich Ferry ISSUES AND INITIATIVES

Introduction

Because this meeting of the Transport Operations Scrutiny Committee (TOSC has been rescheduled, there is a relatively short period between this and the previous TOSC meeting. As a result there have been no significant developments upon which to report. However, papers on the London Bus Initiative, a Congestion Charging update and a review of provision for walking, cycling and area based schemes have been presented to the Street Management Advisory Panel (SMAP) and summaries of these papers have been included in this report.

A406 North Circular Road, Bounds Green to Green Lanes

A report on the economic assessments carried out for the previous schemes on the A406 North Circular Road (promoted by the Highways Agency), their reassessment against the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and the current status of the revised schemes is elsewhere on the agenda.

Coulsdon Town Centre Improvement Scheme

The Coulsdon scheme is being developed by TfL Street Management in three stages: • Stage 1 – the new road to take through traffic out of the town centre

• Stage 2 – improvements to Coulsdon town centre and local roads

• Stage 3 – improvements at Coulsdon South and at Smitham stations Overwhelming public support for the proposals developed by TfL was confirmed at a recent public exhibition and there is local pressure to see the scheme built as soon as possible.

Detailed design is progressing on Stage 1 with particular attention being focused on the appearance of the main features of the scheme such as structures (Marlpit Lane bridge and Smitham station bridge), and landscaping throughout the length of the new road from the rural southern half to the urban northern half.

Contract documents are being prepared to go out to tender in July 2002 with award of contract for the main works in December 2002. An advance works contract will be started in Summer 2002 to take possession of all the land required for the scheme, and for demolition and site clearance in preparation for the start of works on the main contract.

Design of Stage 2 is progressing in partnership with Croydon Council. Analysis of the feedback from the public exhibition held in October has been useful in deciding how the town centre should be developed and detailed proposals will be presented at a public consultation later in 2002.

Proposals for Stage 3 are being developed to integrate the railway stations with the bus and road networks. This includes discussion with other stakeholders including Railtrack, GoVia (the train operating company), the Strategic Rail Authority and Croydon Council.

A40 Western Avenue and A406 Hanger Lane Bridges Replacement

The A40 and A406 road over railway bridges are in poor structural condition and do not have sufficient strength to meet current loading standards. Assessment reports have recommended that all four bridges be replaced as soon as possible. The preferred schemes have been identified following the reassessment against the objectives of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy and have been discussed with Paul Moore and Lynn Sloman.

The proposals include staged replacement of the Wales Farm Road Bridge and Perryn Road Bridge on the A40 Western Avenue and Waldegrave Road Bridge and South Bridge on the A406 Hanger Lane. The proposals also include provision of improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and people with a disability and enhancement of the natural and built environment.

TfL Street Management has now developed the preferred schemes in partnership with the London Borough of Ealing, Crossrail, Strategic Rail Authority, Railtrack and London Underground. A public consultation will be held before the proposals are finalised.

Subject to confirmation of funding a start on site for the main works is forecast for mid 2003. World Squares for All

The partial pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square is the first phase of World Squares for All. Detailed design was substantially completed in mid- September 2001. The main construction contract was awarded to Fitzpatrick on 19 October 2001. Work on site commenced on 12 November 2001 and is programmed for completion by May 2003. Planning conditions were placed on the Central Staircase permission which require the inclusion of lifts and toilets under the North Terrace. The provision of these facilities are still being considered.

A profile of the sources of funding and necessity of expenditure on the Trafalgar Square scheme in 2002/03 is elsewhere on the agenda

Thames Gateway River Crossings

The post of Project Manager of the River Crossings has been appointed within the Finance and Planning Department. This is a full time position for a period of 5 to 6 months and work has already begun on the detailed work programme.

Road Safety Strategic Review

The Road Safety Strategic Review will develop a process for developing and implementing road safety measures that :

• are based on evidence, either in London, or in comparable cities where recent innovations may be relevant to London

• deploy resources where they are shown to be most effective

• are capable of being monitored as we go, i.e. a process where initiatives continue only if success - at least at some level - can be demonstrated

• meet the Mayor’s targets for casualty reduction

• represent Best Value, and in particular Value for Money

• support the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.

The review is required to feed into the budget making process for 2002/3 and beyond, and therefore all or a significant part of it has to be finished by the end of February 2002. With a range of issues a two stage process is proposed, with the first stage completed by the end of February and the second addressing any outstanding longer term issues. The review is to be led and co-ordinated by Street Management with input from a range of staff in Finance and Planning including Borough Partnerships. 20 mph Zones

Of the five sites selected for early implementation, one, A10 Bishopsgate; Commercial Street to Cornhill; will be in place by the end of the financial year. The remaining four are at various stages of design. Once complete these will be implemented subject to the results of public consultation.

Street Management Area Teams are currently investigating the 45 sites that were included in the original shortlist of 50, with a view to incorporating some of them into the financial programme from 2003/04 onwards should the initial five prove successful as expected. These schemes will be prioritised in accordance with the levels of pedestrian activity, road traffic casualty rates and proximity of shopping areas.

London Traffic Information System

The London Traffic Information System is a facility for monitoring traffic conditions and incidents within the M25 London Area. Collators at New Scotland Yard and London Buses Centrecomm (control centre) input both immediate and scheduled events affecting the road network. This 'real-time' information is then made available through a Web-browser interface, both internally on the Intranet and externally on the Internet to authorised users, mostly media organisations such as the BBC.

London Traffic Control Centre (LTCC)

Preparations for the hand over of the Metropolitan PoliceTraffic Control Centre to TfL Street Management continue. Currently the Metropolitan Police are reporting to their Board that the first stage will involve existing staff remaining as police staff and the new recruitments to be employed by Street Management. This is to allow for a seamless transition between the two bodies during the transfer of responsibilities. The new centre will be operational by August 2002. Vauxhall Cross Transport Interchange

Preliminary road works on phase 1 of the project, which include changes to junctions around the one way system and the installation of new traffic signals, began on 14 January. Street Management is working with the Cross River Partnership, the London Development Agency, Lambeth Borough Council and others to deliver a coherent scheme to manage traffic flow in the area better and improve conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and those using public transport.

The completed scheme will include a new bus station on Bondway close to the railway station; better links between the railway station, the underground and buses; comprehensive and safe pedestrian crossings; dedicated cycle facilities; and improved environment and lighting.

Tower Bridge Closure

Tower Bridge was closed to vehicles and pedestrians for 6 weeks for its first major maintenance operation since 1974. Over 40,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day and vibration in the structure from larger vehicles and an increased volume of vehicles has led to problems with the hydraulics that lift the bridge. These problems have led to a misalignment when the bridge is lowered, and if left would result in damage to the pivots and bearings. If this were to happen the bridge would need to be dismantled for repair.

The bridge has now reopened and the works are thought to have given it a life expectancy of at least 20 years at the current weight limit of 17 tonnes.

London Bus Initiative

LBI Phase One, delivering a range of improvements for buses over 27 whole routes, has been underway since November 1999, with work beginning in earnest in May 2000. LBI Phase Two planning and design work on a further 43 routes commenced in summer 2001. The following is a brief overview of the LBI’s progress to date.

Surface Transport is currently considering how to develop its role as client for all bus priority and the implementation of this client role will affect future LBI planning. The report below however deals with progress to date prior to the implementation of these changes.

LBI Phase One has now reached the stage of specific consultation and implementation of 1200 schemes programmed for completion by spring of this year. The latest position on the delivery of route improvements is: • 190 schemes implemented by December 2001 (including traffic signal schemes) • a further 200 signal schemes planned for completion by March 2002 • over 75 bus lanes programmed for installation by March 2002 • over 250 Selective Vehicle Detection units installed and the remaining 230 by March 2002.

On the delivery of improvements to bus operations: • 431 Countdown signs have been installed, remaining 370 by March 2002 • 228 new shelters have been installed • Automatic Vehicle Location for Phase One completed • Journey Planners installed at all key interchanges • Driver training programme agreed with 11 operators • Low floor accessible buses now operating on 22 routes • Enhanced cleaning of buses and stops on 19 routes

LBI Phase Two has confirmed 43 routes and planning and design work for these has begun. Five of these routes have been allocated ‘flagship’ status. A programme for interchange surveys is in hand and a full programme of ‘before’ monitoring has been undertaken.

Congestion Charging Scheme

TfL Street Management completed a further round of public consultation on a number of proposed modifications to the Scheme Order on 18 January 2002. The proposed changes included significant extensions to the discounts and exemptions policy and a change of the operating hours of the scheme from 7am – 7pm to 7am – 6:30pm. TfL decided that although, individually, the changes were small, collectively they had more impact and as such a second period of stakeholder consultation on the modifications to the amended Order was desirable.

The amended Scheme Order was distributed for consultation on 10 December 2001 and the closing date for responses was 18 January 2002. TfL has presented a report to the Mayor on the results of the first and second consultation. The Mayor will review this (and where appropriate the individual representation) prior to taking a decision whether or not to confirm the Scheme Order, with or without modification, or to hold a public inquiry. Should the Scheme Order be confirmed in mid February then the earliest revised go- live date would be February 2003 to coincide with the half term holiday.

The TfL Board has agreed on the execution of a Call Option Agreement for the proposed Combined Services Agreement with the preferred bidder, CAPITA Business Services Ltd. The exercise of the Call Option will be subject to a further decision of the TfL Board and is dependant on confirmation of the Scheme Order. A Call Option deed has also been entered into with Initial Electronic Security Systems for the Camera Supply, Installation and Maintenance contract.

The requirement specifications for on-street enforcement, clamping and removal services has been prepared. The shortlisting of bidders has taken place under OJEC procedures. The tender documents were issued in February 2002 to short listed bidders. Regarding adjudication, Heads of Agreement have been reached with the Association of London Government Transport and Environment Committee. This enhances the London Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PTAS) infrastructure, enabling it to deal with the increased volumes of appeals resulting from operation of the scheme.

A paper on the street works on the Inner Ring Road related to the introduction of the Congestion Charging Scheme is elsewhere on the agenda.

Review of Provision for Walking, Cycling and Area Based Schemes

A review process has been established in order to provide recommendations on the most effective means of improving conditions for walking and cycling. The review is being taken forward in two stages. The first phase of work is largely complete and has the aim of enabling informed decisions to be made during the finalisation of the 2002/03 budget. The second phase of the review will follow from this and take a more strategic longer-term emphasis in developing improvements to walking and cycling from 2003/04.

The aim of the first phase of the review is to deliver: • A provisional set of objectives for the development of walking, cycling and area based schemes in London • Criteria to enable the re-assessment of current schemes and bids against these objectives • A list of current schemes and bids to take forward in the 2002/03 business plan • A set of further proposals encompassing assessment, research and pilot schemes to inform future decisions • Proposals as to how the 2002/03 programme should be funded and managed • Recommendations to inform the production of the 2003/04 Borough Spending Plan (BSP) Supplementary Guidance. CURRENT PERFORMANCE ISSUES

Performance Monitoring is now established in Street Management and the agreed Performance Indicators are being reported to the TfL Board and The Street Management Advisory Panel. Further Performance Indicators will be provided as the systems are established to collect the necessary data.

A summary of performance is given below under the headings of Best Value Performance Indictors, demand, service delivery, safety, reliability, enforcement and Woolwich Ferry.

Best Value Performance Indicators

TfL is required by DTLR to report 21 Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) for the year 2001/02. TfL Street Management has responsibility for producing 7 of these BVPIs. The BVPIs are included in the agreed list of Performance Indicators and it has been agreed that, where applicable, these BVPIs are reported quarterly in order to monitor progress. The current status of the BVPIs relevant to Street Management is summarised in the table below.

TfL 2001/02 Results 1999/00 London Average BVPI * Status Q1 Q2 BVPI 93: Cost of highway Development of specific financial N/A N/A N/A maintenance per 100km data capturing system in progress. travelled by a vehicle on Traffic flows being obtained from principal roads. DTLR road traffic census. BVPI 95: Average cost of Development of specific financial 96.3% 97.4% 99.1% working streetlight (replaces data capturing system in progress. former BVPI 98: % of Nevertheless, % of working working streetlights per day) streetlights/day is reported for 90% (Q1 = 77%) of the TLRN. BVPI 96: Condition of Road condition surveys were N/A N/A N/A principal roads completed in December 2001. The data is currently being analysed. BVPI 99: Road safety Data regularly analysed and See safety section; road accident reported by LAAU. casualties reported on a monthly basis. BVPI 100: Number of days of Data capturing systems for 85% 0.02 days 0.07 days 0.71** temporary traffic controls or (Q1 = 60%) of the TLRN has (30mins) (101mins) days (17 road closure on TLRN caused been established. /km /km hrs) /km by TfL road works per km of TLRN BV105: Number of dangerous Data capturing systems for 91% 100% 98.8% 96% defects repaired or made safe (Q1 = 60%) of the TLRN have within 24hrs been established. BV165: The percentage of Network wide surveys in progress N/A N/A N/A pedestrian crossings with facilities for disabled people. *It should be noted that the DTLR is currently consulting on proposals to amend, delete or add to the BVPIs to be reported in 2002/03. Reporting during 2002/03 will reflect confirmed changes. **quarterly estimate Demand

General traffic levels on the TLRN in the third quarter of 2001 (July to September) revealed a small increase in the morning peak of 0.4%, and small decreases in the evening peak –1.6% and in the inter-peak –0.4% compared with the previous quarter (April to June 2001). The method of data collection and analysis has been reviewed to ensure that the data reported is robust.

Cycling on the TLRN has fluctuated, due mainly to seasonal variations. The underlying upward trend that began in 2001 has continued. The November value indicates an increase in cycling on the TLRN of approximately 1.6% compared to that for October, and an increase of almost 25% compared to November 2000.

Service Delivery

The index of bus lane kilometre-hours throughout London for the second quarter (July to September 2001) value has not changed from the previous quarter. The number of traffic signals with selective vehicle detection reached 726 in the second quarter (July to September 2001), an increase of 3.7% above the previous quarter. The percentage of bus lanes of a suitable standard for camera enforcement increased to approximately 65.7%. in November 2001 from 63.3% in the previous month. It is expected that 100% of lanes will be suitable for camera enforcement by March 2002.

The percentage of traffic signals throughout London operating effectively for the second quarter of the year (July to September 2001) is 96.26%. The definition of operating effectively excludes signals that are all out, stuck, have no or a short or long right-of-way, or have detector faults. The level is above the target level for 2001/02 of 96%.

Safety

The rolling annual average road accident casualties to July 2001 on the TLRN are 82 killed and 1,524 seriously injured (which combine to give 1,606 killed and seriously injured (KSI)), and 11,040 slightly injured. These represent a minimal decrease both in KSIs and slight injuries compared to the previous month. Trends in the rolling annual averages for the first months of 2001 have also shown similar small changes.

In addition to casualties on the TLRN, casualties London-wide have also been included in this report. The London-wide rolling annual averages to July 2001 are 270 killed and 5,652 seriously injured (which combine to give 5,922 KSI), and 39,190 slightly injured. These figures are inclusive of the TLRN figures.

Reliability

The Performance Indicator relating to congestion is taken from the ASTRID database that is part of the UTC (Urban Traffic Control) operating system. A sample of traffic signal junctions controlled by UTC has been selected on the TLRN including central London, and town centres and radial routes in outer London. The detectors on the approaches to these junctions record when a vehicle is stationary for more than four seconds and, by recording the number of such occurrences during the green time of the traffic signals, a percentage of time that traffic is stopped is recorded. The percentages for all approaches to all junctions in the sample have been averaged and converted to an index. The index can therefore be used as a comparative indicator of congestion; it is not a measure of the total congestion in London. The ten months of data analysed, for February to November 2001, show some interesting results but further work is being undertaken to ensure the validity of the results. The data is for three time periods, each of which is three hours, these are: • the AM peak (07.00 to 10.00 hours), • inter peak (11.00 to 14.00 hours), • PM peak (16.00 to 19.00 hours). The index has been based on a value of 100 for each time period in March 2001. The results show that in November both the AM and PM peak index increased by some 10%, and the interpeak increased by 7%.

A further performance indicator for traffic journey time reliability is currently being investigated which should allow a better indicator of reliability to be produced. Street Management has commissioned a series of journey time surveys and is studying past information for a selection of routes on the TLRN (20% of the total road length). The surveys have been completed and analysis of the data has started. The results should be available to report in spring 2002.

Enforcement

The Performance Indicator showing the observed parking offences on the TLRN, in terms of the number of offences per mile, is obtained from two officers (traffic wardens) monitoring the TLRN over a three month period during the morning and evening peak periods and the inter peak period. The officers observe the number of parking and loading offences, without issuing tickets. The network is divided into low, medium and high priority areas, with different targets set for each. As the number of observations relates to the whole of the TLRN (with some minor variations) the indicator should give an accurate reflection of whether the number of occurrences of illegal parking is increasing or decreasing. However, it provides only a “snap shot,” it does not give the total number of offences.

Targets of 1.2 offences per mile for high priority and 0.8 for medium and low priority sections of route have been set. The observed offences in the quarter from July to September 2001 show slight increases compared to the previous quarter in all three priority sections. However, the levels of 1.07, 0.73 and 0.46 for high, medium and low priorities respectively are all lower than the targets.

Woolwich Ferry

The weekly number of foot passenger journeys during November 2001 has decreased by 3.67% compared with October, and the average number of vehicles carried per week has also fallen by 2.19% to 24,074 (still 26.7% above the target of 19,000). The percentage of planned hours in service in November has increased to 96% and is now exceeding the target level of 95%. The average number of crossings per hour during November is 6.58, which is also above the target of 6.56.