Basingstoke Motorway Service Area Alternative Sites Assessment
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BA03 Basingstoke Motorway Service Area Alternative Sites Assessment Contents 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. The Need for an MSA 4. The Appropriate Location for a New MSA 5. Commercial Justification 6. Identifying a Location for an MSA 7. Site Selection – Potential Sites 8. Conclusion 1 1.0 Introduction The Need for the Alternate Sites Assessment 1.1 This Alternative Sites Assessment Report (“ASA”) sets out the approach to site selection to meet the safety and welfare needs of motorists on the M3 motorway. The location promoted for a Motorway Service Area (“MSA”) by Moto Hospitality Limited (“Moto”) lies to the south of Junction 6 on the M3. 1.2 Moto is the leading provider of services on the UK’s motorway network with sites in England, Scotland, and Wales, with MSAs across 45 locations. Moto proposes to expand its service offer at locations where there are gaps in the strategic highway network to meet the safety and welfare needs of the travelling public. The development will represent an investment in the motorway network of approximately £40 million in a location where it is essential to meet the needs of motorists and provide much needed employment. 1.3 This ASA Report should be read in conjunction with the Environmental Report and other documents supporting the planning application for the new MSA at Basingstoke. Structure of the Assessment 1.4 Chapter two sets out the background to MSA development in the UK and the requirement for an Alternative Sites Assessment for new MSA sites looking at Government policy and guidance. It sets out the context for new MSA development in respect of the national strategic road network focusing on the need to address safety and welfare concerns of the travelling public. 1.5 Chapter three sets out the need for a new MSA, reviewing the results of the Transport Assessment (“TA”) and focusing on provision of services on this section of the M3. Chapter four considers the location for an MSA to meet the identified need against the background of Government and local planning policy and other material considerations which would inform locational choice. Chapter five then considers the commercial justification for a new MSA at Basingstoke. Chapter six considers online and junction sites. Chapter seven undertakes an analysis of the potential sites whilst Chapter eight sets out the conclusion that a new MSA at Junction 6 on the M3 fulfils the safety and welfare needs of motorists. 2 2.0 Background MSAs in UK 2.1 The first generation of MSAs were developed by the Government and leased to operators. The first service area in the UK was at Watford Gap on the M1, which opened with the M1 motorway on 2 November 1959. In 1992, the Government introduced de-regulation to allow freehold ownership of MSAs by the private sector. This allowed a new generation of MSAs to be developed offering a wider range of facilities including retail services to the travelling public. 2.2 Today there are over 100 MSAs across the UK, in the main operated by four major providers, Moto, Welcome Break, Extra and Roadchef. There are a small number of independent operations. Moto’s operations are shown below on the UK motorway network map. 2.3 The Government is firmly committed to MSAs being developed and owned by private operators. Highways England seeks to support the economy through the provision of safe and reliable strategic road network. MSAs provide the opportunity to provide stopping points on the motorway for the safety and welfare of the travelling public. 2.4 The provision of MSAs assists in achieving sustainable transport and travel objectives by keeping vehicles on the motorway. This avoids motorists from leaving the motorway in search of places to stop for rest and refreshment which can involve substantial additional mileage and add to local traffic congestion. Providing motorists with the opportunity to stop on their motorway journey reduces congestion, unnecessary mileage, and additional trips. This in turn reduces air pollution and saves on finite fuel resources making journeys shorter and more efficient. 2.5 Increasing demand for motorway usage is leading to the introduction of “SMART” motorways to assist in demand management. The northern section of the M3 (J2 to J4a) has been upgraded for a length of 13.4 miles to a SMART Motorway. This section of the M3 caters to around 130,000 vehicles per day. The DfT Is developing plans to make the whole of the M3 a smart motorway to increase capacity and improve safety. MSAs have an important role to play in making motorway use safe and efficient. 2.6 Fundamental to MSA provision is the overall objective of reducing accidents and this can be achieved by ensuring there is an adequate network of stops where rest and refreshment can be provided in a safe and pleasant environment dedicated to the travelling public. Their provision is crucial to the success of the economy in the same way that airports and railways stations deliver strategic locations convenient to the public. 2.7 The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement in November 2016 set out important plans for infrastructure and productivity and the need to ensure the UK’s transport network by investing £15bn for the period 2015-2020 under the Road Investment Strategy funding. 3 4 Government Guidance and Policy – The Safety Role 2.8 The Government through the Department for Transport (“DfT”) has issued advice to motorists in respect of driver fatigue. In its Think! Campaign the DfT identified the following statistics: • Research suggests that almost 20% of accidents on major roads are sleep- related • Sleep-related accidents are more likely than others to result in a fatality or serious injury • Peak times for accidents are in the early hours and after lunch • About 40% of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles • Men under 30 have the highest risk of falling asleep at the wheel 2.9 In order to minimise fatigue related accidents the DfT provides the following advice: • Plan your journey to include a 15-minute break every two hours. • Don't start a long trip if you're already tired. • Remember the risks if you have to get up unusually early to start a long drive. • Try to avoid long trips between midnight and 6am when you're likely to feel sleepy anyway. • If you start to feel sleepy, find a safe place to stop - not the hard shoulder of a motorway. Drink two cups of coffee or a high-caffeine drink and have a rest for 10 to 15 minutes to allow time for the caffeine to kick in. • Remember, the only real cure for sleepiness is proper sleep. A caffeine drink or a nap is a short-term solution that will only allow you to keep driving for a short time. 2.10 The Transport Research Laboratory (“TRL”) provides expert analysis of road safety matters including motorway safety. The 1995 TRL Report by JA Horne and LA Reyner “Falling Asleep at the Wheel” (TRL 168) underpins the Government advice that taking a break is essential to avoiding sleepiness whilst driving. 2.11 The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (“RoSPA”) has undertaken research into “Driver Fatigue and Road Accidents” (Position Paper 2001) and found that 20% of accidents on motorways and monotonous roads in Britain occur as a result of sleep and driver fatigue. Drivers often take a number of actions to fight driver fatigue such as opening car windows but these have been found to be “ineffective, and should be regarded only as emergency measures to allow a driver to find somewhere to stop”. 2.12 The World Health Organisations’ Report on Action for Road Safety (WHO/NMH/VIP/11.01) has reported that mobile phone usage whilst driving has grown from 1% to 11% over the last 5-10 years with a requisite increase in accident risk of 400% compared to those not using a mobile phone. Opportunities to stop at an MSA will enable safe use of a mobile phone improving safety on the motorway network. 5 Highway Safety 2.13 The Transport Assessment sets out the details of the personal injury collision records on the highway network in the immediate vicinity of the site around Junction 6 of the M3. The collision information was obtained from Hampshire Police for the five-year period from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2017. The information included a plot of collisions and is reproduced at Appendix O of the TA. There was a total of 33 personal injury collisions in the five-year period. None involved vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists). Table 1 lists these collisions by severity. Table 1: Severity of Collisions Severity Number of Collisions Percentage Fatal 0 0% Serious 6 18% Slight 27 82% Total 33 100% 2.14 Table 2: analyses these collisions by type. Table 2: Collision Type Type of Collison Number of Collisions Percentage Rear End Shunt 20 61% ‘Side Swipe’ 5 15% Loss of Control 7 21% Debris on Road 1 3% Total 33 100% 2.15 Table 1 shows that the majority of collisions (82%) were recorded as ‘slight’ injuries. Six collisions were recorded as ‘serious’ with one of the ‘serious’ collisions occurring on the Southbound entry to the roundabout. 2.16 An analysis of the collisions by type is set out in Table 2. COBALT Collision Analysis 2.17 The Transport Assessment also sets out the details of the COBALT Collison Analysis. This is reproduced below. The DfT’s COBALT COst and Benefit to Accidents – Light Touch) computer program can be used to predict personal injury collisions per annum for both junctions and links using details of link and junction characteristics, relevant accident rates and traffic volumes.