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SUSTAINABLE ACCESS TO RICHMOND A REPORT FOR THE COUNTRYSIDE AGENCY & REGION and THE RICHMOND SWALE COMMUNITY INITIATIVE

TFL 67 GROVE ROAD LS29 9PQ 01943 607868 NOVEMBER 2004

1. THE TASK

Through the provisions of the Countryside Agency’s Sustainable Visitor Transport Advisory Service, Transport for Leisure Ltd. (TFL) has been asked to provide transport advice to the Richmond Swale Valley Community Initiative and to the Countryside Agency Yorkshire & Humber Region.

This advice relates to the requirement:

To provide advice on transport within the town, sustainable transport from the town to the river and transport links to and from the outside world.

In consultation with Richmond Town Manager and with the CA Regional Office this has been expanded to examine three areas that relate to both transport and sustainable tourism development in Richmond:

• To carry to a brief audit of available links to Richmond by public transport, both road and rail, and to suggest how they can be made more effective by better interchange, ticketing and marketing;

• To consider how Richmond can be developed both as a green tourism destination in its own right, but also as a focal point and hub to explore the northern Dales by sustainable forms of transport – walking, cycling and using the local bus network;

• To examine ways and make practical recommendations to improve accessibility within central Richmond, most notably between the town centre, the riverside and the existing and proposed new developments at Richmond Station. All three tasks are closely related within the broader theme of developing the historic town of Richmond as a sustainable tourism destination and base for both day and staying visitors:

2. BACKGROUND

The Strategic Framework for Action

In July 2003 The Richmond Swale Valley Community Initiative (RSVCI) received and accepted, on behalf of all partners, a detailed report known as the Strategic Framework for the RSVI which had been prepared on their behalf by consultants Chris Blandford Associates as part of what has been described as a “new type of regeneration project”.

The Report covers a wide range of areas of proposed work relating to the social, economic and environmental development of the town and its immediate environs. There is a strong emphasis on economic regeneration and environmental improvement by sustainable community development projects and by encouraging forms of tourism which will maximise the area’s economic potential whilst minimising the disbenefits of visitor pressure in what is a unique historic and cultural environment.

As well as offering an inspiring Vision for Richmond, the Framework contains a detailed, costed Action Plan which outlines specific action to be taken by the partners and by outside bodies to realise that Vision, as well as recommendations for sources of funding

Among key issues raised and dealt with in the Framework is Access and Transport, (5.6) which notes the town’s closeness to both the A1(M) and A66 trunk roads and the fact that the town has “adequate” car parking capacity but is also “reasonably accessible” by public transport. In fact the core bus service between Richmond and has significantly improved since the Study was undertaken, there now being a 20 minute interval “clock face” service between Darlington Railway Station, town centre and Richmond, which even on Sundays operates every 30 minutes on each hour and half hour from the Station.

A key Strategy Goal in the Framework is “Promoting Sustainable Tourism” (F) which, according to most internationally accepted definitions, includes tourism which makes least demands on the environment. Logically this means ensuring visitors are not entirely dependent on using their cars for all or most of their journeys, and encouraging walking, cycling and using the available public transport networks for all or part of their stay. There is also a recognition that what Richmond has to offer in terms of a high quality visitor experience should be available for all, which must also include fully accessible forms of transport to and within the town,

It is therefore appropriate that the Framework recognises that a “High Priority” among Projects in the Action Plan should be a “Sustainable Transport Network for Richmond, the Swale Valley and the Hinterland” (Project D4).

Market Town Renaissance

The RSVCI has also received strong support from the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward, who has identified Richmond, together with , as one of their “Renaissance Market Towns” to receive targeted support from YF in the form of expertise from the RMT panel to develop the following three areas:

• The preparation of a Retail Impact Assessment of the development of Catterick Garrison Town centre on the surrounding area • The preparation of an Investment & project delivery Plan for the RSVI Strategy • The preparation of a Masterplan for the RSVI Strategy area In their draft report for Richmond and Catterick Garrison Implementation and Project Delivery (September 2004) YF’s consultants GVA Grimley indicate that developing a sustainable transport network to access Richmond reflects both County Council Local Transport Plan and District Council objectives. The report looks in more detail at the possibility of developing a Road Train system to link Richmond town and its riverside, and suggests that a “Feasibility Study should be carried out in relation to the merits of launching a road train in Richmond” which could also examine the potential of extending such a service, perhaps along the trackbed of the old railway line, to Eastby Abbey.

Richmond Town Centre Traffic Management

This proposal would support and closely reflect the North Yorkshire County Council Traffic Management Study for the centre of Richmond, prepared by Mouchel on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, currently being implemented, which includes rationalisation of parking and removal of the bus and coach parking from the Market Place, with a new bus station/interchange/coach drop off point in Queen’s Road by the Friary Gardens, together with 20mph zones, pedestrian improvement and cycle parking provision and cycle lanes in and around the town centre.

Richmond Station Regeneration

Such proposals all tie in closely with another major YF funded project in Richmond, the redevelopment of Richmond’s historic station.

This magnificent Grade II* Listed building, originally opened in 1846, is of nationally importance as a fine example of first generation railway architecture.

Richmond Station lost its train service in 1969 when the 10 mile branch from the at Eyreholme Junction, south of Darlington, was closed to passengers. This was despite claims that much of the contributory revenue from traffic on the line, including MoD traffic, was not fully acknowledged as part of the case to retain the line. At that time opponents had to prove almost impossibly tight definition of personal “hardship” to put a case forward to retain a railway service. The closure occurred little more than a couple of years before changing perceptions of rural transport economics were to ensure the survival of other rural branch lines.

There can be little doubt that the closure of the Richmond branch line was a severe blow to the overall subsequent economic prosperity of the town, as many other case studies of rural rail closures have shown. There is little doubt too, however, that the distance of the station some 700 metres (approximately half a mile) from the main town square and some 60 metres difference in height, was a contributory factor, as the parallel bus services from Darlington serving the central Market Place had, by the 1960s, taken much local traffic, though not people making longer distance journeys, who were for many years forced to walk across much of Darlington town centre between the bus and rail stations.

The proposals to revive Richmond Station for other purposes than travel are nevertheless warmly welcome. The Richmond Station Regeneration Project is seeking £2.3 million to restore the main station building for a verity of community-based uses, as workshops, meeting rooms, exhibition space, a café, a restaurant, and local cheese making, alongside the existing leisure centre and swimming pool.

Yorkshire Forward have already (July 2004) offered grants of up to £240,000 and further support is being sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, as well as from private individuals and corporate sponsors.

This will create a new centre of commercial and leisure activity for the local community and visitors alike close to Richmond’s attractive area of riverside and popular walk along the old railway to Easby Abbey. However, with limited parking space at the Station, the distance on foot, and the fairly steep gradient between the Station and the town centre, will once again be an issue to be addressed.

Transport and synergy

What is especially interesting therefore about the emerging revitalisation of Richmond is the synergy which the various projects are creating with sustainable transport, both in terms of effective management of the traffic created by the majority of visitor who will continue to arrive by car, but also in terms of creating networks of high quality, well promoted green travel networks – walking, cycling and using low emission buses or road trains. Such networks can both bring people to Richmond by sustainable means (the Deep Green solution) and, when they have arrived by whatever means, allow and encourage them to travel around by forms of transport which will not only reduce their impact on Richmond’s special environment, but enhance the quality of their experience in several ways (the Pale Green option).

In the next three sections we describe the three main requirements to develop this twin approach.

3. DARLINGTON-RICHMOND QUALITY BUS LINK; RICHMOND’S VIRTUAL BRANCH LINE

By both national and international standards, Richmond has a frequent, good quality, direct bus connection to a key nodal point on the national rail network: Darlington.

Almost all GNER trains between Glasgow/Edinburgh, Newcastle, and call at Darlington, as well as Virgin Voyager Cross Country services from Plymouth. Southampton Bristol, Birmingham, Derby, , and York. There is also hourly Trans-Pennine service linking Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, York and Newcastle. This includes a direct service from Manchester Airport as well as links via the Metro from Newcastle Airport; ironically Airport is the least well served with only an occasional rail link, most users heading for Darlington station having to take taxis, though we understand a new direct regular bus service is about to be introduced.

Arriva services X26, 27, X27, 28 provide a high frequency, high quality service from just outside Darlington Station’s rear forecourt to Richmond Market Place. Departures are at 00, 20 and 40 minutes past the hour, with hourly services continuing until 2300. Sundays are half hourly at 00 and 30 until 1800 and then hourly until 2300.

Bus departures to Richmond are actually shown on rail departure screens, (inevitably the screen just showing Catterick where most services terminate) but although there are some notices directing would-be transfer passengers down the relevant underground passage, the route is not immediately evident - perhaps renaming the stop in Park Road as Platform 5 might have the desired effect. This is done to good effect in Wales in both Bangor (where Platform 5 is the main bus bay outside the station) and at Betwys y Coed where Platform 2 is the Sherpa Bus departure point. An alternative suggestion is to operate the bus into the covered bay of the station (removing just one car parking space) to create a passenger waiting area and bus stop space on the actual forecourt.

From outside the station things begin to go wrong. At the bus shelter some 50 metres across the road from the station entrance there was, at the time of our visit in November, absolutely no information available to reassure the traveller (though this may have been temporary) in terms of timetable or indeed any information about the bus service to Richmond.

Worse, when the relevant X26 arrived, the destination on the modern, low floor bus blind said “Marne Barracks” – hardly inspiring confidence in a stranger to the area travelling to Richmond. In fact Marne Barracks is the terminating bus stop within Catterick Camp, but no visitors from outside the area would have the remotest idea about this. It was interesting to note a local shopper in central Darlington (who presumably is a regular user) having to ask the driver if this bus really went to Richmond – the principal destination.

The need for four different route numbers reflects the fact that the services all takes slightly different routes to Richmond (three via , one via Barton ) and serve different parts of the Garrison. However in terms of visitors to the area, this is totally confusing.

The return fare of £4.50 for the 13 miles between Darlington and Richmond is fairly expensive for a day visitor who has already paid a train fare to Darlington, and is a deterrent to travel – especially for a family.

The service is generally (but not invariably) operated by modern, low floor fully accessible vehicles which provide a good standard of comfort. We are also aware, however, of some reliability problems, with delays and cancellations owing to traffic congestion in Darlington at peak times. This could be a problem for someone wishing to make a critical rail connection, for example with a Virgin Cross Country Service.

However this service is a long way from achieving its potential, mainly through simple things like lack of promotional material, misleading route blinds (Marne Barracks should be a subset of the prime destination Richmond), and lack of attention to detail. What is required on this vitally important corridor is what is usually known as a Quality Bus Partnership. In a nutshell this is collaboration between a bus operator, in this instance Arriva, and the local authority. Between Richmond and Darlington two local authorities are involved, North Yorkshire County Council and Darlington Borough which is a Unitary Authority and responsible for transport matters within the Borough.

The Local Authorities provide support in terms of infrastructure – bus shelters, (which might include seating and lighting to enhance comfort and security) high kerbs at key points to ease access, high quality information including electronic “real time information” which would give passengers reassurance of the exact time when the next bus is coming, and above all priority in town centres such as Darlington and Richmond, which might include bus lanes, traffic light priority, and parking control at key points including bus stops.

Given the major new Traffic Management/Bus Interchange proposals planned for Richmond itself, there could not be a better opportunity to ensure that a joint Darlington/NYCC/Arriva Quality Bus Partnership is pursued in the coming round of Local Transport Plans to ensure that expenditure is earmarked to upgrade this service which has such potential for growth. This would also have to include a commitment from Arriva to continue to upgrade their bus fleet, to achieve higher degrees of reliability and to work together with the train operators to develop more commercially attractive through ticketing facilities. The three major train companies – currently GNER, Virgin and First Trans Pennine - operating intercity services along the East Coast main line into Darlington are also potentially strong partners. There is a real opportunity to develop what is currently known as Plus Bus on the Richmond service – this is a deal where rail ticket holders, for only £2, can get unlimited travel for a day on the local bus network. Ironically Stagecoach in Darlington is a member of the scheme but Arriva is not.

Another mechanism would be to regard the 26-28 networks as the “Richmond Branch Line”, or trains on rubber tyres. This has been done with real success from Honley Station on the Penistone branch line, with a dedicated bus service meeting key trains with through ticketing and timetabling. This would allow Richmond and Catterick to be perceived as destinations on the rail network, which could be marketed as a destination for day visitors or for short break holidays from a wide variety of destinations, a through ticket available with all the usual national rail discounts and facilities – railcards, Savers, APEX returns and the like.

Any loss of revenue as a result of discounted through ticketing, would be more than made up by the increased numbers of visitors which the kind of marketing all three major rail companies could give, promoting their own services to Darlington and the add-on as added value to the journey.

It is notable that GNER, who operate one of the most successful routes in Britain for overseas visitors, are now offering short break destinations with a hotel booking service from London and other points in their network, including London itself, York, Newcastle, Durham and . Given the wealth of attractions available in Richmond, and the accessibly of to visitors without their own cars, it would not be difficult to persuade GNER and perhaps other companies to market Richmond as a destination, once the concept of the “Richmond Branch Line” had been accepted.

Virgin are a company known for their innovative ideas and could well respond to cycling and walking breaks available for their huge catchment area, especially if off-peak services could be targeted.

Our recommendation therefore is for RSVCI to seek an early meeting with both North Yorkshire and Darlington transport teams, together with Arriva and Network Rail to in effect develop a Quality Bus Partnership along the Darlington-Richmond-Catterick corridor, recognising the potential the route has to draw visitors from the national rail network for short break holidays in Richmond and the . Key issues to be addressed are:

• Developing seamless interchange between rail station and bus stop, with attention to such issues as good bus stop information and security, (such as ensuring the name Richmond is on bus destination blinds) and including real time information • Ensuring that a series of minor improvements and measures to improve passenger security and comfort, and improve bus reliability by ensuring buses have priority along the whole route • Measures to increase vehicle and ride quality on all services • High quality promotion both along the bus route itself and working in partnership with the rail companies to promote Richmond in their own literature and promotional work as a key heritage destination. • Promotion of available public transport access, especially the rail-bus links, to Richmond in all Richmond tourist promotional literature • Ensuring the Quality Bus Partnership – the Richmond Branch Line – forms part of the next North Yorkshire/Darlington LTP settlement.

4. PROMOTING RICHMOND AND ITS HINTERLAND AS AN AREA TO EXPLORE WITHOUT HAVING TO USE A CAR – RICHMOND AS A GREEN TRAVEL HUB

Green Travel Hubs

The new draft Yorkshire Dales Integrated Access Strategy (October 2004) sets out a broad agenda for Sustainable Tourism in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, all of which is equally applicable to the special surrounding of Richmond. This is closely linked to the concept of sustainable transport for tourism.

A key concept currently being developed by the National Park Authority is the concept of a sustainable transport or green travel “hub”.

By this is meant a location – usually a town or larger village generally on the edge of the National Park – where the transport networks – road, rail, cycle routes and footpath networks – interface, ideally at a point where there are good facilities for interchange, including secure, long stay car parks and where there is also refreshment and overnight accommodation to encourage travellers to extend their stay.

Such locations are also ideal as a local base for anyone seriously wanting to explore an area without a car, a central location from where journeys into the hinterland can be made using a variety of travel modes without the nuisance of carrying luggage from location to location – a prime reason why many people prefer to use their car. A large village or town gives a better choice of services and facilities – places to stay, pubs, a choice of cafes, restaurants to eat, and shops to buy necessities or take something home from the area. The place you stay is also very much part of the holiday experience and also where maximum visitor spend can be captured and can benefit the local economy. But the Hub must itself be an attraction in its own right and must offer sufficient to interest and attract the visitor in terms of local heritage walks and features.

The concept of a Hub is therefore much stronger than that of a Gateway which implies merely passing through en route to somewhere else, contributing nothing but noise pollution and disturbance.

There are few places in the Dales area or indeed the north of that fulfil these criteria better than Richmond, with its outstanding architectural and cultural features, including , Theatre, market, riverside, revived Railway Station complex and as the regeneration programme develops, ever better specialist shops, eating places and pubs and a greater choice of quality accommodation.

Richmond is therefore an ideal Hub, not just a Gateway, into the Northern Dales.

A common misconception about Richmond, and indeed the whole of the northern Yorkshire Dales, is that it is impossible to visit the area without having access to a car. This is completely untrue, even though it would mean that a stay in the area would be very different in terms of the kind of activities undertaken and perhaps places visited, but such a visit is no less enjoyable for not spending most of a day sitting in a cramped car and strolling from car parks to and from a limited number of “attractions”.

We also flag up the fact that there is a Cars 4 U Car Club recently established in Richmond. This means that visitors who are themselves members of a UK Car Club could hire a Cars 4 U car, if available, if required for trips not easily accessible by public transport. Whilst the prime aim of the Hub is to persuade visitors to use non-car modes, the availability of car hire at the Hub might help families in particular who are nervous about coming to Richmond without their own vehicle, if they know that there is a car available, for example on Sundays when the public transport options are limited.

Richmond as a Centre for Walking

For both walkers and cyclists Richmond has much to offer, as a hub, to explore some of the most outstanding landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and by definition in the whole of England.

There is only one way of satisfactorily enjoying the town itself and that is further to the purpose for which it was evolved – to access it on foot. The delights and charms of the historic town centre with its Wynds and passageways, and the great Market Place and elegant New Biggin, as well as the superb riverside walks upstream to Low Bank and Billy Bank Wood and on to Round Howe, or downstream to Easby are amongst the real joys of any visit to Richmond. Richmond also offers a variety of town walks, exploring its history and architecture, available from the town’s website. There are also numerous longer walks, including the Coast to Coast Path which already brings many walkers into Richmond. However visitors who are sufficiently well informed and confident to be able to combine walking routes with bus routes to access just some of the many available linear walks, especially (but by no means exclusively) westwards into the Yorkshire Dales National Park, have a magnificent choice of outstanding routes. One typical example is to follow the riverside or Coast to Coast Path via Whitecliffe and Applegarth to Marske, Marrick or with a good choice of return transport from any point along the nearby main road.

However, because the vast majority of guidebook or publicity leaflet writers are drivers with little or no interest or knowledge of public transport, such opportunities are largely neglected or ignored.

This is a gap which the RSVCI may wish to fill.

Making the most of Richmond’s Bus Network

This is an especially important synergy between walking and public transport, and to attract visitors to the area it is important to create awareness of the very good network of services which are actually currently available as part of the Dales Bus network. These include the following services:

• Service 30 Richmond-Reeth--Keld. (Mondays to Saturdays. The most useful services for visitors along Swaledale include a bus Mondays to Fridays at 0915 and 1115 to Keld, returning at 1455 from Keld, 1519 and 1841 from Gunnerside, and 1540, 1640 and 1901 from Reeth, On Saturday bus there is a bus at 0952 to Reeth and , and 1140 to Keld, returning at 1507 from Whaw or 1655 from Keld, and at 1518 and 1740 from Reeth.

• Service 830 Darlington, Richmond, Reeth, Gunnerside, and (Summer Sundays May till end of August) leaves Richmond at 1005 for Swaledale and Hawes via the Buttertubs Pass, returning from Muker at 1834, with an additional Richmond-Reeth local service at 1340.

• Service 159 Richmond-- (Mondays to Saturdays) This gives key services to Leyburn and Middleham at 0850, 1005, 1105, 1205 and 1305 with connections at Leyburn onto service 156 for , /, Bainbridge and Hawes, and onto the Railway for Redmire and . The 1005 and 1025 services also serve , whilst passengers taking the to can return on the service 73 from Bedale at 1733 or 1833. Limited Summer Sunday afternoon services operate to and from Leyburn only

• Service 79 Richmond--Bowes - (Mondays to Saturdays) Services at 0905, 1105 and 1305 to give fine trip and a day/afternoon in the lovely old market town of Barnard Castle in , with easy access to Bowes Museum, and the riverside walk to Priory - return buses at 1405, 1710.

It is important to stress that this bus network gives some outstanding opportunities for a choice of fine walks along both Wensleydale and Swaledale/Arkengarthdale, but also some magnificent cross–Dale walks, for example from Redmire to Reeth, or (on a Saturday or summer Sunday) from Hawes to Muker along the .

Equally important is the value the network to those who can’t or don’t chose to walk, for example in terms of a whole or half day to , Castle Bolton, , Jervaulx Abbey, Leyburn Market, the Wensleydale Railway, Bowes Museum (a superb wet weather attraction), Barnard Castle, Egglestone Priory, or Hawes, or simply to enjoy a scenic bus trip. Darlington itself can be promoted as a wet weather attraction with shops, and indoor market, the Darlington Museum and the Railway Heritage Centre and Museum at North Road. Every additional fare collected on the local bus network from a visitor or local person taking a leisure trip helps to support the network, reducing public subsidy and safeguarding the network – a vital principle of sustainable tourism.

To achieve use of this network for walking and sightseeing from Richmond requires fairly modest expenditure by the partners in terms of a simple publication of a leaflet called something like “Great Days from Richmond”, which perhaps offers two or three suggested walks or itineraries from each of the bus services together with information about fares and facilities, together with a summary of the bus times. Such a leaflet can be produced cheaply, in monochrome, in modest quantities, and revised each year or when required to incorporate regularly revised information, including actual bus times. Close co-operation with bus companies and the Local Authority is essential to ensure that reprints coincide with any major changes in bus schedules. Copies should not only be available in the Richmond Visitor Centre, but in hotels, B&Bs, guest houses, pubs, shops and community centres and visitor attractions such as The Castle, Theatre and Green Howards’ Museum.

It is important to stress that this information is likely to be as useful to local people as to visitors to Richmond. This material can also be formatted to be easy accessible on all relevant web sites with appropriate linkages, so that guest houses and hotels, increasingly likely to be on the web, can offer this choice of what will probably be at least a dozen days out, with the option of leaving the car at home or parked at the hotel

Once initial research has been done – and there is almost certainly a wealth of expertise available in Richmond to undertake such a task – revision and updating will be relatively easy.

Leisure Cycling

Cycling is also a real opportunity to explore Richmond’s hinterland. The town is actually on the National Byway Network, but more significantly perhaps there is an extensive network of minor roads, quiet lanes and byways which any reasonably fit cyclist can access with relative ease from Richmond. These include many routes suitable for touring or mountain bikes in the less hilly areas to the east and south of Richmond itself.

The suggests a need, within Richmond, to support and encourage the development of a Cycle Hire Centre where visitors arriving by train and bus for a short break holiday could, on one or more of their days, hire a suitable machine to explore the area, whilst staying in or around the town.

This is done with great success in many parts of the UK and mainland Europe, and it should be possible to find a suitable operator, ideally with an existing cycle business, prepared to develop this kind of service, especially if there were support available perhaps to meet start up costs, but even more importantly for promotion. Ideally guests travelling to Richmond via GNER or Virgin should be able to pre-book a suitable cycle for all or part of their holiday, and have it delivered to the guest house or hotel on the day they arrive, or be ready for them on their chosen day of their stay.

Providing high quality route maps is essential to help cyclists avoid busy roads and seek out on off-road routes (i.e. byways and bridleways) which are cycle-friendly.

Already one publisher, Harvey Maps of Doune, Perthshire, have developed a system of CTC approved route marking for cyclists which offers recommended routes and indicates the degree of severity which includes many such routes from Richmond. Routes from west of Richmond are shown on Harvey’s North Dales Map, though sadly, perhaps, the map does not include Richmond itself. Such mapping might be extended, in agreement with Harveys, eastwards to cover perhaps half a dozen average half day cycle rides (around 20-25 miles) from Richmond. A suitable map might require some pump priming funding with Harveys, or alternatively this is a project might be developed with a local publisher, perhaps as part of the suggested cycle hire project development.

5. INTERNAL TRANSPORT BETWEEN THE TOWN CENTRE AND RIVER - THE RICHMOND ROAD TRAIN The proposal outlined in the Yorkshire Forward Project Delivery Report is for a Road Train to operate within Richmond historic town centre, perhaps out to Easby Abbey. In essence a Road Train is a road traction unit, usually themed in the style of an old fashioned steam locomotive but diesel, petrol, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or electric powered, capable of hauling up to 5 linked coaches each with around 25-28 passengers. Braking, steering and lighting systems allow the unit to be used on public roads.

A Road Train has a number of advantages over a conventional bus system. These include:

• High capacity (up to 80 passengers per unit) with easy access for those with mobility problems – wheelchairs can be carried. • Relatively low operating costs compared with the capacity available, so at times of low demand operating costs are not significantly above those of operating a minibus, but with the capacity to deal with sudden surges in demand such as the arrival of a coach party or the termination of an event. • Can be themed to become a highly visible attraction in their own right, a “fun ride” than can help persuade people to park and ride. • Audio systems can be used to provide visitors with a welcome to the heritage of the area. • Relatively slow speeds (up to 25kph maximum) makes them safe to use in shared locations such as town centres or through estate grounds. • Can cope with steep gradients and are very reliable. • Are now used in heritage locations throughout Europe with great success and acceptance

Disadvantages include: • Relatively high capital costs (typically around £150-£180,000) but a relatively long life and high resale value. • Cannot reverse and therefore require a turning circle of at least 11 metres radius at termini. • Need a large secure storage space capable of holding a power unit and up to three carriages (say 15-16 metres). • Up to 16 or more metres long, and slow moving, so that many drivers regard them as a nuisance slowing traffic down, especially in crowded traffic conditions.

There is little doubt that a Road Train would meet many of the needs so far identified in Richmond, in terms of connecting the top of the town with the station and riverside areas.

A clockwise route has been identified which would start at the Nuns Close Car Park and travel via Victoria Road to Greyfriars (Stop by TIC – easy walk to the Square) into Queen Road (Stop) right into Dundas Street, right again into Frenchgate, Station Road to the Station (Stop) turning in the Station to return to Frenchgate then into Millgate below the Castle to the riverside car park (Stop – a one way traffic system may have to imposed here) continuing to Bridge Street, into The Green (Stop), York Street Coach Park (Stop) then along Gate to Victoria Road, right and into Victoria Road and left along Hurgill Road to the car park.

We have surveyed this route on foot, and whilst it is essential to have a second opinion from a road train operator, this would seem a technically feasible route in terms of gradients and bends.

The total distance is around 3km which at an average total operating speed, including stops, of 15kph, would indicate an average time for a single circuit of 12 minutes.

Realistically, and allowing some recovery time for congestion etc. this would suggest that at peak times a single vehicle could provide a circuit every 20 minutes. This would indicate a maximum throughput of some 320 people an hour - enough to meet the busiest days.

If it were felt important to extent the route, for example by operating into the Market Place which would require an additional 5 minutes because of inevitable pedestrian/road train conflicts, this would make a 20 minute headway somewhat tight, and might therefore require a 30 minute service for which there would be plenty of leeway. Operating to Easby Abbey from the town and station would also be perfectly possible, but at a cost to timings and throughput.

The preferred route to Easby might be along the old railway line which is owned by the Local Authority and which could be used in more or less its present state by the Road Train – assuming the bridge over Throstle Gill Beck is robust enough. Assuming sufficient space was available for a turning circle in the vicinity which would be within easy walking access of the Abbey, this would result in an addition of 1.3km as far as the bridge over the river below the weir or 2.6km to the 3km circuit making 5.6km. This would still be possible within a 30 minute headway option.

However if it were only practically possible to operate to Easby via the normal tarmac road this would add 4km (return) to the route from Queen’s Road, resulting in a 7km route, time tight but just achievable with a 30 minute headway. In practice because of the extended nature of the route and awkward turning and probable summer peak congestion, it would make more sense to operate a 30 minute headway circuit, with Service A operating to the Abbey and service B (which would have some recovery time) the shorter route to the Station.

The only way to significantly improve these timings would be to provide a second Road Train which would double both capital and operating costs.

The decision must very much depend on the outcomes the partnership wishes to achieve. The benefits of a 20 minute high quality transport link connecting the Car Parks, Town Centre, Station and Riverside would seem to outweigh an hourly link to both the Abbey and the Station.

The type and source of Road Train

There is only one leading and serious supplier of Road Trains in the UK and that is Severn Lamb of Alcester, Warwickshire, who as well as being manufacturers of road train systems, are the principal importers of the world’s leading Road Train manufacturers, Dotto of Italy (a Dotto vehicle is pictured in the YF report). In effect Severn Lamb imports the power units from Italy and builds and adapts the coaches to meet the needs of UK costumers, subject to an order period of a few months.

There are currently eight different variation of Road Train, with different power units for different kinds of terrain, including low emission diesel (the generally preferred options are petrol, LPG or electric motors). Electric would not be practical for Richmond given the severity of the gradients between the riverside and the Market Place. However LPG, petrol and diesel would appear to be realistic options, though diesel models offer most haulage power.

There is also a range of coaches available, from fairground-style open vehicles to fully enclosed all-weather coaches, and a range of additional options, including wheelchair lifts, internal lighting systems, and audio systems.

This means that whilst £150 - £180,000 as the cost of a unit is used as a ball park figure, price and indeed operating costs would actually reflect the type and capacity of system chosen, and what options are felt essential. Decisions will have to be taken on the seasonality of the service – for example there may be little point in running a 20 minute road train service on a Thursday in February when few visitors are around, and it may be considered sensible to operate a full service only in the summer months, for example Easter to the end of October. On the other hand it may be felt essential to have the facility over the Christmas period, or at weekends, or indeed as and when there was a special event in the town. These are decisions which will need to be reached by the RSVCI even before the system is designed and before the type of system – including open air or enclosed rolling stock – is selected.

There may also be a second hand, reconditioned system available on the UK market which would be suitable for conditions in Richmond.

Operating costs are largely drivers’ wages, fuel and maintenance. There will also be some marketing costs, and infrastructure costs including bus stops, timetable/promotional leaflets and the provision of a secure shed and perhaps fuel supplies if the LPG options are pursued. With a company such as Severn Lamb, it is likely that an on-going maintenance contract would be agreed, with routine maintenance undertaken at a local garage and heavy servicing undertaken by agreement with Severn Lamb engineers as well as and some form of replacement part/call-out contract agreed to deal with emergencies. There is also the question of drivers’ training and the level of service needed and the seasonality of the proposed service which would determine the number of part time or full time staff required.

Income would have to be calculated on reliable estimates of visitors to Richmond, both currently and when the Station development is complete. There is also the issue of fare collection, whether by pre-paid by automatic machine or by the driver or assistant as people arrive to board the vehicle – the latter having an impact on time and cost, especially if more staff have to be employed or volunteers used at peak times to collect a standard low fixed fare. The fare needs to be low, probably no more than 50p for a single and £1 return trip, the latter acting as a Day Rover ticket. Fare levels higher than this are likely to meet consumer resistance, especially from family groups, thus undermining the purpose of the service. On the other hand the service could be paid for by a range of pre-booked ticket schemes, such as vouchers for staying guests, or even a surcharge payable with a car park ticket.

These issues will need to be developed into a full Business Plan in partnership with Severn Lamb who offer their clients a technical advisory service to determine the suitability of their equipment for the task in hand, in terms of route gradients, turning circles, maintenance costs and other operating requirements.

6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Sustainable access and sustainable transport are a common theme of the four major economic regeneration initiatives which are currently being developed in Richmond – the Town Centre Traffic Management Strategy, the Richmond Swale Valley Community Initiative, the Yorkshire Forward Richmond-Catterick Renaissance Market Town Investment and Delivery Plan and the Richmond Station Regeneration project.

This means that developing the right kind of environmentally sensitive solutions to what could be potential problems of visitor access and local traffic management, will be part of the delivery mechanism of all four projects.

It is important to stress that developing such solutions will be of equal benefit to the local community as they will be to visitors to Richmond.

We therefore make the following three Recommendations:

1. We have little hesitation in suggesting that the first priority for Richmond should be the development and implementation of a Quality Bus Partnership with Arriva along the Darlington-Richmond-Catterick bus route. Whilst the North Yorkshire and Darlington LTPs are the ideal mechanism to achieve this, action to secure improvement in quality over such matters as signing, bus stop information and marketing could start immediately, and would produce immediate benefits in terms of passenger satisfaction, increased ridership and increased operator income. There would also be indirect benefits as more visitors would arrive by train and bus, and there would be some transfer from private cars as both local people and visitors choose the quality bus and bus-rail options rather than the hassle of driving and parking.

2. The second priority is to recognise the importance and value of developing Richmond as a Green Travel Hub on the edge of the Yorkhsire Dales National Park, by promoting the many related opportunities for walking, cycling and using the existing, and hopefully enhanced, local Dales Bus network. This is primarily a marketing exercise in terms of producing both printed and web based information to allow visitors to plan their stay both before arriving in Richmond and on their arrival. Such promotion will not just benefit visitors who arrive by bus or cycle, but those who arrive by car who can be persuaded to extend their stay by using available walking and cycling routes. The question of developing and encouraging a cycle hire facility in Richmond is also one to be addressed by the RSVCI. 3. Finally, we would strongly endorse proposals highlighted in the RSVI Delivery Plan by GVA Grimley as part of the Renaissance Market Towns supported provided by Yorkshire Forward to develop a Road Train network to serve the town, in particular to link the town centre and the riverside, and the proposed Richmond Station Regeneration Project.

The exact nature of this service will need further discussion with the partners, and a detailed Business Plan, indicating actual capital and operating costs and likely income, will need to be prepared in partnership with a specialist Road Train supplier such as Severn Lamb. This Business Plan will form the basis of a bid to an appropriate funding agency or agencies.

Careful monitoring of each of these projects, in terms of their success in changing behaviour and bringing new income into Richmond, should be built into each project in the initial stages. This will be a prime requirement of the funding bodies and will also be essential to ensure that the projects continue beyond their initial stage, to achieve the kind of long outcomes that form part of the RSVCI Vision for Richmond.