Cross Solent Movement Study Final Report

Home , Clarence Pier, Cowes Floating Bridge, Hovertravel, Lake railway station, Portsmouth, Red Funnel

photo size: 4.5 cm wide crop to 2.4 cm high

Prepared by MVA for

Isle of Wight Council

June 2006

contentscontents Contents

Contents

1 Introduction 1 1.1 Overview 1 1.2 Background 2 1.3 Policy Context 2 1.4 Existing Cross Solent Links 3 1.5 Site Observations and Consultation with Stakeholders 5 1.6 Report Structure 6

2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel 7 2.1 Existing Cross Solent Travel Demands 7 2.2 The Growth in Cross Solent Travel Demand 12 2.3 Analysis of Cross Solent Fares 14 2.4 Factors Influencing Existing Cross Solent Travel Patterns 16 2.5 Summary 17

3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity 19 3.1 Operator Fleet Capacity 19 3.2 Assessment of Cross Solent Travel Capacity 19 3.3 Summary 24

4 Cross Solent Port Observations 25 4.1 Introduction 25 4.2 Cross Solent Port Peak Hour Observations 25 4.3 Island Port Observations 26 4.4 Mainland Port Observations 37

5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports 43 5.1 Introduction 43 5.2 Road Links to Vehicular Ferry Terminals 44 5.3 Cowes Floating Bridge 50 5.4 Bus Services at Cross Solent Terminals 51 5.5 The Island Line Railway 53

6 Cross Solent Freight Movement 57 6.1 Introduction 57 6.2 Existing Freight Operations 57 6.3 Opportunities for Improvement 62

7 Conclusions 67 7.1 General 67 7.2 Growth of Cross Solent Travel 67 7.3 Factors Influencing Cross Solent Travel 68 7.4 Cross Solent Crossing Capacity 68 7.5 Terminals and Onward Transport Links 70 7.6 Opportunities for Improvement 71

Cross Solent Movement Study Contents

Tables

Table 1.1 Existing Cross Solent Crossing Services (1)...... 5 Table 2.1 Two–way Cross Solent Passenger Traffic (2004)...... 7 Table 2.2 Annual Two–way Cross Solent Passenger Traffic (2004) ...... 9 Table 2.3 Annual Two–way Cross Solent Vehicular Traffic (2004) ...... 9 Table 2.4 Cross Solent Travel – Historical and Forecast Growth...... 13 Table 3.1 Cross Solent Vessel Capacity ...... 19 Table 3.2 Existing Cross Solent Passenger Ferry Demand/Capacity (1) ...... 20 Table 3.3 Forecast Cross Solent Passenger Ferry Demand/Capacity ...... 21 Table 3.4 Existing Cross Solent Vehicle Ferry Demand/Capacity ...... 22 Table 3.5 Forecast Cross Solent Vehicle Ferry Demand/Capacity ...... 23 Table 4.1 Observed Peak Hours for Cross Solent Operations (1) ...... 25 Table 4.2 Ryde Passenger Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 27 Table 4.3 Ryde Hovercraft Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 28 Table 4.4 Fishbourne Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 30 Table 4.5 East Cowes Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement ...... 33 Table 4.6 Cowes Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 35 Table 4.7 Yarmouth Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement ...... 37 Table 4.8 Southampton Passenger Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 38 Table 4.9 Southampton Vehicle Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 40 Table 4.10 Portsmouth Vehicle Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement...... 41 Table 5.1 Bus services at Cross Solent Ports ...... 51 Table 5.2 Analysis of Island Line interchange and travel times (weekday peak) ...... 54 Table 5.3 Park and Ride Provision and Utilisation along Island Line stations ...55 Table 6.1 2004 Cross Solent Freight Movement...... 58 Table 6.2 Breakdown of Commercial Vehicle by Type Crossing the Solent...... 59 Table 6.3 Summary of Freight Provision at Ferry Terminals ...... 61 Table 7.1 Projected Growth in Cross Solent Travel Demand ...... 67 Table 7.2 Forecast Cross Solent Passenger Ferry Demand/Capacity ...... 69 Table 7.3 Forecast Cross Solent Vehicle Ferry Demand/Capacity ...... 70 Figures Figure 1.1 Existing Cross Solent Crossing Routes Figure 2.1 2004 Two-way Cross Solent Foot Passenger Movements Figure 2.2 2004 Two-way Cross Solent Car Movements Figure 2.3 2004 Two-way Cross Solent Coach Movements Figure 4.1 Schematic Layout of Fishbourne Ferry Terminal Figure 4.2 Schematic Layout of East Cowes Ferry Terminal Figure 4.3 Schematic Layout of Yarmouth Ferry Terminal Figure 4.4 Southampton Ferry Terminal Figure 5.1 Isle of Wight Road Network Figure 5.2 Observed Vehicle Queues at Fishbourne Ferry Terminal Figure 5.3 Observed Vehicle Queues at East Cowes Ferry Terminal Figure 5.4 Observed Vehicle Queues at Yarmouth Ferry Terminal Figure 6.1 2004 Cross Solent Freight Travel Figure 6.2 Possible Sites for Cross Solent Freight Holding Area Figure 7.1 Improvement Option for Double Ferry Berthing Figure Figure 7.2 Improvement Option for a Two Deck Vehicle Marshalling Yard Figure 7.3 The East Cowes Regeneration Proposal

Appendices

Appendix A 2004 IOW Statistics on Cross Solent Movement Appendix B Fares for Cross Solent Crossings Appendix C Derivation of Cross Solent Service Capacity

Cross Solent Movement Study 1 1

1 Introduction

1.1 Overview

The Isle of Wight (IOW) Council is in the process of preparing a Local Development Framework (LDF) to supersede the current Unitary Development Plan (UDP). Known as the Island Plan the documents forming the LDF will set out the Council’s planning policies and proposals for meeting the community’s economic, social and environmental needs in terms of spatial land use.

In the coming years to 2020 and beyond the IOW is set to change. The vision is for economic regeneration of the Island bringing with it new employment opportunities and a broader skill base. At the same time, the Council will need to respond to the housing requirements of the emerging Regional Spatial Strategy (the South East Plan) that indicates an annual construction of 520 houses on the Island. As part of the Island Plan it is anticipated that tourism will continue to play a key role in the local economy. The IOW Tourism Development Plan supports the potential for significant growth in the number of tourist visiting the Island over the next 20 years.

The increased levels of economic activity envisaged by the Island Plan will bring greater demands for the movement of people and goods both on/off and within the Island. Recognising the pressure this could place on the vital cross Solent transport corridors, the IOW Council commissioned a Cross Solent Movement Study.

Cross Solent Movement Study

This report has been produced as a supporting Report for the on-going development of the Island Plan. The study seeks to identify:

• whether existing ferry based connections are sufficient to serve the Island's future needs;

• in broad terms, whether the entry ports have spare capacity or the potential to expand or relocate; and

• the degree of integration of island-wide transport links at the entry ports.

It is also the intention of this study to provide an appreciation of the limitations and opportunities for improvement of cross Solent operations. This should enable a better understanding of the potential implications for the various options for the siting of new housing and employment centres on the island that are being considered.

PAGE 1 Cross Solent Movement Study 1 Introduction

1.2 Background

1.2.1 The Isle of Wight (IOW) is sited across the Solent from the prosperous Southeast Region of England. As a Unitary Local Authority within Hampshire County Council, the Island is governed through the Isle of Wight Council. Given the proximity of the IOW to the southern coast of England, the fact that it is a net importer of goods and the popularity as a tourist destination, it is not surprising that there is considerable commuter, social and tourist, and freight movement to and from the Island via the ports of Southampton, Portsmouth and Lymington.

1.2.2 These cross Solent links are reported in the IOW Unitary Development Plan1 (UDP) as “a major impact factor to the social- economic development and economic prosperity of the Island”. The annual demand for cross Solent travel has been historically on the increase and is expected to double in the next 10-15 years. In 2004, a total of 9.3 million passengers and 1.7 million vehicles were recorded to cross the Solent in both directions2.

1.2.3 The absence of any form of physical road or rail link or scheduled air services between the Island and the mainland means that cross Solent movement depends heavily on the existing water crossings. It is therefore essential that these water crossing services are not only able to cope with existing and future demands of passenger and vehicular movement but also are able to provide a satisfactory service at a reasonable cost to the users. Furthermore, it is important that adequate infrastructure provision and traffic management strategies are in place to ensure that vehicles and pedestrians can efficiently use these facilities at ports serving the Solent.

1.3 Policy Context

1.3.1 The IOW Council recognises the importance of cross Solent travel and the UDP includes two key policies TR10 and TR11 to ensure sustainable future development of facilities, services and supporting infrastructure within the UDP. The issue is highlighted in the emerging Island Plan (Local Development Framework) and draft core policy T1 Transport and Accessibility which underline the importance of maintaining and improving cross Solent services and facilities.

1 Isle of Wight, Unitary Development Plan 1999 2 2004 Cross Solent Traffic Statistics, IOW Tourism

PAGE 2 Cross Solent Movement Study 1 Introduction

1.3.2 The South East Sub-regional Policy Framework Report3 identifies the IOW as under-performing in economic terms due to the decline in agriculture and related industries that once dominated the Island. The reduction in islandwide work opportunities has resulted in growing reliance on daily commuting across the Solent to the port cities of Southampton and Portsmouth and even as far as to London for employment. The IOW Census Atlas4 reports that 7.3 % of the working population aged 16-74 on the Isle of Wight travel to the mainland for work.

1.3.3 The Regional Transport Strategy5 acknowledges the importance of efficient cross Solent links and recommends that these link not only be maintained but also be improved to “provide a service which fits into this role, and should form part of an integral transport approach at the local level.” This would imply that the strategy envisions seamless connectivity between private and public transport networks at the IOW.

1.3.4 The IOW Local Transport Plan6 (LTP2) recognises the importance of developing and co-ordinating strategic transport services and infrastructure at a regional level. Solent transportation solutions are to be addressed, not only at the water based transport perspective, but also from the land transport provision leading to and at the ports. Key to LTP2 is the need to make best use of existing transport infrastructure considering the limited opportunity for infrastructure expansion on the island. It also promotes the need to encourage travel by sustainable modes and the need to ensure that transportation solutions encourage the islands’ economic development. The plan is being driven by major initiatives such as the proposed Ryde Interchange improvements, Park and Ride schemes, the East Coves Regeneration Project and on-going consultations with the Island’s Quality Transport Partnerships (QTP).

1.4 Existing Cross Solent Links

1.4.1 The cross Solent crossing services shown in Figure 1.1 provide the key means of transport for foot passengers, cars, coaches and commercial vehicles between the mainland and the IOW. The routes are vital transport corridors and form an essential part of the transport infrastructure serving the Island.

3 The South East Plan, The Sub-regional Policy Framework, Section E10 4 Isle of Wight Census Atlas and Statistical handbook 2001 5 The South East Plan, Section E The Sub-regional Policy Framework 6 IOW Local Transport Plan (2006 – 2011)

PAGE 3 Cross Solent Movement Study 1 Introduction

Figure 1.1 Existing Cross Solent Crossing Routes

1.4.2 The services are managed by 3 operators; two providing vehicle and passenger ferry services and the other a hovercraft service. Wightlink runs the car ferry service between Fishbourne and Portsmouth and between Yarmouth and Lymington. Red Funnel operates the car ferry service between East Cowes and Southampton. Passenger-only services are provided by Wightlink’s Fastcat service between Ryde and Portsmouth. Similar services are provided by Hovertravel (hovercraft) between Ryde and Southsea and by Red Funnel (Redjet service) between West Cowes and Southampton. These services are summarised in Table 1.1

PAGE 4 Cross Solent Movement Study 1 Introduction

Table 1.1 Existing Cross Solent Crossing Services (1)

Operator Vessel Route Typical Service Crossing Frequency(2) Time

Wightlink Fastcat Portsmouth – Ryde 15 mins 30 mins Passenger (hourly after Ferry 8.45 pm)

Vehicle Ferry Portsmouth– Fishbourne 35 mins 30 mins (hourly after 7.30 pm)

Vehicle Ferry Yarmouth - Lymington 30 mins 30 mins

Hovertravel Passenger Southsea - Ryde 15 mins Hourly Hovercraft (No service after 8.45 pm)

Red Funnel Vehicle Ferry Southampton- East 55 mins Hourly Cowes

Hi-Speed Southampton- West 22 mins 30 mins Redjet Cowes (hourly after Passenger 8pm) Ferry Note: 1. Information obtained from ferry operator websites www.redfunnel.co.uk, www.wrightlink.co.uk, www.hovertravel.co.uk 2. Service frequency is based on the typical summer weekday timetable.

1.5 Site Observations and Consultation with Stakeholders

1.5.1 Site observations were carried out between Friday, 20 August 2005 and Saturday, 21 August 2005 at ports located at both ends of the Solent. The purpose of this exercise was to observe, what may be assumed to be, the worst capacity conditions that occur at these ports during a typical peak tourist arrival weekend. It should be noted that these weekend observations represent demands for cross Solent travel and congestion conditions that are higher than average operating conditions expected across the year. These observations are reported in Chapter 4.

1.5.2 Ferry and hovercraft operators were consulted as part of this study to obtain further information on their operations, issues of concern, plans for improvement of their services and fleet upgrading and, most importantly, to ascertain views on their ability to meet future cross Solent crossing travel demands. We also consulted with officers from Isle of Wight Tourism Department and from the Islands Quality Transport Partnership (QTP).

PAGE 5 Cross Solent Movement Study 1 Introduction

1.6 Report Structure

1.6.1 Following the introduction, the remainder of the report is structured as follows:

1.6.2 In Chapter 2 we report on the existing and forecast demands for cross Solent travel and identify any capacity issues. The analysis is based on data provided by the ferry operators and by Isle of Wight Tourism.

1.6.3 The assessment of existing and future year capacity for cross Solent travel is discussed in Chapter 3.

1.6.4 The peak period observations and findings at cross Solent ports are reported in Chapter 4.

1.6.5 In Chapter 5 we discuss onward private and public transport links on the Island serving existing cross Solent ports. On-street congestion and capacity issues are also discussed here.

1.6.6 Cross Solent freight operations and demands for such services are discussed in Chapter 6 together with issues for further consideration.

1.6.7 The conclusion of the study is set out in Chapter 7. This includes preliminary recommendations for possible improvements that may be considered to improve cross Solent operations and to increase crossing capacity.

PAGE 6 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 2

2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

2.1 Existing Cross Solent Travel Demands

2.1.1 The most recently available statistics provided by IOW Tourism show that a two-way total of 9.3 million passengers and slightly above 1.7 million vehicles crossed the Solent in 20046. This data is attached in Appendix A and shows two way travel volumes by mode, route and service operator in 4 weekly intervals across the year. The breakdown of weekly, daily and peak hour travel volumes is not available.

Passenger Movement

2.1.2 The breakdown of cross Solent passenger volumes by mode of travel is shown in Table 2.1. Car passengers (driver and passengers) form the largest group travelling to the IOW (48%) whilst about 46% of cross Solent journeys are made on foot. The public transport and pedestrian networks used by these foot passengers at both ends of the Solent coped with nearly 4.3 million commuters in 2004.

Table 2.1 Two–way Cross Solent Passenger Traffic (2004)

By Foot Car Coach Total

Passengers 4.26 (46%) 4.46 (48%) 0.57 (6%) 9.30 (100%) (in millions)

Source : 2004 Cross Solent Traffic Statistics, IOW Tourism

2.1.3 An investigation of foot passenger movement by month is shown in Figure 2.1. The lowest movement is observed to be in the winter months of December to February with the peak occurring during the month of August. It is likely that the August surge is related to tourism during the summer. The smaller peaks that form a ‘growth and plateau’ pattern of foot passenger travel to and from the Island can be attributed to special events such as the IOW Music Festival.

2.1.4 From the figures it can be deduced that tourists make up about 25% of annual foot passengers travelling to and from the Island. In the summer months the number of foot passengers travelling across the Solent is as much as double the volume during the lowest month.

6 2004 Cross Solent Traffic Statistics, IOW Tourism

PAGE 7 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

Figure 2.1 Two-way Cross Solent Foot Passenger Movements

Two Way Cross Solent Travel - Passengers

Ryde Hovertravel 0.18 E.Cow es RF

Millions W. Cow es RedJet 0.16 Ryde Fastcat Fishbourne WL 0.14 Yarmouth WL

0.12

0.1

0.08

0.06 No of Foot Passengers Foot of No

0.04

0.02

0 JFMAMJJASOND Month

Source: 2004 Cross Solent Traffic Statistics, IOW Tourism Note: RF = Red Funnel, WL = Wight link

2.1.5 The breakdown of cross Solent passenger traffic in 2004 by route is set out in Table 2.2. More than half of all foot passengers travel between Ryde and Portsmouth using the Fastcat ferry or hovercraft services. About 36% of foot passengers travel to/from the Island through Southampton with a lesser 9% travelling between Yarmouth and Lymington. A small proportion of foot passengers travel on the vehicle ferries which serve East Cowes and Fishbourne but this is mostly for travel to and from locations close to the ferry terminal, since these services are less frequent and take longer to cross than by passenger ferries or by hovercraft.

2.1.6 Most passengers arriving or departing from East Cowes or Fishbourne terminals travel by either car or coach.

PAGE 8 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

Table 2.2 Annual Two–way Cross Solent Passenger Traffic (2004)

Route Passengers ( in millions)

By Foot Car Coach Total Portsmouth – Ryde 0.76 (18%) - - - - 0.76 (8%) (Hovertravel) Portsmouth – Ryde 1.46 (34%) - - - - 1.46 (16%) (Fastcat) Portsmouth – 0.14 (3%) 2.16 (49%) 0.48 (84%) 2.78 (30%) Fishbourne Southampton – 0.26 (6%) 1.41 (31%) - - 1.63 (18%) E Cowes (Red Funnel) Southampton – 1.01 (30%) - - - - 1.10 (12%) W Cowes (RedJet) Lymington – 0.38 (9%) 0.89 (20%) 0.09 (16%) 1.36 (15%) Yarmouth

Source : 2004 Cross Solent Traffic Statistics, IOW Tourism

Vehicular Movements

2.1.7 In 2004, a total of slightly above 1.7 million vehicles crossed the Solent through the Island ports of Fishbourne, East Cowes and Lymington. The breakdown of this vehicular traffic by vehicle type and route is set out in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3 Annual Two–way Cross Solent Vehicular Traffic (2004)

Cars Coach Commercial

(millions) (‘000) Vehicles (‘000) Southampton – E Cowes 0.48 (28%) 5.5 (22%) 84.5 (32%) (Red Funnel)(1) Portsmouth – Fishbourne 0.86 (50%) 16.5 (66%) 140.4 (53%) (Wightlink) Lymington – Yarmouth 0.36 (22%) 2.8 (11%) 37.6 (14%) (Wightlink)

Total Vehicles 1.7 24.8 262

Note : (1) Red Funnel Services operated at reduced capacity between January – April 2004 as they were in the process of stretching their vehicular ferries and ran smaller vessel as part of the service. Source: 2004 Cross Solent Traffic Statistics, IOW Tourism

PAGE 9 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

2.1.8 Cars form the majority of vehicles travelling across the Solent (85%) in both directions. Coaches and commercial vehicles make up a much lesser proportion. In total more than 5 million passengers were transported either by car or coach on the ferries amounting to 54% of all cross Solent passenger traffic.

2.1.9 The Fishbourne terminal is the main vehicular entry route to the Island. Half of all car traffic to the IOW is through the Portsmouth- Fishbourne route with more than a quarter making use of the Southampton-East Cowes route and the rest travelling between Yarmouth and Lymington. About two thirds of all coaches and slightly more than half of all commercial vehicles travelling to the Island make use of the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route.

2.1.10 The variation by month of cross Solent vehicular traffic is shown in Figures 2.2 to 2.4. As with foot passengers, there is considerable variation in car and coach crossing volume by time of year, with the peak periods occuring during the summer months.

Figure 2.2 2004 Two-way Cross Solent - Car Movements

Two Way Cross Solent Travel - Car

250000

200000

E Cowes RF 150000 Fishbourne WL Yarmouth WL 100000 Total Cars No of Vehicles No 50000

0 JFMAMJJASOND Month

PAGE 10 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

Figure 2.3 2004 Two-way Cross Solent - Commercial Vehicle Movements

Two Way Cross Solent Travel - Commercial Vehicles

25000

20000

E Cowes RF 15000 Fishbourne WL

10000 Yarmouth WL

No of Vehicles of No Total Commercial 5000

0 JFMAMJJASOND Month

Figure 2.4 2004 Two-way Cross Solent - Coach Movement

Two Way Cross Solent Travel - Coach

3500

3000

2500 E Cowes RF 2000 Fishbourne WL 1500 Yarmouth WL

No of Vehicles of No 1000 Total Coaches

500

0 JFMAMJJASOND Month

2.1.11 During the peak month of August the ferries cope with almost 12% of the annual total car travel demand to and from the Island. This is equivalent to about three times the amount of car traffic transported during February.

2.1.12 It is interesting to note that the peak period for coach travel straddles the peak months for car travel. The coach travel peaks occur in the months of

PAGE 11 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

July and to a lesser extent in September in what would appear to be an attempt to avoid the high car traffic volumes associated with the school holidays in August. There is considerably less coach activity outside these periods.

2.1.13 There is a noticeable reduction in commercial vehicle traffic in January which we may be attributed to the year end breaks taken by many of the freight operators. At other times of the year, cross Solent commercial vehicle activity is largely consistent. The slight rise of commercial vehicles travel during the summer may be due to additional demands for goods and services during the peak tourism period.

2.2 The Growth in Cross Solent Travel Demand

Historic Growth

2.2.1 The growth of cross Solent travel between 1981 and 2001 was reported by mode in the 2001 census7. This data suggests that the demand for cross Solent travel is growing at varying rates for different modes of travel and at a rate higher than the population growth. The primary reasons for this growth are cited as growth in tourism on the Island and employment opportunities on the mainland.

Future Growth

2.2.2 A simple growth extrapolation analysis has been undertaken to provide an indication of possible future demand for cross Solent travel.

2.2.3 Future cross Solent growth trends have been derived as high and low forecasts to provide a range of possible scenarios. The high and low growth forecasts are calculated using growth rates between 2001 and 2004 and between 1991 and 2001 respectively. It is noted that the annual growth in both passengers and in vehicles across the Solent between 1999 and 2001 was higher as compared to the 2001 to 2004 period.

2.2.4 The growth in cross Solent crossings for foot passengers, cars (driver and passengers), coaches and commercial vehicles is summarised in Table 2.4.

7 Isle of Wight Census Atlas and Statistical Handbook 2001

PAGE 12 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

Table 2.4 Cross Solent Travel – Historical and Forecast Growth

Historical Data(1) Forecast Data

1991 2001 2004 Growth 2010 2020 Rate(2) (% growth from 2004)

Passengers 7.4 8.9 9.3 Low 9.9 (6%) 10.9 (17%) (millions) High 10.4 (12%) 11.9 (28%)

Cars 1.1 1.6 1.7 Low 1.9 (12%) 2.1 (24%)

(millions) High 2.1 (24%) 2.6 (53%)

Coaches 17 25 25 Low 25.5 (5%) 26 (4%)

(‘000) High 33 (32%) 41 (64%)

Commercial 183 245 263 Low 290 (10%) 335 (27%) Vehicles High 307 (17%) 369 (40%) (‘000) Note: (1) 1981-2001 data source: IOW Census Atlas and Statistical Handbook 2001-2004 data source: IOW Tourism (2) Growth rate based on two criteria described in para 2.2.3

2.2.5 The high growth forecast for 2010 total cross solent passenger demand is consistent with the forecast reported in the IOW LTP 2006/11 (10.2 million passengers).

2.2.6 Assuming that the future growth rate is unconstrained, by 2020 the number of passengers crossing the Solent is expected to increase by up to 28% compared with 2004 levels (in the high growth case). Vehicular traffic is forecast to grow by 24% to 2010 and 53% to 2020 again in the high growth scenario.

2.2.7 This simplified application of unconstrained growth rate for vehicular travel represents a ‘worst’ forecast case. In reality the peak period growth in cross Solent traffic would be affected by a number of factors such as the capacity of the ferry terminals to hold vehicles, vessel ferrying capacity and the capacity of the transport networks leading to and from the ports. The annual growth in overall cross Solent movement is also likely to be effected by changes in socio and economic factors at both sides of the Solent. Employment, residential and tourism development at the IOW would greatly influence the demands for travel.

2.2.8 It should be noted that the LTP2 has set out Target T7 to achieve a 10.6% increase in ferry passenger journeys based on 2004 levels8. This is slightly above our ‘High Growth Rate’ forecasts represented in Table 2.4.

8 Provisional IOW LTP (2006-2011)

PAGE 13 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

2.2.9 In parallel the proposed Island Plan seeks to provide more accommodation and employment opportunities on the island to reduce dependence on the mainland for employment, and as a result reduce the growth for cross Solent commuting.

Demands for Tourism/Visitor Related Travel

2.2.10 The IOW Tourism Development Plan9 reports that a total of 2.66 million visitors arrived on the Island by ferry in 2004. This includes day trips and staying trips for both leisure and business purposes. For the same period, a total of 9.29 million two way passengers were carried by ferry to the Island. This would imply that a total of 5.32 million two way ferry trips were tourism related in 2004. This amounts to slightly more than 57% of all ferry trips which suggests that more than half of cross Solent travel is attributed to tourism.

2.2.11 The importance of tourism to the Islands prosperity is obvious as up to 9.7% of the Island’s employment is in the hotel and catering sector. The IOW Value of Visitors Study (2004) identified that tourism related employment provides employment for up to 24% of the total workforce on the Island.

2.2.12 The Tourism Plan expects a growth of 51% in tourist arrivals to the Island between 2004 and 2020. This additional 2.6 million tourism related passenger movements is expected to contribute to the 28% growth in total cross Solent passenger demands from 2004.

2.2.13 It is noted that at present, nearly all tourist accommodation on the Island is occupied during the month of August. To enable more tourism on the Island, further development to provide more summer accommodation would be required. If the amount of accommodation remains at current levels, it is likely that the growth in peak arrivals to the Island would not grow as rapidly as forecast.

2.3 Analysis of Cross Solent Fares

2.3.1 An analysis of cross Solent travel fares was carried out based on fare information provided on the respective operator websites.

2.3.2 Whilst there is a fixed price fare for foot passengers, the websites quote vehicle ferry fares as minimum fares. The actual fare charged is only provided upon booking through the websites and varies by time and according to demand for travel. For consistency purposes the vehicle ferry fare analysis is based on minimum fares.

2.3.3 The breakdown of fare structure by operator and ticket type is set out in Appendix B.

9 Isle of WIGHT Tourism Development Plan, Woking Smarter Towards a Sustainable Future, October 2005

PAGE 14 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

Foot passenger Fares

2.3.4 Cross Solent foot passengers pay between £8.60 and £13.30 for a day return ticket. The Red Jet service between Southampton and Cowes is the most expensive whilst the cheapest return fare is by hovercraft travel between Southsea and Ryde Esplanade. All operators offer discounted season tickets and cheaper fares for IOW residents. The single fare structure applies across the year regardless of time of travel.

Vehicle Ferry Fares for Cars

2.3.5 The vehicle ferry fares however vary across the year with the highest fares charged by the operators during the May Bank Holiday period and on Saturdays between 23 July and 27 August. These are classified as peak demand periods by the operators. It is not possible to identify the structure of fares charged above the minimum fares as each operator has a unique system for identifying this charge.

2.3.6 The fares for a one month return ticket for the Wightlink ferry crossings between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, and between Lymington and Yarmouth are the same and range from minimum prices of £53.50 (during off peak periods) to £116.90 (during peak periods). The Red Funnel ferry operator serving the route between Southampton and East Cowes charges a minimum fare between £48.00 (during off peak periods) to £80.50 (during peak period) for the same ticket type. As in the case of foot passengers, season tickets and resident tickets can be purchased at cheaper rates.

2.3.7 The fare charged also varies by time of travel during the weekday with cheaper travel after 9.30 am and after 4.30 pm.

2.3.8 It would appear that the ferry operators seek to capitalise on the peak periods of cross Solent travel demand during the May bank holiday and on Saturdays between 23 July and 27 August by charging between 67% and 200% above the minimum off peak season fares. Despite the premium fares charged, the 2004 statistics show that the demand for car ferry travel is at its peak during these periods. It appears that the increased vehicle ferry fares have a limited impact on influencing travel patterns particularly during the holiday periods.

2.3.9 There appears to be limited marketing to the public by the vehicle ferry operators about cheaper fares that apply when travelling outside the peak periods such matching could help to encourage more off peak travel.

PAGE 15 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

2.4 Factors Influencing Existing Cross Solent Travel Patterns

2.4.1 Cross Solent travel by foot passengers and vehicular transport is influenced by various factors such as:

• the destination on the mainland/island;

• the departure point on the island/mainland;

• the mode of travel;

• cost of travel;

• trip purpose;

• availability of special offers; and

• frequency and time of sailings.

2.4.2 Locational factors are generally beyond the control of the ferry operator, for instance commuters travelling to Portsmouth could only make that journey directly from Ryde or Fishbourne. At Ryde, however, there is a choice of using either the Fastcat or Hovercraft services which to an extent would be influenced by the end destination and travel time. Foot passengers travelling to London may find it easier, though not necessarily faster, to disembark at the Fastcat terminal which is integrated into the Portsmouth Railway Station, although there is a direct bus service between the hovercraft terminal at Southsea and the train station. This convenience is reflected in the fare, as it costs £1.80 less for a day return ticket to travel by hovercraft than it is to use the Fastcat service.

2.4.3 The choice of port on the Island would appear to be of lesser significance than the port on the mainland. This since the two Island ports of Fishbourne and East Cowes are within 6 miles of each other and both have easy access into the A3054 to the north of the Island. The port of Yarmouth on the other hand is unique as it provides access through Lymington to the western part of the mainland, to the south of the New Forest.

2.4.4 Visitors driving to the Island have the option of port which is most convenient for them. Drivers from London for instance could make use of either Portsmouth or Southampton.

2.4.5 Cost, trip purpose and availability of special offers are inter-related. These factors may affect the route choice for social or tourism related travel but have a lesser impact for commuter travel. Competition between the cross Solent operators has resulted in little difference in cost saving when choosing between alternative routes. However, the availability of cheap period and day return tickets would serve to encourage more crossings during off peak periods and may attract more commuter activity.

PAGE 16 Cross Solent Movement Study 2 Existing/Future Demand for Cross Solent Travel

2.4.6 The current operator schedules offer continuous opportunities to sail throughout the day with the longest sailing interval being an hour. The shorter vehicle ferry travel time for the Portsmouth - Fishbourne route as compared to the Southampton – East Cowes may be a factor affecting choice of service/route.

2.4.7 Figures released by IOW Tourism10 indicate that the average length of stay by visitors is 4.4 days. Our discussions with hotel and guest accommodation premises reveal that during the months of July and August, bookings for accommodation are normally made for a week period; where the guest checks in at noon on a Saturday and checks out by 10 am the following Saturday. We carried out random checks on mid week availability of accommodation on the island during these months and found very limited places were available. Hence, peak period for travel to and from the island in July and August generally takes place on Saturdays to meet accommodation booking arrangements regardless of the premium ferry fares charged.

2.5 Summary

2.5.1 The most recent statistics provided by IOW Tourism show that a two-way total of 9.3 million passengers and slightly above 1.7 million vehicles crossed the Solent in 2004.

2.5.2 Assuming a simplified unconstrained growth rate, the number of passengers crossing the Solent is forecast to grow, in a high growth scenario, by up to 12% to 2010 and by up to 28% to 2020 (relative to 2004 levels).

2.5.3 The growth in vehicular traffic transported by ferries is forecast to be up to 24% to 2010 and up to 53% to 2020 (relative to 2004 levels).

2.5.4 The analysis of cross Solent travel fares is based on fare information provided on the respective operator websites. A single all year round fare structure is used for foot passenger travel. The fares for cars travelling across the Solent vary by time of year and by hour within the day. Generally, drivers pay more for travel during bank holidays, on July/August weekends and, before 9.30 am and after 4.30pm on weekdays.

2.5.5 The demand for individual cross Solent routes, by foot passengers and vehicular transport, is influenced by the destination on the mainland/island, the departure point on the island/mainland, by the mode of travel, price, trip purpose, availability of special offers and the frequency and time of sailings. During the peak months of July and August, the premium fares appear to have little effect in influencing the time when journeys across the Solent take place.

10 IOW Tourism Development Plan, Draft Summary, October 2005

PAGE 17 Cross Solent Movement Study

3 3

3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity

3.1 Operator Fleet Capacity

3.1.1 The capacity of existing cross Solent routes depends on vessel capacity and sailing schedules. Generally, the use of larger vessels and increased sailing frequency would result in greater ferrying capacity. Cross Solent vessel capacity details have been extracted from the operator websites and are listed in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1 Cross Solent Vessel Capacity

Route Service Vessel Passengers Vehicles Provider Type (ceu)

Portsmouth - Ryde Hovertravel Hovercraft 98 -

Portsmouth - Ryde Wightlink Catamaran 378 -

Portsmouth - Fishbourne Wightlink Car Ferry 771 164

Lymington- Yarmouth Wightlink Car Ferry 512 58

Southampton - W Cowes Red Funnel Catamaran 138 -

Southampton - E Cowes Red Funnel Car Ferry 895 140 Note: Information obtained from operator websites www.redfunnel.co.uk, www.wrightlink.co.uk and www.hovertravel.co.uk

3.1.2 The operator fleet capacity is calculated based on the summer sailing schedule. Although there may be some variation in sailing times and frequencies throughout the year, the summer weekday timetable represents the peak cross Solent sailing operation. The derivation of the hourly, monthly and annual service capacity for cross Solent crossing services is reported in Appendix C.

3.2 Assessment of Cross Solent Travel Capacity

Existing Passenger Demands

3.2.1 The demand/capacity ratios for cross Solent passenger services were assessed for the peak hour, the peak month and on an annual basis. The peak month and annual data was taken from 2004 statistics provided by IOW Tourism. The peak hour ferry demands, on the other hand, are based on observations carried out by MVA in September 2005, which are reported in Chapter 3. These occur between 7 am and 9 am on weekdays. The peak vehicle ferry trips occur on the weekend between 10 am to 2 pm.

PAGE 19 Cross Solent Movement Study 3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity

3.2.2 The demand/capacity analysis is reported in Table 3.2.

Table 3.2 Existing Cross Solent Passenger Ferry Demand/Capacity (1)

Route Service Demand/Capacity Provider Peak Month(3) Annual(3) hour (2)

Portsmouth- Ryde Hovertravel 0.70 0.26 0.18

Portsmouth- Ryde Wightlink 0.65 0.60 0.35

Southampton- Red Funnel 0.64 0.57 0.34 W Cowes

Lymington- Wightlink - (4) 0.17 0.12 Yarmouth Note: (1) Passenger demand is the sum of foot passengers and passengers travelling in vehicles (2) Peak hour demand is based on site observations reported in Table 3.1 (3) Monthly and annual demands are from 2004 Cross Solent Statistics, IOW Tourism (4) No peak period data was collected

3.2.3 The demand to capacity ratio of 0.70 calculated for passenger crossing services during the worst peak hour indicates sufficient operating capacity to serve existing demand. Assessment of the demand to capacity ratio during the peak month and for the year shows that the cross Solent vessels are operating well below the full operating capacity.

Forecast Passenger Demands

3.2.4 The assessment of future demand/capacity ratios for cross Solent movement is undertaken based on the forecast future demands derived through the use of high growth rates in Table 2.4. The results of the assessment for 2010 and 2020 are reported in Table 3.3.

PAGE 20 Cross Solent Movement Study 3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity

Table 3.3 Forecast Cross Solent Passenger Ferry Demand/Capacity

Route Service Demand/Capacity(1) Provider (assuming high growth rate(2))

2010 2020

Peak Month Annual Peak Month Annual hour hour

Portsmouth- Hovertravel 0.78 0.29 0.20 0.90 0.33 0.23 Ryde

Portsmouth- Wightlink 0.73 0.67 0.40 0.84 0.77 0.45 Ryde

Southampton- Red Funnel 0.71 0.64 0.47 0.82 0.73 0.54 W Cowes

Lymington- Wightlink NA(3) 0.19 0.14 NA(3) 0.21 0.16 Yarmouth (5) Note: (1) Passenger demand is the sum of foot passengers and passengers travelling in vehicles (2) Growth rates are described in Section 2.2 (3) No base data for forecasting is available

3.2.5 The above analysis suggests that the growth in demands for passenger travel up to 2020 can be satisfactorily accommodated by the existing vessels.

Existing Vehicular Demands

3.2.6 The volumes of vehicles transported by the ferries are measured in car equivalent units (ceu). This enables a common yardstick for measuring the relative space taken up in a ferry by a commercial vehicle or coach when compared to a typical passenger car. For operational and safety reasons the ferries are never filled to capacity and thus the practical capacity for the ferries is taken to be 90% as compared to the theoretical capacity of 100%.

3.2.7 The peak period for vehicular ferries is on summer weekends between 10am and 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. The demand/capacity assessment of cross Solent vehicle ferries is set out in Table 3.4.

PAGE 21 Cross Solent Movement Study 3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity

Table 3.4 Existing Cross Solent Vehicle Ferry Demand/Capacity

Ferry Route Service Demand/Capacity(1) Provider

Peak Month(3) Annual(3) hour (2)

Portsmouth- Wightlink 0.85 0.33 0.24 Fishbourne

Lymington- Wightlink 0.88 0.59 0.42 Yarmouth

Southampton- E Red Funnel 0.89 0.73 0.52 Cowes

All vehicle Ferries 0.87 0.60 0.45 Note: (1) Ceu used to derive demand are commercial vehicle = 4 ceu, coach = 6 ceu (2) Peak hour demand is based on site observations (3) Monthly and annual demands are from 2004 Cross Solent Statistics, IOW Tourism

3.2.8 The analysis suggests that during the summer peak weekend periods, the cross Solent vehicle ferries operate at up to 89% of capacity. It is evident that the ferries are operating close to practical capacity during the peak hour due to the residual queues waiting to berth at ferry ports at both ends of the Solent. However, there appears to be sufficient spare capacity to cope with the monthly peak and annual demands for cross Solent travel. Generally service utilisation is low on routes operating at demand/capacity ratio levels below 0.50.

3.2.9 It is noted however, that the supporting port infrastructure suffers from overbooking during the busiest periods. Port capacity is reviewed in Chapter 5.

Forecast Vehicular Demands

3.2.10 The assessment of future demand/capacity ratios are based on the high growth rates reported in Table 3.3. The results of this assessment for year 2010 and 2020 shown are in Table 3.5.

PAGE 22 Cross Solent Movement Study 3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity

Table 3.5 Forecast Cross Solent Vehicle Ferry Demand/Capacity

Ferry Route Service Demand/Capacity Provider (assuming high growth rate(1))

2010 2020

Peak Month Annual Peak Month Annual hour hour

Portsmouth- Wightlink 1.05 0.41 0.29 1.29 0.50 0.36 Fishbourne

Lymington- Wightlink 1.08 0.72 0.52 1.34 0.89 0.64 Yarmouth

Southampton- Red Funnel 1.10 0.90 0.64 1.35 1.11 0.79 E Cowes

All vehicle 1.07 0.74 0.55 1.32 0.91 0.68 Ferries Note: (1) Growth rates are described in Section 2.2

3.2.11 The analysis shows that the capacity of peak hour ferry services to Fishbourne, West Cowes and Yarmouth would be exceeded by 2010 with a worst level of overloading forecast for 2020. Since in practice, demand/capacity cannot exceed 1.0, there is likely to be greater use of ferry services at the shoulders of existing peak hour resulting in the peak demand occurring over an extended period.

3.2.12 Current ferry services are however able to cope satisfactorily with the forecast monthly and annual demands for cross Solent vehicular travel in 2010.

3.2.13 By 2020, the monthly demand for the Southampton to East Cowes ferry service is forecast to exceed capacity.

3.2.14 All ferry services are able to cope with the 2020 forecast annual demand for vehicular travel.

3.2.15 The assessments of forecast cross Solent capacity assumes that existing ferries continue to be in use the future and that travel time and schedules remain unchanged. We understand that the ferry operators, both Wightlink and Red Funnel plan to upgrade their ferries in the future to provide additional capacity.

3.2.16 Hovertravel plans to introduce into service its new hovercraft in early 2006 which would have a 25% increase passenger capacity than present vessels. The new hovercrafts are expected to reduce travel time which in turn gives the possibility of increasing the frequency of travel.

PAGE 23 Cross Solent Movement Study 3 Cross Solent Ferry Capacity

3.3 Summary

3.3.1 There is sufficient capacity of cross Solent passenger crossing services to meet present day demands for travel. The services operate well below their practical capacity of 0.9 during the peak periods and with lower patronage during other periods of the day.

3.3.2 The existing cross Solent services would be able to cope with the forecast demands for travel in 2010. However by 2020 only the hovercraft service is expected to operate at practical capacity levels during the peak period. However, we understand that Hovertravel have plans to increase vessel capacity in the near future and this would most likely provide the additional capacity to cope with future patronage demands.

3.3.3 The vehicle ferry services on the other hand operate at capacity during the present peak hour periods. However, the assessment of patronage during the peak month and for the year reveals that these services have ample spare capacity.

3.3.4 By 2010 there is concern that the demand for cross Solent services may exceed the available capacity during the peak period on all three routes. The worst effect would be on the Southampton-East Cowes service which is unable to fulfill demands for crossing services during the peak month by this year. Vehicles ferry operations are expected to worsen by 2020 unless the operators increase the capacity and/or frequency of their services.

PAGE 24 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 4

4 Cross Solent Port Observations

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1 This section reports on cross Solent port site layouts, operations and observations of passenger and vehicular movements that were carried out between Friday (20/8/05) and Saturday (21/8/05). The observations recorded typical ‘worst case’ capacity conditions which are known to occur during the summer peak weekends.

4.2 Cross Solent Port Peak Hour Observations

4.2.1 The observed summer Friday and Saturday peak hours for cross Solent operation varies by port and by service as shown in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 Observed Peak Hours for Cross Solent Operations (1)

Port Service Observed Peak Ridership Hours

Ryde Pier Fastcat Friday 7 am - 9 am Passenger Ferry 4 pm - 6 pm

Ryde Esplanade Passenger Hovercraft Friday 7 am - 9 am 4 pm – 6 pm

Fishbourne Vehicle Ferry Saturday 10 am - 12 pm 2 pm - 4 pm

West Cowes Vehicle Ferry Saturday 10 am - 12 pm 2 pm - 4 pm

East Cowes Hi-Speed Redjet Friday 7 am - 9 am Passenger Ferry 4 pm - 6 pm

Yarmouth Passenger/Vehicle Saturday 11 am - 1 pm Ferry 3 pm – 5 pm Note: Based on limited observations carried out on Friday (20/8/05) and on Saturday (21/8/05)

4.2.2 The Friday peak periods that occur at the foot-passenger ferry ports appear to represent typical 2-way work based commuter activity travelling between the IOW and the mainland during weekdays.

4.2.3 The vehicle ferry peak period observations represent the typical peak 2-way travel during peak Saturdays. It should be noted that this represents the high demand period for ferry use which takes place for no more than 4 weekends in August. Although no observations have been carried out at other periods, based on 2004 statistics the demands at other times of the year would be considerably less.

PAGE 25 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

4.3 Island Port Observations

Ryde Passenger Ferry Terminal

4.3.1 The Ryde passenger ferry terminal serves the Wightlink Fastcat service from Portsmouth. This terminal is sited at the northern side of the pier about 0.8 miles away from Ryde town. Access to the terminal is through rail, by foot, bicycles or by light vehicles. The weight restriction on the pier prohibits bus access.

4.3.2 There is a total of 160 car park bays and space for parking up to 20 motorcycles and 20 bicycles at the terminals. Consideration should be made to increase bicycle parking provision to promote cycling to the terminal. This car park is generally used by regular commuters who park and sail during the weekday. Typically on a weekday it is fully occupied.

4.3.3 Although there are 3 marked taxi ranks on the pier, taxis generally double park as they wait for passengers. There is also a dedicated private car waiting area which can hold up to 5 cars.

4.3.4 Despite there being limited road space on the pier, traffic flow during the peak hour does not result in blocking back across the pier. It is of concern however that there is no space for expansion for vehicular provision at the terminal. Commuters are also observed to make use of the 250 bay (approx.) pay and display car park adjacent to the Hovercraft terminal. At peak times by 9.30 am this car park is almost at capacity.

4.3.5 The terminal building has sufficient capacity to hold up to 3 ferry loads of passengers but during peak periods, it is only about 40% full. Boarding passengers are segregated from disembarking passengers to enable orderly movement in and out of the vessels.

4.3.6 The railway station adjacent to the ferry terminal at the pier head is at its busiest during the morning and evening commuting peak periods. At other times, the station is relatively little used.

4.3.7 Table 4.2 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

PAGE 26 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Table 4.2 Ryde Passenger Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Greater use of rail to travel to the Further promotion of Island Line is terminal required

Pressure for more on-site car parking Further consideration is required to optimize the car parking layout to maximize provision and to provide additional waiting, pick-up and drop off layby’s

Address through Park & Ride

Improve cycle parking Additional cycle parking bays are required to encourage its use

Availability of real time information At both the ferry terminal and at Ryde on public transport and cross Solent Interchange services

Ryde Hovercraft Terminal

4.3.8 The Hovercraft terminal is sited to the east of Ryde town. The Southsea to Ryde hovercraft services operate from this terminal.

4.3.9 There is a direct footpath connecting this hovercraft terminal to Ryde Interchange requiring the use of a pedestrian footbridge over the railway line. The bridge is not suitable for wheelchair users, cyclists or those with mobility issues. The alternative route involves a less direct 5 minutes journey along the Esplanade to reach the Hovercraft Terminal.

4.3.10 There is limited vehicle parking at the terminal building area which amounts to a total of 32 car park bays, 2 taxi bays and a pick up/ drop off layby that can accommodate up to 5 cars. The car park bays are used mainly by park and sail passengers. The 250 bay pay and display car park is located adjacent to the Terminal.

4.3.11 Consideration should be made to provide cycle parking facilities.

4.3.12 The terminal building has been designed to accommodate up to 3 Hovercraft loads of passengers. During the peak period, the building is almost half full.

4.3.13 Table 4.3 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

PAGE 27 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Table 4.3 Ryde Hovercraft Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Improve linkage to Ryde Terminal Improved access between the hovercraft terminal and Ryde Interchange

Availability of real time information At both the hovercraft terminal and at on public transport and cross Solent Ryde Interchange services

Pressure for more on-site car parking Address through Park & Ride at railway stations.

Improve cycle parking Install covered cycle racks in a safe and convenient location near the terminal building.

PAGE 28 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Fishbourne Vehicle Ferry Terminal

4.3.14 The Fishbourne Ferry Terminal site is Figure 4.1 Schematic Layout of Fishbourne located at the northern end of Ferry Terminal Fishbourne Lane. This road has been lined as a three-lane road one of which, northbound acts as a dedicated access to the ferry terminal. Access to Fishbourne lane is via the A3054. Fishbourne is sited between Wootton and Ryde and as such is able to efficiently serve vehicles traveling to both the central and eastern sections of the Island.

4.3.15 The Fishbourne Lane approach into the ferry terminal has been widened to 2 lanes.

4.3.16 At peak season traffic wardens are employed by the Terminal to control traffic movement at the terminal entrance and exit. This is to ensure that any congestion does not block access to neighbouring properties.

4.3.17 Upon entry into the terminal, vehicles are advised on the appropriate row to queue, depending on the time of travel, prior to alighting the ferry. Coaches and goods vehicles have dedicated queuing bays. The eastern section of the holding area is used for long term (more than 2 days) freight vehicle storage. We understand from the site operator that the ferry terminal is able to hold up to 2 ferry loads of vehicles.

4.3.18 Vehicles that disembark the ferry are routed along the two lane exit route section on the east of the site into Fishbourne Lane. Although marked as a no waiting route, private and freight vehicles make use of one lane as a

PAGE 29 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

waiting/parking area with the result that the effective capacity of the existing route is that of a single lane operation.

4.3.19 Due to insufficient holding area, vehicles waiting to gain access into the ferry terminal queue back along Fishbourne Lane. At the worst case, this queue was found to extend up to the junction of Fishbourne Lane and the A3054. This is described further in Chapter 5.

4.3.20 The siting of the ferry ticketing office in the middle of the vehicle holding area prevents the full use of the vehicle holding area. Consideration should perhaps then be given to the relocation or downsizing of the ticketing office as most tickets for ferry travel are purchased on-line. This would result in an increase of the marshalling yard holding capacity.

4.3.21 Foot passengers travelling by the vehicle ferry either catch the bus service or get a taxi to their destination on the island. There is a 2 bay taxi rank but no bus service operating within the ferry terminal area. The closest bus stop is located a good 10 minutes walk away on the main A3054, Newport to Ryde road.

4.3.22 The freight movement through the Fishbourne terminal is made up of about equal numbers of drive through trailer and drop trailer services. Fuller description of these freight services are reported in Chapter6. Freight vehicle storage space is limited and generally takes place on the eastern section of the marshalling yard. The old slipway area on the northwest of the site is also used for storing goods vehicles.

4.3.23 Table 4.4 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

Table 4.4 Fishbourne Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Increasing the capacity of the By either removing or relocating the ferry vehicle holding area ticketing office, further lanes could be provided for car and goods vehicle holding to reduce the queues that develop on Fishbourne Lane.

Provision of an over-spill vehicle holding area to the south of the café within the terminal site.

Construction of an external vehicle holding area to support this terminal.

PAGE 30 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Improve exit capacity Improved enforcement to stop vehicles waiting/parking kerbside along the exit route out of the terminal.

Increase the capacity of There is little scope for further widening of Fishbourne Lane Fishbourne Lane without land acquisition.

Availability of real time information Along the A3054 and on Fishbourne Lane to along route to terminal advise drivers of congestion or ferry delays

East Cowes Vehicle Ferry Terminal

4.3.24 The schematic layout of the East Cowes ferry terminal is shown in Figure 4.2. The terminal site is located at the north eastern end of East Cowes town centre. Road access to this site is through the one way section of York Avenue/Ferry Road. There is a dedicated lane providing access into the primary marshalling yard off Ferry Road.

Figure 4.2 Schematic Layout of East Cowes Ferry Terminal

4.3.25 Traffic wardens check the validity of ferry tickets at the entrance to the primary vehicle marshalling yard and advise drivers on the appropriate queuing lane. This primary marshalling yard can accommodate the capacity

PAGE 31 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

of a single ferry. Only vehicles that arrive within an hour of sailing are allowed into the marshalling yard. Other vehicles would be advised to return closer to their sailing time.

4.3.26 At the appropriate time, as vehicles make their way onto the ferry, the queue of vehicles at the primary marshalling yard is directed to the secondary marshalling yard sited across Castle Street. This secondary marshalling yard can accommodate a single ferry load of vehicles.

4.3.27 Freight vehicles mainly access the terminal from Well Road although some continue to use the Ferry Road access like cars to get into the terminal. Freight vehicles which travel along Well Road are directed either to park at the overspill freight parking area off Castle Street or within the east section of the secondary marshalling yard. A total of 6 trailer bays are available here. The overspill freight park can accommodate up to a single ferry loads of vehicles.

4.3.28 Vehicles that disembark the ferry are routed towards the Castle Street/Well Road Roundabout for exit into York Avenue.

4.3.29 Due to insufficient holding area for vehicles during peak periods, the queues from the ferry terminal block back along York Avenue and this queue has been observed to extend up to the junction with New Barn Road.

4.3.30 Within the ferry terminal area, there are 3 taxi ranks and 4 bays for drop-off and pick-up passengers. A bus stop is sited in Dover Road.

4.3.31 The freight movement through the East Cowes terminal is made up of about 60% drive through trailer and 40% drop trailer services. A fuller description of freight operations is reported in Chapter 6. The availability of the overspill freight park is of enormous benefits as these vehicles can be stored outside the terminal and be brought in at the appropriate time for loading onto the ferry. This has resulted in optimum vehicle holding area use within the terminal.

Overspill freight holding area on Castle Freight storage on west of ferry termin Street

PAGE 32 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

4.3.32 The proposed SEEDA redevelopment of East Cowes will involve the relocation of the ferry terminal eastwards from its present location. The proposed improvements are likely to result in increased holding area for cars, coaches and freight.

4.3.33 Table 4.5 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

Table 4.5 East Cowes Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Increasing the capacity of the vehicle To be addressed by the SEEDA holding area redevelopment of East Cowes

Improve entrance and exit capacity To be addressed by the SEEDA redevelopment of East Cowes

Reduce congestion at the Castle Street/ To be addressed by the SEEDA Well Road roundabout redevelopment of East Cowes. It is likely that there would be rerouting of traffic at East Cowes to minimise congestion

Availability of real time information along Along the A3021 and A3054 route to the route to terminal ferry terminal to advise drivers of congestion or ferry delays.

Cowes Passenger Ferry Terminal

4.3.34 The Cowes ferry terminal is sited off High Street in the centre of the town. Vehicle access to the terminal is via the High Street into the one way horse- shoe layout access road. There is no controlled access into the ferry terminal.

4.3.35 Parking is limited at the terminal and mainly caters for short term visitors to the adjacent retail outlets. There are two layby’s for buses and 3 taxi layby’s here. During peak periods, these layby’s are often illegally occupied by cars waiting to pick up passengers. As a result there is some delay for public transport vehicles to gain access into the terminal.

4.3.36 We have been advised by bus drivers that this has been an on-going problem for some time.

PAGE 33 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Vehicle waiting restriction at terminal Taxi and bus layby’s at terminal

4.3.37 There is very limited seating at the bus waiting area and passengers sometimes have to wait in the terminal until the bus arrives. This results in ferry passenger waiting seats being taken up by those waiting for the bus. Generally during the peak period, the terminal building is about 50% occupied.

4.3.38 There is a small car park for staff parking within the terminal site. Long term parking provision is available at the Park Road car park (about 250 bays), and at St Mary’s Road Car Park (about 120 bays); both sited within walking distance from the ferry terminal. During the weekday observation period, both car parks were nearly fully occupied by 9.00 am. The 70 space Summerton Park & Ride car park is also used by ferry commuters.

4.3.39 There are no cycle stands provided at the terminal yet despite this lack of facilities some 27 cycles have been recorded here, many tied to the railings and street furniture.

4.3.40 Table 4.6 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

PAGE 34 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Table 4.6 Cowes Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Misuse of public transport Improved enforcement would be required. Waiting layby’s at terminal at the terminal area should be limited to 10 minutes and vehicles be asked to leave the terminal if found to be waiting longer than that.

It may be worth developing a drop-off/pick-up area on High Street which would not require private vehicles to use the terminal horse-shoe access road.

Improve entrance and exit Limited by spatial constraints capacity

Limited seating at bus stop Provide additional seating at the bus stop

Additional provision for Park Due consideration should be given to increasing & Sail bays at Cowes the capacity of existing car parks close to the terminal which are already at capacity.

Availability of real time Along the A3020 route to the ferry terminal to information along route to advise drivers of congestion or ferry delays. terminal

Improve travel choice Reduce congestion and encourage cycling to the terminal by providing an adequate number of (preferably covered) cycle parking stands close to terminal building in an easy, convenient and safe location.

Yarmouth Ferry Terminal

4.3.41 The Yarmouth ferry terminal serves both the passenger and vehicle ferry operations. The schematic layout of the terminal is shown in Figure 4.3.

PAGE 35 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Figure 4.3 Schematic Layout of Yarmouth Ferry Terminal

4.3.42 The turn off from the A3054 (Bridge Road) into the ferry terminal is through an approximately 50m long filter right turn lane. This filter lane minimizes disruption to the continuous traffic flow along Bridge Road in the westbound direction. Access to the bus stop which can accommodate up to 8 buses is also through this right turn.

4.3.43 Within the marshalling yard, cars and buses are channeled to the northern aisles whist the southern aisles are used mainly by HGVs waiting for the ferry. The marshalling is controlled at the entrance to the yard with secondary controls at the car park to minimize congestion on the A3054 during peak periods.

4.3.44 There is high use of the open car park at the bend particularly at weekends when the car park was observed to be full. There is a right turn filter lane in the eastbound used by queuing traffic wishing to turn right into the car park. The gravel paved overspill marshalling yard is sited to the south of this car park and it shares a common entrance and exit. The car park can accommodate about 160 cars and the overspill marshalling yard a further 40 cars. Throughout the observation period, there was no use of the overspill marshalling yard suggesting that additional vehicle holding capacity is currently only required for use at peak times.

4.3.45 There is limited parking for freight vehicles within the marshalling yard and this generally takes place on the west section of the yard. Throughout the observation period, a few freight vehicles were observed and these were all drive through trailers. We have been advised by the operator that most of

PAGE 36 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

the freight activity at this terminal takes place between 8 pm and 7 am when there is less car activity on the marshalling yard.

4.3.46 Exit from the terminal is through two traffic lanes into the roundabout of Bridge Road and River Road. Since most traffic from the terminal is travelling eastbound, this traffic would generally merge with Bridge Road eastbound traffic.

4.3.47 There is ample space for bus and coach parking within the bus interchange. It may however be worth providing improved shelter/waiting area for waiting passengers at the interchange.

4.3.48 There is poor provision for pedestrians at this terminal and leading to the bus interchange. Our observations show that there are neither protected footpaths nor pedestrian crossings between the ferry terminal and the bus terminal or car park across Bridge Road/ River Road.

4.3.49 Table 4.7 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

Table 4.7 Yarmouth Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Pedestrian safety Protected road crossings are required on the A3054 to improve the safety of pedestrians.

Availability of real time information Along the A3054 and on Fishbourne Lane along route to terminal to advise drivers of congestion or ferry delays.

4.4 Mainland Port Observations

Southampton Passenger Ferry Terminal

4.4.1 Foot passengers travelling across the Solent from Southampton make use of the fast Red Jet services from the Hi-Speed Ferry Terminal. There is a free bus service, jointly funded by Network Rail, Red Funnel and Southampton City Council, operating between Southampton Station travelling through the High Street to the ferry terminal. The buses operate at 30 minute intervals between 7 am to 7 pm. Vehicular access to the passenger ferry terminal is off a signalised junction of High Street and West Quay Road.

4.4.2 The ferry terminal appears to be currently able to cope with the demands placed upon it, however it is understood that queuing can stretch outside the terminal building at peak times.

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4.4.3 Issues of pedestrian safety occur directly outside the terminal where pedestrians must cross the road to access the bus stop and use the covered pedestrian walk way.

4.4.4 A similar pedestrian/vehicular conflict occurs at the northern end of the terminal access road where pedestrians exiting the walk way or leaving the vehicle ferry terminal have no formal crossing point to allow them to use the pedestrian controlled crossing lights on the main road. It would appear that the zebra crossing markings at this point have become erased by traffic movements and could be repainted.

4.4.5 Table 4.8 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

Table 4.8 Southampton Passenger Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Pedestrian safety Provide formal zebra crossing immediately outside the Red Jet terminal.

Cycle parking Liaise with Southampton City Council regarding possible installation of additional and covered cycle racks.

Southampton Vehicle Ferry Terminal

4.4.6 Access into the vehicle ferry terminal is through a priority junction off West Quay Road on the south of Southampton city as shown in Figure 4.4.

4.4.7 West Quay Road is an important east west arterial to the south of the city and is sited to the south of the busy shopping area straddling High Street. During the weekday morning and evening peak periods, this road was observed to be congested due to work based commuting. At these times access to and from the ferry terminal was impeded by on street congestion. There appears to be little opportunity for further carriageway widening but signalisation of the junction could be a possibility.

PAGE 38 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Figure 4.4 Southampton Ferry Terminal

4.4.8 As both inbound and outbound vehicle ferry terminal traffic use a common junction, during peak ferry operation periods, outbound vehicles queues have been observed to stretch back into the ferry itself. However this is generally a moving queue and which dissipates well before the next ferry arrives. Both cars and freight vehicles use a common entrance to the site.

4.4.9 The square layout of the marshalling yard enables the operator to optimize its use. There are a total of 18 queuing aisles out of which 8 are used for commercial vehicle storage. The commercial vehicle storage area is mainly used by drop trailers and is sited to the south west section of the terminal. At its peak the site was observed to hold up to 460 cars and 42 drop off trailers, amounting to about 2 vehicle ferry loads.

4.4.10 During peak weekends the Red Funnel Town Quay Triangle car park, situated a short walk from the ferry terminal, is used as a temporary holding area to cope with the overspill from the marshalling yard. This car park operates as a public car park on weekdays.

4.4.11 Future expansion of the marshalling yard is limited due to spatial constraints.

4.4.12 Table 4.9 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

PAGE 39 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Table 4.9 Southampton Vehicle Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Congestion at access junction There is limited space for further junction widening. It may be worthwhile to consider signalising the vehicle ferry terminal access junction.

Availability of real time information To advise drivers of congestion or ferry along route to terminal delays.

Pedestrian safety Reinstate zebra crossing immediately outside pedestrian access to the ferry terminal

Portsmouth Passenger Ferry Terminal

4.4.13 The ferry and rail terminal are integrated into a common building. Hence passengers are able to change mode within a sheltered environment. The terminal is supported by a bus stop and taxi ranks, all within a short walk away.

4.4.14 Fast trains from Portsmouth to London run half-hourly with a journey time of about one and a half hours. The ferry services have been planned such that passengers arriving by rail have to wait less than 15 minutes before the next ferry departs.

Portsmouth Vehicle Ferry Terminal

4.4.15 Access into the terminal is through Gunwharf Road via St George Road. The access roads are 2 lane single carriageways which flare to provide a dedicated right turn lane into the ferry terminal.

4.4.16 The Portsmouth Ferry Terminal is filled to almost capacity with vehicles waiting to board the ferry on summer Fridays and Saturdays between 9 am and 10 am and 12 pm- 3 pm. At other periods on these days it is operating with above half its capacity. Most travellers book tickets in advance and arrive between 1 to 2 hours of sailing. On the spot ticket purchase can require drivers to wait for approximately 3 hours before sailing.

4.4.17 To cope with peak demands the operator runs up to 5 ferries simultaneously but with only one berthing at any one time. There are a total of 20 vehicle holding lanes at the terminal which can hold up to 2.5 ferry loads.

4.4.18 At peak periods, vehicle queues travelling to the ferry terminal back up as far as mini roundabout linking St George’s Rd and Cambridge Road.

PAGE 40 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

4.4.19 There is no bus stop at the ferry terminal. The nearest bus stop in St George’s Road, is about 10 minutes walk from the terminal. There is a taxi rank at the terminal which can hold up to 5 taxis.

4.4.20 There is no segregated freight vehicle storage area. Generally freight vehicles park on the eastern section of the marshalling yard whilst cars take up most of the remaining sections of the yard. About half of all freight activity is carried out using drop-off trailers.

4.4.21 There is a staff car park on site which can be used by permit holders only. A 24 hour Pay & Display car park is available opposite Gunwharf Road. This car park is however closed on weekends as the ferry operator uses it as a temporary overspill car park.

4.4.22 Table 4.10 summarises issues of concern and the opportunities for improvement.

Table 4.10 Portsmouth Vehicle Ferry Terminal – Opportunities for Improvement

Issue Opportunity for Improvement

Congestion at access junction There is limited space for further junction widening.

Increase marshalling yard capacity Consider making use of the over-spill car park as a permanent solution for the ferry terminal.

Availability of real time information To advise drivers of congestion or ferry along route to terminal delays.

Southsea Hoverport

4.4.23 The hovercraft terminal is sited at Clarence Pier at the Southsea Hoverport. This terminal is served by local authority pay and display car parks. Long stay hovercraft passengers are able to park at a discounted rate.

The Hoverbus service links the hovercraft terminal with Portsmouth City Centre and the Portsmouth rail station. A typical journey to the rail station takes 15 minutes. The Hoverbus operates at 15 minute intervals doing the AM peak hour and at 30 minute intervals at other periods. Whilst there appears to be satisfactory provisions for foot-passengers at the terminal, facilities for cycle parking could be improved.

PAGE 41 Cross Solent Movement Study 4 Cross Solent Port Observations

Lymington Passenger Ferry Terminal

4.4.24 The ferry terminal has facilities for both foot passengers as well as vehicular traffic. The marshalling yard has sufficient capacity of up to 1.5 ferry loads. The existing marshalling yard and access road to the ferry terminal appears to be sufficient to cope with current peak period traffic volumes.

4.4.25 The Yarmouth-Lymington Wightlink service links with the rail services at Lymington Pier. There is a good train service operating between Lymington Ferry Terminal and Brockenhurst Station from where a fast and frequent service exists to Bournemouth, Southampton, and London. Virgin Trains services operate from Bournemouth to Birmingham, Manchester, York, Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are two trains an hour between Brockenhurst and London Waterloo station. The total journey time between Lymington Pier and London is just under 2 hours.

4.4.26 We understand from the ferry operator that the depth of the estuary imposes a physical constraint to the size of ferry that can be accommodated at the port. It is likely that the present ferry is the largest model that is able to serve this port. Hence the capacity of the Yarmouth-Lymington ferry service is likely to be constrained by the dept of the estuary.

PAGE 42 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 5

5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.1 Introduction

5.1.1 This Chapter reviews the existing onward road and public transport links from the IOW ports and discusses the opportunity for future improvements.

5.1.2 Road access to all cross Solent ports is reasonably well integrated into the Island’s road network as shown in Figure 5.1. Primary roads are shown in red. The A3054 is the main east-west route to the north of the Island connecting Ryde, Newport and Yarmouth. Together with the A3055, this road forms a round island loop route passing through the seaside towns of Freshwater to the west and Ventnor, Shanklin and Sandown to the east. The A3020 and A3021 form the major road links between Newport and Cowes and East Cowes respectively.

Figure 5.1: Isle of Wight Road Network

5.1.3 All roads, with the exception of a short section of the A3054 to the north of Newport, are 2 lane single carriageway roads. Within the town centre of Newport, bus only lanes have recently been implemented to improve public transport journey time.

5.1.4 There is no physical road link across the Medina connecting Cowes and East Cowes. The Floating Bridge provides the only means of crossing the Medina on the northern section of the Island. Fuller description on the floating bridge operation is reported in Section 5.3.

5.1.5 The IOW is served by a comprehensive island-wide public transport network primarily made up of bus and rail services.

PAGE 43 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.1.6 All cross Solent ports with the exception of the Fishbourne ferry terminal have good public transport connections. All bus services to the ports provide direct access to the main towns of Newport and Ryde where the main bus interchanges are sited. Although there is no direct bus into the Fishbourne ferry terminal, the closest bus stop is sited about 10 minutes away along Fishbourne Lane. Further discussions on bus services serving individual ports are reported in Section 5.4.

5.1.7 The Island’s single railway line provides rail connections on the east part of the Island. Services run between Ryde and the seaside towns of Sandown and Shanklin. The northernmost station is sited at the Ryde Ferry Terminal. Fuller description of the Island Line Railway is reported in Section 5.5.

5.2 Road Links to Vehicular Ferry Terminals

5.2.1 This section discusses road links serving the vehicle ferry terminals at Fishbourne, East Cowes and Yarmouth.

Fishbourne Vehicle Ferry Terminal

5.2.2 The Fishbourne vehicle ferry terminal is sited at the end of Fishbourne Lane. Vehicular access is via Fishbourne Lane through the signal controlled junction on the A3054 illustrated below. Fishbourne Lane/A3054 junction

Fishbourne Lane/A3054 junction Fishbourne Lane/A3054 junction

5.2.3 There is a 100m long left turn filter lane in the eastbound direction on the A3054. In the westbound direction, the A3054 flares from a single lane to a 50m long filter right turn lane at the junction stopline. The Fishbourne Lane approach flares into two lanes about 100m from the junction stop-line with the right and left lanes marked as Ryde and Newport respectively.

5.2.4 Fishbourne Lane is a two lane single carriageway road and provides the primary means of access to the residential development areas at and adjacent to the Fishbourne terminal. There is a footpath adjacent to this road throughout its alignment.

PAGE 44 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.2.5 During the worst peak period, the queues caused by vehicles waiting to board the ferry extend from the terminal up to the Fishbourne Lane/ A3054 junction as shown in Figure 5.2. Due to the lack of holding capacity at the terminal, vehicles queue back along Fishbourne Lane. It should be noted that this is a moving queue as each time a ferry arrives for boarding (at about 30 minute intervals) the queues edge slowly towards the terminal.

5.2.6 The filter lane and left turn lane at the junction with the A3054 appear to be sufficient to deal with these peak period queues. The queues that form were not observed to block the east-west traffic flow along the A3054.

5.2.7 The queue of vehicles departing the ferry terminal in the opposite direction along Fishbourne Lane was observed to extend from the A3054 up to the junction with Ashlake Copse Road as shown in Figure 5.2. As in the case of inbound traffic, this is a moving queue which clears within 2 cycles of the traffic signals.

5.2.8 Some vehicles were observed to overtake the inbound queues by travelling on the opposite lane to reach junctions which provide access to the residential properties (probably frustrated local residents trying to gain access to their homes). The double white lines along some sections of Fishbourne Lane appear to be unheeded by such drivers. Generally vehicles travelling to the ferry terminal stay in the queue and do not overtake.

Figure 5.2 Observed Vehicle Queues at Fishbourne Ferry Terminal

5.2.9 The queues described above represent the ‘worst congestion case’ which occurs during the peak hours of 10 am to 3 pm on Saturdays in August. At

PAGE 45 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

other periods, the queues to the terminal do not queue back beyond the junction with Ashlake Copse Road. In the opposite direction the vehicles queues normally clear within a single traffic signal cycle.

East Cowes Vehicle Ferry Terminal

5.2.10 The ferry terminal at East Cowes is accessible by road from Cowes via the floating bridge and from Newport to the south via the A3021 (Whippingham Road).

5.2.11 Whippingham Road is a two lane single carriageway running in a north south alignment and leading to the large roundabout at the junction with the A3054. All approaches to the Whippingham Road/A3054 roundabout flare to 2 lanes enabling good lane discipline and an increase in roundabout capacity. No ferry terminal related congestion was observed at this roundabout during the peak ferry operation period.

5.2.12 The queues that form from the East Cowes Terminal are generally limited to the local road network around East Cowes town. The inbound queues to the ferry terminal were observed to extend along York Road to about 30m beyond the bend with New Barn Road as shown in Figure 5.3.

Figure 5.3 Observed Vehicle Queues at East Cowes Ferry Terminal

PAGE 46 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.2.13 As with the situation at Fishbourne the queues are not stationary but generally moving as vehicles make their way onto the ferries. There is no noticeable queue on Whippingham Road in the outbound direction from the ferry terminal.

5.2.14 The provision of a dedicated lane on York Avenue leading to the ferry terminal has resulted in orderly queuing and no queue jumping. A dedicated lane along York Avenue provides vehicle access to the floating bridge at the north of Ferry Road. This lane is generally unblocked by the queues to the ferry terminal.

5.2.15 There is generally no freight vehicle activity along York Avenue or Whippingham Road except for vehicles servicing local premises. Freight vehicle access to the ferry terminal is through Well Road.

5.2.16 There is little congestion at the junction of York Avenue and Well Road. To the north of this junction York Avenue operates as a one way road. The primary movements across this junction are from Well Road into York Avenue in the southbound and northbound direction with considerably less traffic travelling from York Avenue into Well Road (northbound) direction.

Dedicated lane to ferry terminal Use of ferry access lane which does not block traffic travelling on the outside lane to the Floating Bridge

5.2.17 There is noticeable congestion on the approaches to the roundabout of Castle Street and Well Road during peak ferry and floating bridge traffic periods. Traffic exiting the ferry terminal and the floating bridge merge at this roundabout to get into Well Road on their way out of East Cowes. As a result the queues block back to the vehicle ferry resulting in delays to ferry disembarking. The queuing of floating bridge traffic along Castle Street was observed to block vehicles travelling across Castle Street from the primary to the secondary marshalling yard area.

PAGE 47 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

Congestion at Castle Street/ Well Road Looking into Castle Street Approach into Roundabout Castle Street/Well Road Roundabout

5.2.18 The traffic queues waiting to board the Floating Bridge do not extend beyond the Well Road/York Avenue junction despite there not being any dedicated off street vehicle storage area for this activity.

Vehicle queue for Floating bridge Bus stop and HGV queue lane for boarding showing bypass lane leading to Castle the floating bridge. Bypass lane on right Street

5.2.19 The short bus and HGV queuing lane at the floating bridge waiting area on Ferry road can only hold a single vehicle. It was noticed that the bypass lane on the right leading to Castle Lane is generally not blocked by vehicles queuing to use the floating bridge.

5.2.20 The proposed SEEDA redevelopment at East Cowes is expected to change the port location, layout and operation of local roads. The proposals for improvements are likely to improve access to and from the ferry terminal and floating bridge.

Yarmouth Ferry Terminal

5.2.21 Access into Yarmouth Ferry Terminal is through either a left or right turn off Bridge Road (A3054). There is a dedicated right turn lane into the terminal in

PAGE 48 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

the westbound direction. Peak period observations indicate that the traffic turning into the terminal does not block the straight ahead traffic flow along the A3054 in both directions. The peak period queues waiting to board the ferries extend to the junction with St James Street as shown in Figure 5.4. It should be noted that this is a moving queue resulting from the marshalling yard attendants validating tickets as cars drive in and not due to over spill queues. When overspills do occur, the car park to the south of River Road is used as a secondary marshalling yard for vehicles waiting to board the ferry.

5.2.22 Exit from the ferry terminal is through the roundabout between River Road and Bridge Road. Vehicles exiting the ferry were observed to queue back from the adjacent roundabout into the ferry. However because of the relatively low traffic flows travelling along River Road in the eastbound direction, this queue quickly dissipates.

Figure 5.4 Observed Vehicle Queues at Yarmouth Ferry Terminal

PAGE 49 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.3 Cowes Floating Bridge

5.3.1 The Cowes Floating Bridge is a chain link ferry providing foot passenger and vehicle crossing between Cowes with East Cowes across the River Medina. The floating bridge is owned and managed by the IOW Council and operates between 5 am to midnight on weekdays and from 6.45 am to midnight on Sundays. Travel time across the Medina is about 10 minutes one way. A total of up to 3 two way journeys take place during the peak operating hours. The floating bridge has a one way capacity of about 20 cars.

5.3.2 The peak operation hours are on weekdays between 7am to 9 am and between 4 pm to 7 pm to serve work related commuting. There is substantially less use of the crossing on weekends.

5.3.3 The operation of the floating bridge is affected by a number of factors including the tide, weather and navigation as the floating bridge gives way to water travel on the Medina. Fares are paid on-board and vary between £1.30 for cars to £3.05 for lorries up to 1 ton. There is no charge for foot- passengers or cyclists.

5.3.4 Access to the floating bridge from Cowes is through the two lane single carriageway Medina Road. Medina Road widens to 2 lanes about 100m from the floating bridge berthing area to increase vehicle holding capacity. During peak periods, the queue of vehicles waiting to cross the Medina is about 800m long and stretches up to the junction of Mill Hill Road with Gordon Road as shown in Figure 4.4. Some vehicles were observed to bypass this Medina Road queue by using Bridge Road off Newport Road. There is no space to provide additional vehicle holding area off Medina Road.

5.3.5 At the other end, the East Cowes floating bridge access is through Ferry Road sited off York Avenue. There are markings along both of these roads to demarcate the lanes into ferry terminal access and access to the floating bridge. During peak periods, the vehicle queue waiting for the floating bridge extends about 800m up to the junction of York Road and Well Road.

5.3.6 The vehicle queues that form along Medina Road and Ferry Road are generally moving queues as the floating bridge operates at 10 minute intervals. It was observed that at worst, vehicles at the end of the queue wait about half an hour to board the floating bridge at both sides of the Medina.

PAGE 50 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.4 Bus Services at Cross Solent Terminals

5.4.1 Southern Vectis is the primary bus operator on the IOW.A summary of destination and frequency of bus services that stop at cross Solent terminals is presented in Table 5.1

Table 5.1 Bus services at Cross Solent Ports

Port Bus service to…. Peak period Off Peak period frequency frequency

Ryde Pier No bus service due to weight restriction on pier. Closest bus stop is at Ryde Espalande

Ryde Esplanade Islandwide bus Varies by service but Varies by service services generally between but generally 10-15 mins between 15-30 mins

Fishbourne Ryde 15 mins at the stop 30 mins at the stop Newport located on the located on the A3054 A3054

East Cowes Ryde 20 mins at the 20-30 mins at the Newport terminal and at East terminal and at Cowes town centre East Cowes town stops centre stops

West Cowes Islandwide bus 15 mins at the Ferry 20-30 mins at the services Terminal but more Ferry Terminal but frequent bus more frequent bus services at Cowes services at Cowes town centre bus town centre bus stops stops

Yarmouth Ryde 30mins 30-45mins Newport West sections of Island Source: http://www.svoc.co.uk/timet.html. Peak period and off peak period is defined by the bus operator

Ryde Interchange at Ryde Eplanade

5.4.2 The public transport interchange at Ryde is located on the Esplanade at the southern end of the pier leading to the Ryde Fastcat Terminal. The interchange can be reached from the Pier Head ferry terminal through a variety of means; using the Island railway line which stops at the ferry terminal, by taxi service from the terminal or by foot and cycle. There is a

PAGE 51 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

weight limit on the pier, which restricts bus access. The Ryde Esplanade interchange caters for Island wide public transport services providing rail links to Ryde St Johns, Smallbrooke, Brading Sandown, lake and Shanklin. Direct bus links exist to major urban areas of Newport, Cowes and to the seaside towns of Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor.

5.4.3 The interchange is sited within a 5 minute walk from the Hovercraft Terminal at Ryde Esplanade.

Ryde Bus Terminal Yarmouth Bus Terminal

5.4.4 There is a seated waiting area for passengers at the Ryde Interchange. An adjacent taxi stand is sited nearby. There are plans to upgrade the existing Ryde Esplanade interchange to provide additional bus bays with seated waiting areas. The interchange would include an integrated taxi stand, car pick-up and drop-off area and provide improved facilities for pedestrian access including direct links to the Hovercraft Terminal.

West Cowes Ferry Terminal

5.4.5 Although only 2 bus services stop at the West Cowes ferry terminal the buses operate at 15-30 minute intervals. There is limited uncovered seating area for passengers. Commuters are also able to gain access to further bus services at the Cowes town centre bus stops located a short walk away from the ferry terminal.

5.4.6 Due to spatial constraints the bus and taxi laybys share a common area for car drop-off and pick-up. As a consequence, during peak periods these laybys are usually occupied by cars waiting for ferry passengers. Throughout the observation period, there was no enforcement of layby use.

5.4.7 There are no cycle stands and bicycles are generally left locked to railings and street furniture.

PAGE 52 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

East Cowes Ferry Terminal

5.4.8 The vehicle ferry terminal at East Cowes benefits from bus services operating at 30-45 minute intervals. There is no seating at this stop. Foot passengers are also able to make use of the bus stops in the town centre.

Yarmouth Ferry Terminal

5.4.9 All bus services travelling west along the A3054 stop at the bus stop adjacent to the Yarmouth ferry terminal. The interchange that is designed with a saw tooth layout has capacity of up to 8 buses. There is limited seating area at this interchange. The frequency of buses services operating at this interchange is 30-45 minutes with service to Cowes, Newport and Ryde running every 30 minutes during the peak period.

Fishbourne Ferry Terminal

5.4.10 The Fishbourne ferry terminal has no bus stop. The closest bus stop is sited a good 10 minute walk away from the terminal along Fishbourne Lane. The bus services serving this stop operate at frequency of 15 to 30 minutes during peak periods and serve local residential developments off Fishbourne Lane.

5.5 The Island Line Railway

5.5.1 The Island Line Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group . The company operates a total of 8.5 miles of railway line on the east side of the Island between Ryde Pier Head in the north to Shanklin in the south. The train service stops at intermediate stations at Ryde Esplanade, Ryde St Johns Road, Smallbrook Junction, Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin. However Smallbrook junction station is only opened for use during Steam Railway operation periods.

Ryde Pier Rail Station Ryde Esplanade Rail Station

PAGE 53 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.5.2 Observations during the peak period show that the train services are well used between 7 am to 9 am and between 5 pm to 7 pm with considerably less patronage at other times. The rail service is thought to be mostly used for work based commuting. No ridership statistics of the rail services have been provided by the operator for further analysis.

5.5.3 The Island Line railway commences operation from 5.30 am at the northern stations and operates a full line service between 6.17 am to 10.20 pm on weekdays. On Sundays, the train runs from 9.00 am and ends earlier at 7.00 pm.

5.5.4 There is a Ventnor bus link which shuttles passengers at hourly interval between Ventnor town centre and the Shanklin railway station. This dedicated bus link operates between 6.45 am to 6.45 pm on weekdays. On Sundays an hourly bus operation commences at 9.15 am and runs until 6.16 pm.

5.5.5 The timetable for the Island Line services has been integrated with the ferry crossing schedules between Ryde Pier Head and Portsmouth and with the train timetables between Portsmouth station and London Waterloo in order to minimise interchange waiting times.

5.5.6 Table 5.2 sets out the breakdown of travel and maximum interchange time between the railway and ferry services for the two-way journey between Shanklin and London Waterloo.

Table 5.2 Analysis of Island Line interchange and travel times (weekday peak)

Journey Leg Travel Journey Leg Travel Shanklin to London time London to Shanklin time (mins) (mins) London Waterloo to Shanklin to Ryde Pier 24 Portsmouth 105 (Island Line) (Southwest Train) Ferry waiting time at Ferry waiting at Ryde Pier 15 8 Portsmouth

Cross Solent ferry crossing to Cross Solent ferry crossing 18 18 Portsmouth to Ryde Pier

Train waiting time at Portsmouth Train waiting time at Ryde 13 16 Station Pier

Portsmouth to London Waterloo Ryde Pier – Shanklin 105 24 (Southwest Train) (Island Line)

Note: The ferry and trains waiting time are listed as the longest waiting time possible. Journey times extracted from peak period journey times provided by each mode operator

PAGE 54 Cross Solent Movement Study 5 Onward Transport Links from IOW Ports

5.5.7 The interchange time between the Island Line and Wightlink ferries at Ryde Pier is no more than 15 minutes whilst the journey time from Shanklin to Ryde Pier is less than 25 minutes by rail. The efficient integration of rail and ferry timetables enables commuters to travel from Shanklin to London in less than 3 hours or from Shanklin to Portsmouth within 50 minutes.

5.5.8 To further improve timetable integration, the present Island Line service frequency of 2 trips/direction/hour would need to be doubled. This service frequency is however limited by the single track configuration with some double tracked sections for passing throughout its alignment. Double tracking may be considered as a solution in the long run.

5.5.9 Park and Ride provision is available at some stations served by the Island Line as shown in Table 5.3. A total of about 400 car parking bays are available for this use at selected stations along the railway alignment. The car park bays at Ryde Esplanade and St Thomas Street are however for shared use with parking for Ryde town centre and the Hovercraft Terminal.

Table 5.3 Park and Ride Provision and Utilisation along Island Line stations

Location No of bays Utilisation

Ryde Esplanade 200 100% (Adjacent to Hovercraft Terminal)

Ryde St John 110 60%

Sandown 40 80%

Shanklin 50 80%

Total 400

Note: Based on limited observations carried out on Friday (20/8/05) and on Saturday (21/8/05)

5.5.10 The park and ride utilization varies by location. Generally there is available parking space at all parking sites except at Ryde Esplanade where it was observed to be fully occupied by 10am.

5.5.11 The provisional LTP2 recognises the need for provision of Park and ride particularly to serve Island ports.

PAGE 55 Cross Solent Movement Study

6 6

6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

6.1 Introduction

6.1.1 The movement of goods to/from the mainland is vital to support the sustainability of the IOW particularly with the decline of manufacturing and agricultural industries on the Island. With the growth of food and retail superstores the amount of freight traffic has increased by more than a third between 1991 and 2001. The growth in population of nearly 5% between 1991 and 2001 has also resulted in additional consumption and demands for the retail and service industry on the Island, all of which require goods being transported from the mainland11.

6.1.2 Freight in the wider context refers to the transfer of all goods by various commercial vehicles ranging from container trucks to white vans.

6.1.3 The Chair of IOW Quality Transport Partnership (QTP) reports that imports by weight exceed the Islands exports by a factor of 3 to 112. Assuming that there are equal numbers of freight vehicles travelling to and from the Island then most freight vehicles to the Island are laden whilst about a third return to the mainland empty.

6.1.4 Freight vehicles share roadspace on the Island and the use of cross Solent ferries with other vehicles. However due to the relative difference in the size and weight of freight vehicles, the impacts caused by these vehicles are much greater than a private car. Freight vehicles also require more storage space and have limited maneuverability.

6.1.5 The Chair of the QTP advises that the majority of deliveries to the Island are time sensitive particularly those involving food and perishables which need to be delivered ‘just in time’. Past instances where superstores on the Island have run out of daily supplies, such as milk, due to cross Solent travel delays, goes to demonstrate the importance of efficient cross Solent freight operations.

6.2 Existing Freight Operations

Commercial Vehicle Traffic Volumes

6.2.1 Freight is transferred to and from the Island through the three vehicle ferry routes ie. between Fishbourne and Portsmouth, East Cowes and Southampton and to a lesser extend Yarmouth and Lymington. Table 6.1 summarises freight vehicle volumes transferred across to the Island through each cross Solent route.

11 Isle of Wight Census Atlas and Statistical Handbook 2001 12 Reported in record of meeting with QTP Chairman

PAGE 57 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

Table 6.1 2004 Cross Solent Freight Movement

Route Commercial vehicles %

Fishbourne - Portsmouth 140,459 53

East Cowes - Southampton 84,586 32

Yarmouth - Lymington 37,628 15 Source: 2004 Cross Solent Statistics, IOW Tourism

6.2.2 It can be seen that the terminal at Fishbourne caters for more than half of the Islands cross Solent freight and together with the terminal at East Cowes service caters for 85%. The Yarmouth terminal is mostly used for servicing the less populated western section of the Island and the southwest English regions.

6.2.3 There is some correlation between the levels of cross Solent freight movements and the busy summer holiday periods. This is due to the influx of tourists creating greater demands for food and retail goods during their stay on the Island. Figure 6.1 shows this variation in cross Solent freight activity and identifies that during the summer holiday month of August freight activity increases by 10% from the averaged monthly total across the year.

Figure 6.1 2004 Cross Solent Freight Travel

Two Way Cross Solent Travel - Commercial Vehicles

25000

20000

E Cowes RF 15000 Fishbourne WL Yarmouth WL 10000 Total Commercial No of Vehicles of No 5000

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 Week of year

Source: 2004 Cross Solent Statistics, IOW Tourism

PAGE 58 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

6.2.4 As identified in Chapter 2, the cross Solent ferry services have sufficient capacity to carry freight particularly during the off peak periods of the day. Since all ferries operate around the clock, most freight is transported to and from the Island outside the peak car traffic periods i.e. between 9 pm and 7 am. There are no hourly cross Solent freight movement statistics to draw further conclusions.

6.2.5 The observed breakdown of freight vehicles by type being transported across the Solent is set out in Table 6.2.

Table 6.2 Breakdown of Commercial Vehicle by Type Crossing the Solent

Commercial Vehicle Route Type Fishbourne - E Cowes - Yarmouth - Portsmouth Southampton Lymington

Drop trailer 30% 35% No service available

Drive through trailer 45% 45% 80%

Rigid trucks 10% 15% 15%

Vans 5% 5% 5%

Note: Observations carried out on Friday (19/8) between (7am to 7pm) and Saturday (20/8) between (7am to 3 pm)

6.2.6 The majority of commercial vehicle movements are made up of both drop-off and drive through trailer traffic. The former constitutes the highest proportion, at least 45% of all commercial vehicle volume depending on port. Between 30-35% of cross Solent trailers are dropped off at ferry terminals, and picked up at the other end.

6.2.7 Ferry operators use tugs to transport unaccompanied trailers in and out of the ferry. Ferry operators and the QTP expect greater use of drop off trailers in the future since hauliers are able to reduce ‘lost time’ when the drivers and the tractor units travel on the ferry. The average ‘lost time,’ which includes waiting for the ferry, boarding and alighting, ranges between 1.5 hours for the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route and 2 hours for the Southampton – East Cowes route. The recent working time directive which stipulates the maximum hours of work by freight drivers is the key driving factor contributing to drop trailer service growth.

Freight Operations at Ferry Terminals

6.2.8 There is less freight activity at weekends since many hauliers do not work on Sunday. As most businesses work Monday to Friday, a lot of freight brought to the ferry terminal on Fridays or during the weekend is either not shipped across until Monday mornings or, shipped across and stored at the ferry

PAGE 59 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

terminal at the other end of the Solent. Pick-ups are then carried out on Monday mornings and this contributes to the ferry terminal congestion at the start of the week.

6.2.9 Trailers are either driven to the ports for shipping at these early hours or in the case of drop trailers left overnight. This enables the goods to reach their destinations during the morning normal working hours. There are no statistics available on cross Solent freight activity distribution throughout the day.

6.2.10 Ferry operators have advised that it is common for trailers to be parked at the ferry terminal between 3-4 days and up to 15 days at the worst case. This long term parking, defined as parking longer than a period of 1 day, is not desirable to the ferry operators as it reduces storage capacity at the terminals. Hauliers use the ferry terminal areas for storage possibly due to lack of space at their own yards or while waiting confirmation of acceptance of the shipment. The ferry operators are then commissioned to transport these vehicles on request. This is not the case with the haulage of time sensitive goods particularly for the Islands food superstores as these shipments tend to arrive just in time for sailing.

6.2.11 Site observations found that the parking of freight vehicles has resulted in reduced space for car waiting at the ferry terminals, since there is generally limited commercial vehicle only parking. In most instances commercial vehicles would be parked along the car waiting aisles.

Car and freight vehicle waiting area Car and freight vehicle queue at Portsmouth adjacent to each other at Fishbourne

6.2.12 There is no drop off trailer service at Yarmouth and so most freight is driven on and off the ferries. We have been advised that most freight transported through Yarmouth-Lymington is operated on a just in time basis resulting in little waiting or storage at the terminals.

PAGE 60 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

Freight Provision at Ferry Terminals

6.2.13 Table 6.3 summarises the facilities available for freight at each terminal following site observations and discussions with the ferry operators.

Table 6.3 Summary of Freight Provision at Ferry Terminals

Cross Solent Port Trailer Waiting Trailer Parking Trailer Parking Area (prior to Area Area outside boarding ferry) Terminal

Fishbourne Dedicated lanes The east section of None adjacent to car the terminal is used waiting lanes for trailer parking

East Cowes Dedicated lanes Small storage area Open space site adjacent to car for 6 trailers opposite available off Castle waiting lanes terminal office Street building (30 trailers)

Yarmouth Dedicated lanes No dedicated area None adjacent to car Vehicles are left on waiting lanes the waiting lanes

Portsmouth Dedicated lanes There is a dedicated None (Gunwarf) adjacent to car storage area to the waiting lanes east of the terminal which holds up to 20 trailers

Southampton Dedicated lanes No dedicated area. Operator owns a site adjacent to car Vehicles are left on adjacent to the waiting lanes the waiting lanes but terminal which would away from cars be used for overnight parking of 30 vehicles

Lymington Dedicated lanes No dedicated area. None adjacent to car Vehicles are left on waiting lanes the waiting lanes

6.2.14 The lack of freight storage area on Island ferry terminals has resulted in the following problems particularly at peak periods:

• the storage and parking of freight vehicles results in a reduction in the number of aisles that are available for cars;

• both alighting and boarding freight vehicles park illegally within and around the terminals particularly when the terminal space is occupied by car traffic at the peak periods. For instance at East Cowes, commercial vehicles are observed to park on the short road section between Castle Street Roundabout and the ferry terminal office; and

PAGE 61 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

• long term parked freight vehicles could be more effectively stored elsewhere providing additional holding area for use by cars and other vehicles at the terminal.

Existing 6 bay freight storage area at E. Cowes Open space on Castle Street used as overspill terminal freight storage area at E Cowes

6.3 Opportunities for Improvement

Provision for freight holding area outside the terminal

6.3.1 As freight vehicles occupy considerably more space than cars so it would perhaps be better to park/store a proportion of vehicles off-site at a freight holding areas. The advantage of operating a holding site is to enable just-in- time freight loading into the ferries. This would result in optimisation of car/coach queuing and also for the queuing of freight vehicles that would be boarding the ferry. Ideally this parking/storage area would need to be sited as close as possible to the terminal to minimise travel when boarding and alighting the ferries. This would also optimise the drop off trailer operations as tugs would need to travel a shorter distance to drop off or prick up the trailers. Holding areas would also provide the opportunity to operate a consolidation/transshipment centre for the Islands freight activity.

Possible Locations

6.3.2 There is currently no overspill or secondary freight vehicle holding area outside the existing Fishbourne terminal. The previously expanded terminal site is now surrounded by private property and land acquisition would be required for the development of any freight holding area. Planning permission will also be required and local residents have objected in the past to any further expansion of the port.

6.3.3 At East Cowes the purpose built but temporary area off Castle Street is used for freight storage and as an overspill freight vehicle waiting area by the ferry operators. The area includes power hookup to allow refrigeration units to operate without running auxiliary engines. In the long run, the proposed SEEDA redevelopment is expected to result in the relocation of the existing ferry terminal waiting and storage areas. It is thus important for the ferry operators to ensure that their needs are adequately catered and provisioned

PAGE 62 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

for in the redevelopment proposals. A discussion on SEEDA’s redevelopment is briefly reported in Chapter 7.

6.3.4 A recent planning application submitted by Red Funnel to operate freight vehicle storage and waiting at Whippingham and at the land adjacent to the A3054/A3021, shown in Figure 6.2 has been rejected by the IOW Council due to local objections. The freight handling area shown off the A3054 comprised two applications, one by Red Funnel and one by Wightlink for both freight and cars have also been rejected by the Council.

Figure 6.2 Possible Sites for Cross Solent Freight Holding Area

6.3.5 The following criterion is proposed to identify the sitting of a freight holding area:

• avoids or at least minimises additional routing required to reach the ferry terminals;

• enables direct access to/from a major road with no local road routing; and

• if possible be sited away from residential areas to enable 24 hour operation.

6.3.6 The site adjacent to the A3054/A3021 roundabout appears to be well sited to serve both East Cowes and Fishbourne. The benefits to East Cowes Terminal

PAGE 63 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

would generally be greater as the journey to the freight storage site does not require additional routing as it is on-route to the terminal. Freight traffic from the east parts of the Island destined for the Fishbourne Terminal would need to travel beyond the terminal access to use the holding area. In order to avoid this double–routing, Fishbourne may be best served by a freight holding area located in a position close to the A3054/Fishbourne Lane junction as shown in Figure 6.2. This would be subject to agreement with the landowner and a successful planning application.

6.3.7 From the freight operation sense, it would be desirable to have two holding areas specifically serving each terminal.

IOW Freight Quality Partnership (FQP)

6.3.8 There is a need to develop and sustain an IOW FQP which is focussed on delivering solutions to cross Solent and local freight transport problems. This would enable better promotion of the freight and ferrying needs through the existing IOW QTP.

6.3.9 Whether it is as an extension of the QTP or as an independent FQP, it should be driven by members including the ferry operators to make a positive difference to the way in which freight transport is conducted and facilitated at both ends of the Solent. The Partnership would be able to appraise the impact of legislation and policy issues, which may affect the way in which freight movements are conducted in the region and to make the appropriate representations the Local Authority concerned.

6.3.10 The provisional LTP213 recognises the QTP as an important partner in the planning and implementation of transport initiatives. LTP2 identifies the development of a freight park and the need to reduce goods transfer time as priority freight measures.

6.3.11 The agenda of the FQP which the QTP implements at present would be to make a positive difference to the way in which freight transport is conducted and facilitated on the Island through:

• influencing freight transport infrastructure developments, capacity and operation, across all modes;

• understanding the Government to industry agenda for freight (including Government Office for the South East, the Southeast Development Agency, the SEERA and the IOW Council);

• offering freight industry to Government feedback and information sharing;

• freight industry to industry information sharing, both across modes and industry sectors; and

13 Provisional IOW LTP2 (2006 – 2011)

PAGE 64 Cross Solent Movement Study 6 Cross Solent Freight Movement

• sharing, encouragement and promotion of best practice on freight, both within industry and between industry and Government.

6.3.12 Existing well established FQP’s in the region could be consulted on the setting up of the IOW FQP.

PAGE 65 Cross Solent Movement Study

7 7

7 Conclusions

7.1 General

7.1.1 The report has discussed current cross Solent ferry operations and identified issues relating to future cross Solent capacity for both passengers and freight. Opportunities for expansion or improvements to supporting infrastructure, including provision at the terminals, have been reviewed and preliminary recommendations are summarized in this concluding section.

7.2 Growth of Cross Solent Travel

7.2.1 The demand for cross Solent travel is expected to grow in the future as a result of:

• increased economic activity associated with the emerging Island Plan;

• having growth on the Island; and

• the ongoing popularity of the IOW as a tourist destination.

7.2.2 Future growth trends for foot passengers, cars (driver and passengers), coaches and commercial vehicles have been derived as high and low forecasts to provide a range of possible scenarios as summarised in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1 Projected Growth in Cross Solent Travel Demand

Forecast Data

2004 Growth 2010 2020 Rate(2) (% growth from 2004)

Passengers 9.3 Low 9.9 (6%) 10.9 (17%) (millions) High 10.4 (12%) 11.9 (28%)

Cars 1.7 Low 1.9 (12%) 2.1 (24%)

(millions) High 2.1 (24%) 2.6 (53%)

Coaches 25 Low 25.5 (5%) 26 (4%)

(‘000) High 33 (32%) 41 (64%)

Commercial 263 Low 290 (10%) 335 (27%) Vehicles High 307 (17%) 369 (40%) (‘000) Note: (1) 1981-2001 data source: IOW Census Atlas and Statistical Handbook 2001 2004 data source: IOW Tourism (2) Growth rate based on two criteria described in Chapter 2

PAGE 67 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

7.2.3 By 2010, total passenger traffic is expected to grow by up to 12% from 2004 levels. Total Car traffic is expected to grow by a quarter during the same period. The high growth forecast for 2010 total cross Solent passenger movement is consistent with the forecast reported in the IOW LTP2 (10.2 million passengers).

7.2.4 In reality, the peak period growth in cross Solent traffic would be affected by a number of factors such as the vehicle holding capacity at the ferry terminals, vessel capacity and the capacity of the adjacent road transport networks.

7.3 Factors Influencing Cross Solent Travel

7.3.1 The demand for individual cross Solent routes, by foot passengers and vehicular transport, is influenced by the destination or departure point on the mainland/island, the mode of travel, price, trip purpose, availability of special offers and the service frequency and travel time. Of these, we identify the destination/departure point and trip purpose as having the greatest influence on the service used.

7.3.2 Vehicular travel for tourism purposes is generally planned in advance to coincide with the peak holiday periods. During the peak months of July and August and during bank holidays, the premium fares charged by the operators appear to have little effect in influencing the time when journeys across the Solent take place.

7.4 Cross Solent Crossing Capacity

7.4.1 The investigation into cross Solent movement concludes that although there is sufficient capacity for all crossing services at present, the existing services may not be able to cope with future travel demands.

Passenger Capacity

7.4.2 The annual total utilisation of cross Solent passenger services is below 0.5 at present. There is expected to be sufficient passenger ferrying capacity for all services up to 2020 as shown in Table 7.2

PAGE 68 Cross Solent Movement Study

7 Conclusions

7.1 General

7.2 Growth of Cross Solent Travel

7.2.1 The demand for cross Solent travel is expected to grow in the future as a result of:

• increased economic activity associated with the emerging Island Plan;

• having growth on the Island; and

• the ongoing popularity of the IOW as a tourist destination.

Table 7.1 Projected Growth in Cross Solent Travel Demand

Forecast Data

2004 Growth 2010 2020 Rate(2) (% growth from 2004)

Passengers 9.3 Low 9.9 (6%) 10.9 (17%) (millions) High 10.4 (12%) 11.9 (28%)

Cars 1.7 Low 1.9 (12%) 2.1 (24%)

(millions) High 2.1 (24%) 2.6 (53%)

Coaches 25 Low 25.5 (5%) 26 (4%)

(‘000) High 33 (32%) 41 (64%)

PAGE 67 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

Table 7.3 Forecast Cross Solent Vehicle Ferry Demand/Capacity

Ferry Route Service Demand/Capacity Provider (assuming high growth rate(1))

2010 2020

Peak Month Annual Peak Month Annual hour hour

Portsmouth- Wightlink 1.05 0.41 0.29 1.29 0.50 0.36 Fishbourne

Lymington- Wightlink 1.08 0.72 0.52 1.34 0.89 0.64 Yarmouth

Southampton- Red Funnel 1.10 0.90 0.64 1.35 1.11 0.79 E Cowes

All vehicle 1.07 0.74 0.55 1.32 0.91 0.68 Ferries Note: (1) Growth rates are described in Chapter 2

7.4.5 Quick win solutions could be considered in the form of additional ferry services, the use of larger ferries or ticket price differentiation to promote off peak travel during these periods. Such measures may also attract additional demands for vehicular crossing traffic.

7.4.6 There may be a case for permanent improvement measures or infrastructure to cope with cross Solent ferrying demands by 2020. It would appear that in view of the inherent uncertainties in the assumptions adopted for forecasting beyond 2010, more detailed investigations are required review the forecast demands. A necessary assumption in the analysis is that the transport links leading to and from the cross Solent ports have indefinite capacity. In reality the amounts of traffic arriving at the port would be limited by the capacity of the inbound and outbound road networks.

7.5 Terminals and Onward Transport Links

7.5.1 The IOW passenger terminal are reasonably well served by public transport services. Ryde in particular is developing as a transport hub with improved integration between cross Solent services, rail and bus. However with the exception of the Island Line rail services the public transport offer from the port is limited to bus and taxi. In the future consideration could be given to the introduction of more rapid forms of public transport to connect the port with key destinations on the Island. An example of this might be a more direct rapid transit connection between Ryde and Newport.

7.5.2 Public transport terminals and cross Solent services would greatly benefit from the availability of real time travel information displays. The provisional

PAGE 70 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

LTP2 recognises the need for additional park and ride sites close to these terminals and these should be actively pursued.

7.5.3 All vehicle ferry terminals, in particular Fishbourne and East Cowes, experience high levels of congestion leading to and from the terminals during August weekends. There is considerably less congestion at other times. This would imply that the terminals have sufficient access provision to cope with existing traffic demands across the year. Appropriate measures may be required to manage this peak weekend surge in road traffic volume to minimise its impact to the adjacent road network.

7.5.4 Generally, these terminals would benefit from:

• the availability of real time travel information advising drivers on congestion at the ferry terminals and on delays to ferry sailing schedules;

• better enforcement to ensure that the terminal access junction capacity is not reduced by parked vehicles; and

• further provision for cycle parking.

7.6 Opportunities for Improvement

Enhance Vehicle Ferry Berthing Facilities

7.6.1 At present, only one ferry berths at the terminals at any one time at both ends of the Solent. This operation appears to be satisfactory as ferry operators efficiently manage the co-ordination of vehicle alighting and boarding without causing delays to the ferry sailing schedule. However, the ferry turnaround time could be reduced if two ferries were to berth simultaneously as alighting and boarding on each of the ferries can run concurrently as shown in Figure 7.1.

7.6.2 This provides the advantage of using the second ferry as a holding facility for vehicles until the next sailing time. This would help alleviate congestion and reduce ferry waiting queues at the terminal area. It also offers the flexibility of reducing the number of ferries in operation during non-peak periods. Ferry operators have sufficient vessels to manage the operation of two ferries berthing at both ends of the Solent simultaneously. Additional infrastructure for ferry berthing would be required at the ports to facilitate this operation.

PAGE 71 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

Figure 7.1 Improvement Option for Double Ferry Berthing

Increase Vehicle Waiting Area

7.6.3 Improvements within the ferry terminal area can be carried out by the ferry operators without further land acquisition and with minimal external consultation. Ferry operators should consider relocating or consolidating any buildings within the marshalling yard to maximise the area available for vehicular use.

7.6.4 Remote marshalling and improved signage and real time information offer a practical means of further optimising available space and resources on site.

7.6.5 Another option, which may result in negative impacts in terms of noise and visual intrusion, is to install a single upper deck above the exiting waiting area which would serve to potentially double the existing vehicles storage capacity at the terminals as shown in Figure 7.2. The upper deck could be limited to light vehicles with heavy vehicle activity restricted on the ground level. The combined effect of two decks and the use of two ferries operating simultaneously at the terminal could potentially increase on-site storage capacity by up to 150%.

7.6.6 The present Red Funnel ferries operating between Southampton and East Cowes have facilities for boarding the lower ferry deck while vehicles are still alighting simultaneously from the upper ferry deck speeding turn around time. Whilst similar ferries could be introduced between Portsmouth and Fishbourne, Wightlink have chosen to do without the development of potentially visually intrusive loading ramps by incorporating an internal ramp system on their newest ferry.

PAGE 72 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

Figure 7.2 Improvement Option for a Two deck Vehicle Marshalling Yard

Increase Ferry Capacity

7.6.7 Depending on the growth in cross Solent travel demands, ferry operators are expected to introduce larger and faster ferries to increase ferrying capacity. It would be desirable for ferry operators to work together with the IOW Council to determine future fleet improvement strategies. The ferry operators have advised that the Lymington estuary imposes a restriction to the size of ferries that can use the Yarmouth to Lymington route.

Improve Public Transport Provision

7.6.8 The proposed improvement to the Ryde Public Transport Interchange will greatly benefit cross Solent foot passengers traveling through Ryde. Commuters would be able to interchange between modes in a safe and comfortable environment in the future. The Cowes and Yarmouth interchanges could also benefit from similar improvements.

7.6.9 The provision of additional Park & Ride sites as identified in LTP2 will contribute to reducing private car congestion at the ferry terminals.

PAGE 73 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

Provision for freight holding area outside the terminal

7.6.10 As freight vehicles occupy considerably more space than cars it would perhaps be better to park/store a proportion of vehicles off-site at a freight holding area. The advantage of operating a holding site is to enable just-in- time freight loading into the ferries. This would result in optimisation of car/coach queuing and also for the queuing of freight vehicles that would be boarding. The holding area would also provide the opportunity to operate a consolidation/transhipment centre for the Islands freight activity.

7.6.11 The IOW Council may need to take a more proactive approach to assist the freight industry identify a suitable site or sites for this activity. Possible sites previously proposed for this activity subject to planning approval and land ownership issues are:

• the land adjacent to the A3054/A3021 roundabout; and

• the land to the south of the current A3054 convenient to Fishbourne Lane.

IOW Freight Quality Partnership (FQP)

7.6.12 There is a need to develop and sustain an IOW FQP which is focussed on delivering solutions to cross Solent and local freight transport problems. This would enable better promotion of the freight and ferrying needs through the existing IOW QTP.

7.6.13 The provisional LTP214 recognises the QTP as an important partner in the planning and implementation of transport initiatives. LTP2 identifies the development of a freight park and the need to reduce goods transfer time as priority freight measures.

The Regeneration of East Cowes

7.6.14 The East Cowes Planning Project, promoted by SEEDA and by English Partnerships, is intended to rejuvenate and transform the area. The proposals, which are at the Outline Planning Application stage, include:

• the revitalisation of East Cowes town centre;

• the creation of a new marine quarter on the waterfront;

• relocation and enhancement of the ferry marshalling facilities; and

• approximately 550 new residential homes.

14 Provisional IOW LTP2 (2006 – 2011)

PAGE 74 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

7.6.15 The regeneration proposal is shown in Figure 7.3. This project will segregate vehicular access to the terminal from Cowes town centre traffic. Access to the new ferry terminal would be through Well Road off York Avenue to minimise the impact of ferry traffic on the town centre. The proposed traffic arrangement also reduces the conflict between floating bridge and ferry traffic in the town centre.

7.6.16 The proposed marshalling yard appears to be about double the existing site size and consolidation on to a single site should help marshalling operations. Increased capacity will help reduce the build up of queues that occur presently en-route to the terminal. A disadvantage is that the retention of the existing ferry berth reduces the opportunity for longer term expansion and may bring operational constraints.

7.6.17 There does not appear to be any provision for an off-street waiting area for the floating bridge traffic. It is important that consideration be made for this waiting area to reduce the impacts of the build up of queues on the town centre.

7.6.18 There is no reference to a secondary over spill marshalling yard or separate freight storage area at East Cowes within the regeneration area beyond the new marshalling area. It is important that the ferry and floating bridge operator make their representations for supporting facilities together with the required resources which would help improve their operations.

PAGE 75 Cross Solent Movement Study 7 Conclusions

Figure 7.3 The East Cowes Regeneration Proposal

PAGE 76 Cross Solent Movement Study Appendices

Appendix A 2004 IOW Statistics on Cross Solent Movement

Appendix B Fares for Cross Solent Crossings

Appendix C Derivation of Cross Solent Service Capacity