Mksm Transport Strategy July 2009
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mksm Partnership mksm Transport Strategy July 2009 Connecting the mksm sub-region TRANSPORT TRAFFIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING URBAN DESIGN ECONOMICS MARKET RESEARCH colinbuchanan.com mksm Inter-Urban Transport Strategy Connecting the mksm sub-region Project No: 16096 July 2009 10 Eastbourne Terrace, London, W2 6LG Telephone: 020 7053 1300 Fax: 020 7053 1301 Email : [email protected] Prepared by: Approved by: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Atholl Noon/David Quarmby David Quarmby Status: Final Issue no: 5 Date: 14 July 2009 16096-01-1 mksm final report v12 290709 .doc (C) Copyright Colin Buchanan and Partners Limited. All rights reserved. This report has been prepared for the exclusive use of the commissioning party and unless otherwise agreed in writing by Colin Buchanan and Partners Limited, no other party may copy, reproduce, distribute, make use of, or rely on the contents of the report. No liability is accepted by Colin Buchanan and Partners Limited for any use of this report, other than for the purposes for which it was originally prepared and provided. Opinions and information provided in this report are on the basis of Colin Buchanan and Partners Limited using due skill, care and diligence in the preparation of the same and no explicit warranty is provided as to their accuracy. It should be noted and is expressly stated that no independent verification of any of the documents or information supplied to Colin Buchanan and Partners Limited has been made mksm Inter-Urban Transport Strategy Connecting the mksm sub-region Contents Executive Summary 1 1 Introduction 17 1.1 Background 17 1.2 Scope and objectives of this Study 18 1.3 The transport planning context 20 1.4 Approach of the study 21 2 mksm overview 24 2.1 Vision and business plan 24 2.2 The regional context 24 2.3 The sub-regional economy and the growth agenda 25 2.4 Transport networks 27 3 Patterns of travel in mksm 35 3.1 General 35 3.2 Employment travel patterns 38 4 Employment and sustainable growth 41 4.1 Introduction 41 4.2 ‘Local’ versus ‘sub-regional’ employment 41 5 Accessibility 44 5.1 Methodology 44 5.2 Accessibility of businesses to labour 44 5.3 Accessibility of businesses to other businesses 45 5.4 Accessibility of housing to employment 47 5.5 Accessibility of housing to employment 49 5.6 Accessibility conclusions 50 6 Corridor flows 51 6.1 Introduction 51 6.2 Results 52 7 Issues and challenges 54 7.1 The growth agenda 54 7.2 The DaSTS goals and mksm 55 7.3 National networks - road 58 7.4 National networks - rail 62 7.5 Inter-urban bus networks 64 7.6 Local transport issues 66 7.7 Planning within mksm 66 7.8 Conclusion - priorities for networks/modes 67 8 A strategy for mksm 68 8.1 Purpose of the strategy 68 8.2 Elements of the strategy 69 8.3 Strategy issues 69 8.4 A sub-regional network 70 8.5 Strategy summary 73 Appendix A – Current RFA priorities 74 Appendix B - mksm travel, population & employment 76 Appendix C – EERM data 81 Appendix D – Accessibility analysis 82 mksm Inter-Urban Transport Strategy Connecting the mksm sub-region Appendix E – Corridor flows 83 Appendix F –Response to DaSTS consultation 84 Appendix G – Proposal for M1 Corridor Studies 85 Appendix H – Proposal for Northampton Arc Study 86 Appendix I - Inter-urban bus networks 87 Tables Table 2.1: mksm 2006 sectoral employment structure (%) 26 Table 2.2: mksm Housing and Jobs growth 2001-2021 26 Table 3.1: mksm Journey to Work mode share Census (%) 37 Table A.1: RFA schemes in mksm sub-region 74 Figures Figure S.1: mksm sub-region showing growth points 3 Figure S.2: Conceptual sub-regional network 15 Figure 1.1: mksm sub-region showing growth points 18 Figure 1.2: Study process 22 Figure 2.1: DaSTS national network (mksm) 28 Figure 2.2: M1 J19 preferred scheme 29 Figure 2.3: mksm rail network 31 Figure 2.4: mksm 2009 inter-urban bus network 34 Figure 3.1: Summary of am peak highway trip patterns 35 Figure 3.2: EERM Am peak vehicle mksm journey purpose (%) 36 Figure 3.3: Am peak travel movements to/from mksm 37 Figure 3.4: Workplace of mksm residents (excl. mksm, 2001) 38 Figure 3.5: Residence of mksm workers (excl. mksm, 2001) 39 Figure 3.6: mksm “Top 20” journey to work corridors ( 2001 census) 40 Figure 4.1: 2008 Employment and population estimates 42 Figure 4.2: 2008-2021 – Change in population and employment 43 mksm Inter-Urban Transport Strategy Connecting the mksm sub-region Figure 5.1: Employment change 2008 to 2021 vs. population (road) 44 Figure 5.2: Employment change 2008 to 2021 vs. population (rail) 45 Figure 5.3: Employment change 08-21 vs. reg employment (road) 46 Figure 5.4: Employment change 08-21 vs. reg employment (by rail) 46 Figure 5.5: Pop change 08-21 vs. employment (road) 47 Figure 5.6: Population change 08-21 vs. 2021 employment (by rail) 48 Figure 5.7: 2021 Rail vs. Road access to employment 48 Figure 5.8: 2021 Access of population to employment (by road) 49 Figure 5.9: 2021 Access of population to employment (by rail) 50 Figure 6.1: Indicative Corridors flows 2021 51 Figure 6.2: Corridor priorities 2021 52 Figure 8.1: Conceptual Sub-regional network 71 mksm Inter-Urban Transport Strategy Connecting the mksm sub-region Executive Summary Introduction Milton Keynes/South Midlands – mksm – will see a 25% growth in population to 2 million by 2021 and 200,000 more jobs. Sitting astride the M1, A14 and two strategic rail corridors, mksm has strong connectivity with London and other cities, and with ports and airports, which have helped to fuel its growth and will continue to do so. But mksm faces challenges: it depends heavily on the national networks (road and rail) for movement within the sub-region as well as to and from it, and any congestion and overcrowding, and measures taken to prioritise the needs of longer-distance movement will be to mksm’s disadvantage. Second, mksm sits at the intersection of three administrative regions, which complicates the strategic planning, funding and advocacy processes. So mksm – a clutch of major towns and their hinterlands linked by a common destiny of growth – need to develop their own views of what is required in transport terms to enable and sustain their growth. The task is to ensure that the ambitious growth agenda is matched by action to support its successful delivery The Scope and Nature of this Report – an inter-urban strategy Colin Buchanan was appointed by the mksm partnership of local authorities and regional agencies to develop an inter-urban transport strategy for the mksm sub-region – that is, an integrated strategy for the networks connecting the towns to each other, to their rural catchments and to the rest of the country. The study does not explicitly consider transport or traffic issues within the towns; these are the subject of local transport plans. We are aware, of course, that the levels of congestion and ease of movement within the towns can affect their desirability and attractiveness for development, alongside their connectivity to other towns, cities, ports and industrial centres. In addition, ease of movement into and out of the towns does have an effect on the whole interurban journey, whether by bus, car, van or freight vehicle. Our analysis of interurban networks, including levels of congestion and journey speeds, therefore does take account of the urban radial roads leading to the regional and national networks. We also emphasise that this report is not a ‘transport plan’ – it is not a set of schemes or specific policy proposals. Developing those is the responsibility of local authorities, regional and national agencies. This study, commissioned by the mksm partnership, provides a strategic framework for capturing, analysing and prioritising the key issues for transport – those that are special to mksm as a designated area of very substantial growth. So this report informs the formal processes (LTP3, RFA, DaSTS regional and national planning processes for highways and rail, etc). It presents analysis, insights, concerns, issues and recommendations which enrich these processes, helping to ensure that the particular needs and concerns of the mksm area and its local and regional partners are taken on board. And it also makes recommendations for action which we believe the mksm partnership itself can facilitate and progress – such as for the interurban bus network.. The planning context The mksm transport strategy is about enabling successful delivery of the growth agenda. Its focus is on inter-urban movement of people and goods, and on the inter-urban networks – road, rail and bus - 1 mksm Inter-Urban Transport Strategy Connecting the mksm sub-region which link the towns and settlements to each other, to the important nearby destinations, and to London, other major business centres and international gateways. The strategy informs and provides context for the local transport plans of the individual towns and counties; the strategy also seeks to influence the processes of regional transport planning, and of national network planning by the DfT (Department for Transport) and its agencies and partners. The government’s recently announced framework for transport planning – DaSTS (Delivering a Sustainable Transport System) – sets a clear timetable, context and process for the national and regional bodies to prepare their proposals for the 2012 Transport Plan (which will determine plans, priorities and funding for 2014-2019 and indicatively beyond that); in particular there is an invitation to the regions and national bodies to bid by June for programmes of studies which will support the planning process towards 2012.