Medway Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 Helping deliver Medway: a city of learning, culture, tourism, and high technology CONTENTS Section 1 An introduction to Medway Section 2 Transport in the wider context Section 3 Community Involvement Section 4 Medway’s six transport priorities Section 5 Assessment of issues Section 6 Medway’s eight transport objectives Section 7 Medway’s 24 transport targets Section 8 Medway’s action plan for transport Section 9 Working in partnership Section 10 Value for money Section 11 What Medway plans to do and when Appendix A Analysis of Medway’s provisional targets Appendix B LTP finance tables Appendix C Supporting Strategies Underlining denotes additional text compared to provisional plan 1-1 Section 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO MEDWAY 1.1 THE REGENERATION OF MEDWAY 1.1.1 We aim to be a city of learning, culture, tourism, and high technology at the heart of the Thames Gateway. We are already well in our way to reach our goal. There is much to do. 1.1.2 Regeneration is the top priority in Medway, the delivery of major development sites together with the rejuvenation of Chatham town centre are key during the life of this plan. Transport will make a significant contribution to the regeneration of Medway. For this reason the plan includes a local priority covering sustainable regeneration. The council’s vision: To make Medway a city of learning culture, tourism, and high technology. 1.1.3 The LTP will be delivered across eight key objectives, with supporting regeneration, improving travel safety, movement in Medway and improving accessibility being of the highest importance. 1.1.4 This plan builds on the successes delivered during the first LTP period, including significantly reducing road casualties, the introduction of innovative public transport initiatives such as the 30 pence fare scheme for the elderly and people with disabilities, yellow bus scheme for schools, and improvements to conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. We still have the challenge of increased travel demand associated with the development of major regeneration sites in the area, particularly because Medway lies at the heart of the Thames Gateway. The increase in budget allocation by government through the changes to the integrated transport allocation formula is welcome and will assist with the increasing demands linked to other agendas of the council. 1.1.5 A number of major transport schemes are identified in Medway’s LTP and these include: · A major reconfiguration of the Chatham ring road · Improvements to the A228 between Ropers Lane and Grain · Transport for Medway short term and long term projects · Public Transport Improvement schemes, and · Installation of an Urban Traffic Management Control System 1.1.6 Every opportunity has been taken to show links between, national, regional and local agendas in this LTP to demonstrate the Underlining denotes additional text compared to provisional plan 1-2 importance of integration and cross boundary working with council, health authorities and external key organisations so that there is a coordinated approach during the life of the plan. The LTP is seen as an Action Plan for implementing transport related schemes and also an integral part of the councils Community Plan. 1.2 CONTEXT 1.2.1 This section sets out the reasons for the document and describes the overriding aims of the LTP. The section provides an overview of Medway’s characteristics, and mentions transport issues in the local context of regeneration and urban renaissance. Key challenges are raised together with the prospects for transport investment. The importance of stakeholder consultation is mentioned and how this has assisted in shaping the LTP. 1.2.2 This section links: · forward to section 2 where the key challenges are expanded relating to regional, sub regional and local issues relating to Medway. Section 2. Section 1. Transport in Section 4. An introduction the wider Medway’s six to Medway context transport priorities Section 5. Section 3. Assessment of issues Community involvement Section 6. Section 7. Medway’s eight Medway’s 24 transport transport targets Section 9. objectives Working in Partnership Section 8. Section 10. Section 11. Medway’s action plan for Value for transport money What Medway plans to do and when Underlining denotes additional text compared to provisional plan 1-3 1.3 THE TRANSPORT ACT 2000 1.3.1 The Transport Act 2000 requires the majority of local transport authorities in England, outside London, to produce and implement a Local Transport Plan, in a way that takes account of statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State. The LTP system aims to encourage high quality planning and effective delivery of local transport and seeks to provide a basis for monitoring performance locally. 1.4 LTP GUIDANCE NOTES 1.4.1 The Department for Transport (DfT) produced full guidance notes to assist all Local Authorities in producing the second edition of their LTPs. Medway’s provisional LTP was produced in July 2005 for consultation purposes in advance of this finalised LTPs. 1.4.2 The overriding aim of the LTP guidance seeks: · to enhance the quality of local transport planning · to increase the effectiveness of the LTP system as a performance system · to focus efforts on a small number of key priorities 1.4.3 The DfT now expects all transport authorities to: - · focus on delivering a smaller set of key outcomes, reflecting the shared priorities agreed between central and local government · improving access to jobs and services, particularly for those most in need, in ways that are sustainable · improved public transport, reduced problems of congestion, pollution and safety In order to meet the above objectives, the guidance notes have established four new key principles, which LTPs should meet. 1.4.4 The guidance requires LTP objectives that: - · set transport in a wider context · set locally relevant targets for outcome indicators · identify the best value-for-money solutions to deliver those targets · set trajectories for key targets, to enable greater transparency and rigour in assessing performance Underlining denotes additional text compared to provisional plan 1-4 The guidance notes suggest that LTPs should also encompass other changes since the first round of LTPs. These include:- · five-year ‘Planning Guideline’ budgets for the maintenance and integrated transport blocks, to inform LTP development · a new requirement to produce accessibility strategies as part of the LTP · the progressive incorporation of Air Quality Action Plans and Rights of Way Improvement Plans · a Transport Asset Management Plan report · a Strategic Environmental Assessment 1.5 MEDWAY IN CONTEXT 1.5.1 Medway is part of the Thames Gateway, a national priority area for regeneration and growth. At the centre of urban Medway are the five historic towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham with larger villages in the more rural parts of Medway including the Medway Valley villages of Cuxton and Halling and the isle of Grain. The River Medway is at the heart of this urban conurbation and provides a rich resource for commerce and tourism as well as a historical link for the area. 1.5.2 Medway is only 30 miles from London [to the west] and 40 miles from Dover [to the east] and is surrounded by the administrative area of Kent. Medway is characterised by a highly populated urban area situated around the River Medway estuary, to the north and west of which lie substantial rural areas. It is the largest urban conurbation in the South East outside London. 1.5.3 Today, the river is still shaping the area and its business, leisure and growth. Medway is recognised by the government as a major element of the developing Thames Gateway region which will play an increasing role on the European and global stage. It is situated in Kent in the South East of England just 45 minutes from the centre of London, the Channel Tunnel and ports. The area has excellent access to the national motorway and rail networks. 1.5.4 Medway Council is a unitary authority, providing all local government services to the people of Medway. The population of Medway is around 250,000. Being within the Thames Gateway Medway is under pressure to provide more residential and commercial development with a population expected to grow from around 250,000 to about 300,000 by 2020. This growth needs to be handled in a controlled and sustainable way. 1.5.5 In Medway the percentage of 16 to 74 year olds in employment is 64.5%; this is above the average percentage for the whole of Underlining denotes additional text compared to provisional plan 1-5 England which is 60.6%. The population age distribution places Medway at an average of 36.5 years and this ranks the authority 7th youngest in the south east region. This average compares to mean ages of 39.1 regionally and 38.7 nationally. Therefore Medway has a younger than average population, older people in the area are living longer and more independently than 10 years ago. This means there will be an increasing demand for health and social care for older people in the next ten years and at the same time high demand for services to children and young people compared to other areas. This increased demand for services will result in further demands for travel. 1.5.6 Single person households now make up almost a third of total households in Medway, reflecting the increase in family breakdown and the numbers of older people living on their own. Conversely, the proportion of traditional family households has declined to 50%; although this is higher than the rest of the South East. 1.5.7 Ethnic groups in Medway make up 5.4% of the population compared with 8.7% nationally.