Transportation Stoke-on-Trent City Council April 2010 (on behalf of West Midlands Leaders Board, Advantage West Midlands and Staffordshire Policy & Economics County Council) North Staffordshire Connectivity Study Stage 2 Report; Analysis, Longlisting and Initial Sifting Prepared by: ............................................................. Checked by: ........................................................................ Sarah Loynes Peter Bradbury Senior Consultant Associate Director Approved by: ............................................................. Paul Knight Director North Staffordshire Connectivity Study Rev No Comments Checked by Approved Date by 1 Early Draft for Comment PTB PMJK 15/04/2010 2 Second Draft for Comment PTB PMJK 27/04/2010 Beaufort House, 94/96 Newhall Street, Birmingham, B3 1PB Telephone: 0121 262 1900 Website: http://www.aecom.com Job No 60140243.M002 Reference Date Created: April 2010 This document is confidential and the copyright of AECOM Limited. Any unauthorised reproduction or usage by any person other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. f:\tem\project\traffic - stoke on trent city council - highways and civils enginering framework\m003 - north staffs connectivity study\stage 2 - identification of potential interventions\stage 2 report draft.doc Table of Contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 North Staffordshire Connectivity Study – Stage 2 ................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Study Objectives and Stage 1 Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 2 2 The Case for Investment in North Staffordshire ............................................................................................................ 7 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Cost of Economic Decline ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Equality of Opportunity, Economy and Transport .................................................................................................. 9 2.4 Higher Impact Outcomes – Linking Investment ................................................................................................... 16 2.5 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 3 Appraisal Process .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.2 Approach to Appraisal ......................................................................................................................................... 23 3.3 Problem and Issues............................................................................................................................................. 24 3.4 Wider Policy Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 24 3.5 Affordability ......................................................................................................................................................... 26 3.6 Deliverability ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 3.7 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 4 Longlisting and Stakeholder Engagement ................................................................................................................... 29 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 4.2 Longlist Development .......................................................................................................................................... 29 4.3 Stakeholder Engagement .................................................................................................................................... 32 4.4 Work with other Studies and Regions ................................................................................................................. 36 4.5 Sharing Good Practice ........................................................................................................................................ 37 5 Initial Sifting Process ..................................................................................................................................................... 39 5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 39 5.2 Sifting Analysis Approach .................................................................................................................................... 39 5.3 Local Problem Fit and DaSTS Strategic Fit ......................................................................................................... 40 5.4 DaSTS Economy and Carbon Goal Analysis ...................................................................................................... 41 5.5 Deliverability and Affordability Analysis ............................................................................................................... 42 5.6 Overall Conclusions from Initial Sift ..................................................................................................................... 43 6 Further Work ................................................................................................................................................................... 45 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 45 6.2 Proposals for Next Stages ................................................................................................................................... 45 Appendix 1 Full Longlist of Interventions .................................................................................................................................. 53 Appendix 2 Study Area State Benefits Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 67 Appendix 3 Stakeholder Consultation ........................................................................................................................................ 75 1 Introduction AECOM North Staffordshire Connectivity Study 2 1 Introduction 1.1 North Staffordshire Connectivity Study – Stage 2 This report follows on from the Stage 1 Report which provided detailed analysis of the problems and underlying causes within the region. This document provides the final analysis required to complete phase 1 of the DfT‟s DaSTS study programme. A brief re-cap of the study objectives and stage 1 conclusions is provided below. 1.2 Study Objectives and Stage 1 Conclusions Study Objectives The principal objectives of the study are: To reduce congestion and improve journey reliability on the strategic highway network across North Staffordshire, through better management and prioritisation of traffic movements within and through the study area To improve the capability, capacity and attractiveness of public transport as an option for travel to, from and within the North Staffordshire conurbation To deliver a reduction in the levels of transport‟s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, thereby positively contributing to tackling climate change To decrease the modal share of peak time journeys by car To significantly enhance opportunities for transport to contribute positively to people‟s safety, security and health, for example through the availability of travel modes that are beneficial to health To deliver a transport system which is more inclusive for all members of society, in terms of accessibility and affordability In this report, we have sought to answer the two questions posed in the Study Brief for this stage: How can the underlying causes of problems be overcome? Sifting to identify a shorter list of measures to take forward for further consideration 1.2.1 Phase 1,Stage 1 Problems and Issues In terms of transport, the most pressing causation factor is the internal connectivity of the conurbation which currently prevents a transition to a unified economic area with the City Centre acting as its heart. This connectivity affects not just business to business transactions but more importantly, the ability of the local labour market to support the economy. The workforce within the study area tends to travel in very localised patterns and the situation is further exacerbated by low