ABP Southampton Environmental Statement for Port of Southampton: Berth 201/202 Works Appendix M Transport Assessment ABP Southampton - Berth 201 / 202 Works Transport Assessment david tucker associates t r a n s p o r t p l a n n i n g c o n s u l t a n t s ABP Southampton - Berth 201 / 202 Works Transport Assessment Prepared by: David Tucker Associates Forester House Doctors Lane Henley-in-Arden B95 5AW Tel: 01564 793598 Fax: 01564 793983 [email protected] www.dtatransportation.co.uk Prepared for: ABP Southampton 20th October 2011 Ocean Gate SJT/SKP/13125-02_Transport Assessment Final.docx Atlantic Way Southampton SO14 3QN © David Tucker Associates No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior permission of David Tucker Associates Contents Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 THE WORKS 3 2.1 Introduction 3 2.2 Employee Movements 3 2.3 Assessment Scenarios 3 2.4 Terminal Container Demand 4 2.5 Construction Traffic 6 3.0 POLICY CONTEXT 8 3.1 Introduction 8 3.2 National Planning and Transport Policies and Guidance 8 3.3 Regional Strategy 14 3.4 Local Policy and Guidance 15 4.0 EXISTING BACKGROUND CONDITIONS 21 4.1 Introduction 21 4.2 Highway Network 21 4.3 Base Line Traffic Flows 22 4.4 Accident Data 27 4.5 Air Quality Management Areas 28 5.0 TRAFFIC GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION ASSESSMENT 29 5.1 Introduction 29 5.2 Overall Annual Movements 29 5.3 Conversion of Box to HGV movements (Annual) 31 5.4 Conversion of Annual Movements to Average Daily Movements 33 5.5 Adjustment for Monthly Variation 35 5.6 Conversion of Peak Daily Flows to Hourly Flows 36 5.7 Forecast Peak Hour Movements from Container Movements 38 5.8 Employee Traffic Generation 39 5.9 Operational HGV Traffic Generation 39 5.10 Traffic Distribution - Strategic Network 39 5.11 Traffic Distribution Local Road Network 40 6.0 ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC IMPACTS 42 6.1 Forecast Year Scenarios 42 6.2 Future Forecast Growth and Committed Development Traffic 43 6.3 Change in Flows 46 6.4 Operational Traffic Impact Conclusions 47 6.5 Construction Traffic Impacts 51 7.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 52 i Figures Figure 1 Site Location Figure 2 Strategic Highway Network Appendices Appendix A Geldard Consulting Rail Report Appendix B 2011 Base Traffic Counts Appendix C 2011 DPWS Data Appendix D Personal Injury Accident Data Appendix E Traffic Generation Forecasts Appendix F Overall Traffic Generation Appendix G Strategic Traffic Distribution ii ABP Southampton: Berth 201/202 Works Transport Assessment 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 DTA has been commissioned by ABP Southampton to assess the transport implications of the proposed berth 201 / 202 works at the Port of Southampton as shown on Figure 1. 1.2 In 2008 Associated British Ports (ABP) submitted applications for certain works that, if consented, will bring berths 201 and 202 at the Container Terminal at the Port of Southampton back into deep sea container use. These applications are still being considered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), as the relevant determining body. 1.3 The applications, when submitted, were accompanied by an Environmental Statement (ES). It has recently become clear that further information, to supplement the ES, is required before a decision on the applications can be made by the MMO. The traffic implications of the project are one area on which further information is being produced. 1.4 This Transport Assessment (TA) has therefore been prepared to consider the road traffic implications of the project and forms the basis of the relevant assessment chapter provided in the further information. As well as being able to be read as a stand-alone document, this TA also forms Appendix M to the Environmental Statement. 1.5 This TA and the relevant ES chapter consider the road traffic implications of the proposals in detail. The rail traffic implications of the proposals are considered in a separate ES chapter which is based upon work undertaken by Geldard Consulting. A technical note on the broad assumptions is included at Appendix A. Where necessary, this TA makes references to findings of the rail assessment. 1.6 The methodology used for this TA takes account of ‘Guidance on Transport Assessment’ (GTA) issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in March 2007. SJT/SKP/13125-02_Transport Assessment Final.docFinal 20th October 2011 1 ABP Southampton: Berth 201/202 Works Transport Assessment 1.7 The GTA places significant emphasis on requiring a review of accessibility of development sites by all modes to assess acceptability and mitigation measures. In this case, the majority of change in demand will be related to HGV movements rather than staff or general public accessibility. 1.8 The assessment therefore focuses on the strategic implications of the development and the HGV traffic generation which may arise as a result of the project. 1.9 In particular it considers the potential road transport and highways impacts of the proposals including the impact of the development generated traffic on the capacity and safety of the surrounding road network. 1.10 Taking account of the various guidelines, the TA is structured as follows: • Chapter 2: The Works – setting out base assumptions and description of development. • Chapter 3: Policy Background • Chapter 4: Existing Background Conditions • Chapter 5: Traffic Generation and Distribution Assessment • Chapter 6: Assessment of Traffic Impacts • Chapter 7: Summary and Conclusions 1.11 The base assumptions and scope of methodology set out in this report have been submitted to and discussed with Southampton City Council (SCC), Hampshire County Council (HCC) and the Highways Agency (HA). As a unitary authority SCC are the relevant highway authority for the public road network to which the Port immediately connects. HCC are the highway authority for the other elements of the local road network close to the Port that are not controlled by SCC. The HA are the highway authority for the strategic road network into which the local network connects. Where appropriate their views have been incorporated within the TA. SJT/SKP/13125-02_Transport Assessment Final.docFinal 20th October 2011 2 ABP Southampton: Berth 201/202 Works Transport Assessment 2.0 THE WORKS 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 ABP propose to deepen the dredged pocket for berths 201 and 202 within the Port of Southampton, reconstruct the quay walls to both berths and subsequently bring the berths back into deep-sea container use. 2.1.2 As explained in detail within Chapter 7 of the ES, the assessment considers the Container Terminal operating at the maximum capacity considered to be achievable with the berth 201 / 202 works in place. This capacity is considered to be 2.8m TEU (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units). As explained in Chapter 7 this has been taken as the basis of the assessment even though the increase to 2.8m TEU from current throughput levels will not solely be achieved by the berth 201 / 202 works. Throughout the following road traffic assessment this scenario is subsequently referred to as The Future Position With the Works. 2.1.3 From a road transport perspective, as dealt with in this report and having regard to the requirements of the GTA, the key issues arising from the project are the impacts relating to any increased road travel demands arising from the change in capacity of the Container Terminal. These are related back to the baseline (i.e. what has occurred) and the fallback position (i.e. what could or would occur without the Works). These matters are explained further in section 2.3. 2.2 Employee Movements 2.2.1 At present, the Container Terminal employs a total of 820 staff, working on two shift patterns (0730-1930 and 1930-0730). In the anticipated year of opening (2014), the berth operation will generate 36 jobs. Thereafter between 2015 and 2027, the berth operation is estimated to generate 12 additional jobs per year. This results in an additional 192 jobs by 2027. As with the existing employees, these will be split over two shifts, with neither involving start/finish times related to traffic network peak hours. The absolute change in traffic flows arising from increased staff levels will be negligible during peak hours and modest in terms of daily flows. SJT/SKP/13125-02_Transport Assessment Final.docFinal 20th October 2011 3 ABP Southampton: Berth 201/202 Works Transport Assessment 2.3 Assessment Scenarios 2.3.1 As indicated in section 2.1, it is necessary to determine what the position is against which consideration of the road transport implications of the project is undertaken. Throughout this TA a number of different terminal capacity and throughput positions are referred to. 2.3.2 This section of the report sets out the details of those positions (subsequently called scenarios). These are based on analysis undertaken by ABP and its consultant team. The details leading to the definition of these scenarios is provided in the ES. 2.3.3 The Historic Baseline scenario relates to the maximum annual level of throughput of containers that to date has been handled by the Container Terminal. This level was in the order of 1.9m TEU (1.87m TEU) and occurred in 2007. 2.3.4 The Current Baseline scenario relates to the level of throughput of containers predicted to occur in 2011. As a result of the economic downturn, throughput at the Container Terminal since 2007 has reduced. The overall 2011 throughput is predicted to be in the order of 1.6m TEU.