Appendix 3 SCRUTINY REVIEW PANEL 2 – 2016/2017 TTRRAANNSSPPOORRTT FFIINNAALL RREEPPOORRTT 5 April 2017 Page 1 of 114 CONTENTS Page Contents 2 Chair’s Overview 3 Introduction 5 Methodology 5 Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations 7 Key Learning Points 96 Membership and Attendance 97 Background Information 100 Proposed Recommendations 103 Proposed Recommendations with Officer Comments 105 Page 2 of 114 CHAIR’S OVERVIEW Councillor Aysha Raza (Panel Chair) Tasked with scrutinising Transport in Ealing was a daunting prospect for our Panel, with the subject matter being so very vast. As a non-driver I have been using public transport all my life and know first-hand its strengths and challenges. Ealing is currently facing some major transportation challenges with the progress of Crossrail/Elizabeth Line, possible third runway for Heathrow, HS2 and the huge restructuring of our healthcare. We envisaged looking at our borough's transport connectivity taking these current projects into consideration, with a view to identifying the gaps where provision is limited to find solutions for the residents living there. It is particularly important to have good inter- borough connections with our neighbouring boroughs such as Brent, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow as we will now be expected to access many services such as healthcare provision over the whole North West London area. Connectivity within our borough is key to economic prosperity ensuring people are able to move around our borough with reliable transportation to get to and from work and places of education as well as access our parks and leisure facilities. Health strategies are increasingly focused on prevention and better ageing for our population. With public health firmly back as a Council responsibility we need to encourage our residents to be more active and lead longer healthier lives in Ealing. Increased exercise is at the centre of our health strategy and as such we must encourage more walking and cycling. Schemes, such as the walking school buses, must be encouraged at all schools which would prevent the unpleasant traffic jams outside schools as well as yield enormous health benefits. Page 3 of 114 The Mayor of London; Sadiq Khan, has pledged to improve London's increasingly poor levels of air quality which can only be achieved with a marked reduction in vehicles. As the queen of the suburbs, famed for our green spaces we need to play our part in this important environmental policy in the capital. Buses on our networks are becoming increasingly green with a view to becoming completely electric fleets. Cars too are encouraged to wean off polluting fuels and become electric. Unprecedented pressures on housing have led to the development of the Southall old gasworks site and the old Glaxo site in Greenford, these will be thousands of homes, increasing the pressures on our existing ageing transport network. It is imperative that we make robust transport plans for these new communities to thrive and not just become isolated corners of Ealing. Our Panel has looked at the most used modes of public transport in Ealing with meetings on rail, underground, buses and pedestrian access. We have managed to invite speakers from TfL, GWR, Crossrail, and TfL buses to name a few, and discuss extensively the challenges our transport network currently faces. I have also tried to encourage the Panel members to experience first-hand the issues raised at meetings. I would like to thank Ealing Council staff in preparing reports and background for all our meetings, those that came in to inform us further on their particular specialisms. Our field trips added experience, to see for ourselves the practicalities and challenges of using public transport in Ealing. Particular thanks to Harjeet Bains and Lee Teasdale for their support with this Panel. Also, Russell Roberts and Chris Cole from our Transport department; John Gashion from EPTUG; James Guest and Alan Cook from Ealing Healthwatch for their hard work supplying us with very detailed background. I trust it is an insightful report into the current state of our transport network in Ealing on which we can build and improve. There were many other avenues we would have liked to explore to give a more comprehensive account and we hope to do this next year by extending this Panel's work. We hope to carry out a residents’ survey to produce a user friendly Transport connectivity map of the borough for transport links during the day and night to complete our work. Page 4 of 114 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The main purpose of Scrutiny Review Panel 2 – 2016/2017: Transport was to consider how public transport connectivity and walking/pedestrian routes in the borough could be improved. 1.2 The scope of the Panel was to consider the following four key areas relating to the transport systems in the borough: - Borough Connectivity (an overview of using public transport in the borough) - Rail Connectivity (e.g. tube/night tube, overground, etc.) - Walking/Pedestrian Routes (including school travel plans, accessibility on the pavements and within parks/open spaces, etc.) - Bus Connectivity (easier and safer journeys e.g. hospitals, joining hubs, etc.) 1.3 The Panel agreed that its overarching remit would be to look at how public transport use could augment and support pedestrians in the borough, encouraging healthier living and a move away from private vehicles, which in turn would support the local and wider environment. 2.0 METHODOLOGY General 2.1 The Panel received reports and presentations from internal services, external agencies and expert witnesses at their meetings. There were five scheduled meetings in the year held in Ealing Town Hall. The Panel decided to devote a single meeting to each of the four selected key areas. The Panel also conducted several site visits within and outside the Borough which complemented this work. Co-option 2.2 The Panel co-opted Mr John Gashion (Vice Chairman, Ealing Passenger Transport Users’ Group) onto the Panel at the first meeting. The Ealing Passenger Transport Users’ Group (EPTUG) is a volunteer group which was founded in 2001. It acts as a pressure group for the local transport users and is a conduit to the Council, Transport for London (TfL) and other transport bodies that are involved in the local transport systems. Site Visits 2.3 The following site visits were undertaken: Within the Borough • Ealing Civic Society Lecture on Crossrail and its Impact in Ealing to learn more about the developments to date. • Blair Peach Primary School, Beaconsfield Road, Southall, Middlesex to observe their walking bus for the 8.45am school start. • Grand Union Canal, Southall (from behind Blair Peach Primary School to Uxbridge Road) to see the unchanged and the transformed towpaths along this part of the canal. Page 5 of 114 • Southall Broadway to see the unchanged and the highly acclaimed revamped pavements. • South Road, Southall to see the relatively narrow unaltered and restored pavements in existence. Outside the Borough • 40 years of Railways in London, Crossrail HQ, Institute of Civil Engineering to get a better grasp of the challenges of upgrading the railways in London. • Shadowing a Tube Driver on the Central Line to see the driver’s perspective of a busy tube line and the other side of the journey. • Launch of Night Tube at Brixton and Oxford Circus Stations to attend the official launch of the night tube with the Mayor of London. • A trial bus journey from Dominion Centre (112 The Green, Southall, Middx, UB2 4BQ) to Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow, Middx, HA1 3UJ) to test whether this could be accomplished with relative ease using a hopper bus ticket. Publicity 2.4 The Panel’s work was publicised in the Council’s free magazine (Around Ealing), website and by direct emails. A Panel Meeting Page 6 of 114 3.0 FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Background 3.1 The Panel received an overview of the public transport connectivity in the borough from Chris Cole (Transport Projects and Policy Manager) and Russell Roberts (Principal Transport Planner) as well as a presentation from John Gashion (Co-opted Member) on the work of Ealing Passenger Transport Users’ Group at the first meeting. At the three subsequent meetings, the Panel undertook detailed reviews of rail/tube connectivity, walking/pedestrian routes and bus connectivity. The respective service officers and external partners were invited to these meetings. The most common themes that featured across all the modes considered were Crossrail, capacity, frequency, infrastructure and accessibility. Associated Legislation 3.2 The fundamental legislation associated with the local transport matters includes: Transport for London is a statutory body created by the Greater London Authority Act 1999. 3.3 S141 (1) of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 gives the Mayor of London a general duty to develop and implement policies to promote and encourage safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport facilities and services to, from and within London. 3.4 By virtue of s154 (3) (b) of the Act TfL has a duty to facilitate the discharge of the duties under s141 (1). 3.5 TfL also has a power under s173 to provide or secure the provision of public passenger transport services to, from or within Greater London. 3.6 The Council is required to adopt a Local Implementation Plan (a LIP) which is a statutory plan prepared under Section 145 of the Act to set out how it will implement the London Mayor’s Transport Strategy within Ealing. Each borough’s LIP must demonstrate how it will contribute to the Mayor’s goals, strategies and outcomes, as well as other local and sub-regional goals. 3.7 The Greater London Authority Act 1999 also made TfL responsible for the planning and operation of aspects of the London transport system including the Underground network.