Transport and Environment Committee 2.00pm, Friday, 19 February 2021 City Mobility Plan Executive/routine Executive Wards All Council Commitments 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 48 1. Recommendations 1.1 This report recommends that Transport and Environment Committee: 1.1.1 notes that engagement with key stakeholders, including the public, since 2018 has informed the final City Mobility Plan (CMP) which is presented for consideration; 1.1.2 acknowledges that engagement on the Draft City Mobility Plan was undertaken in parallel with Choices for City Plan 2030, Edinburgh City Centre Transformation (ECCT) and a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) scheme during its earlier stages of development; 1.1.3 approves the final CMP and associated Implementation Plan; and 1.1.4 notes that, subject to CMP approval, the ‘Path to 2030’ and the Implementation Plan will be reviewed once a more settled position is reached with respect to COVID-19 and that thereafter, the Implementation Plan will be reviewed every two years, or as circumstances require. Paul Lawrence Executive Director of Place Contact: Ewan Kennedy, Senior Manager – Transport E-mail: [email protected] | Tel: 0131 469 3575 Report City Mobility Plan 2. Executive Summary 2.1 Edinburgh has an ambitious agenda for change, including to be carbon neutral by 2030 (supported by an achievement target by the end of 2037). 2.2 To achieve these changes, Edinburgh needs a new Plan for mobility and transport that addresses the challenge of reducing carbon emissions and how people, goods and services move into and around the city. It also needs to address air quality, congestion, accessibility and inclusion, cost of travel and convenience of payment, safety and how to create space for people in the city. 2.3 This report sets out the city’s plan, a City Mobility Plan (CMP) and the associated Implementation Plan, which reflect the level of intervention needed to deliver a more sustainable, integrated, efficient, safe and inclusive transport system over the next 10 years. It is important that the Vision remains strong to tackle the city’s mobility challenges and ultimately support the Council’s commitment to be a net zero carbon city by 2030. 3. Background 3.1 Since the mid-1990s, the Council’s transport strategy has been to expand the range of public transport and active travel options as an alternative to car use and it has achieved considerable success. Pre-COVID, more people used public transport, cycled and walked than in any other Scottish city and most United Kingdom (UK) ones, and bus patronage was consistently high. Tram patronage continued to rise and surpass expectations, with 7.4 million journeys made in 2018. 3.2 The key steps in the Plan’s development which have been overseen by the Transport and Environment Committee to date are: 3.2.1 March 2018: Committee approved an initial stakeholder engagement phase to the review of the Local Transport Strategy (LTS); 3.2.2 March to May 2018: combined engagement with stakeholders on the LTS, Edinburgh City Centre Transformation (ECCT) and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) projects to identify mobility issues and opportunities; 2 3.2.3 August 2018: Committee approved the prospectus engagement paper ‘Edinburgh: Connecting our City, Transforming our Places’ and an associated engagement stakeholder and public consultation period to cover the three inter-related projects. Committee agreed that the LTS should be replaced by a people-oriented ‘City Mobility Plan’; 3.2.4 February 2019: Committee noted the findings of ‘Connecting our City, Transforming our Places’ which was Edinburgh’s largest public engagement of 2018 and explored 15 ideas to create a more active and connected city, a healthier environment, a transformed city centre and improved neighbourhood streets. 88% of respondents felt that Edinburgh needed to make changes to deliver a city fit for the future, of which 51% considered that a widespread and radical approach was required; 3.2.5 May 2019: Committee noted the findings of the stakeholder engagement in spring 2019 to identify preferred policy measures and agreed the proposed framework of the draft CMP including a vision, objectives, and packages of themed policy measures and supporting key performance indicators; 3.2.6 January 2020: Committee approved for consultation purposes the City Mobility Plan (Draft for Consultation); and 3.2.7 October 2020: Committee noted the findings of the consultation on the Draft CMP in Spring 2020. 3.3 The ideas set out in the ‘Connecting our City, Transforming our Places’ and the outputs of the associated engagement exercise were key to developing the majority of the policy measures included in the final CMP. 3.4 The consultation on the Draft CMP in Spring 2020 demonstrated positive support levels across all of the proposals, with the majority of proposals attracting strong support. While there was an opportunity for respondents to comment on all elements, the main focus was on 13 new policy measures. All the new policy measures were supported with the majority ‘strongly supported’, including: 3.4.1 Enhanced coordination of bus, tram and bike hire operations; 3.4.2 Expansion of the tram network subject to cost/benefit justification; 3.4.3 Introduction of shared transport options and the creation of mobility hubs; 3.4.4 Creation of segregated cycling infrastructure on arterial routes; 3.4.5 Delivery of a network of electric vehicle charging points; 3.4.6 Reduced freight vehicle trips; 3.4.7 Imposition of restrictions for on-street parking subject to suitable disabled parking provision and controlled parking in new developments; 3.4.8 Creation of a City Operations Centre to support intelligent monitoring and management of traffic and movement; and 3 3.4.9 Exploration of a road user charging system subject to a staged approach which establishes a need for such a system based on the success (or otherwise) of other demand management tools. 3.5 ‘Strong support’ for the Draft CMP’s Path to 2030 was also given, with some respondents seeking greater ambition and acceleration of proposed actions. 3.6 The most frequently cited issues raised by protected characteristic groups included the need to support inclusive modes of travel, access for people with disabilities in the city centre and ensuring adequate parking provision for people with disabilities. 3.7 As well as the specific policy proposals and Vision timescales, the consultation also generated a range of additional feedback relating to other Draft CMP policies. The three most frequently mentioned feedback points were: 3.7.1 Re-opening the South Suburban Line for passenger rail travel; 3.7.2 Cleaner, electric buses; and 3.7.3 Affordable public transport. 3.8 Detailed analysis of the Draft Plan consultation is set out in the report to Committee in October 2020. 3.9 Engagement with the city’s Transport Forum throughout the process has also been a key part of the CMP’s development. The most recent meeting, in December 2020, discussed the outcome of the Draft CMP consultation and shared experiences of how COVID-19 has impacted travel behaviours. 4. Main report The Changing Context 4.1 Edinburgh faces significant mobility and transport challenges. These include: 4.1.1 Transport being the single biggest contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. In 2020 just over one third of Edinburgh’s CO2 emissions were derived from road transport (link in paragraph 8.2); 4.1.2 Low levels of public transport accessibility in certain areas of the city and lengthy public transport journey times especially to/from the major employment areas on the city’s periphery; 4.1.3 Whilst air quality trends show slight reductions in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) across Edinburgh, there remain five Air Quality Management Areas where roadside locations exceed legal Air Quality Objectives; 4.1.4 One-third of women and one-fifth of men in Edinburgh do not achieve minimum recommended levels of physical activity (Scottish Health Survey) resulting in associated health impacts including chronic heart disease, diabetes and other obesity related conditions. The more trips that are carried out using active modes, the bigger the impact on public health and the greater the sense of wellbeing for the individuals; 4 4.1.5 The impact of congestion on peak time journeys travel times (41% increase in travel times), meaning an extra 172 hours are spent in traffic each year (Tom Tom Traffic Index 2019) and the cost to Edinburgh’s economy is estimated at £177 million per annum (Inrix Traffic Scorecard Report 2019); 4.1.6 The increased movement of freight and goods on our roads, with the number of light goods vehicles registered in Edinburgh increased by almost one-fifth in ten years to just under 14,000 vehicles in 2018 (Scottish Transport Statistics, 2018); 4.1.7 Whilst road casualty levels in the city are reducing, there is opportunity to further reduce the levels of people killed and seriously injured; and 4.1.8 After housing, transport costs are the single biggest household expenditure in the UK. The recently published End Poverty in Edinburgh Delivery Plan 2020-30 sets out recommendations to help tackle this challenge. 4.2 Many of these challenges will be amplified by city and regional growth, with Edinburgh’s population forecast to grow by a further 12% to 2043, taking the number of people living in the city to nearly 600,000. 4.3 Ensuring that the city has an efficient and accessible public transport system is critical if the city’s growth is to be managed in a sustainable way. Phase 1 of Transport Scotland’s second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) informs transport investment in Scotland for the next 20 years.