Local Transport Plan 3 Transport Strategy LTP3 Transport Strategy 1 Foreword viii 2 Executive Summary x 3 Introduction 2 4 Context 6 4.1 Geography 8 4.2 Population & Characteristics 9 4.3 Connectivity 15 4.4 Local governance 19 4.5 National & Regional 23 4.6 Local & Corporate 25 4.7 Changing context - the future 30 5 Strategy Framework 38 5.1 What is the County Council's vision for County Durham in 20 years? 39 5.2 What are the goals and objectives for the Plan? 39 5.3 Relationship between LTP3 and other strategies 52 5.4 Prioritising the goals and objectives 55 5.5 Key Issues and Interventions 55 5.6 Performance management 57 6 A Stronger Economy through Regeneration 60 6.1 Background 60 6.2 Evidence 62 6.3 Key issues 73 6.4 Strategy and interventions 75 LTP3 Transport Strategy 6.5 Priorities for the first 3 years 80 6.6 Measuring progress 81 7 Reduce our Carbon Output 84 7.1 Background 84 7.2 Evidence 85 7.3 Key issues 88 7.4 Strategy and interventions 89 7.5 Priorities for the first 3 years 93 7.6 Measuring progress 94 8 Safer and Healthier Travel 96 8.1 Background 96 8.2 Evidence 98 8.3 Key issues 102 8.4 Strategy & interventions 103 8.5 Priorities for the first 3 years 110 8.6 Measuring progress 111 9 Better Accessibility to Services 114 9.1 Background 114 9.2 Evidence 115 9.3 Key issues 118 9.4 Strategy and interventions 118 9.5 Priorities for the first 3 years 124 9.6 Measuring progress 125 Durham County Council LTP3 Transport Strategy 10 Improve Quality of Life and a Healthy Natural 128 Environment 10.1 Background 128 10.2 Evidence 129 10.3 Key issues 131 10.4 Strategy and interventions 133 10.5 Priorities for the first 3 years 138 10.6 Measuring progress 139 11 Maintain the Transport Asset 142 11.1 Background 142 11.2 Evidence 146 11.3 Key issues 152 11.4 Strategy and interventions 153 11.5 Priorities for the first 3 years 157 11.6 Measuring progress 157 12 Assessments of the Plan 160 12.1 Strategic Environmental Assessment 160 12.2 Health Impact Assessment 160 12.3 Equality Impact Assessment 161 12.4 Habitats Regulations Assessment 161 13 Glossary 164 List of Tables Table 4.4.1 AAP Priorities for 2011/12 21 Table 4.7.1 Proposed Net Housing Requirements to 2030 32 Table 4.7.2 Base Retail Requirements 35 LTP3 Transport Strategy Table 5.2.1 Synergy of DfT National Transport Goals & Challenges with the Regeneration Statement and County Durham Plan 42 Table 5.5.1 Analytical Scoring Matrix 56 Table 6.4.1 Interventions 'Short-list' 79 Table 6.6.1 A Stronger Economy through Regeneration Performance Indicators 81 Table 7.4.1 Interventions 'Short-list' 93 Table 7.6.1 Reduce Our Carbon Output Performance Indicators 94 Table 8.4.1 Interventions 'Short-list' 109 Table 8.6.1 Safer and Healthier Travel Performance Indicators 111 Table 9.4.1 Interventions 'Short-list' 123 Table 9.6.1 Better Accessibility to Services Performance Indicators 125 Table 10.4.1 Interventions 'Short-list' 137 Table 10.6.1 Improve Quality of Life and a Healthy Natural Environment Performance Indicators 139 Table 11.1.1 Transport Asset Inventory 142 Table 11.1.2 Gross Replacement Costs 146 Table 11.2.1 Lighting Column Condition 151 Table 11.4.1 Interventions 'Short-list' 156 Table 11.6.1 Maintaining the Transport Asset Performance Indicators 157 Table 13.0.1 Glossary 164 List of Figures Figure 4.1.1 County Durham 8 Durham County Council LTP3 Transport Strategy Figure 4.2.1 Deprived Areas in County Durham (2007) 9 Figure 4.2.2 County Durham Delivery Areas 11 Figure 4.2.3 Comparison of Population in Main Towns 14 Figure 4.3.1 County Durham Connectivity 16 Figure 4.3.2 Approximate number of bus journeys between destinations during 07:00 and 09:30 18 Figure 4.3.3 Approximate number of bus journeys between destinations during an average weekly daytime hour 18 Figure 4.4.1 AAPs in County Durham 21 Figure 4.6.1 Altogether Better Durham 26 Figure 4.6.2 Relationship of SCS and other Local/Corporate Strategies 30 Figure 5.2.1 Strategic Framework 40 Figure 5.2.2 Synergy of LTP3 goals & challenges with Regeneration Statement objectives 51 Figure 5.3.1 Goal and Objective Alignment 53 Figure 5.3.2 Policy Alignment 54 Figure 6.2.1 GVA comparison per capita 62 Figure 6.2.2 GVA comparison 63 Figure 6.2.3 County Durham Functional Economic Areas 63 Figure 6.2.4 Tyne Link FEA Travel to Work Area 64 Figure 6.2.5 Wear Link FEA Travel to Work Area 64 Figure 6.2.6 Durham City FEA Travel to Work Area 65 Figure 6.2.7 South Durham FEA Travel to Work Area 65 LTP3 Transport Strategy Figure 6.2.8 Flows and Linkages - an overview 66 Figure 6.2.9 A167 Key Economic/Transport Corridor 68 Figure 6.2.10 A690 Economic/Transport Corridor 69 Figure 6.2.11 A691 Economic/Transport Corridor 70 Figure 6.2.12 A692 Economic/Transport Corridor 71 Figure 6.2.13 A693 Economic/Transport Corridor 72 Figure 7.2.1 Climate Projections 86 Figure 7.2.2 UK carbon dioxide emissions by transport sector 87 Figure 7.2.3 Kg of carbon dioxide per traveller 87 Figure 7.2.4 End user energy comsumption & transport greenhouse gas emissions 88 Figure 8.2.1 People Killed or Seriously Injured 98 Figure 8.2.2 Children Killed or Seriously Injured 99 Figure 8.2.3 Slight Injuries 99 Figure 8.2.4 Journeys made by bicycle 101 Figure 9.2.1 Access to Outpatient Facilities 117 Figure 11.2.1 Highway Network Condition 146 Figure 11.2.2 Improving condition of structures 147 Figure 11.2.3 Total number of claims per defect 148 Figure 11.2.4 Total cost of claims per defect 148 Figure 11.2.5 Highway Public Liability Claims premium costs 2000/01 onwards 148 Figure 11.2.6 Funding required to maintain the Transport Asset 149 Figure 11.2.7 NHT Survey 2010 - Transport Topic Importance Vs Satisfaction 150 Figure 11.2.8 Mean CET (Central England Temperature) 150 Durham County Council LTP3 Transport Strategy 1 .0 Foreword Durham County Council vii LTP3 Transport Strategy As the Cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration, I am delighted to present this third Local Transport Plan, albeit at a time of national austerity when the role that the public sector plays in creating better transport infrastructure for its citizens has been adversely affected by government budget cuts. Over the past decade, we have seen improvements to our transport infrastructure that have brought welcome changes and betterment for the travelling public. It is difficult sometimes to appreciate just how far we have moved forward, forgetting perhaps rather too easily how things used to be as our personal levels of expectation from transport provision in the county continue to move ever upwards. A stronger economy through regeneration that brings jobs for people and continues to preserve and enhance the fabric and environmental richness of the county we live in is vital to all of us and our top priority. The role of transport in daily life is such an important element in any future regeneration strategy to deliver the outcomes that will make an altogether better place. Restoring and maintaining the highway network after two severe winters also has to be looked at as a priority together with significantly reducing the carbon output in County Durham. Better accessibility for people through continued investment in public transport, safer roads, reduced environmental impact from transport as well as a better quality of life and health for people continue to be our other strategic transport priorities over the years to come. Such an approach aligns closely with the strategic objectives of our Sustainable Community Strategy and Regeneration Statement. Our attitude to travel and the everyday personal choices we make in the way we travel remains the vital catalyst for success or failure in achieving our planned goals. For those of us with a choice and where practical, by choosing active travel and the alternatives of cycling or walking for those short journeys made on a daily basis will make a difference, however small. Notwithstanding the confines of tight public finances and the growing pressures for a low carbon economy, I have no doubts that this plan will build on past achievements of the previous two local transport plans by continuing to tackle the transport problems we share with the rest of the country. A lot of what we have achieved has relied on partnership and particularly in relation to the financial austerity now facing us, we will all have to look to building even stronger partnerships with fellow stakeholders to ensure not only effective but affordable outcomes. LTP3 is supported by the County Durham Economic Partnership through its Transport Forum whose members have assisted in its development and who continue to play their part in striving for sustainable transport for us all.....I commend it to you. Councillor Neil Foster Cabinet Portfolio Member, Regeneration & Economic Development viii Durham County Council LTP3 Transport Strategy 2 .0 Executive Summary Durham County Council ix LTP3 Transport Strategy 2.1 The local transport planning process has, by common consent, brought about a step change in the way that local authorities plan strategically for transport in their areas.