Agenda item

Martin Aldam, Senior Transport Planning Assistant, will give a presentation from the Transport Strategy Task and Finish Group which will include recommendations for the Board’s consideration.

 

The Board will be asked to approve new arrangements to take forward the air quality work and Transport Strategy (paper to follow).

Martin Aldam, Senior Transport Planner, was in attendance to give a presentation from the Transport Strategy Task and Finish Group.

 

To provide a greater understanding of the work of the Group, the background, why the strategy was needed and the work undertaken by the Group over the past 12 months was given.  This included consideration of the following:

 

·         Wiltshire Core Strategy

·         Housing and employment growth

·         Traffic growth

·         Model forecasts

·         Mitigation

·         Transport strategy

 

Noting that the Core Strategy had a certain amount of growth and the likely increased traffic levels as a result, a mitigation strategy had been developed which in turn had resulted in the Transport Strategy.

 

In making the presentation Martin confirmed the key components of the Transport Strategy, which were:

 

·         Walking

·         Cycling

·         Passenger transport

·         Travel planning

·         Traffic flow and air quality

·         Demand management and parking

 

The Board were reminded that the Transport Strategy itself had been presented to the Board the previous year.  As a result a Start and Finish Group had been established whose purpose was to discuss the implementation plan and whose work had now reached completion.

 

Influences affecting the implementation plan included:

                     

·         Funding (i.e. what funds were available and how these would be spent)

 

This included for example S106 contributions which the council already had via developments.  It was noted that some of this funding was specifically allocated, i.e. it had to be used towards cycling or walking projects for example.  Other less prescriptive funding had also been taken into consideration, including that from CATG.

 

·         Priorities

 

Priorities for the Devizes area were also identified including air quality and how this could be addressed in the short term.  An Air Quality Steering Group was established to consider the affects where 2 sets of modelling works were undertaken, including travel planning. 

 

In modelling in a 5% and 20% reduction in traffic both had little impact on reaching acceptable levels of air quality as set as a UK national objective.

 

The short term implementation plan therefore included the following:

 

·         Walking: Quakers Walk to town and access to Roundway Hill

·         Cycling: The Green; Quakers Walk to town and signing strategy

·         Public Transport: Town Service Review for new tender in 2015

·         Travel Planning: Business Travel Planning (BTP)

·         Highways Improvements: Shane’s Castle Signalisation

·         Demand Management: BTP, Parking Review not until 2014

 

In the longer term it was proposed that the Air Quality and Transport Groups be combined to allow further work to be undertaken in terms of the Transport Strategy, noting that the respective work of both were clearly linked.

 

Cllr Richard Gamble confirmed that only 4 areas in Wiltshire had developed transport strategies.  These included Salisbury, Trowbridge and Chippenham in addition to Devizes. 

 

An outline proposal for the establishment of this new Task Group was provided seeking the Board’s approval for it to commence immediately with its terms of reference being presented at the Board’s next meeting in November.

 

Cllr Gamble proposed that the Chairman of the Group would be appointed at its first meeting, proposing that Cllr Philip Whitehead take on this role.  It was also suggested that Shane’s Castle be selected for early attention by the Group.

 

Kate Freeman was then welcomed to the floor to provide a presentation on the consultation undertaken by DCAP on the Transport Strategy.  In making the presentation the following information was clarified:

 

·         106 responses had been received

·         All age groups had been represented with 50% being over 60

·         Most respondents lived or worked in Devizes

·         62% of respondents felt that the strategy would encourage more walking with 53% feeling that it would also encourage more cycling

·         Only 6% felt that access to rail was important but two thirds felt that the strategy would encourage more bus use (it was however noted that on one third felt bus information was easy to find)

·         51% of the comments received related to walking

·         47% of the comments received related to cycling

·         96% of comments received related to public transport

 

In 10 years time DCAP would like to see that the strategy had improved health and fitness, reduced traffic, met with a degree of public acceptance.

 

In concluding the presentation DCAP felt that the newly formed group should have energy, commitment and capacity to build on the new ideas and enthusiasm to get things working and that the Strategy needed to be actively monitored.

 

The Board thanked Kate for her presentation. 

 

The proposals outlined in the report were presented for the Board’s approval.

 

Decision:

 

That the existing Air Quality Steering Group and Traffic Strategy Task and Finish Group be replaced by one new Group with immediate effect whose objective would be to oversee and monitor the community air quality action plan and help deliver the Transport Strategy;

 

That Cllr Philip Whitehead be appointed Chairman of the new Group whose initial membership would include representatives from both previous Groups, noting that the Group may wish to propose alterations to the membership (both on a permanent or temporary basis);

 

That the Terms of Reference for the Group, including membership, be brought to the area board for approval at its next meeting on 23 November;

 

That with regards junction improvements Shanes Castle be selected for early attention by the Group, to be followed as soon as possible by London Road/Windsor Drive junction; and

 

That Travel Planning is undertaken with occupiers of properties on the Hopton Industrial Estate and at the Police HQ and Aster Group on Horton Avenue.