PROPOSED STUDENT ACCOMMODATION, JAMES STREET WEST, BATH TRAVEL PLAN

Transcription

1 PROPOSED STUDENT ACCOMMODATION, JAMES STREET WEST, BATH TRAVEL PLAN PREPARED FOR THE JOHNSONS GROUP FMW CONSULTANCY LIMITED TRYM LODGE 1 HENBURY ROAD WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BRISTOL BS9 3HQ MAY 2014

2 DOCUMENT HISTORY Project Number: FMW1099 Project Title: James Street West, Bath Document Reference: Issue Date Prepared by Checked by Approved by 1 19 th May 2014 MRJ CDM CDM Comments Issue 1 Planning NOTICE This document and its contents have been prepared for and are intended solely for The Johnsons Group information and use in relation to an application for proposed student accommodation at James Street West in Bath This document has been prepared for the titled project or named part thereof and should not be relied upon or used for any other project without an independent check being carried out as to its suitability and prior written authority of FMW Consultancy Ltd being obtained. FMW Consultancy Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for the consequence of this document being used for a purpose other than the purposes for which it was commissioned. Any person using or relying on the document for such other purposes agrees and will by such use or reliance be taken to confirm this agreement to indemnify FMW Consultancy Ltd for all loss or damage resulting there from. FMW Consultancy Ltd accepts no responsibility or liability for this document to any party other than the person by whom it was commissioned.

3 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION TRAVEL PLAN OBJECTIVES SITE ASSESSMENT MOTIVATION SETTING TARGETS PARTNERSHIP WORKING MONITORING AND REVIEW FIGURES Figure 3.1: Site Location and Local Facilities Figure 3.2: Local Bus Network

4 1 INTRODUCTION Brief 1.1 FMW Consultancy has been appointed by The Johnsons Group to prepare a Transport Statement and a in support of a planning application for a proposed student accommodation development on James Street West, Bath. 1.2 The site, known as Green Park Offices, currently comprises two office buildings; one contains a number of serviced office suites the other is unoccupied. These elements will be combined and the site redeveloped into a 190-bed student accommodation scheme. The site will be referred to as Green Park Offices and is referenced accordingly throughout the remainder of this report. What is a? 1.3 A is a package of measures designed to promote access to a site by sustainable modes of transport thereby reducing reliance on single occupancy private car usage. Travel Plans are site specific and tailored to the individual requirements of the type of development and intended users of the site. 1.4 s have a set of clear objectives which underpin the purpose for having a Travel Plan. Appropriate measures are identified to help achieve the stated objectives, as well as appropriate monitoring and marketing techniques. A robust plan can have a significant role in reducing the transport impacts of a development, though critical to its success is the commitment of the developer, local authority and other interested parties to ensuring its implementation and progress. FMW May 2014

5 2 TRAVEL PLAN OBJECTIVES Objectives 2.1 The objectives of the should benefit both the occupiers of the site and the wider community. The over arching, site specific objective has therefore been identified as: Seek to minimise the number of single occupancy car journeys made to the site, to promote travel by the more sustainable modes of transport, and to manage the overall transport impacts of the development. 2.2 Wider environmental, economic and health objectives also apply, such as: Reducing carbon emissions; Reducing dependency upon the car; Reducing living costs; and Improving individual health and fitness. 2.3 These objectives should guide the setting of targets and the types of measures that are implemented. 2.4 This addresses students need for access to a full range of facilities for education, leisure and shopping. By successfully promoting access to these facilities via sustainable modes of travel the above objectives can be achieved. FMW May 2014

6 3 SITE ASSESSMENT Local Highway Network 3.1 The application site is considered to have good access to the local and wider highway network being located at the western end of James Street West which is predominantly commercial in nature, with a range of office and retail units interspersed with a small number of residential properties. The road is one-way eastbound for motor vehicles but does permit westbound movements for pedal cycles using the cycle lane on the southern side of the carriageway. James Street West is approximately 7.5m in width in the immediate vicinity of the site and of a generally straight horizontal alignment and a level vertical alignment. The road has a good quality footway on the both sides of the carriageway, benefits from a high standard of street lighting and is subject to a 30mph speed limit along its length. 3.2 To the north-west, Stanhope Place provides a route for traffic to access the site from the crossroads junction of Great Stanhope Street, New King Street and Upper Bristol Road. As James Street West travels east, it crosses the A367 Charles Street approximately 170m from the site access before approaching the city centre where it merges into St. James s Parade. 3.3 The application site is considered to have good access to the local and wider highway network being located between two of the major distributor roads in Bath, the A4 Upper Bristol Road which is approximately 140m to the north and the A36 Lower Bristol Road approximately 500m to the south. 3.4 Each of these roads runs on an east-west alignment either side of the River Avon between the city centre and Newbridge, approximately 13.8km to the west of the site, where they merge and provide a direct route towards Keynsham and Bristol and access to the A39 towards Wells. To the east of Bath city centre, the A4 continues towards Chippenham and meets the A46 which provides access to the M4 Motorway. The A36 continues to follow the River Avon as it meanders south-easterly before heading towards Warminster and Salisbury. FMW May 2014

7 Pedestrian Facilities 3.5 The Institution of Highways and Transportation Document Guidelines for Providing for Journeys on Foot identifies that the preferred maximum walking distance to a town centre is 800m, for commuting/school is 2,000m and for more general purposes is 1,200m. The site offers excellent accessibility to services and facilities within the Bath city centre. 3.6 Figure 3.1 demonstrates the location and range of day to day services and facilities within a 500m radius from the site. The facilities available in the local vicinity are likely to be those that would be attractive to a typical student. These are summarised below: A Sainsbury s supermarket Various Public Houses; Takeaways; Pharmacy; Hairdressers; Doctor s and Dentist Surgery; Recreational areas including the Royal Victoria Park; Bus Stops 3.7 Due to the close proximity of the site to Bath city centre, the majority of these facilities are located to the east of the site. This can be accessed using the 2m footways on James Street West to access Charles Street where signalised pedestrian crossings with dropped kerbs and tactile paving provide a convenient method to cross the road and access the city centre. 3.8 The nearest existing bus stop is located on James Street West approximately 50m from the site. The pedestrian route to this stop is generally of a high quality and only requires students to cross the lightly trafficked James Street West to access the bus stop. 3.9 A pedestrian and cycle route runs along the tow path of the River Avon which forms part of National Cycle Route 4 (see below) and can be accessed via Norfolk Buildings within a short walking distance of the site. FMW May 2014

8 Cyclist Facilities 3.10 Given that the day to day services and facilities identified above are within an appropriate walking distance of the site, they are by default also considered to offer good access by bicycle Cycling has the potential to substitute for short car trips, particularly those under 5km, and to form part of a longer public transport journey. This distance includes the whole of the built up area of Bath, the City centre and both The University of Bath and Bath Spa University. As such cycling to all local areas is a viable option in terms of distance The site offers plentiful cycling opportunities with National Cycle Route 4 (NCR4) less than 100m from the site. NCR4 is a long distance route which runs between London and Fishguard, taking in Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea, Llanelli and St. David s An on-street section of NCR4 runs to the north of the site along New King Street and circles the city centre before crossing the River Avon and joining the A36 to the east of the city centre. To the west, on-street sections of NCR4 follows Great Stanhope Street and Nelson Place West before merging with the River Avon tow path onto a traffic free route which links Bath to Bristol The topography of the local area is generally flat in relation to access to facilities within Bath City centre which is conducive to cycling. However, some areas to the north and south of the city including the locations of the University Campus have steep gradients on their approaches which may limit the levels of cycling to these locations. As such, Public transport is considered to offer a suitable alternative for such trips. Local Bus Network 3.15 Bus services within the immediate vicinity of the site provide a realistic alternative to private car use The nearest bus stop to the site is on James Street West, approximately 50m to the east of the site access, with Bath s main bus station being within an 800m walk. As such, most of the bus routes and served locations are within a walkable distance of the development site However, due to the nature of the proposals, the demand for bus services is likely to be concentrated on those routes which provide access to campus sites associated with Bath Spa University and the University of Bath. FMW May 2014

9 3.18 Table 3.1 below summarises the frequency of services available from the James Street West bus stop with details of the main University related bus services which operate near to the site are outlined in Table 3.2. Service Operator Route First Bus Last Bus Frequency 1 First 14 First 21 First 37 First 38 First 39 First 319 First A4 X39 Bath Bus Company First Upper Weston Bath Combe Down Weston RUH Bath Bear Flats Odd Down Newbridge Park and Ride - Bath Bath Keynsham Longwell Green Hanham - Bristol Bath Keynsham Brislington - Bristol Bath Newbridge Saltford Keynsham Brislington - Bristol Bath Britton Kingswood Cribbs Causeway Bristol Airport South Bristol Keynsham - Bath Bristol - Brislington Saltford Newbridge - Bath Table 3.1: Summary of Existing Bus Services 07:51 23:11 Half Hourly 06:30 23:49 9 Minutes 06:23 20:23 15 Minutes 07:19 22:10 Hourly 07:59 00:21 Half Hourly 06:47 02:39 Morning / Evening service only 07:16 22:34 Half Hourly 04:47 00:47 Hourly 08:06 20:18 12 Minutes 3.19 The bus routes associated with the University sites are shown in Figure 3.2 with a map of all bus services in Bath in Appendix B As demonstrated in the above Table, the local bus network provides frequent and regular links to the various University Campus s around Bath. Most bus routes can be accessed through a short walk to the appropriate bus stop. All these services operate Monday to Saturday with less frequent services available on Sundays and Bank Holidays A number of the above services provide easy access to Bath central bus station from which connections can be made to a number of other bus services to all parts of the City and beyond. A 9 minute frequency service links the City centre to the main University of Bath campus. FMW May 2014

10 Service Operator Route First Bus Last Bus Frequency U10 U18 X18 20A/C Wessex Wessex Wessex Wessex 18 First Kingsway University of Bath Lower Oldfield Park City Centre University of Bath Lower Oldfield Park University of Bath Bus Station University Twerton City Centre University Bath Lower Oldfield Park 07:47 22:51 Hourly 06:55 03:18 10 Minutes 07:40 18:35 20 Minutes Nearest Stop Lower Oldfield Park Lower Bristol Road Lower Bristol Road 07:44 20:12 Hourly Pines Way 07:17 00:17 20 Minutes Sainsbury s 15 First Bath Spa City Centre 07:58 02:23 15 Minutes Sainsbury s 2 First Ensleigh City Centre - Kingsway 07:52 18:51 Hourly Sainsbury s Table 3.2: Summary of Nearby Existing Bus Services to the Universities Rail Services 3.22 Bath Spa railway station is situated approximately 1km walking distance from the site, which is considered well within appropriate walking and cycling distances. Bath Spa station is located on Dorchester Street on the southern edge of the city centre, directly to the east of the main bus station Bath Spa station provides direct services to locations including London Paddington, Taunton, Portsmouth Harbour, Cardiff, Bristol and Weymouth where connecting services to the rest of the country are available. Facilities at Bath Spa station include ticket purchase facilities, toilets, timetables, sheltered seating and cycle parking The frequency and average journey times for services from Bath Spa station is summarised in Table 3.2 overleaf. Destination Services per Hour AM Peak PM Peak Off Peak Journey Time (average mins) London Paddington Bristol Temple Meads FMW May 2014

11 Filton Abbeywood Westbury Cardiff Central Weymouth Portsmouth Harbour Taunton Weston-super-Mare Table 3.2: Rail Services from Bath Spa Summary 3.25 The above section identifies that the site is very accessible by non-car modes of travel and will therefore offer the student residents with a viable choice of travel modes. This will assist in minimising the use of the private car. FMW May 2014

12 4 MOTIVATION Sustainability 4.1 Current studies indicate that carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is one of the important greenhouse gases and that its emission from the combustion of fossil fuels is one of the major causes of global warming. It is also argued that transport is the fastest growing source of climate change gases in the UK; road transport alone accounts for 26% of emissions (source: Campaign for Better Transport, September 2008). 4.2 Everybody can play a part in reducing these greenhouse gas emissions, especially when choosing a sustainable mode of travel in lieu of a Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV). For instance: Walking and Cycling by far the greenest modes of travel; Bus or Train mass transit systems offer a far greener mode of travel per passenger than SOVs; and Car Sharing two or more people sharing a car generates half or less of the emissions from a SOV. 4.3 The Institution of Highways and Transportation (IHT) states that three quarters of journeys by all modes are less than five miles (8km) and half are less than two miles (3.2km). These are distances that can be cycled comfortably by a reasonably fit person. Based on an average cycling speed of 4.0m/s (14.4kph) 8 kilometres can be cycled in just over half an hour and 3.2 kilometres can be cycled in less than 15 minutes. Given that the City centre of Bath is under 3 kilometres from the site, all necessary services and facilities are clearly within an appropriate cycling distance. Personal Health and Fitness 4.4 Choosing to cycle or walk to the local services and facilities will have positive benefits to an individuals health, fitness and well being. The Government, through the National Health Service, recommends that everybody should exercise to: Reduce the risk of heart attack and chances of survival; Reduce the risk of developing long-term diseases; Increase life expectancy and improve quality of life in later years; Increase confidence; FMW May 2014

13 Improve appearance body fat is reduced, muscle definition is improved, and skin improves in appearance as more oxygen is delivered to body tissue; Improve posture; Provide natural pain relief; and Have a positive effect on breathing, blood supply, muscles, and bones. Financial 4.5 There are also significant financial benefits associated with green travel modes. For a number of years fuel prices have been steadily increasing. This, coupled with increased parking charges, increased car tax, vehicle maintenance, and vehicle depreciation, the costs of using the private car as the travel mode of choice is spiralling. 4.6 With the exception of purchasing a bicycle, cycling and walking to or from the James Street West site does not have any cost implications. FMW May 2014

14 5 SETTING TARGETS 5.1 In order to establish whether a is working successfully it is necessary to identify a set of targets. The Transport Energy Best Practice Guide for s identifies that s should be SMART: Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic Time-bound 5.2 For the proposed development, driving will not be an option for the resident students as there will be no on-site parking and conditions of the tenancy will prohibit a car being brought to the City. As such it is difficult to set specific targets for reducing the use of single occupied vehicles. However a student travel survey will be undertaken half way through the first term of each academic year which may identify travel habits that could be addressed through the setting of appropriate targets. Some more general targets are summarised in Table 5.1 below: ACTION Appoint a Co-ordinator Produce a Travel Information Pack detailing available public transport, pedestrian and cycle links to campuses and local facilities. Undertake a resident student travel survey Organise cycle riding and maintenance training events TARGET DATE One month prior to first occupation Available online one month prior to first occupation. Summary of information attached to the tenancy contract. Half way through the first term annually. Mid way through each term. Table 5.1: Summary of Action-Type Targets and Dates 5.3 Table 5.1 shows the Action-Type targets that can be identified without detailed knowledge of future travel patterns. 5.4 Once the development has been completed and resident student travel surveys have been undertaken and analysed, it may be appropriate to identify a number of Aim-Type targets. These are targets with a quantifiable result and should be realistic and challenging yet achievable. FMW May 2014

15 6 PARTNERSHIP WORKING Measures 6.1 As part of the development proposals, measures will be introduced to encourage the use of more sustainable modes of transport and minimise the need to travel. 6.2 The key to a successful is to identify which transport alternatives resident students will be prepared to use, and to then make these more attractive than driving alone. Although a should seek to facilitate long term changes in travel behaviour, it is important to make sure that some of the measures put in place have an immediate effect. This is particularly the case for student accommodation as most tenancies will only be for one academic year. 6.3 A range of on-site facilities will be incorporated into the development including laundries and common rooms. These on-site facilities will help to reduce the overall need to travel. 6.4 Parking at the James Street West site will be very low and carefully managed therefore a potential reduction in car travel is unlikely as the only students who will have access to a car are those who can justify their need on the basis that they are mobility impaired. As such, the is primarily aimed at informing students of the alternative travel choices available. 6.5 Suggested measures are outlined below. Coordinator 6.6 A Co-ordinator (TPC) will be appointed to promote, implement and monitor the. The role will include offering information and advice to all student residents and the promotion of measures. This will not be a full time position but will form part of the wider role of a member of the site management team. 6.7 A contact name for the nominated TPC will be provided to the Officer at the Highway Authority as soon as it is known. This name will also be identified to students through a site travel notice board and as part of the travel information attached to the tenancy agreement. 6.8 The responsibilities of the TPC are many and varied and include: Liaison with the Highway Authority officer to obtain literature promoting sustainable travel; FMW May 2014

16 Overseeing the development and implementation of the ; Designing and implementing effective marketing and awareness-raising campaigns to promote the ; Coordinating the necessary data collection exercises required to develop the ; Acting as a point of contact for all student residents requiring travel information; and Coordinating the monitoring programme for the, including target setting. 6.9 The TPC will also be responsible for initiating a student resident travel survey half way through the first term of each academic year to identify travel behaviour and modal splits. The results of the survey will inform the by enabling appropriate long term targets to be set etc The TPC will be the first point of contact for all students and other outside organisations in all matters regarding travel to and from the site. Provision of Information 6.11 Travel Information Packs will be provided online for all new residents to ensure that they are fully informed of the travel choices available from the outset. A summary of this information will also be provided with the tenancy agreement. The information pack will include: Site specific bus and rail timetable information; A plan showing appropriate cycle routes to key destinations, services and facilities; A plan showing appropriate pedestrian routes to key destinations, services and facilities; Contact details of the TPC; Contact details of the Highway Authority s cycling, public transport and officers; Contact details/web site address of Sustrans, the national cycling charity; Contact details of local reputable taxi firms; and Information on the benefits of sustainable transport on health and the environment Similar travel information will also be made available on a travel notice board located in a communal area of the site. The TPC will be responsible for reviewing this travel information at the start of each term and updating the information packs and notice boards accordingly. FMW May 2014

17 Walking 6.13 The travel information packs and notice boards will identify the location of key day to day services and facilities and also identify the most appropriate walking routes between them and the site. As previously discussed, the site is well located for walking related journeys to such services and facilities with pedestrian infrastructure improvements having been secured through the planning process. Cycling 6.14 As with walking above, the travel information packs and notice boards will identify appropriate cycling routes between the site, key destinations and local services and facilities The site will include 28 Sheffield hoops which will provide covered and secure cycle parking for up to 56 cycles. This equates to a cycle parking provision of approximately 30% when compared to the number of bedrooms proposed. This is considerably better than the minimum one cycle parking space for every seven students identified in the Bath and North East Somerset Local Plan for educational establishments. To promote its use and cycle journeys in general, the cycle parking areas will be covered and secure and will not be accessible to the general public. Public Transport 6.16 Again, as with walking and cycling, the travel information packs and notice boards will identify the available bus services, routes and timetables operating in the vicinity of the site. Information on fares and the availability/cost of season tickets will also be included. Car Park Management 6.17 The site will be provided with only two resident s parking spaces with these being assigned to students who are registered disabled and have genuine mobility needs. Access to the site by the occupants (other than the two disabled users) will be prevented by an electronically operated barrier. Disabled users will be allocated a key-fob which can open the barriers as they approach the access The only exception to the above will be at the start and end of term when resident students will also have access for a limited period to three additional temporary on-site parking spaces to enable them to drop off and pick up their belongings. FMW May 2014

18 6.19 Given the limited number of spaces available a strict parking management process will be implemented as set out below: The tenancy agreement will not allow student residents to bring a car to Bath or to apply for a resident s on-street parking permit; One month prior to occupation, student residents will be contacted by the site management team and offered an arrival slot of 20 minutes between and during the weekend prior to the tenancy start date. This communication will emphasize that these time slots are non-negotiable and that arrival outside of these slots will not be possible; Once the arrival time has been agreed, the welcome pack (including wider travel information) with directions and contact details will be issued; In the event that the student resident is travelling by car, they will be able to arrive, park, unload the vehicle and move into the room during this slot; In the event that student residents arrive unscheduled during the day they will be directed to a public car park and allocated a slot between and that evening; The property manager/warden will be present to coordinate the arrivals and departures between and and beyond as necessary, i.e. as above; and The departure process at the end of term will be organized on the same basis as above. Personalised ning 6.20 Clearly each student resident is likely to have a similar life style and the need to make similar journeys to similar destinations as each other. The information available within the travel information packs and on the travel notice board should therefore be sufficient and selfexplanatory for the majority of likely student residents Notwithstanding, it is possible that some student residents may need to make regular journeys to destinations not covered by the general travel information available. In this case, the TPC will be available to liaise with the individual student to identify the most appropriate non-car mode of travel to and from the destination. Similarly, additional travel support may be required for any oversees students. FMW May 2014

19 7 MONITORING AND REVIEW 7.1 It is important to recognise that s are live documents and as such develop over time with changing conditions. Monitoring and review is an integral part of a good Travel Plan and its results can help recognise success, and generally raise awareness. 7.2 Surveys of the travel characteristics of student residents will be undertaken approximately half way through the first term of the academic year. These will be repeated annually for five years. 7.3 The findings of the above surveys will be reviewed and a short monitoring report prepared. This will be issued to the Highway Authority s officer within two months of the date of the travel survey. If necessary, a meeting will be arranged between the TPC and the officer to discuss progress and possible enhancements to the should these be deemed necessary. FMW May 2014

20 FIGURES FMW1099 May 2014

21

22