LAND AT KINGSTON FARM BRADFORD ON AVON TRANSPORT ASSESSMENT

Transcription

1 LAND AT KINGSTON FARM BRADFORD ON AVON TRANSPORT ASSESSMENT FEBRUARY 2013

2 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF LAND AT KINGSTON FARM, BRADFORD ON AVON TRANSPORT ASSESSMENT PREPARED FOR BOA PROPERTY LTD. FMW CONSULTANCY LIMITED TRYM LODGE 1 HENBURY ROAD WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BRISTOL BS9 3HQ FEBRUARY 2013

3 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION RECORD OF DISCUSSIONS WITH WILTSHIRE COUNCIL HIGHWAYS EXISTING HIGHWAY CONDITIONS ACCESSIBILITY BY SUSTAINABLE MODES OF TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS PROPOSED B3107 FOOTWAY IMPROVEMENTS TRIP GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC IMPACT SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...55

4 FIGURES AND APPENDICES FIGURES Figure 3.1: Figure 3.2: Figure 3.3: Figure 4.1: Figure 4.2: Figure 4.3: Figure 5.1: Figure 7.1: Figure 7.2: Figure 7.3: Figure 8.1: Figure 8.2: Figure 8.3: Site Location Local Highway Network 2012 Base SATURN Traffic Flows Local Facilities Plan Cycling Routes Local Bus Routes Site Access Strategy Residential Trip Assignment Employment Trip Assignment Combined Trip Assignment 2012 Base SATURN + Development Traffic Flows 2022 Base SATURN Traffic Flows 2022 Base SATURN + Development Traffic Flows APPENDICES Appendix A: Bradford on Avon SATURN Model Validation Report Appendix B: Personal Injury Accident Locations Appendix C: Indicative Development Masterplan Appendix D: Proposed Site Access Arrangements and Holt Road Improvements Appendix E: Swept Path Analysis Appendix F: TRICS Outputs Appendix G: Census Method of Travel to work Data Appendix H: Modelling Results for Bath Rd / Masons Ln / Mt Pleasant Mini-R bt Appendix I: Modelling Results for Frome Rd / Junction Rd Mini-Roundabout Appendix J: Modelling Results for St Margaret s St / Frome Road / Station Access Appendix K: Modelling Results for Market St / Silver Street Mini-Roundabout Appendix L: Modelling Results for Springfield / Holt Rd / Western Site Access Appendix M: Modelling Results for Holt Road / Eastern Site Access Appendix N: Framework Travel Plans

5 1 INTRODUCTION Brief 1.1 FMW Consultancy has been instructed by BoA Property Ltd to prepare a Transport Assessment (TA) in support of a planning application for a mixed use development at Kingston Farm in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. The site is the preferred strategic employment and residential site in Bradford on Avon within the emerging Wiltshire Council Core Strategy. 1.2 This TA will address the key highway and transport issues in relation to the development proposals and consider the accessibility of the site by sustainable modes of transport. Supporting Residential and Employment Travel Plans have also been prepared by FMW which form an Appendix to this report. 1.3 The report follows the hierarchy of transport modes as promoted by National, Regional and Local transport policy, namely; Pedestrians; Cyclists; Public Transport; and Private Transport. 1.4 The report provides an audit of the existing transport conditions in the vicinity of the site including a description of the local highway network and its operation. It also determines the anticipated level of trip generation, the distribution of these trips, and the impact of this development traffic on the local highway network and its junctions. 1.5 The report also gives full regard to the potential for trips to be made to and from the site by sustainable modes of transport. 1.6 The scope and scale of the TA has been discussed and agreed with Highway Officers from Wiltshire Council. 1.7 The structure of this report is summarised below: Section 2: Details the discussions held and agreements reached with Wiltshire Council highways department between January 2009 and the present date; FMW February 2013

6 Section 3: Section 4: Section 5: Section 6: Section 7: Section 8: Section 9: Section 10: Describes the site location and the existing highway network in the vicinity of the site. It also provides an analysis of local Personal Injury Accident (PIA) data and the findings of recently completed traffic surveys within the study area; Outlines the existing accessibility of the site by sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport; Outlines the relevant characteristics of the proposed development including access and parking arrangements; Details the proposed footway improvements to the B3107 Holt Road that will be provided as part of the development; Considers the trip generation likely to be associated with the proposed development together with its likely distribution on the road network within the agreed study area; Considers the impact on the surrounding road network of the additional trips generated by the proposed development. Trips associated with other committed developments in the area are also included as appropriate; Details the facilities proposed to enable travel to and from the site by sustainable modes of transport; and Presents a summary of the report and identifies the main conclusions that can be drawn from the. FMW February 2013

7 2 RECORD OF DISCUSSIONS WITH WILTSHIRE COUNCIL HIGHWAYS 2.1 FMW Consultancy first became involved with the Kingston Farm project in January Since that date there have been numerous meetings, discussions, exchanges and agreements reached that have fed through to the preparation of this and the proposed site access arrangements and off-site footway improvements. Given the four year period between starting the project and the planning application it is considered appropriate to provide brief details of a number of the more salient agreements that have been reached through this preapplication process. 2.2 It should also be noted that discussions have been held with five different officers at Wiltshire Council highways over the four year period as some have changed responsibilities or left the Authority while others have joined. The following therefore represents an amalgamation of all the comments made and the agreements reached In March 2009 an initial briefing meeting was held with Ian Postlethwaite of Wiltshire Council highways. It was agreed that the scale of the development was such that it should be assessed through use of the Council s SATURN model of the town. Other issues were discussed in principle rather than in detail given the early nature of the proposals. One key issue was however identified, that being the standard of the walking route between the site and the town centre and the need to provide improvements thereto as part of the development. 2.4 An initial Transport Feasibility Report for the site was issued for comment to Mr Postlethwaite in July 2009 but no formal response was ever received. It was however discussed as part of a wider project meeting with the planning department in August 2009 which Mr Postlethwaite also attended. Again the pedestrian link to the town centre came through as being the main highway related issue. 2.5 In October 2009 initial proposals for widening the existing footway along the length of Holt Road between its junctions with Springfield and Woolley Street were issued for comment to Mr Postlethwaite. No formal response was ever received. FMW February 2013

8 A meeting was held with Allan Creedy in April 2010 with the aim of agreeing the scope of the required to support a planning application for the site. 2.7 Mr Creedy wasn t willing at this stage to discuss the scope as the highway authority had not accepted the principle of a strategic development site in Bradford on Avon at that time (this has subsequently been accepted through the development of the Core Strategy). Mr Creedy did however state that he was in no doubt that suitable access arrangements for the site could be provided but reiterated that the ability to provide an improved pedestrian route to the town centre would be key. The possible footway improvements issued to the Council in October 2009 were given a 6 out of 10 score by Mr Creedy at that time At the end of June 2011 a further meeting with Mr Creedy resulted in the scope of the being agreed and this has been followed throughout this report. It was agreed that the existing Bradford on Avon SATURN model would be used for the traffic assessments but that this would first need to be updated and revalidated for a 2011 base year. The existing SATURN files were subsequently made available in October At the end of February 2012 a meeting was arranged by Wiltshire Council to discuss all the various planning, conservation, ecology and transport related issues associated with the proposed strategic allocation of the Kingston Farm site. In advance of this meeting, details of the proposed site access arrangements, draft SATURN validation and forecasting reports and a Technical Note covering vehicle trip rates for the site were issued for comment to Mr Creedy together with his colleagues Rob Hannis and David McMahon. FMW February 2013

9 2.10 The access arrangements were subsequently discussed at the meeting with Mr Hannis expressing the desire for a formal roundabout at the western access (Springfield/Holt Road junction) rather than the mini-roundabout proposed at that time. The requirement for improved pedestrian links to the town centre was again stressed by Mr Hannis In early March 2012 guidance was requested from Mr McMahon regarding the Council s approach to parking provision for the proposed office element of the development at the eastern end of the site. Mr McMahon identified that the Council s standards are maximum values and that a provision below the 1 per 30sqm maximum standard would therefore be acceptable particularly given the mixed use nature of the development and its overall accessibility by non-car modes of travel Also in early March 2012 a site meeting was held with Mr McMahon during which the whole length of Holt Road between the Cemetery and the Woolley Street junction was walked and considered in relation to the site access arrangements and footway improvements proposed at that time. A broad consensus was reached on the appropriate way forward on the access and footway improvement arrangements with FMW tasked with refining and reissuing the proposals for formal approval In mid March 2012 Mr McMahon provided comments on the initial SATURN validation and forecasting reports issued at the end of February These comments have subsequently been taken into account within this report. Mr McMahon also approved the vehicle trip rates which have fed into the junction assessments and are discussed further in Section 7 of this report A telephone conversation with Mr Hannis at the start of May 2012 finalised the requirements for the site access arrangements and footway provisions. These included a simple priority junction for the eastern site access (rather than the ghost island right turn lane previously suggested), no change to the existing carriageway or footway between the two site access junctions, a formal roundabout for the western site access (rather than the mini-roundabout previously suggested) and a Zebra crossing of Holt Road (rather than the Pelican crossing previously suggested). These comments were all made following discussions between Mr Hannis and his internal road safety colleagues. FMW February 2013

10 2.15 A preference for an off-road pedestrian route to the town centre through the grounds of The Hall was expressed by Mr Hannis but with an acceptance that landscape, land ownership and conservation issues may prevent its delivery. The inability to deliver a pedestrian route through the grounds of The Hall was subsequently agreed with the Strategic Planning team at Wiltshire Council with the requirement for such a link removed from the wording of the Development Brief for the site In September 2012 the current proposals for the site access arrangements and Holt Road footway improvements were issued to Mr Hannis for comment and approval. A Stage 1 Road Safety Audit (RSA) and Designer s Response were also issued at this time. These proposals addressed all of the issues requested by Mr Hannis in May 2012 and also took into account other refinements identified in the RSA A meeting was held with Mr Hannis in October 2012 at which the above access junction arrangements and footway improvements were discussed. Mr Hannis gave his approval of the proposals but with the caveat that appropriate capacity checks of the site access junctions be included within the. Section 8 of this report includes such assessments and identifies that both access junctions will operate well within their theoretical capacity Assessment years of 2012 and 2022 were agreed at this meeting based on the anticipated year of application and a date 10 years thereafter. Mr Hannis also stated that he would consider the potential for a 7.5t weight restriction on Holt Road between the two site access points and discuss the potential for changing local bus routes such that they operate through the site Phil Tilley of Wiltshire Council highways took over responsibility for the project in November 2012 with the proposed site access arrangements and footway improvements previously agreed with Mr Hannis in October 2012 reissued to Mr Tilley for information In early December 2012 Mr Tilley provided a response on the potential for a 7.5t weight restriction on Holt Road between the two site access junctions with this being discussed within Section 6 of this report. A response on the potential to reroute local bus services through the site is still awaited. FMW February 2013

11 3 EXISTING HIGHWAY CONDITIONS Site Location 3.1 The application site is located at Kingston Farm on the eastern fringe of Bradford on Avon as illustrated on Figure The site is bounded to the north by the B3107 Holt Road, by arable farmland to the east, the Bath Spa to Westbury railway line lies to the south and the western boundary is formed by the Anthony Best Dynamics factory and the grounds of The Hall. 3.3 The whole site area currently forms part of Kingston Farm which itself is part of the wider Hall Estate. It is currently pasture farmland with vehicular access via field gates in two locations on Holt Road. It should be noted that The Hall and its gardens are in separate ownership and do not form part of the application site. 3.4 Bradford on Avon is a market town with a population of 9,402 (2011 census) located where the A363 Bath to Trowbridge road crosses the River Avon. The town centre, as represented by the Silver Street / Market Street junction is approximately 500m from the western boundary of the application site. 3.5 Bath lies eight miles to the north west by car and Trowbridge four miles to the south east. The B3107 provides access to Melksham, six miles to the east, and the B3109 Corsham to Rode road runs north-south through the town. The B3108 connects Bradford on Avon to Winsley and Limpley Stoke to the west. The M4 Motorway can be readily accessed at either Junction 17 or 18 depending on the direction of travel. 3.6 FMW Consultancy undertook a study in July 2010 to compare the travel and accessibility characteristics of Bradford on Avon to those of similar settlements within Wiltshire. The study determined that the town scores well on issues such as personal injury accident data and census information on car ownership and travel habits in comparison to other settlements in the County. As such, Bradford on Avon has been shown to be a suitable settlement for a strategic development site. FMW February 2013

12 Local Highway Network 3.7 The local highway network is identified on Figure Vehicular access to the site will be taken from the B3107 Holt Road, which is a single carriageway road and is typically between 5m and 5.5m in width along the site frontage. It has a footway on its northern side and is subject to a 30mph speed limit. In the immediate vicinity of the site there is a high stone wall at the carriageway edge on the southern side of Holt Road and a small wall with a steep cutting slope behind the footway on the northern side. These features serve to create a canyon effect that reduces the perceived carriageway width. 3.9 Just to the northwest of the site, Holt Road intersects with Springfield via a priority controlled junction, with Holt Road having the priority through the junction. Vehicles travelling out of Bradford on Avon on Holt Road and turning left into Springfield have a dedicated left turn lane separated from the main junction by a large grassed area Holt Road extends west from the Springfield junction before becoming Woolley Street and then Silver Street before linking in to Bradford on Avon town centre. Silver Street then intersects with the A363 Market Street at a mini-roundabout known locally as Knee s Corner. To the east, Holt Road provides access towards Holt some two miles distant and then continues northeast towards the A350 at Melksham Springfield is classified as the B3109 and extends north from its junction with Holt Road before turning west and linking with the A363 Masons Lane at a miniroundabout some 800 metres northwest of the site This route forms what could be described as a local distributor road across the northern part of Bradford on Avon connecting to the A363 towards Bath, the B3109 towards Corsham and the B3108 towards Winsley and beyond to the A The A363 passes through the centre of Bradford on Avon on a north/south alignment. As it passes through the town centre, the route is very narrow in places with the Bradford on Avon Bridge being subject to a 18t weight limit. This limit is an environmental restriction that has been imposed to discourage large vehicles from using the narrow roads through the town rather than being a result of any inherent weakness in the bridge itself. FMW February 2013

13 3.14 Site observations suggest that this weight limit is regularly breached by large vehicles that have been known to become stuck due to the narrow roads and tight turns in the town. A local Lorry Watch group record the registration details of vehicles that exceed the weight limit over the bridge and this has resulted in a number of successful prosecutions of repeat offenders The alternative route for through traffic heavy goods vehicles to avoid the weight restriction on the bridge is via Staverton and Trowbridge using the B3105 to the east of Bradford on Avon. This diversion route is suitably signed for south bound vehicles approaching on the A363 from Bath but relies on a considerable diversion that many drivers have historically ignored As previously identified, Holt Road becomes Silver Street and forms the main highway link into the town centre from the site. Silver Street varies in width from 6 metres to 4.1 metres, is illuminated along its length and is subject to a 30mph speed limit. The road is bounded by a continuous footway on the northern side of the carriageway although this varies considerably in width along its length. There are currently no formal pedestrian crossing points on Holt Road or Woolley Street, although a zebra crossing has recently been introduced on Silver Street in the vicinity of its junction with Kingston Road as part of the adjacent Kingston Mills development. Existing Traffic Flows 3.17 Traffic flows for junction modelling have been extracted from the Wiltshire Council SATURN model of Bradford on Avon. The model has been revalidated to a 2011 base by Parsons Brinckerhoff on behalf of FMW. A SATURN Model Validation and Forecasting Report explaining the process followed and the associated results are attached as Appendix A of this report The existing 2012 peak hour traffic flows across the network in the vicinity of the site are shown on Figure 3.3. The model indicates that the 2012 two-way flows on Holt Road during the AM peak hour are 702 and 812 during the PM peak hour There are known to be capacity issues at the Knee s Corner mini-roundabout (Silver Street / Market Street) at peak times, leading to queues back over the town bridge and along Market Street and beyond to Masons Lane. Queuing also occurs on Silver Street in the peak hours but to a much lesser extent. FMW February 2013

14 Link Capacity 3.20 Urban roads have a flow capacity that is linked to their width and the number of side roads, degree of frontage access etc The tables contained in the Department for Transport guidance TA79/99: Traffic Capacity of Urban Roads, provide the relevant capacity values and are quoted in Table 3.1 below in relation to the surveyed flows on the various links within Bradford on Avon It should be noted that where the actual carriageway widths are different from those quoted in TA79/99 the link capacity values have been extrapolated between or beyond the TA79/99 width values. Location Width Category Link Capacity (two-way) Bath Road 7.5m UPA4 1,952 Mount Pleasant 5.5m UPA4 1,222 New Road 7.0m UPA4 1,822 Springfield 7.5m UPA4 1,952 Holt Road East 6.5m UPA4 1,444 Holt Road West 7.0m UPA4 1,822 Silver Street 4.5m UPA4 922 St. Margaret s Street 6.5m UPA4 1,444 Surveyed Flow (two-way) AM = 1,622 PM = 1,600 AM = 949 PM = 894 AM = 706 PM = 683 AM = 706 PM = 683 AM = 672 PM = 746 AM = 666 PM = 677 AM = 643 PM = 687 AM = 1,874 PM = 1,914 Spare Capacity AM = 16.9% PM = 18.0% AM = 22.3% PM = 26.8% AM = 61.2% PM = 62.5% AM = 63.8% PM = 65.0% AM = 53.5% PM = 48.3% AM = 63.4% PM = 62.8% AM = 30.3% PM = 25.5% AM = -29.8% PM = -32.5% Table 3.1: Link Capacity Assessment within Bradford on Avon 3.23 The above table identifies that all the highway links within the study area operate with a high degree of spare capacity apart from St Margaret s Street. The operational difficulties, queuing and delays that occur within the town can therefore be attributed primarily to the operation of the junctions and inappropriate parking or loading. FMW February 2013

15 3.24 For St Margaret s Street, the actual traffic flows are higher than the theoretical link capacity but it should be noted that the link capacity values assume that traffic will be able to flow freely at the speed limit. A link can carry more traffic than its theoretical link capacity value but the flow of traffic on the link will be travelling at a slower speed. Site observations have identified that this is indeed the case. Accident Analysis 3.25 Details of the number of accidents recorded on the highway network in Bradford on Avon have been obtained from Wiltshire Council for the period 1 st October 2006 to 30 th September The information is based on STATS19 Police Accident Reports and refers to three categories of accidents: A fatal accident is one in which at least one person is fatally injured; A serious accident is one in which at least one person is seriously injured, but no-one suffers a fatal injury, and which is in one (or more) of the following categories: (a) an injury for which a person is detained in hospital as an in-patient; or (b) any of the following injuries (whether or not the person is detained in hospital): fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushing, severe cuts and lacerations, severe general shock requiring treatment. A slight accident is one in which at least one person suffers "slight" injuries (i.e. a sprain, bruise or cut which is not judged to be severe, or slight shock requiring roadside attention), but no-one is seriously or fatally injured A plan showing the location of the recorded accidents in Bradford on Avon is attached as Appendix B and the full report can be provided on request A separate plan showing the location of accidents along Holt Road, Woolley Street and Silver Street across the site frontage and on the walking route to the town centre is also attached as part of Appendix B. Along this length there were 10 recorded personal injury accidents over the five year period resulting in 15 casualties, 14 of which were categorised as slight and one serious. There were no fatalities Of the 10 accidents, two involved pedestrians (both slight) and two involved cyclists (both slight). Children were involved in one of the vehicular accidents (two slight casualties) and one of the pedestrian accidents (again slight). FMW February 2013

16 3.29 The only cluster of accidents close to the site occurs at the B3107 Holt Road/ Cemetery Lane junction. Of the four accidents occurring at this location, two of the accidents were rear end shunts, one was attributable to the narrow width of the road and a schoolgirl pedestrian was hit by an oncoming vehicle in the other. Four accidents taking place over a five year period are not suggestive of a significant highway safety issue. Notwithstanding it is proposed to reduce the speed limit through the junction to 30mph as part of the development proposals (as discussed later in this report) which should lead to road safety benefits in this location Two vehicles were involved in collisions at the Holt Road/Springfield junction: one involving a vehicle turning right into Springfield Road and one involving a vehicle turning right out of Springfield Road Two accidents occurred on Silver Street. One involved a cyclist swerving to avoid a queue of traffic and hitting an oncoming vehicle, the second involved a stationary car reversing into a pedestrian who was crossing the carriageway behind it. A pedal cyclist contravening the one way Traffic Regulation Order on Woolley Street also suffered a serious injury when they collided with an oncoming vehicle In the vast majority of cases however the accidents within the study area are attributable to driver, pedestrian or cyclist error rather than any particular deficiency in the highway network. FMW February 2013

17 4 ACCESSIBILITY BY SUSTAINABLE MODES OF TRANSPORT Introduction 4.1 The accessibility of the site by sustainable modes of transport is important as it is likely to impact on the number of private car trips made to the site and the localised impacts of the additional traffic associated with the development. This section outlines the existing accessibility of the site by sustainable modes of transport (walking, cycling and public transport) and suggests a number of possible improvements. Location of Day to Day Services and Facilities 4.2 Government guidance is such that new residential developments must be located where they are not solely dependent on the use of the private car. The location of day to day services and facilities in relation to a proposed site is therefore of key consideration. The nearer services and facilities are to the site the more likely it is that future residents will choose to travel sustainably by walking, cycling or the use of public transport. 4.3 The locations of a number of key local destinations are shown on Figure 4.1. The walking distance to these destinations is summarised in Table 4.1 below measured to and from the boundary of the application site via the most direct route. Service or Facility Location Walking Distance Primary School Christchurch Primary, Sladesbrook 780m Secondary School St Laurence, Ashley Road 1,540m Convenience Store Costcutter, New Road 280m Post Office The Shambles 580m Town Centre Market Street / Silver Street 590m Health Centre Station Approach 920m Railway Station Station Approach 920m Swimming Pool Station Approach 920m Table 4.1: Walking Distance to Local Facilities FMW February 2013

18 4.4 Guidance on appropriate walking distances is given in the Institution of Highways and Transportation document: Providing for Journeys on Foot. In general terms, this document identifies the preferred maximum walking distance to a town centre as being 800m, for commuting or walking to school as being 2,000m and for other more general destinations as being 1,200m. Comparing these values with the walking distances identified in the above table indicates that all the above destinations are well within the preferred maximum distances. The close proximity of the town centre also means that all the wider services and facilities available therein are very accessible by walking from the proposed site. 4.5 Many of the employment opportunities within Bradford on Avon are located within the town centre and so are also within a convenient walking distance of the proposed development. Businesses located on the Treenwood Industrial Estate on the southern edge of Bradford on Avon are slightly further afield but are readily accessible by bicycle or public transport. Pedestrian Routes 4.6 Footways on Holt Road, Woolley Street, Silver Street and Springfield provide convenient links between the site and the town centre. There is however currently no footway on the southern side of Holt Road / Silver Street and on the northern side the footway is restricted in width, particularly between the side road junctions with Springfield and Woolley Street. 4.7 For pedestrian trips to the local primary school, it is likely that the majority of new residents would use the Springfield / New Road route, which benefits from 2m wide footways on either side, before linking to Sladesbrook and the School entrance. 4.8 Whilst school children walking to the secondary school can also use the above route and beyond via Winsley Road, it is slightly shorter to walk through the town centre and up the hill to the public footpath connecting to Budbury Place. 4.9 In general terms, the existing pedestrian infrastructure within Bradford on Avon is of a reasonable standard however in the vicinity of the proposed development itself and on the Holt Road walking route towards the town centre, the existing footway is poor due primarily to its narrow width. FMW February 2013

19 4.10 Footway improvements including a new zebra crossing facility are proposed along Holt Road in the vicinity of the site with these being discussed in detail later in this report. Cycling Facilities 4.11 There are a number of existing on and off road cycle routes that run through Bradford on Avon and these are illustrated within Figure 4.2 of this report. Not least is the National Cycle Network route 4 which follows the tow path of the Kennet and Avon canal. This route provides longer distance traffic-free cycle journeys towards Bath to the west and Trowbridge and Melksham to the east. The whole of Bradford on Avon is within a 5km cycling distance of the site which is a distance that can be cycled in approximately 15 minutes by a reasonably fit person A 5km cycling distance also extends to parts of the neighbouring town of Trowbridge particularly the employment opportunities available on the Canal Road Industrial Estate which can be easily accessed from the canal tow path (NCN 4). The site is therefore considered to offer good access by bicycle Wiltshire Council has agreed and adopted a range of measures to introduce a wider cycle network within Bradford on Avon. In the immediate vicinity of the Kingston Farm site this involves the introduction of traffic calming measures on Springfield / New Road and changes to the section of Woolley Street between Holt Road and Springfield such that it is either closed to all traffic or a contra-flow cycle lane introduced. Funding for the works and the timing of their implementation has yet to be determined. Bus Services 4.14 The nearest bus stops to the site are located on Holt Road approximately 150m from the centre of the site and on Springfield some 300 metres from the centre of the site as shown in Figure There are 3 main bus services operating through Bradford on Avon via Holt Road or the bus stops on Springfield. Of these, service number 98 provides a cross town service for Bradford on Avon operating generally to a 30 minute timetable throughout the day. FMW February 2013

20 4.16 It operates a figure of eight route starting at the Railway Station, travelling around the southern residential areas of the town and the Sainsbury s supermarket before returning to the Railway Station. It then calls at the St Margaret s Street bus stops before crossing the town bridge, travelling around the northern residential areas of the town and returning via the town bridge, the St Margaret s Street bus stops and the Railway Station This service provides a frequent public transport link between the northern side of the town and the Sainsbury s supermarket and employment opportunities located on the southern side of the town The 264 / 265 service operates between Bath and Warminster via Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge and Westbury. The service provides a half hourly service during the day Monday to Saturday, with an hourly service in the evening and allows direct connections to the major local towns and cities. The service operates every 2 hours during the day on Sundays The Zig Zag service also operates along Holt Road providing up to 6 services per day linking Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Holt, Melksham, Corsham and Chippenham A summary of the above services in Table 4.2 below: Service Route Typical Frequency Days of operation / 265 Zig Zag Bradford on Avon Town Service Warminster - Westbury - Trowbridge - Bath Corsham - Melksham - Bradford on Avon Trowbridge Table 4.2: Local Bus Services 30 minutes Mon - Sat 30 minutes Mon - Sat Six services daily Mon - Sat 4.21 The above information indicates that there is a wide range of frequent public transport services available in the vicinity of the proposed development site which will provide potential residents with an alternative to the use of the private car. Residents can use nearby stops to reach most destinations within Bradford on Avon itself and frequencies are such that commuting is possible to Bath and Trowbridge. FMW February 2013

21 Rail Provision 4.22 Bradford on Avon Railway Station is centrally located within approximately one kilometre walking distance from the centre of the site The Station provides ticketing and waiting facilities and is located on the Bristol / Bath to Westbury / Southampton rail line. It also provides direct services to Weymouth, Salisbury, Portsmouth, London Waterloo, Newport, Cardiff and Gloucester. Sheffield hoop type cycle parking facilities are available on the platform Footways are provided along the full length of the walking route between the site and the Station with a signalised pedestrian crossing providing a safe location to cross St Margaret s Street. With the Bradford on Avon town bus service (No 98) also linking the site to the station, it is clear that the Station is readily accessible from the site by a range of non-car modes of transport A summary of the rail services available from Bradford on Avon is given in Table 4.3. DESTINATION JOURNEY TIME FREQUENCY Bath Spa 12 mins 30 mins Bristol Temple Meads 26 mins 30 mins Cardiff 1 hr 21 mins 60 mins Trowbridge 7 mins 30 mins Westbury 14 mins 30 mins Salisbury 45 mins 60 mins Southampton 1 hr 17 mins 60 mins Portsmouth 2 hr 7 mins 60 mins Weymouth 1 hr 46 mins 7 per day Gloucester 1 hr 43 mins 3 per day London Waterloo 2 hr 29 mins 3 per day Table 4.3: Direct Rail Services from Bradford on Avon 4.26 These services operate between approximately and midnight and provide regular services to the key local destinations in the region and beyond through a single change at Bath Spa (for London Paddington), Bristol Temple Meads (for Midlands and South West) and Westbury (for London Paddington and South West). FMW February 2013

22 4.27 There are three direct services to and from London Waterloo daily but an hourly service to and from London Waterloo is also available through a single change of train at Salisbury. Summary 4.28 In summary, it is considered that the proposed development site is well located in relation to the opportunity to use sustainable, non-car modes of travel for journeys to and from local services and facilities. Opportunities also exist to use non-car modes of transport when travelling to other nearby towns and cities. FMW February 2013

23 5 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS Masterplan 5.1 The indicative development Masterplan is attached as Appendix C of this report. The development proposes the following development mix: 138 residential units of which 20% will be affordable ; 3,195sqm B1 employment use Serviced Offices known as the Hub ; and 2,543sqm B2 employment use Anthony Best Dynamics (ABD). 5.2 It should be noted that the above employment floor areas are the gross internal values that are used in the assessment of vehicle trip rates and as such are different from the gross external floor areas quoted on the application forms. Site Access Strategy 5.3 The proposed access strategy to serve the development is shown in Figure 5.1. The transport infrastructure includes facilities for the private car, public transport and walking and cycling in order that an integrated transport network is provided to serve the site. 5.4 In summary, the site access strategy involves conversion of the existing Holt Road / Springfield three arm priority junction at the western end of the site into a four arm roundabout with the new arm serving primarily the residential element of the development. At the eastern end of the site, a new three arm priority junction will be created on Holt Road which will primarily serve the employment element of the development. These two new access points will be connected within the site to create a through route. 5.5 Appropriate pedestrian footways and crossing facilities will be incorporated into the site access arrangements with a pedestrian route running parallel to Holt Road being provided through the site. A pedestrian and cycle route will also extend east beyond the residential and employment development providing a car free route back to Holt Road in the vicinity of the Cemetery. FMW February 2013

24 Proposed Site Access Arrangements 5.6 As identified above, there will be two vehicular points of access to the proposed development, both taken from Holt Road. As part of the site access proposals, the existing 30mph speed limit on Holt Road will be extended to the east of the adjacent Cemetery as shown in drawing FMW0276-F1 included as part of Appendix D. 5.7 The exact location of this speed limit extension will be agreed through discussions with Wiltshire Council as part of the detailed highway design process. 5.8 The eastern access will take the form of a simple priority T-junction and has been designed to accord with the principles and guidance set out in Manual for Streets and Manual for Streets 2. The layout is shown on drawing FMW0276-F2 included as part of Appendix D with the salient points of the junction arrangement being summarised below: Design Speed 30mph Major Carriageway width 6.7m Minor Carriageway width 8.5m at the bellmouth tapering to 7.3m Junction Radii 15m to east, 10m to west Visibility Splays 2.4 x43m minimum. 5.9 A Swept Path Analysis (SPA) of this junction arrangement demonstrates that any Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) that can be expected to visit the employment element of the development can use the junction and internal roads in a safe and appropriate manner. The SPA is included in Appendix E. It should be noted that the radii of the western kerb line at the junction has deliberately been tightened in order to encourage HGVs to use the B3105 lorry route rather than travelling through the town centre The western access will take the form of a standard four arm roundabout and has been designed to accord with the guidance set out in TD16/07: Geometric Design of Roundabouts. The layout is shown on drawing FMW0276-F4 included as part of Appendix D with the main details of the junction arrangement being summarised below: Design Speed 30mph Inscribed Circle Diameter 28m; Centre Island Diameter 4m; FMW February 2013

25 Over-run Area Diameter 12m Holt Road (east) width 5.5m; Site Access 7.3m Holt Road (west) 6.0m Springfield 7.3m The roundabout will be introduced on what is a bus route therefore a SPA has also been undertaken for this access and is included as part of Appendix E. The use of a run-over strip around the centre island clearly provides for the turning needs of a large vehicle while the presence of this run-over strip also creates appropriate levels of deflection for smaller vehicles As part of the proposed roundabout arrangement, a zebra crossing will be provided on Holt Road (west). This will provide a safe crossing facility for future residents to cross Holt Road and use the existing footway that runs along the northern side of Holt Road Directly to the north west of the proposed roundabout is an existing Wessex Water Pumping Station to which there is a requirement to maintain emergency access for a tanker at all times. It is therefore proposed that lockable drop bollards and drop kerbs be provided over a short length on Holt Road to the west of the proposed zebra crossing and on Springfield to the north of the roundabout as shown on drawing FMW0276-F4. The footway between the two sets of bollards will be provided at a 4m width to enable its use by the tanker lorry with an alternative footway route also being provided beside the roundabout itself for pedestrian use when the tanker is blocking the main pedestrian route The above arrangements will enable a tanker to park next to the pumping station but clear of traffic and will also mean that there will be no requirement for a turning head as the tanker can drive straight through between Holt Road and Springfield. It should be noted that tanker access is an emergency only requirement and will be a rare occurrence The proposed roundabout and the need to secure the pumping station access are such that the existing slip road between Holt Road eastbound and Springfield will need to be removed. This will result in the loss of a marked length of on-street parking which can accommodate approximately 10 cars. FMW February 2013

26 5.16 Subject to further discussions with Wiltshire Council it may also be considered appropriate to introduce no parking restrictions in the vicinity of the proposed roundabout and on the Springfield approach thereto. This in turn could remove informal on-street parking for a further four to five vehicles Site observations have identified that the on-street parking demand in this area is high throughout the day and is primarily associated with people who work in the town centre. Drivers choose to park on Springfield and to walk into the town centre presumably to avoid the town centre car park charges. It is considered that some of this displaced parking will merely relocate slightly further along Springfield away from the roundabout with the drivers not therefore being significantly inconvenienced by the proposed changes. Springfield is of an appropriate width such that on-street parking does not block the free flow of traffic The main site access road from the proposed roundabout is such that there is little or no frontage access for a long distance back from the roundabout. On-street parking will be possible over this length and will therefore help to compensate for the loss of on-street parking associated with the introduction of the roundabout and the pumping station access. Again the width of the site access road will ensure that the presence of on-street parking will not adversely affect the free flow of traffic. The lightly trafficked nature of the access will also provide a safer location for on-street parking than that currently available beside Springfield. Proposed Employment Parking Provision 5.19 The parking associated with the proposed employment element of the development is summarised below: The Hub = 89 spaces including three blue badge spaces; and ABD = 60 spaces including two blue badge spaces Wiltshire Council s parking standards identify a maximum parking provision of one space per 30sqm for a B1 land use. The Hub will have an internal floor area of 3,195sqm therefore could be provided with a maximum of 106 parking spaces As previously discussed, there are good opportunities to use non-car modes of travel to and from the site therefore a parking provision below the maximum is considered appropriate. FMW February 2013

27 5.22 The 89 spaces proposed represent a parking provision of one space for every 36sqm of B1 internal floor space. The courtyard and rear parking arrangements for the adjacent residential development means that there will be on-street parking available in close proximity to the Hub should the demand exceed the proposed supply It should also be noted that the floor area quoted for The Hub includes a café and meeting space which is intended for use solely by the office staff so will not in itself have a parking demand For B2 development, the Wiltshire Council standards identify a maximum of one parking space for every 50sqm of floor space. The ABD factory will have an internal floor area of 2,543sqm which would normally equate to a maximum provision of 51 spaces. It should be noted however that the factory building will also incorporate an element of office related activity which could push the parking requirements slightly higher than normal B2 parking standards would suggest The building will be occupied by an existing Bradford on Avon employer who is aware of the parking demands associated with the current workforce at the existing factory. This has enabled him to accurately identify the number of parking spaces required (60) to cater for the likely increase in employee numbers associated with the company s relocation to the proposed factory building It is proposed that covered cycle parking facilities will be provided for both the Hub and the ABD building. The number of cycle parking stands provided will be in excess of the minimum required by the Wiltshire Council standards. Residential Roads and Parking 5.27 The residential highway layout has two points of connection to the local highway network and a number of routes through the development which provides permeability as well as flexibility of access and movement for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. The internal road network has been designed to conform to the guidelines set out in Wiltshire Council s Residential Design Guide SPD 2005 and will be offered for adoption under a S38 Agreement. The two connections to the local highway network have been designed to conventional highway design guidance, as discussed above, and will be adopted under a S278 Agreement. FMW February 2013

28 5.28 In conformity with Wiltshire Council s Residential Design Guide, road widths are no greater than they need to be. Typically two-way sections vary from 4.5m to 5.5m with some localised narrowing to single vehicle width to control vehicle speeds and some localised widening at turning locations and where on street parking is provided. Footways are provided on both sides of the road where there is development on both sides otherwise on the development side only. On the longer loop sections of road, footpaths are provided across the loops through the development blocks Sight distances at minor junctions have been kept small to reduce vehicle speeds. At the larger junctions slightly larger sight lines are provided Swept path analysis has been undertaken using Autotrack software at certain locations to ensure that refuse, delivery and emergency vehicles can negotiate the road network. At the request of Wiltshire Council, a 10.8m length refuse vehicle has been assumed as a worst case. The analysis has been carried out at locations where there are significant changes in direction in the roads and at junctions. As the highway has been designed in accordance with Wiltshire Council s Residential Design Guide keeping road widths to the minimum necessary, occasional large vehicle may need to use the whole road width at junctions and bends The unified parking standards of Wiltshire Council are set-out in the Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) Car Parking Strategy. Whilst the parking standards at Appendix C of LTP3 establish maximum levels of provision for the majority of planning classes, in respect of class C3 dwelling houses, reference has to be made to the minimum standards set out at Table 7.1 of the strategy. In summary the minimum level of parking, across all accessibility bands, is as per the following table. No. of Bedrooms Minimum Parking No. 1 1 space 2 or 3 2 spaces 4 or more 3 spaces Visitor Parking 0.2 spaces per dwelling Table 5.1: LTP3 Minimum Residential Parking Standards FMW February 2013

29 5.32 In discussions with Wiltshire Council it has been agreed that the development scheme should adopt bespoke parking standards forming a hybrid of the LTP3 and DCLG Residential Car Parking Research (May 2007) methodology. This approach is in accordance with Policy PS6 of LTP3. In accordance with the DCLG approach the rate of allocated parking is proposed on the basis of tenure, number of bedrooms and dwelling type with the resulting average provision summarised in the table below. No. of Spaces Owner / Occupier Social / Rented 1 bed flat bed flat bed house bed house bed house 2.25 n/a Table 5.2: Kingston Farm Average Residential Parking Provision 5.33 In addition to the above stated allocated parking, formal on-street but un-allocated (visitor) parking of 20 spaces is proposed resulting in a standard of provision of 0.15 spaces per dwelling. Additionally, on-street informal parking will be possible for visitors throughout the site and without impeding safe and efficient traffic movement. Allotments 5.34 At the far eastern end of the site it is proposed to provide a number of allotments. A field gate will be provided on Holt Road close to the Cemetery (see FMW0276-F1 in Appendix D) which will allow for occasional vehicular access to the allotment site for maintenance and bulk delivery of fertiliser, compost or similar. Individual allotment holders will not have vehicular access to the site from this point The allotments will not be provided with a dedicated parking area within the allotment site. Any allotment holder driving to the site will be expected to park on-street within the residential development and then to walk the short distance through to the allotments. A vehicular access to the allotment area will be provided from Holt Road in the vicinity of the Cemetery although this access point is intended for occasional use only for the bulk delivery of compost or for wider maintenance purposes. FMW February 2013

30 6 PROPOSED B3107 FOOTWAY IMPROVEMENTS Introduction 6.1 As part of the proposed development, pedestrian and cycle links in the vicinity of the site and between the site and the town centre will be improved to overcome the existing constraints identified previously. 6.2 This section provides details of the proposed improvements along the B3107 corridor between the Cemetery and the town centre. It also cross-references to a series of layout plans which are attached as Appendix D. It should be noted that the plans show a preliminary design only at this stage and do not therefore cover issues such as street lighting, road signage or similar all of which can be addressed as part of the more detailed Section 278 design stage that will follow subject to planning. 6.3 A previous iteration of these plans were the subject of an independent Stage 1 Road Safety Audit. This Audit identified no objection in principle to the proposed works but identified a number of more detailed issues that needed to be taken into account. These have been addressed, where possible, as part of the current set of plans however some of the more detailed issues can only be addressed at the more detailed Section 278 technical approval stage. 6.4 A full Designer s Response to the Road Safety Audit has been prepared and issued to Wiltshire Council highways as part of the pre-application discussions on the proposed access arrangements and footway improvements. Comments received from Wiltshire Council highways have also been included in the latest iteration of the plans as attached as Appendix D. Plan FMW0276-F1 6.5 The junction between the B3107 Holt Road, Cemetery Lane and the Plant Nursery has an awkward arrangement. Traffic speeds through the junction can be relatively high which when combined with limited forward and side arm visibility presents a road safety risk. There are no pedestrian crossing facilities linking the existing footway on the north side of Holt Road to the Cemetery and an injury accident associated with a pedestrian crossing the road at this point has been recorded. FMW February 2013

31 6.6 It is proposed that the 30mph speed limit be extended such that it starts just to the east of the Cemetery Lane / Plant Nursery junction. This should assist in reducing vehicle speeds through the junction and thereby improving road safety. 6.7 In the vicinity of the Cemetery access it is proposed to widen the road on the southern side in order to allow a central pedestrian refuge to be incorporated on Holt Road. This refuge will create a safe crossing point between the Cemetery and the existing northern Holt Road footway (where none currently exists) while also creating an entrance feature which should assist in further moderating traffic speeds on the westbound approach to Bradford on Avon. Lane widths of 3m will be retained past the central refuge to match those available on either side with the highway boundary on the southern side extending slightly into the adjacent field. 6.8 The proposed pedestrian refuge and crossing point will also link to a new 2.0m wide pedestrian footway which will extend west towards the development site and run on the south side of Holt Road behind the existing highway verge, hedge and wall. This new footway will provide a high quality alternative to use of the existing sub-standard footway on the northern side of Holt Road however the northern footway will also be retained in its current form. 6.9 A separate cycle path will begin in the vicinity of the Cemetery with this taking a more southerly line than the footway, passing through the proposed allotments before linking into the lightly trafficked road infrastructure within the Kingston Farm development site. Plan FMW0276-F The new 2.0m footway from the Cemetery will be incorporated into the proposed eastern access junction for the development with it following the southern kerb line of Holt Road before following around into the site. Appropriate drop kerb crossing facilities will be provided on the site access road allowing connection with the continuation of the footway to the west of the site access. The volume of turning movements in and out of the site access is not considered to be at a level that would require a more formal crossing facility. FMW February 2013

32 6.11 At present there is a significant kink in the road alignment in the vicinity of the existing Saltacre Lodge (which forms part of the development site and will be demolished as part of the construction process) with the width of Holt Road also narrowing significantly at this location. The proposed site access junction arrangement offers the opportunity to provide a gentler radius of bend and a more gradual reduction in road width in this location with the associated benefits to road safety these will bring Opposite Saltacre Lodge is a shared private driveway that gives access to five residential properties one of which operates as a Bed and Breakfast. The introduction of a pedestrian refuge in the vicinity of the driveway will allow pedestrian movements to and from these properties to safely cross Holt Road and make use of the high quality pedestrian route (minimum width 2.0m) that will be provided through the development site Initial discussions have been held with Wiltshire Council regarding the potential to implement a 7.5t weight restriction on the section of Holt Road to the west of the eastern site access and leading down to the western site access. It is considered that the relocation of the ABD factory to the eastern end of the development site will reduce the number of HGVs requiring access via Holt Road and that removal of such vehicles would improve the road safety over the narrow section between the stone walls. Such a weight restriction would also assist in reinforcing the existing weight restriction over the town bridge Wiltshire Council are not currently convinced of the need for such a weight restriction but are willing to consider a contingent arrangement within the Legal Agreements associated with a planning permission that would enable the issue to be dealt with post development should any particular vehicle weight related problems on Holt Road materialise Any permission for the site is also likely to come with a planning condition requiring the submission and agreement of a Construction Traffic Management Plan prior to commencement on site. This document will detail the routes to be taken and those to be avoided by lorries accessing the development site during its construction. In this way it will be possible to ensure that construction related vehicles do not breach the existing weight restriction on the town bridge. FMW February 2013

33 Plan FMW0276-F The new Holt Road pedestrian refuge identified above will create a safe crossing point between the existing northern footway and the new high quality pedestrian route through the site. Pedestrians will therefore have the choice of either using the existing narrow, but more direct footway beside Holt Road as it descends through the canyon between the stone walls on both sides, or crossing to use the new pedestrian route through the development site The exact route through the site is identified on the proposed master plan attached as Appendix C. The route will be direct running parallel to Holt Road but to the south of the existing tree line before joining and following the on-site road that leads to the proposed western site access junction. The route through the site will be fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act. Plan FMW0276-F As previously identified, it is proposed that the existing three arm priority junction between Holt Road and Springfield be converted into a four arm roundabout with the new fourth arm forming the western access road into the site Pedestrian movements from the site are focussed on to and then across the site access road at an appropriate drop kerb crossing point. As with the eastern access, the development related turning movements on the access road are relatively low meaning that a more formal type of crossing facility in this location is not required Just west of the roundabout it is proposed that a Zebra pedestrian crossing be implemented to enable pedestrians from the Kingston Farm site to cross safely to the northern Holt Road footway and then continue west towards the town centre. This crossing could also be used by pedestrians to and from the Cemetery, the Plant Nursery and the existing properties on Holt Road that would have the opportunity to use the new pedestrian route through the Kingston Farm site. Appropriate pedestrian signage could be provided to reinforce use of the route through the Kingston Farm site if considered necessary To the west of the proposed Zebra crossing the carriageway width of Holt Road will be reduced to allow the northern footway to be widened as discussed in more detail below. FMW February 2013

34 Plan FMW0276-F The section of Holt Road between Springfield and Woolley Street has a narrow footway on its northern side with a high stone wall at the back of the footway. These factors combine to make the footway intimidating for pedestrians to use particularly given the close proximity of traffic travelling east on Holt Road. Improvements to this footway would not only benefit new residents and employees of the proposed Kingston Farm site but also benefit the relatively high number of existing users The improved footway may also help to encourage other existing local residents to walk rather than to drive It is proposed that the southern kerb line of Holt Road be retained in its current location apart from a short section between the main gates to The Hall and the Woolley Street junction. Over this length the kerb line will be realigned approximately 0.4m further to the south The Wiltshire Council conservation officer has accepted the principle of repositioning the kerb such that it has an offset of 0.5m from the listed wall of The Hall as it represents a continuation of an existing section of Holt Road where this offset is already in place The Holt Road carriageway would then be reduced to a consistent 6.0m width between the proposed Zebra crossing and the Woolley Street junction. This width is the minimum normally permitted on a bus route and a swept path analysis of the proposed alignment has shown that two 12m long buses can pass each other with room to spare Narrowing the carriageway to 6.0m allows the northern footway to be widened for the most part to 2.0m or more. However there would remain three short sections where the footway width would be between 2.0m and a minimum of 1.7m. The design guidance Manual for Streets identifies that a footway width of 1.5m is sufficient for a pedestrian walking in one direction to pass a parent with a pushchair walking in the other so a minimum width of 1.7m would clearly give considerable benefits for pedestrians particularly in comparison with the standard of the existing footway. The utility of a 1.7m footway width is little different from that of a 2.0m width. FMW February 2013

35 6.28 In widening the footway a full height kerb face would be provided which again would provide significant safety benefits for existing and future pedestrians particularly in comparison with the existing situation where the kerb face is in places almost nonexistent and poses a very significant risk to pedestrian safety It is proposed that the northern kerb line of Woolley Street to the west of the oblique one-way street junction will be built out in to the carriageway by approximately 2.0m. This will slow traffic turning in to the one-way street and also reduce the width of the junction bell mouth that pedestrians using the northern footway need to cross It will also enable the east-west pedestrian desire line to be more readily followed with the pedestrian visibility benefits this will bring. By building out the kerb line it will also be possible to create three additional short stay on-street parking spaces in lieu of the existing double yellow lines Further to the west the existing northern footway beside Woolley Street and Silver Street linking to the town centre is generally of a good quality and it would appear unnecessary to provide any significant enhancements It is noted that Wiltshire Council intends to implement changes to the carriageways and footways through the town centre as part of its Historic Core Zone (HCZ) project. Improvements to Silver Street are included in the HCZ project and therefore it is considered appropriate that the development contribute an appropriate value to the cost of these works rather than implementing any separate improvements that might otherwise be required as a consequence of the proposed development. Cyclists 6.33 It is proposed that an off-road cycle path be provided from the Cemetery before linking into the central spine road through the development site. This lightly trafficked on-site road will then be used before cyclists rejoin Holt Road at the western site access junction. This approach complies with Local Transport Note 2/08: Cycle Infrastructure Design, which states to exploit security advantages arising from human activity, pedestrian and cycle routes within new developments may best be planned to follow the road network. This is because such routes are overlooked and well lit. FMW February 2013

36 6.34 From the proposed western access to the town centre it is proposed that cyclists will travel on-road via Holt Road and Woolley Street. It should be noted that by narrowing the carriageway to provide a greater footway width for pedestrians, the speed of traffic over this section is likely to reduce markedly with the associated safety benefits for cyclists that this will bring. The proposed western site access junction and its incorporated Zebra crossing will cause Holt Road vehicle movements to give way to other movements so will also serve as a significant speed restraint measure for vehicles travelling this section Further speed restraint measures such as removing the central white line road markings could also assist in reducing traffic speeds and this will be discussed with Wiltshire Council as part of the Technical Approval process for the footway improvements Local Transport Note 2/08 offers guidance on steps for the improvement of existing cycle infrastructure. This identifies that designers should consider matters in the order: traffic volume reduction, then traffic speed reduction, then junction treatment / hazard site treatment, then cycle tracks away from roads and lastly conversion of footways into shared use routes It is not possible to directly reduce traffic volumes however the measures proposed will clearly assist in reducing traffic speeds and incorporate appropriate junction treatments. The on-road proposals therefore comply with the requirements of Local Transport Note 2/ The underlying principles for a suitable cycling environment are to provide positive provision that reduces delay or diversion and improves safety. These principles can be summarised by five headings: convenience, accessibility, safety / perceived safety, comfort and attractiveness. The proposed on-road cycle link represents the shortest route for the majority of existing and future residents and is the most accessible route for all The safety issues are addressed by the greater priority afforded to cyclists by the reduced carriageway widths and the slower traffic speeds that will result. The issues of comfort and attractiveness are considered to be secondary in importance particularly given the relatively short distance and low cycle time involved in accessing the town centre. FMW February 2013

37 Summary of Proposed Holt Road Footway Improvements 6.40 The existing footway and pedestrian provision along the B3107 between the Cemetery and Woolley Street is poor. The footway is narrow and intimidating for pedestrians given the close proximity of traffic and the presence of high stone walls at the back of the footway The above has identified that it is possible to create a high quality alternative route through the Kingston Farm site and beyond via Holt Road and Woolley Street to the town centre This route would be predominantly a minimum of 2.0m in width and would incorporate appropriate crossing facilities where required. The standard and convenience of the route would encourage its use for new residents and employees of the Kingston Farm site and also provide significant betterment for existing users of the current substandard footway. The improved footway may also encourage additional walking journeys amongst local residents with an associated reduction in car journeys Cycling facilities are also improved through the provision of an alternative route via the Kingston Farm development which will take advantage of car free and lightly trafficked residential roads between the Cemetery and the western site access junction Further to the west, between Springfield and the town centre, cyclists will rejoin the B3107 but will enjoy greater priority over vehicles given the reduced width of the carriageway. Traffic speeds are also likely to be reduced given the narrower carriageway width and the form of the western site access junction. Off-Road Alternatives Considered 6.45 The feasibility of delivering an off-road pedestrian and cycle link through the grounds of The Hall linking the site to Kingston Road was considered as part of representations to the Local Development Framework process. Detailed discussions were undertaken with Wiltshire Council s highway officer, conservation officer and members of the Spatial Planning team with the conclusion being that widening of the existing Holt Road footway represents the optimum pedestrian improvement. FMW February 2013

38 6.46 Furthermore, The Hall is in separate ownership and provision of a link through its grounds would rely heavily on the cooperation of this third party landowner. FMW February 2013

39 7 TRIP GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION 7.1 As noted previously, the trip generation exercise and subsequent traffic modelling assessments have been undertaken based on a development of 138 residential units, 3,195sqm of B1 and 2,543sqm of B2 internal floor space. Residential Trip Rates based on Traffic Surveys 7.2 Initial discussions with Wiltshire Council highway officers identified that residential trip rates should, if possible, be based on surveys of a similar residential site in Bradford on Avon. 7.3 Southway Road forms a loop road with two points of vehicular access on to Moulton Drive on the southern side of Bradford on Avon. Walking distance to the Railway Station from both sites is equal with access to the main bus services also being similar. The Kingston Farm site is closer to the town centre however the Southway Road area is closer to the main Sainsbury s food store. On the whole it is likely that the need to travel and the mode of travel associated with both sites will be broadly comparable. 7.4 Traffic surveys were undertaken at both of the Southway Road junctions with Moulton Drive on the 8th of November A summary of the combined peak hour turning movements is given in Table 7.1 with the full survey data being available on request. It is understood that Southway Road gives vehicular access to a total of 209 residential properties allowing the trip rate per unit to also be calculated and included in the Table. AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) 12 Hr Day Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Two-Way Surveyed Trips Trip Rate per Unit Table 7.1: Vehicular Trip Rates based on Traffic Surveys 7.5 The above trip rates, particularly in the AM peak, are lower than would normally be expected for an edge of town residential development. The traffic survey was however undertaken correctly and the survey company did not identify any particular issues on the survey date that might have adversely affected the results. FMW February 2013

40 Residential Trip Rates based on a TRICS Assessment 7.6 As a check of the above survey results the residential trip rates have also been calculated through use of the TRICS database using average values. As above the assessment is based on the AM ( ) and PM ( ) peak hours and a 12 hour day ( ). 7.7 The houses privately owned category has been used throughout even though there will be a number of apartments on the Kingston Farm site together with a proportion of affordable housing. Apartments and affordable housing both have lower trip generation characteristics hence only using trip rates associated with privately owned housing is robust and justifies the use of average trip rates rather than 85th percentile values. 7.8 The TRICS search criteria have been adjusted to exclude survey sites in Greater London and Ireland (north and south). Given the scale of the proposed development only surveys of sites between 20 and 500 units have been included and these have also been restricted to suburban or edge of town locations. The residential population within 1 mile of the survey sites has been limited to a maximum of 20,000 while the population within 5 miles of the survey site has been limited to a maximum of 100,000. These search criteria are considered appropriate to accurately represent the location of the site and Bradford on Avon while retaining a sufficient number of survey sites to give a reliable average. 7.9 The resultant person trip rates are shown in Table 7.2 below with the full TRICS data being attached as Appendix F. Person Trip Rate per Unit AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) 12 Hr Day Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Two-Way Table 7.2: Person Trip Rates from TRICS 7.10 The TRICS person trip rates are based on typical values from a range of survey sites across the Country. To establish the likely vehicular trip rates for the proposed development site it is therefore necessary to establish the modal split of peak hour vehicle movements in a more local context. FMW February 2013

41 7.11 This can be achieved through reference to the 2001 national census Method of Travel to Work Resident Population data for the Bradford on Avon North Ward. A summary of this census data is shown in Table 7.3 below with the census outputs being attached as Appendix G. Mode of Travel Persons Percentage of Total People Percentage of Travellers All People 3, % n/a Works mainly at or from home % n/a Underground, metro, light rail or tram % 0.22% Train % 2.99% Bus, minibus or coach % 3.85% Taxi or minicab % 0.22% Driving a car or van 1, % 71.28% Passenger in a car or van % 7.55% Motorcycle, scooter or moped % 1.79% Bicycle % 1.95% On foot % 9.72% Other % 0.43% Not currently working 1, % n/a Table 7.3: 2001 Census Method of Travel to Work Resident Population 7.12 In order to accurately identify the modal split of journey s to work it is necessary to discount those who work mainly from home and people not currently working as these categories do not generate work related trips in the peak hours. The final column of the above table therefore identifies the adjusted modal split values The results in Table 7.3 show that based on existing travel patterns, the majority of those who travel to work from and within north Bradford on Avon do so as a car driver whilst the second largest mode of travel is walking. A total of 18.73% of all journey s to work are by walking, cycling or public transport The above car driver percentage can be applied to the person trip rates in Table 7.2 to identify the likely vehicular trip rates associated with the proposed development site. These are shown in Table 7.4 below: FMW February 2013

42 Vehicle Trip Rate per Unit AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) 12 Hr Day Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Two-Way Table 7.4: Vehicular Trip Rates from TRICS and Census Residential Trip Rates used within the Assessments of Traffic Impact 7.15 A comparison of the trip rates derived from the traffic survey (Table 7.1) and those derived through the use of TRICS and census data (Table 7.4) identifies that the TRICS approach leads to higher trip rates throughout. It should be noted however that the TRICS approach is based on traffic surveys from sites across the Country which could indeed have significantly different travel characteristics and vehicular trip rates than the proposed development site. Bradford on Avon is a relatively condensed settlement which encourages walking trips and also benefits from good bus and rail links to surrounding towns and higher order settlements such as Bath and Bristol. This may not be the case with the survey sites contained in the TRICS database In the AM peak the TRICS trip rates are 71% higher for the arrivals and 262% higher for the departures than the comparable trip rates derived from the traffic survey. For the PM peak period the TRICS trips rates are a consistent 26% higher for both arrivals and departures. It is therefore the AM peak period which raises the greatest concern regarding the appropriateness of the trip rates derived through the surveys As previously mentioned it was the Highway Authority s request that the residential trip rates be based on traffic surveys from an equivalent existing residential area within the town such as Southway Road. The trip rates in Table 7.1 could therefore be used directly within the traffic impact assessments despite their variance from the TRICS based equivalent The difference between the surveyed trip rates and the TRICS trip rates in the PM peak is a consistent amount for both the arrivals and departures. This would suggest that the overall turning movements for a residential site in Bradford on Avon are indeed slightly less than those associated with the TRICS reference sites. FMW February 2013

43 7.19 The consistent difference in the trip rates means that those derived from the PM peak Southway Road traffic survey can therefore be used with confidence For the AM peak however there is a significant variance between the trip rates derived via the two methods which suggests that the surveyed values may be unreliable to use directly in the assessment of a new development site. As such, it is considered appropriate to apply the same 26% differential identified for both the arrivals and departures in the PM peak to the AM peak as well. The AM peak trip rates are therefore 26% lower than those derived through use of the TRICS and census method The residential trip rates taken forward to the assessments of traffic impact are as shown in Table 7.5. The table also identifies the number of trips associated with the proposed development of 138 residential units. These values have been accepted by Wiltshire Council highways. AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Trip Rate per Unit Number of Vehicle Trips Table 7.5: Residential Peak Hour Trip Rates and Trip Numbers 7.22 Subsequent to the completion of the above residential trip rate derivation and the ensuing traffic impact assessments, 2011 census data for the method of travel to work resident population was released by the Office of National Statistics. A review of this updated information identified that the proportion of residents travelling to work as a car driver reduced slightly from the 71.28% value quoted in Table 7.3 to 70.74%. The scale of this change is very small with the reduction over time meaning that the continued use of the 2001 data represents a worst case assessment of likely residential traffic generation. Employment Trip Rates 7.23 The employment element of the proposed development consists of two parts the first being a 2,543sqm internal floor area single occupier B2 industrial unit with incorporated workshop and office space. FMW February 2013

44 7.24 The second element is a 3,195sqm internal floor area B1 serviced office complex incorporating a small restaurant ancillary to the main B1 employment use. For the purpose of trip rate identification it is considered robust to assume that the whole 3,195sqm internal floor area is treated as B1 office space The TRICS trip rate database has again been interrogated to identify appropriate peak hour trip rates for B1 and B2 employment land uses. The TRICS search criteria have been adjusted to exclude survey sites in Greater London and Ireland (north and south) Given the scale of the proposed development only surveys of sites up to 5,000sqm have been included and these have also been restricted to suburban and edge of town locations. These search criteria are considered appropriate to accurately represent the location of the site and Bradford on Avon while retaining a sufficient number of survey sites to give a reliable average The TRICS trip rates are summarised in Table 7.6 with the full data sheets attached as part of Appendix F. The vehicle trip rates associated with the proposed B1 and B2 floor areas are then shown in Table 7.7. Again, these values have been accepted by Wiltshire Council highways. AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) 12 Hr Day Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Two-Way B1 Trip Rate per 100sqm B2 Trip Rate per 100sqm Table 7.6: Employment Trip Rates from TRICS AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) 12 Hr Day Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Two-Way B1 Trips (3,295sqm) B2 Trips (2,543sqm) Table 7.7: Employment Trip Numbers FMW February 2013

45 Total Traffic Generation associated with the Kingston Farm Development 7.28 The overall traffic generation associated with the proposed 138 residential units, 3,195sqm of B1 office space and 2,543sqm of B2 industrial unit is therefore as shown in Table 7.8 below. The overall development is likely to generate an additional 190 two-way vehicle movements in the AM peak and 168 two-way vehicle movements in the PM peak The mixed use nature of the development helps to ensure that arrivals and departures in the peak hours are relatively well balanced with the two access nature of the development site also assisting in distributing the additional traffic evenly onto the highway network. AM Peak ( ) PM Peak ( ) Arrive Depart Arrive Depart Residential (138 units) B1 Trips (3,295sqm) B2 Trips (2,543sqm) TOTAL Table 7.8: Peak Hour Trip Numbers for the Proposed Development Distribution 7.30 Part of the traffic modelling exercise has been undertaken using the Wiltshire Council SATURN model of Bradford on Avon. This model had a 2002 base year but has been updated to a 2011 base year by Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB) on behalf of FMW. The methodology followed and the results of the updating exercise are detailed in the PB Model Validation and Forecast Report, dated December 2011, which is included within Appendix A of this report The updated model has been used to forecast the likely base traffic flows in the 2012 and 2022 assessment years through the application of background traffic growth. The distribution of the vehicle trips generated by the proposed development would normally be undertaken through reference to similar existing residential and employment zones within the updated and validated SATURN model. FMW February 2013

46 7.32 However, in this instance, this methodology is not considered to be strictly representative of the likely traffic distribution associated with the proposed development site. There are three main issues for this as discussed separately below Firstly, the model was originally constructed in such a way that the majority of Kingston Farm traffic travelling to or from Trowbridge would be assigned to the route through the town centre and across the town bridge. In reality this is very unlikely to be the case as an alternative route to Trowbridge via Staverton is readily available and very convenient given the location of the site. Clearly many Kingston Farm residents and employees travelling to or from Trowbridge will route via Staverton rather than seek to pass through the town centre Secondly, the distribution of traffic associated with the employment element of the development proposals would need to be based on an existing employment zone within the SATURN model. There is however only one such existing employment zone with this being located to the south of the River Avon and on the southern edge of the town. This location means that the employment distribution associated with the existing employment zone would not be truly representative of the actual distribution associated with the proposed employment site. Using this existing employment site as a reference would likely assign more traffic through the town centre to and from areas south of the river than would be the case in reality Finally, the SATURN model used does not take into account the Historic Core Zone (HCZ) proposals. These works are being promoted by Wiltshire Council and include the introduction of entrance features on approaches to the town centre together with the widening of footways and the associated reduction in carriageway widths in various locations. Delivery of the HCZ proposals may result in a reduction of through traffic within Bradford on Avon and potentially a rerouting of local traffic to and from neighbouring towns In light of the above issues, information to estimate the trip distribution has been obtained by using the 2001 Travel to Work census data from the website (supplied by the Office of National Statistics). It should be noted that this level of detailed information is not yet available from the 2011 census. FMW February 2013

47 7.37 Separate exercises have been undertaken for the distribution of the additional residential and employment traffic however both have been based on Census data from the Bradford on Avon North Ward. It is acknowledged that the proposed site is technically within the Bradford on Avon South Ward but clearly the travel issues associated with the site are more closely linked to those of the North Ward For the residential element of the proposed development the Bradford on Avon North Ward has been set as the place of residence i.e. the origin of work related trips. The destination of work related trips has then been set at the Ward level for those travelling to work within the Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset areas but at the Local Authority level for those travelling to work beyond these The resultant trips have been combined as a total and distributed to the various roads leading away from the site and Bradford on Avon in general. This exercise has been undertaken primarily through use of journey planning / route choice websites which take account of prevailing traffic conditions. Some further adjustments have also been undertaken by eye through reference to local knowledge. Where a number of routes are available between the origin and the destination, the trips have been split between the routes as appropriate. The full data is attached as part of Appendix G and summarised below The same exercise has been undertaken for the employment element of the proposed development but this time with the assessments made based on the daytime population of the Bradford on Avon Ward, i.e. those who work within the Ward. The origin of these work related trips has then been derived at the Ward level for the Wiltshire and Bath and North East Somerset areas but at the Local Authority level beyond The distribution exercise has been undertaken in the same way as for the residential with the results again forming part of Appendix G. The overall results are summarised in Table 7.9 overleaf: 7.42 The Table illustrates that the location of the site is such that the majority of the additional traffic flows will access the site to and from the north, the east or the west. The proportion of the total development traffic that will travel south and pass through the town centre is limited to approximately 25% of the residential related trips and 40% of the employment related trips. FMW February 2013

48 Route Residential Employment B3108 Winsley Road 22.9% 9.8% A363 Bath Road 17.3% 15.4% B3109 Leigh Road 1.5% 3.5% B3107 Holt Road 33.0% 30.7% A363 Trowbridge Road 12.0% 17.1% B3109 Frome Road 13.4% 23.4% Table 7.9: Predicted Distribution of Development Trips 7.43 By applying the total development flows shown in Table 7.8 to the likely distribution shown in Table 7.9, the increases in peak hour traffic flows across the network associated with the proposed development can be identified. These are shown on Figure 7.1 for the residential, Figure 7.2 for the employment and Figure 7.3 for the combined effects It is clear from the above that the proposed development site will not add any additional traffic to the Masons Lane and Market Street areas It should also be noted that of the 33.0% residential trips and 30.7% employment trips that are predicted to use the B3107 Holt Road to the east of the site, 18.2% and 18.6% respectively are predicted to continue on the B3107 through Holt itself with the remainder turning to or from Staverton. The overall increase in traffic flows through Holt village are therefore likely to be 36 two-way vehicles in the morning peak hour and 32 two-way vehicles in the evening peak hour. FMW February 2013

49 8 ASSESSMENT OF TRAFFIC IMPACT Existing Traffic Flows 8.1 As discussed previously, base traffic flows for junction modelling purposes have been extracted from the Bradford on Avon SATURN model. The full process and associated results are detailed in the Parsons Brinckerhoff report attached as Appendix A of this report. 8.2 The existing 2012 peak hour traffic flows across the network in the vicinity of the site are shown on Figure 3.3. Assessment Years and Traffic Growth 8.3 It was agreed with Wiltshire Council that the traffic impacts of the development should be assessed for the year of application and a date ten years thereafter. The assessment years were therefore set at 2012 and 2022 and the SATURN modelling undertaken on the assumption that the application would be submitted in late The application date was subsequently delayed slightly such that it is now being submitted in early The changes in traffic growth forecasts between the 2012/2022 and the 2013/2023 assessment years are however very small therefore it is not considered necessary to revisit the full SATURN modelling exercise for revised assessment years. Committed Development 8.4 It should be noted that the trip generation and highway network changes associated with the Kingston Mills site in the town centre have been included within the SATURN model as committed development. Junction Assessments 8.5 A total of six junctions within Bradford on Avon have been assessed for both the base case (no development) and the base case with development scenario. This includes the conversion of the existing Holt Road / Springfield priority junction into a roundabout for the western site access and the proposed priority junction for the eastern site access. The six junctions are considered separately below. FMW February 2013

50 8.6 The 2012 and 2022 base assessments provide details of the operation of the existing junctions under current and future traffic conditions should the development of Kingston Farm not come forward. The 2012 and 2022 base plus development assessments include the additional traffic flows likely to be generated by the proposed development (Figure 7.3). Appropriate comparisons between the base and base plus development scenarios can therefore be made. 8.7 The traffic flows used in the assessments are those shown in Figures 3.3, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3. Bath Road / Masons Lane / Mount Pleasant Mini-Roundabout 8.8 The results of the ARCADY assessments for this junction are attached as Appendix H of this report and summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.1 below and for the PM peak in Table 8.2 overleaf. Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Bath Road AM Mount Pleasant Base Masons Lane AM Bath Road Base + Mount Pleasant Development Masons Lane Bath Road AM Mount Pleasant Base Masons Lane Bath Road Mount Pleasant AM Base + Development Masons Lane Table 8.1: ARCADY Results for Masons Lane Mini-Roundabout (AM Peak) 8.9 The results indicate that the mini-roundabout is currently approaching capacity in both the 2012 AM and PM peak hours. The addition of background traffic growth up to the 2022 assessment year means that the performance of the junction will continue to deteriorate irrespective of the proposed development. However, it is clear from the tables that the inclusion of the development trips associated with the Kingston Farm development will have only a very minor negative impact on the operational performance of the junction (approximately 3.5% increase in overall RFC in 2022). FMW February 2013

51 Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Bath Road PM Mount Pleasant Base Masons Lane PM Bath Road Base + Mount Pleasant Development Masons Lane Bath Road PM Mount Pleasant Base Masons Lane Bath Road Mount Pleasant PM Base + Development Masons Lane Table 8.2: ARCADY Results for Masons Lane Mini-Roundabout (PM Peak) Frome Road / Junction Road Mini-Roundabout 8.10 The results of the ARCADY assessments for this junction are attached as Appendix I of this report and summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.3 below and for the PM peak in Table 8.4 overleaf. Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Frome Road North AM Junction Road Base Frome Road South AM Frome Road North Base + Junction Road Development Frome Road South Frome Road North AM Junction Road Base Frome Road South Frome Road North Junction Road AM Base + Development Frome Road South Table 8.3: ARCADY Results for Frome Road Mini-Roundabout (AM Peak) 8.11 Table 8.3 demonstrates that the Frome Road mini-roundabout operates close to capacity during the 2012 AM peak hour and broadly at capacity in the 2022 AM peak hour. The inclusion of the development trips has a minor adverse impact on the operation of the junction in the AM peak scenarios but the increases in queuing and delay are considered to be very small. FMW February 2013

52 Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Frome Road North PM Junction Road Base Frome Road South PM Frome Road North Base + Junction Road Development Frome Road South Frome Road North PM Junction Road Base Frome Road South Frome Road North Junction Road PM Base + Development Frome Road South Table 8.4: ARCADY Results for Frome Road Mini-Roundabout (PM Peak) 8.12 During the PM peak hour the junction is shown to operate within capacity in both the 2012 and 2022 base scenarios. The inclusion of the development trips results in little change to its operation although the RFC value on the Junction Road approach does move slightly beyond the 0.85 practical operational capacity value. St. Margaret s Street / Frome Road / Railway Station Access Mini-Roundabout 8.13 The results of the ARCADY assessments for this junction are attached as Appendix J of this report and summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.5 below and for the PM peak in Table 8.6 overleaf. Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity St. Margaret s Street AM Frome Road Base Railway Station Access AM St. Margaret s Street Base + Frome Road Development Railway Station Access St. Margaret s Street AM Frome Road Base Railway Station Access St. Margaret s Street Frome Road AM Base + Development Railway Station Access Table 8.5: Results for Margaret s Street/Frome Road Mini-Roundabout (AM Peak) FMW February 2013

53 Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity St. Margaret s Street PM Frome Road Base Railway Station Access PM St. Margaret s Street Base + Frome Road Development Railway Station Access St. Margaret s Street PM Frome Road Base Railway Station Access St. Margaret s Street Frome Road PM Base + Development Railway Station Access Table 8.6: Results for Margaret s Street/Frome Road Mini-Roundabout (PM Peak) 8.14 The above results indicate that the existing mini-roundabout operates slightly above capacity in both the 2012 AM and PM without development scenarios. Increases in background traffic growth up to 2022 will further exacerbate the degree of over capacity experienced at the junction. The inclusion of the development trips results in a further detrimental effect however this is only very minor (approximately 3.0% increase in RFC in 2022). Market Street / Silver Street Mini-Roundabout 8.15 The results of the ARCADY assessments for this junction are attached as Appendix K of this report and are summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.7 and for the PM peak in Table 8.8 both overleaf The results in Table 8.7 indicate that the roundabout currently operates over capacity in the 2012 AM peak, a situation that will be further exacerbated through background traffic growth up to The addition of the Kingston Farm development flows leads to only a very minor change to the likely operation in 2022 which equates to an increase in overall RFC of approximately 2.9% during the AM peak The PM peak results set out in Table 8.8 follow broadly the same form as for the AM peak with the junction already over capacity in the 2012 assessment year. The situation will deteriorate up to 2022 with the proposed development resulting in a further increase in overall RFC of approximately 3.1% during the PM peak. FMW February 2013

54 Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Silver Street North AM Silver Street South Base Market Street AM Silver Street North Base + Silver Street South Development Market Street Silver Street North AM Silver Street South Base Market Street Silver Street North Silver Street South AM Base + Development Market Street Table 8.7: Results for Market Street / Silver Street Mini-Roundabout (AM Peak) Scenario Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Silver Street North PM Silver Street South Base Market Street PM Silver Street North Base + Silver Street South Development Market Street Silver Street North PM Silver Street South Base Market Street Silver Street North Silver Street South PM Base + Development Market Street Table 8.8: Results for Market Street / Silver Street Mini-Roundabout (PM Peak) Springfield / Holt Road Priority Junction 8.18 The results of the PICADY assessments for the existing Springfield / Holt Road junction are attached as part of Appendix L of this report and summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.9 and for the PM peak in Table 8.10 overleaf. These assessments provide details of the operation of the junction in its current form against which the operation of its proposed conversion to a four arm site access roundabout can be compared. FMW February 2013

55 Scenario Approach Max. Queue Max. Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min/pcu) to Capacity 2012AM Springfield Base Holt Road East AM Springfield Base Holt Road East Table 8.9: PICADY Results for Holt Road/Springfield Priority Junction (AM Peak) Scenario Approach Max. Queue Max. Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min/pcu) to Capacity 2012PM Springfield Base Holt Road East PM Springfield Base Holt Road East Table 8.10: PICADY Results for Holt Road/Springfield Priority Junction (PM Peak) 8.19 The results in Tables 8.9 and 8.10 indicate that the junction currently operates in excess of its theoretical capacity in the AM and PM Peak hours in 2012 with this situation deteriorating further by Proposed Springfield / Holt Road Roundabout 8.20 The results of the ARCADY assessments for this junction are also attached as part of Appendix L of this report and summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.11 below and for the PM peak in Table 8.12 overleaf. Scenario 2012 AM Base + Development 2022 AM Base + Development Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio Flow to (PCU) (min) Capacity Springfield Holt Road East Site Access Holt Road West Springfield Holt Road East Site Access Holt Road West Table 8.11: ARCADY Results proposed Springfield / Holt Road Roundabout (AM Peak) 8.21 For the AM peak it is clear that the proposed roundabout will operate well within its theoretical capacity with only minimal levels of queuing and delay on all approaches. The roundabout will also operate significantly better than the existing priority junction arrangement with associated benefits to all traffic on the network. FMW February 2013

56 Scenario 2012 PM Base + Development 2022 PM Base + Development Approach Max Queue Max Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min) to Capacity Springfield Holt Road East Site Access Holt Road West Springfield Holt Road East Site Access Holt Road West Table 8.12: ARCADY Results proposed Springfield / Holt Road Roundabout (PM Peak) 8.22 During the PM peak the proposed roundabout will also operate well within its theoretical capacity with very low levels of queuing and delay. The roundabout is predicted to provide a significant improvement in operation when compared to the current priority junction arrangement. Eastern Site Access Priority Junction 8.23 The results of the PICADY assessments for this junction are attached as Appendix Scenario 2012 AM Base + Development 2022 AM Base + Development M of this report and summarised for the AM peak in Table 8.13 and for the PM peak in Table 8.14 below: Approach Max. Queue Max. Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min/pcu) to Capacity Site Access Holt Road West Site Access Holt Road West Table 8.13: PICADY Results for Eastern Site Access Priority Junction (AM Peak) Scenario 2012 PM Base + Development 2022 PM Base + Development Approach Max. Queue Max. Delay Ratio of Flow (PCU) (min/pcu) to Capacity Site Access Holt Road West Site Access Holt Road West Table 8.14: PICADY Results for Eastern Site Access Priority Junction (PM Peak) FMW February 2013

57 8.24 The above tables illustrate that the proposed priority junction will operate well within its theoretical capacity in both the AM and PM peak periods. Summary 8.25 In all of the above junction assessments it is important to note that despite many of the junctions already operating at or over capacity the impact of the additional traffic associated with the Kingston Farm development will be very small at less than 5% throughout. It is very unlikely therefore that the impact of the additional traffic will be discernable to regular users of the highway network Recent research published in the trade magazine Local Transport Today (13 th April 2012) questions the validity of the TEMPRO traffic growth forecasts provided by the Department for Transport. This research identifies that there has been little or no growth in overall traffic volumes since 2003 and based on this questions why it should be assumed that there will be significant levels of traffic growth going forward. The SATURN modelling has assumed, based on the current Department for Transport TEMPRO forecasts, that there will be approximately 11% growth in background flows between 2012 and If this level of growth does not materialise then the above operational results are clearly an over estimate of the likely future performance of the local highway network. FMW February 2013

58 9 SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT 9.1 As part of the development of the site, various facilities will be introduced that will assist and encourage travel to and from the site by sustainable modes of transport; namely bus, cycle and foot. 9.2 The facilities proposed are summarised below: Provision of pedestrian and cycle routes through the site running parallel with Holt Road; Provision of improved footway facilities between Springfield and the town centre; Provision of a Zebra crossing on Holt Road adjacent to the proposed western site access roundabout; The access road through the site has been designed to accommodate the potential diversion of the Zig Zag bus route that currently operates along Holt Road past the site (to be discussed / agreed with the bus operator and Wiltshire Council public transport team); The potential diversion of the No 98 town bus service through the site, i.e. rather than the service travelling from Springfield and turning right to the town centre via Silver Street, it would first turn left and travel up Holt Road past the site before returning through the site via the main spine road, the western access and on to the town centre (to be discussed / agreed with the bus operator and Wiltshire Council public transport team); and Preparation of Residential and Employment Travel Plans to promote and encourage travel to and from the site by sustainable modes ( framework versions attached as Appendix N). 9.3 The provision of the above will enable and encourage residents, employees and visitors to travel to and from the site by sustainable modes of transport. The Travel Plans will also aim to reduce the number of vehicle movements generated by the Kingston Farm site over time. FMW February 2013

59 10 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 10.1 In summary, this report has demonstrated the following: The local highway network has a good safety record; The proposed development site is well located in relation to the opportunity to use sustainable, non-car modes of travel for journeys to and from local services and facilities; The development will consist of: 138 residential units of which 20% will be affordable ; 3,195sqm gross internal floor area of B1 employment for Serviced Offices known as the Hub ; 2,543sqm gross internal floor area of B2 employment for Anthony Best Dynamics (ABD). There will be two vehicular points of access to the proposed development, both taken from Holt Road. The eastern access will take the form of a simple priority junction while the western access will take the form of a four arm roundabout in place of the existing Springfield / Holt Road priority junction. These access points will be connected via a link road running through the site; The site layout has been designed to incorporate safe pedestrian and cycle routes and to enable existing pedestrian and cycle movements via the narrow section of Holt Road adjacent to the site to divert through the site should they wish to do so; A new Zebra crossing will be implemented on Holt Road just west of the proposed site access roundabout which will connect the site to the existing Holt Road footway. This footway will in turn be widened along its length from the Springfield junction to the Woolley Street junction. The development will also contribute towards implementation of the Silver Street section of the Wiltshire Council Historic Core Zone project therefore further improving pedestrian links to the town centre. FMW February 2013

60 The above footway improvements, both within the site and between the site and the town centre, represent significant betterment over the existing situation and will be of benefit to existing residents of north east Bradford on Avon as well as future residents and employees of the site; The proposed development will generate 193 two-way trips during the AM peak hour and 171 two-way trips during the PM peak hour; The junction assessments identify that many of the junctions within Bradford on Avon already operate close to, at, or over capacity. However, inclusion of development trips has a relatively minor impact on junction performance (less than 5%) with drivers being unlikely to notice any significant change to their journeys; The development of the site will (subject to approval of the bus operators and Wiltshire Council public transport team) enable existing local bus services to be diverted through the site thereby providing additional sustainable travel options for new residents and employees and greater potential patronage for the bus services; and The introduction of Travel Plans will provide a method for encouraging the use of sustainable modes of travel which in turn will reduce the number of vehicles movements associated with the site over time. This will ensure that the assessments of traffic impact remain very much the worst case scenario We conclude that the site is suitable for a mixed use development and that there are no transportation reasons why the site should not be developed, providing that the range of transport measures identified in this report are implemented. FMW February 2013