Report Title - Lancashire County Council

Transcription

Fylde Coast Sub-Regional Transport Study
Summary Report
Faber Maunsell
Fylde Coast Sub Regional Transport Study
2
Summary Report
Background to the Study
The overall aim of the study was to examine options for the Norcross-M55 corridor and to
appraise improvements to principal roads in the Fylde Coast urban area. The study covered all
modes of transport and took account of the changing demands for travel in light of regeneration
proposals for Blackpool and Fleetwood.
The Fylde Coast includes many major employers in the aircraft, nuclear and chemical
industries. Blackpool is also an important administrative centre, accommodating large national
and regional office headquarters such as the Bonds and Stock Office and Department of Social
Security, as well as banking, insurance and commercial services to cater for the sub-regional
population of a third of a million.
The region is reasonably well linked to the main transport arteries that provide national and
international access, but the A585(T) between the M55 and Fleetwood is under some pressure.
In addition, the highway demands resulting from regeneration planned through the Blackpool
Masterplan, Fleetwood to Thornton Development Corridor and growing demand for freight
access to the Port of Fleetwood, will place significant pressures on the principal highway
infrastructure.
The Norcross-M55 scheme has been the subject of study since 1988 and was being
progressed until the preferred scheme was removed from the roads programme over 10 years
ago. The preferred scheme (the Red Route or Fylde Coast Easterly Bypass), which closely
follows the line of the Blackpool boundary, was not well received by the public, but had the
advantage of alleviating pressure on the A585(T) as well as on some of the north-south routes
through Blackpool. The cost of the scheme was high and the benefit to cost ratio was lower
than some of the other alternatives further to the east. The scheme had considerable
environmental impact and was considered to be high risk in engineering terms.
Study Objectives
The objective of the study was to identify an agreed strategy that will deliver solutions to:

Increasing volumes of traffic on the A585(T) between the M55 and Fleetwood;
Congestion and environmental problems adversely affecting the local communities along the
A585 (T);
Increasing traffic volumes and congestion on north-south routes in Blackpool and throughout
the urban coastal strip;
Growing demand for freight access to the Port of Fleetwood and all-user access to the Wyre
Peninsula; and
Provision of capacity and access to support regeneration of the Blackpool and Wyre urban
areas.
The above objectives provided a very clear emphasis for the study in that the focus was on
strategic access and the identification of the major transport constraints to development. The
study was not to examine local issues, but concentrate resources on the development of an
over-arching strategy for access to the region.
The Study Area
The study area adopted for the review stages of the study, including the data collection,
transport baseline assessment, review of transport problems and issues and assessment of
economic activity and regeneration is shown on the map below. This incorporated all of
Blackpool Borough, the urban area of Wyre and some predominantly rural areas of Fylde.
Faber Maunsell
3
For forecasting purposes, the study area was extended to the whole of the Fylde Coast from
Fleetwood and the River Wyre as the northern boundary to the River Ribble as the Southern
boundary. The eastern boundary equated to a line north and south through the town of
Kirkham.
Study Management and Approach
The study was carried out by consultants Faber Maunsell, who were supported by economic
specialists Roger Tym and Partners. It was managed by a Steering Group which comprised of
Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council, Fylde Borough Council, Wyre Borough Council,
the Highways Agency and the Regional Assembly. The main stages of the project can be
summarised as follows:
Consultation - a limited programme was carried out following recent reporting of the A585
Route Management Strategy (RMS). Consultation included setting up a study website and
posters in libraries and other public places. Letters were sent to 100 wider consultees and
face-to-face meetings were held with 14 stakeholder groups.
Data Collection – origin and destination data was obtained from the 2001 Census and
supplemented with existing traffic count information held by Lancashire County Council.
Some journey time surveys were carried out for model validation purposes.
Model Development - an existing highway model was updated and a new public transport
model for the area was developed.
Review of Existing and Potential Schemes - reviewed existing and potential schemes
(committed, planned and shelved), which were considered to be pertinent to the area and
study objectives.
Development of Growth Scenarios - low, medium and high growth scenarios were developed
on the basis of varying planning assumptions, including the Blackpool Masterplan. The base
year was 2004, with the forecast year being 2016 (consistent with the Joint Lancashire
Structure Plan).
Problems and Issues - these were identified and presented following consultations with the
Steering Group and wider consultees.
Assessment of Economic Activity and Regeneration - a broad baseline analysis of economic
activity and prospects for regeneration (carried out by sub-consultants Roger Tym and
Partners).
Identification of Stategies - 7 options identified on the basis of the M55 – Norcross options, in
addition to a maximum public transport strategy.
Assessment and Appraisal - full assessment of the seven options carried out against the
study and Government objectives.
Final Report - presented the study recommendations and approved by the Steering Group.
Faber Maunsell
4
Problems and Issues
The key points, which were raised by more than one party can be summarised as follows:

Potential for A585(T) RMS recommendations to abstract potential benefits in assessing the
M55 – Norcross options;
Little Singleton junction is seen as the most significant bottleneck on the A585 (T);
Support for the development of Park and Ride for Blackpool;
Bus links between Fleetwood, Poulton and Preston are poor;
Whilst the Fleetwood-Larne ferry service is considered a success, major investment is
required in new vessels and the port infrastructure;
Implications of future growth at Blackpool Airport;
Potential need to identify new schemes to address congestion problems on north-south
routes in Blackpool;
Uncertainty relating to the implications of the Blackpool Masterplan proposals;
The potential and impact of the Fleetwood – Thornton Development Corridor; and
Whether plans for the full upgrade of the Blackpool – Fleetwood tramway are to be
progressed?
Potential Measures for Assessment
Following the baseline and consultation stages of the study a range of potential measures were
identified which could contribute to meeting the study objectives. The schemes were identified
in consultation with the Steering Group, wider consultees, the study team and the public.
Identification of the Do Minimum Scenario
The study team liaised with the Steering Group to identify existing schemes, which are
expected to be completed by 2016. Following these discussions, it was proposed that the Do
Minimum should comprise a number of schemes over and above the existing transport network:

Improve Little Singleton Junction;
Improve Windy Harbour Junction;
Blackpool Town Centre Distributor Road; and
Line 14 Quality Bus Corridor.
Development of Strategies
Following the identification of measures, the next stage was to assign measures to strategies,
which would form the basis of the study assessment. Six of seven strategies were based
around the various highway route options between the M55 and Norcross (see Figure 1) and
were combined with a common package of measures. In addition to this, a Maximum Public
Transport strategy was developed which comprised solely of public transport schemes. This
was established in order to ascertain the potential for public transport to address the problems
identified in the study brief.
The strategy options can therefore be defined as:

Red;
Yellow;
Blue;
Pink;
Purple;
Green (lower cost option); and
Maximum Public Transport.
Strategy Assessment
Each of the strategy options was subject to an assessment against the study and Government
objectives.
A summary of the assessment of each strategy against the study objectives is provided in Table
1. This shows that the Red option performed best against the study objectives as it is the most
effective in reducing traffic and congestion on the A585(T), as well as improving access to the
Wyre urban area, the port and reducing congestion on north-south routes. The Blue, Yellow
and Purple options also performed well, but are less effective, particularly in terms of reducing
congestion on north-south routes in Blackpool and supporting the regeneration of Blackpool.
Faber Maunsell
5
Table 1 Assessment Against Study Objectives
Strategy Option
Objective / Problem
Red
Blue Yellow Pink
Increasing volumes of traffic on the
A585(T) between the M55 and
Fleetwood
99
99
999
9
999
99
Congestion and environmental
problems adversely affecting the
local communities along the A585
(T)
999
99
999
9
99
99
Increasing traffic volumes and
congestion on north-south routes in
999
Blackpool and throughout the urban
coastal strip
99
9
9
9
9
Growing demand for freight access
to the Port of Fleetwood and all-user 999
access to the Wyre Peninsula
99
999
99
999
99
Provision of capacity and access to
support regeneration of the
Blackpool and Wyre urban areas
99
99
99
99
99
999
Purple Green
Maximum
Public
Transport
9
99
Table 2 provides a summary of the assessment against Government objectives. From this it is
evident that although the Red option performs well against the study objectives, the option
performs much less well against Government objectives, particularly environment and
accessibility. The table also demonstrates that the Blue and Yellow options perform best
overall against this set of objectives.
Table 2 Assessment Against Government Objectives
Strategy Option
Objective
Red
Blue
Yellow
Pink
Purple
Green
Maximum
Public
Transport
Environment
88
9
9
9
9
9
99
Safety
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
999
999
999
99
99
99
9
8
99
9
9
9
9
99
Integration
99
99
99
99
99
99
99
Risk
High
Economy
Accessibility
Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium
Medium
The conclusions from the assessment of the strategies was as follows:

Red- whilst being the most effective option in terms of reducing journey times between the
M55 and Fleetwood and relieving north-south routes in Blackpool, the environmental impacts
of the scheme and the level of construction risk were found to be unacceptable (REJECT).
Faber Maunsell

6
Blue- addresses congestion problems on the A585(T) and provides some relief to northsouth routes in Blackpool. However, the option would require a new junction with the M55
and the implications of this were considered to be unacceptable (REJECT).
Yellow – although this is less effective in relieving congestion on north-south routes in
Blackpool, the scheme provides effective relief to the A585(T), the level of construction risk is
relatively low (CARRY FORWARD).
Pink- reduces congestion on the A585(T) by providing an upgraded parallel route, but the
option would not improve the environment for the local communities (REJECT).
Purple- reduces congestion on the A585(T), but there would be significant impacts in terms
of severance for the local community as the scheme bisects the area between Singleton
village and Singleton Crossroads (REJECT).
Green- as with the Purple option, this reduces congestion on the A585(T), but there are
adverse severance impacts with the scheme bisecting the area between Singleton village
and Singleton Crossroads (REJECT).
Maximum Public Transport – this alone would not deliver solutions to congestion problems
on the A585(T), but some of the measures could contribute towards an effective overall
strategy for the Fylde Coast (CARRY FORWARD SOME COMPONENT MEASURES).
It should be noted that the draft Final Report recommended that the Blue and Yellow options
should be taken forward to the recommended plan. Although both options performed well
against both the study and Government objectives, the Blue option had the advantage of being
running parallel to the rail line, which reduces the impact on landscape. The option is slightly
more effective at reducing traffic flows on north-south routes in Blackpool and is more beneficial
in terms of severance. However, the route requires a new junction with the M55, which raised a
number of issues in relation to construction risk and acceptability as the route follows the
course of a floodplain and requires bridging of a rail line. The Yellow option is lower risk in
terms of construction, does not require a new junction with the M55 and is more effective in
improving journey times on the key route between the M55 (Junction 3) and Fleetwood.
Following consultation with the Highways Agency, it was decided to remove the Blue option
from the recommended plan in the Final Report as a result of the concerns relating to the
implications of a new junction with the M55. This does not discount the opportunity to include
the Blue option and others in any future public consultation, but the Yellow option was the
preferred option in the recommended plan. This option was therefore taken forward along with
some of the component measures from the Maximum Public Transport option.
An exclusion analysis was undertaken which resulted in the removal of the M55-Heyhouses link
road, Demand Responsive Public Transport and the Blackpool – Fleetwood Tramway Phase 2.
Whilst these schemes were found to be good in their own right, it was considered that they did
not contribute sufficiently to the study objectives.
Recommended Plan
The plan includes a package of measures which will meet the study objectives over a long term
timespan and is particularly effective in addressing problems on the A585(T) and improving
access to the Port of Fleetwood. In the short term, it is recommended that the schemes
included in the Do Minimum, particularly upgrades to key junctions on the A585(T), should be
progressed in order to deliver improvements required.
The strategy as a whole has a Benefit to Cost Ratio (BCR) of 2.6 and the Yellow route on its
own has a BCR of 4.8, showing that it performs well in economic terms and does not have
negative implications which could be considered as ‘show stoppers’.
Table 3 and Figure 2 show the various component measures of the recommended plan. This
includes the delivery agency, approximate capital costs and the timescale for delivery. In terms
of timescale, the majority of measures have been allocated for implementation within the next
Local Transport Plan (2006-2011). The exceptions to this are the Yellow route and the
Blackpool – Fleetwood Tramway Phase 1, which would both require longer planning periods.
Complementary Measures to be implemented with the yellow route are also allocated to this
longer term timescale.
Faber Maunsell
7
Table 3 Implementation Plan
Approx Capital
Costs
(£ million, 2004
prices)
Opening
Year
Timescale
LCC/
Highways Agency
£95.8
2014-2016
BC
£1.6
2006-2011
Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway
Phase 1 (Starr Gate - Fleetwood)
BC & LCC
£106.5
2010-2012
Complementary Measures
BC & LCC
£3.5
2014-2016
Enhanced Ticketing
BC & LCC
-
2006-2009
LCC
£1.0
2006-2011
BC & LCC
£2.8
2006-2011
Highways Agency
£3.7
2006-2011
BC
-
2006-2009
LCC
£0.16
2006-2011
BC & LCC
-
2006-2009
BC
£3.0
2008-2011
Quality Bus Corridors on Lines 7 and 11
BC & LCC
£10.4
2006-2009
Real Time Passenger Information
BC & LCC
£0.7
2008-2011
School Travel Plans
BC & LCC
-
2006-2011
Workplace Travel Plans
BC & LCC
-
2006-2011
£237.3 or £229.2
2006-2016
Scheme
Yellow route (M55-Norcross)
20 mph zone on Blackpool Promenade
Driver Rest Facilities/Lorry Park on the
A585
Enhanced Cycle Network
Enhanced Driver Information
Enhanced Express Bus Services to
Blackpool Airport
Fleetwood – Poulton Rail Station Bus
Link
Freight Quality Partnership
Park and Ride at Junction 4 (serving
Blackpool Town Centre, Hospital and
Blackpool Airport)
Total
Delivery
Agency
Lancashire County Council and the Highways Agency will be responsible for taking forward and
implementing the Yellow route between the M55 and Norcross. Blackpool Council and
Lancashire County Council will be responsible for managing a large proportion of the remaining
elements, including measures such as the Quality Bus Corridors, cycle routes and School
Travel Plans. A significant proportion of the strategy will be implemented through the Local
Transport Plans (LTP’s) and the completion of this study is timely in terms of informing the
second LTP period (2006-2011).
Summary
The recommended plan successfully contributes to meeting the study objectives, as well as
those at a national, regional and local level. The plan is based around the Yellow route, which
in itself will meet the study objectives, but the package of supporting measures are important in
facilitating regeneration and providing viable alternatives to the private car. As such, the
implementation of the package of measures will ensure that the objectives are met more fully.
It should also be emphasised that whilst this package comprises measures which are
complementary, many can also be expected to perform well on a stand alone basis.
Faber Maunsell
The plan has been developed to meet the study objectives over a long term timespan. The
recommendations should not slow the progression of measures included in the Do Minimum,
particularly upgrades to key junctions on the A585(T), which are important to delivering
improvements required in the short term.
8