Report sets out options for reducing city’s congestion

You report (110921) that Herefordshire Council condemned the MTRU report as ‘flawed’ because sustainable options not involving road building have been examined.

The question which the MTRU report addresses is whether the best performing sustainable option has been tested. It concludes a) that it has not and b) that given all the modelling work carried out by the Council, such a test would be straightforward.

The three sustainable option packages tested by the Council assumed an increasing shift away from car use at peak hour in 2026, by 10%, 15% and 20%.  The increasing shift from car assumed an increasing number of sustainable alternatives to car use.

The ‘most sustainable’ packages modelled by the Council included ‘reduction’ or ‘significant reduction in highway capacity due to bus priorities’ on the most congested parts of Hereford’s road network, especially the A49.

However, the Council’s modelling showed that despite the bus priority, travel time for bus passengers remained virtually the same in all scenarios (all sustainable options modelled without a road and with a Western Relief Road).

The modelling also forecast that the overall proportion of trips made by bus would decline slightly by 2026, from 10% to 9%.

This is one reason that MTRU concluded that the best performing sustainable option — a package of measures to reduce car use by 20% without also clogging up Hereford’s road network — has so far not been tested.

The law requires the Council to test realistic alternatives in order to demonstrate the soundess of the development plan.  If it can be shown that they haven’t done so, their plan will fail at the Examination in Public. This risks wasting valuable time and scarce money.

Despite its initial response, we hope that the Council will give the MTRU report serious attention.  If, as the report suggests, there are low-cost sustainable solutions to Hereford’s traffic congestion that will allow for the growth the Council says is needed, without damaging the environment and increasing our carbon emissions, it would benefit everyone.

Paige Mitchell

Cycle Hereford

LOCAL GROUPS WARN OF MONUMENTAL WASTE OF MONEY IF COUNCIL FAILS TO TEST ALTERNATIVE TO RELIEF ROAD

A new report out today [Tuesday 20th September] will further increase pressure on Herefordshire Council to examine a real alternative to its relief road scheme.  Local groups say the alternative could tackle congestion more effectively than the road proposal while still allowing for the growth sought by Council.

They warn that the Council is potentially risking hundreds of millions of pounds of local taxpayers money if it does not heed laws requiring it to test alternatives.

They point to:-

•  Money already spent on developing and consulting on the local development framework (£1.5million to date), which hit a wall last year due in part due to the unpopularity of the road proposal — the Council will restart the consultation on Monday the 26th of September with the road proposal intact.

•  More money spent on the consultation starting next week.  The plan is likely to fail at Inquiry if alternatives are not properly tested in accordance with planning law.

•  Money that could be wasted in road planning and construction costs and fines if the relief road scheme is stopped due to well founded court challenges. Road schemes that threaten to damage habitats protected by EU law have been stopped by the courts, even though construction had already begun.

•  Money wasted on a ‘white elephant’ of a road that will not solve congestion problems but will burden county tax payers, like the Rotherwas Relief Road —
only 10 times worse. The relief road will cost over £100m on current estimates.  The alternative suggested in the report would be far less costly and less environmentally damaging, with offering better conditions for all road users, including car drivers.

The report’s author, Keith Buchan of the London based consultancy MTRU (Metropolitan Transport Research Unit) said:

 ’It is surprising that there has so far been no published test of a sustainable package with no Relief Road.’ 

Herefordshire Council insist that sustainable measures are needed to support the road.  The report’s findings turn this view on its head:

‘The question that has not been answered is whether road building is an essential accompaniment to a sustainable transport package.’

The report predicts that congestion would stabilise or fall ‘even taking into account population growth and new development’ if the right combination of policies for walking, cycling and public transport were pursued

Buchan made a site visit to Hereford at the beginning of September and saw conditions for himself, including traffic congestion associated with the school run.

Liz Morawiecka of Here for Hereford said:

‘Here for Hereford want the best solutions for tacking congestion in Hereford, and tackling it NOW.  We feel that all of Herefordshire will pay too high a price for the continuing mistakes of Herefordshire Council.’

The MTRU report, ‘Sustainable travel for Hereford – the way forward’ (189Kb pdf) can be downloaded here.

The study, A New Sustainable Option for Hereford, shows that a ‘No Road’ option making efficient use of available road space would perform better than the Council’s plans for a relief road and sustainable measures.(3)  This No Road option would deliver the increases in sustainable travel that the Council has promised but that its own evidence shows won’t materialise if a Relief Road is built.(4)

The report by consultants MTRU was commissioned by Cycle Hereford and Herefordshire Friends of the Earth and submitted during last year’s consultation.

The report concluded that the best sustainable transport option for the city was not tested by the Council.  This throws doubt on the case for the road as well as failing to meet legal planning requirements.(5)

In order for their plans for the future of the County to get official approval, the Council must test a realistic alternative to road building and show why it won’t work.  If they fail to do this the plans will have to go back to the drawing board.

Paige Mitchell of Cycle Hereford said:

‘The Council is threatening all of us with a monumental waste of time and money on a consultation that won’t meet required standards unless alternatives have been properly tested.  Why is it afraid to investigate real alternatives to road building?’

DOWNLOAD THE MTRU REPORT! (1.2MB pdf)

Notes

(1) Herefordshire Council (2010) Shaping our Place 2026 Local Development Framework Results Report for Preferred Options Documents December 2010.  86% of respondents to the Hereford Preferred Option consultation in autumn 2010 rejected the Movement Policy which relied on a Western Relief Road for Hereford, as does the entire Core Strategy. See Agenda for Cabinet meeting of 15th September, p10.  ‘[T]he importance of the relief road scheme to the overall Revised Preferred Option’ was cited as one reason against holding a poll on the road, in case the poll went against the Council.

(2) Herefordshire Council (2011) Shaping our Place 2026 Local Development Framework Preferred Option: Hereford Consultation Report June 2011.  The Council’s account of the MTRU report ignored one of its main conclusions (featured prominently in the report’s title): ‘A new sustainable transport option for Hereford’ would meet Council targets for growth and ‘match or exceed the highway performance of the Relief Road options.’

(3) MTRU (2010, 2011 edition) A new sustainable transport option for Hereford with September 2011 Introduction by Paige Mitchell. The report examined modelling by the Council’s transport consultants and tested a different option better reflecting the potential for cycling in Hereford.  They were asked to do this because the Council’s traffic forecasts indicate that cycling would account for only 5% of trips on Hereford’s road network in 2026.  This figure was considered very unrealistic given our already high levels of cycling, sensible policies to enable cycling, the effect of legally binding national carbon reduction targets and predicted increases in the price of oil. For this purpose they assumed levels of cycling common in European cities today (and in the UK, in Cambridge), around 20%.

MTRU 2010 concluded:

•  The modelling, in particular the use of Diadem, needs to be improved to reflect the impact of policies directly.

•  The current modelling clearly shows that car travel time variations between all options, with and without the Relief Road, are very small and probably not perceivable.

•  The only option tested by the County which is likely to achieve significant emissions reductions from traffic is the maximum sustainable option with no Relief Road; none of the Relief Road options would achieve such reductions.

•  A new sustainable option, No Road + More Cycling, which reflects the special nature of Herefordʼs traffic and the clear opportunities for more cycling, could meet targets both for development growth and emissions reductions, and match or exceed the highway performance of the Relief Road options.

4) Herefordshire Council has claimed that a Relief Road is needed in order to enable a ‘step-change’ in sustainable transport in Hereford.  Its traffic forecasts show that the main step-change is in the number of trips made on foot.  Cycling is forecast to increase from 3% to 5% of trips and the proportion of trips made by bus is forecast to decline slightly, from 10% to 9%, by 2026.  This and other areas where the Council’s own evidence contradicts its case for a Relief Road are examined in ‘A Relief Road for Hereford — or Not???’ a May 2011 report by Paige Mitchell and available from http://questionsquestions.wordpress.com/reports/relief-road-or-not/

(5) See Section 19.2 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 which requires local authorities to have ‘regard to national policies and advice contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State’ when preparing development plans.  Policy Planning Statement 12 is the relevant guidance and states in paragraph 4.36 that for a Core Strategy to be justified it must be ‘the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives.’   This requirement is retained in the draft National Policy Planning Framework (para 48).

…

On Tuesday 17th May one of Cycle Hereford’s eagle-eyed rangers noticed that the long-awaited link between the Great Western Way and Grafton Lane had had its top layer of tarmac applied, thus completing Route 46 of the National Cycle Network between Abergavenny and Hereford.

Thinking this ought to be marked in some way, a few telephone calls were made. Within minutes a crack ( or maybe plain ‘cracked’ ) team from the Special Ops wing of Cycle Hereford (Steve Horsfield, Rob Owens and Mark Wratten) was on its way to the scene, leaving tyre tracks in the still warm tarmac.

We encountered several workmen, who were putting the finishing touches to the junction with the existing lane under the railway bridge. After some discussion, and with the promise of starring on the Cycle Hereford web-site, one of the men agreed to be photographed with us [photo to follow!]. His colleagues, for reasons not easily grasped, found this a less-than-compelling incentive and retired to their work shelter. Our hero gamely shook hands with each of us in turn for the camera, and would have exposed the awesome tattooing on his midriff had we not gently dissuaded him. We told him how pleased we were that this last bit of Route 46 was done and what a difference it would make to cyclists trying to get out of Hereford on the south side of town.

There is no longer any need to jostle with the traffic on the A49 and there is now, in addition, a good link to the A465. While all this is great for cyclists, we should spare a thought for the farmer whose field has been cut in half. There are already reports that his livestock has been deliberately let out onto the new track. We should perhaps be ready to be good citizens and let him or the council know if we see anything untoward happening on his land. In spite of this, three cheers for the new link, and thanks to all those who have pushed it to completion. Can we now look forward to rapid progress on extending the route as far as Worcester?

We launch Bike Week in High Town on the Saturday the 18th of June when the CYCLE SPOT returns to High Town with an expanded space and menu of activities.

The 18th is an extra special Saturday because we will be sending off Dan Rowbotham and Jen Currie on their heroic 1000 mile tandem fundraiser ride, ’1000 miles for 1000 smiles’.  Dan and Jen will cycle from Hereford to its French twin town, Vierzon, to raise money for the Meningitis Research Foundation.  We are calling on fellow cyclists to accompany them in procession out of Hereford on the first few minutes of their gruelling journey. Meet at 10am at the CYCLE SPOT in High Town and depart after a short ceremony.  We won’t ride far with them because we don’t want to hold them up on their very tight schedule.  And it’s not possible to keep up with these two!

Also on the 18th Cycle Hereford will launch Cycle Hereford RIDES, our new cycle rides club.  Our motto is ‘cycling and other life skills’ and we invite everyone who loves to get out and about on a bicycle to join the club for regular rides into the glorious countryside around Hereford.

Other highlights of the week will be the 45mile Peregrine Ride to Symonds Yat for the serious cyclist (Sunday the 19th of June) and City2Country, two short family friendly rides into Hereford’s rural fringe, on Monday the 20th and Thursday the 23rd.  And we honour the year of the Orchard with a 20 mile ride into apple country on Sunday the 26th of June.

Old favourites remain on the menu, including Mark Edward’s tour of the town, the overview on council progress on cycling in Hereford.  And do try to join us for a spectacular sunset picnice on the summer solstice, Tuesday 21 June.

We look forward to seeing you!

Cycle Hereford’s line is that we should have speeds limits of 20mph (or less!) where required by context (social, shopping, residential) or available roadspace. At 20mph or less there is time for all road users to negotiate.  If there is a conflict between a metal-box-on-wheels and a pedestrian or cyclist, the chances that death or life-changing injury will result are much reduced.

Everywhere else there should be full width, continuous, properly designed and enforced cycle lanes. And these should be introduced in connection with the same high standard level of service for pedestrians.  There should be ample space for both of these road user groups.

These are prerequisites for opening up the road network to cyclists while at the same time reducing conflict between all road users. Other ‘provision’ should be about connecting up networks, protecting cyclists at junctions, making short cuts and helping less confident cyclists and children learn on less or un-trafficked routes.

So we will attempt to provide the evidence.

We at Cycle Hereford think that, given its compactness and size, Hereford could be an ideal place for cycling. See our Blueprint and Home page!

To calibrate your idea of what’s possible:  according to evidence gathered for the LDF, cycling accounted for around 3% of peak hour traffic in Hereford in 2008.  Cycling accounted for around 10% of trips to work by Hereford residents at the 2001 Census.  For comparison, the national average is 2% of trips and the highest level of cycling in the UK is in Cambridge with 20% of trips made on a bicycle. Our potential is already obvious.  But we could do much better in UK terms.

Where there is coherent policy and steady investment — i.e., many towns and cities in Europe — cycling can account for around 40% of trips. Now. Today.  Before the price of oil goes through roof.  Before the really serious steps to mitigate climate change are taken.

So we think that Hereford should be aiming for 40% as a minimum share for cycling and we should be getting there as fast as possible.  That is, the Council should make cycling a priority. To reduce congestion, improve the environment, encourage healthy lifestyles ….. you know the list!

The Council makes claims that transport in Hereford in 2026 will be very different, for example in para 4.33 of the Hereford Preferred Option:

4.33 Local Transport Plan 3 is being developed in line with the Core Strategy. It contains the Hereford Transport Strategy which aims to support growth of the city by improving traffic management, whilst promoting walking and cycling for the majority of trips.

We wanted to know what this means. How much cycling will there be if walking and cycling will account for the majority of trips?  So QQ supporter RS put a question to under the Environmental Information Regulations:

Q.        What is the Council’s vision for the percentage of trips that will be made by each of the main modes (on foot, bicycle, bus, car) during the AM and PM peaks in Hereford in 2026?

A.        The council does not have a vision for the percentage of trips that will be made by each of the main modes (on foot, bicycle, bus, car) during the AM and PM peaks in Hereford in 2026.

The Local Transport Plan vision is a ‘A sustainable and integrated transport system which recognises the distinctive characteristics of Herefordshire’s rural and urban areas and provides for the transport needs of residents, visitors and the business community’

Q.   What interim targets has the Council set for each mode?

A.   At the current time no interim targets have been set for each mode.

This doesn’t appear to us to be planning for a future transport system in which cycling has a major role to play.  The full answer also demonstrates that —  on the Council’s own evidence — the car will account for at least 56% of trips on Hereford’s road network in 2026 and all other sustainable modes, walking, cycling and bus combined, will account for the rest.  We’ve tried to get the Council to spell out the exact share for cycling, but they claim not to hold the data …

We know we can do far better in Hereford!

Questions? Questions! (or QQ for short) was set up to try to find out what the Council’s Local Development Plan (LDF)  really means for the future of the county.  It will be the legal framework for all land use and related issues  (including housing, energy, economic development, wildlife protection etc etc.) up to 2026. [To find out more about the LDF visit Sustainability and Resilience for Herefordshire. This website will be developed as a resource for people in Herefordshire interested in sustainability and planning.]

Cycle Hereford is very interested in what the LDF means for cycling, especially the Core Strategy including the Hereford Preferred Option.  There are many fine statements, such as that ‘walking and cycling will account for the majority of trips in 2026′ but how does this square with a plan which is wholly dependent on new road infrastructure?

QQ has really taken off.  In addition to submitting questions to the LDF team about the meaning of the plan and the extent to which it is supported by the evidence base, we have been putting questions to the Council.  In due course we will be set up for putting questions to the various Scrutiny committees.

At the last Council meeting Cycle Hereford member Mo Burns asked Councillor Wilcox about the Council’s position on 20mph speed limits, since these would support other goals of the ‘joint corporate strategy’ such as reducing road crashes, reducing congestion, encouraging active travel and so improving health ….

Mo asked: When will the Council ‘spend to save’ and get value for money by introducing 20mph speed limits in all residential and shopping streets and continuous pavements and mandatory cycle lanes on higher speed roads in order to ensure that the road networks in Hereford and our market towns are attractive and safe for sustainable active travel on foot and by bicycle?

And Cllr Wilcox replied: It is not the Council’s policy to pursue such a blanket aim, even were it affordable. However, we are progressively implementing 20mph zones around schools and 30mph zones in villages and will continue to implement measures that improve safety and encourage walking/cycling, within the resources available.

We are now working to find out what assessments the Council has made to date of the cost of this ‘blanket aim’, what it might cost, and how it might compare in terms of benefit-to-cost ratio to other areas of transport spend and other areas of capital expenditure.

Please visit http://www.quality-streets.org.uk/ and

1. Sign up to this national campaign.

2. Spread the news to everyone you know in Herefordshire!  Especially if you have mailing lists.

3. Some of you might want to add this sentence to the instant online  letter to your councillor:

‘The Quality Streets campaign vindicates the longstanding call to Herefordshire Council for 20mph limits by Cycle Hereford, St James & Bartonsham, [and your local campaign if relevant] and many individuals such as myself.  Please show that Herefordshire can lead instead of lag when it comes to sustainable travel and living streets.’

This is STAGE ONE of this campaign.  So stay tuned for developments!