(8)10 Transport

(2) Vision

In five years...

• Transport schemes have been initiated to help reduce congestion on the District's roads, such as online road improvements and the implementation of travel plans.

• Improvements have led to a more frequent, reliable and comprehensive public transport system with better linkages between bus and rail.

• Work will be undertaken with the County Council as highway authority to look at potential solutions to congestion issues across the District to ensure the highway infrastructure becomes 'fit for purpose'.

• The Rochford District Council Transport Strategy Supplementary Planning Document has been adopted and will help to ease transport issues across the District.

By 2017...

• A walking cycling and bridleway network has been implemented across the District.

• There is improved public access to the District's rivers.

• Residential development will have considered community facilities provision and access to these will be easy and sustainable.

• Appropriate infrastructure will have been put into place to secure access to the wharfage at Baltic Wharf, thus helping to secure its future as an employment area.

• The South Essex Rapid Transit System (SERT) has been implemented giving people a genuine sustainable alternative to the private car.

By 2025...

• Developer contributions have ensured that new developments are well integrated with public transport. Cycle and pedestrian networks have been developed linking important areas.

• The new employment park is accompanied by a travel plan and is accessible to workers by a range of transport options.

• Road infrastructure through the District will have been secured and improved with easier access to the A127 and A130.

• Wallasea Island will be accessible by improved road access.

• The employment park in the west of the District will have easy access on to the main transport networks.

Objectives

1. To deliver developments that will reduce reliance on the private car, and that are well related to the public transport network.

2. To deliver online improvements on the east to west road networks in partnership with the Highways Authority, Essex County Council.

3. To identify and assess locations in the District that currently suffer from poor highway connectivity and congestion, and work with the Highways Authority to identify solutions.

4. To work alongside Essex County Council and other Thames Gateway authorities to support the implementation of the South Essex Rapid Transit system, in particular ensuring that SERT connects the residential areas with the employment areas within Rochford District.

5. To ensure that all new developments including residential, employment, education and leisure, implement travel plans to reduce the reliance on the private car.

6. To work with Essex County Council and other organisations, such as Sustrans, to ensure that a safe, accessible and convenient network of cycle and pedestrian routes is implemented across the District.

7. To aid the delivery of greenways identified in the Thames Gateway Green Grid Strategy, alongside Essex County Council and neighbouring authorities.

8. To ensure appropriate car parking provisions accompanies development at a level which strikes a balance between meeting the needs of motorists, ensuring that parking does not take up excessive amounts of developable land, and encouraging alternatives to car use.

(3) Introduction

10.1 The East of England Plan incorporates a Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) which outlines the delivery of funding for transport initiatives, and also sets out transport policies which are in line with the objectives of the East of England Plan. The Regional Transport Strategy is a statutory document and as such is influenced by the delivery programmes of both the Highways Agency and Network Rail. In turn, the Regional Transport Strategy will then help to shape Local Transport Plans (LTP) which are produced by Local Highways Authorities; namely County and Unitary Councils. The Local Transport Plan covering the district of Rochford is produced by Essex County Council and the current LTP covers the time period 2006-11.

10.2 Rochford District currently has high-levels of car ownership with only 16% of households in the District not owning a car or van (2001 Census). The District is also subject to high levels of out-commuting and suffers limited public transport provision, particularly in rural areas.

10.3 There are concerns that, with the projected population increase, car usage will increase to the detriment of the environment and lead to intolerable levels of congestion.

10.4 The Council will continue to work with Essex County Council who are the Highway Authority covering Rochford District, to ensure that the road network is maintained and upgraded where necessary.

(2) 10.5 However, highway improvements serving new developments and mitigating their impacts will be required to come forward in a timely manner, ensuring that developments are delivered alongside the necessary infrastructure.

10.6 In addition, improvements to existing east-west routes are also required in order to reduce the east-west divide of the District and to ensure that employment areas in the east remain viable.

(1) 10.7 Whilst current economic and social needs must be met, the only long-term option for Rochford District is to try and reduce the need to travel by car and promote the use of alternative methods of transport. It is recognised that people cannot be forced to not use their cars and the Council must be realistic in terms of ensuring there is adequate highway infrastructure. Planning must aim to give people the option to use alternatives. The theme of reducing car dependency is highlighted in this chapter, but also runs through the Core Strategy as a whole.

Highways

10.8 In order for development to be sustainable it must meet the needs of the present, as well as the future. Currently, the nature of the District does not lend itself to travel without the use of a private car. The District experiences high-levels of car usage and, whilst it is important that the Council plan development in a way that reduces this reliance on the car, the economic and social importance of car usage in the District at this time should not be underestimated.

(2) 10.9 It is important that new development be accompanied by the requisite highway infrastructure improvements to mitigate their impact on the existing network. The Council will work with Essex County Council to ensure that such highway improvements are delivered, aided through a combination of planning obligations and standard charges for developers (see Preferred Option CLT1 for further details). In addition, the Council believe that existing connections between the west, where the population is focussed, and the more rural east which nevertheless contains a number of local employment uses, is inadequate. The Council will work with Essex County Council to seek necessary improvements to east-west highways in order to help sustain employment uses in the east of the District. The Council will also liaise with developers to ensure the delivery of Transport Impact Assessments alongside any proposed development.

10.10 The list in Policy T2 is by no means exhaustive or definitive and the Council will continue to work with Essex County Council to resolve any highways issues across the District as a whole. Details of highway improvements to improve surface access to London Southend Airport will be included as part of the London Southend Airport and Environs Joint Area Action Plan.

10.11 Essex County Council as the Highway Authority have also stated in their Local Transport Plan (2006 - 2011) that Rochford has been recognised as playing a prominent part on the regeneration of the Thames Gateway sub-region through its role as a centre for leisure and recreational facilities within the Thames Gateway. It is also noted within the LTP that the potential development of London Southend Airport will play a key strategic role for economy and tourism, and will require a Surface Access Strategy in order to provide a choice of transport alternatives.

(1) 10.12 A Route Management Strategy will be developed and implemented in order to tackle the issues of congestion and poor air quality around many junctions on the strategic networks by Essex County Council in partnership with Southend Borough Council and Thurrock Council. Specifically the Rayleigh Weir junction of the A127 is mentioned.

(1) 10.13 The Council will work in partnership with Essex County Council as the highway authority to design and implement a Transport Strategy for Rochford District. The Strategy will assess the transport issues seen in the District and set out how they will be improved and dealt with.

(1) Public Transport

10.14 One method of reducing the need to travel by private car is to ensure that residential areas are connected to destinations, such as places of work and town centres, by a reliable and efficient public transport system. As public transport in the District is privately operated, there is a limit to how much the Council can influence the provision of public transport.

10.15 Planning should, however, ensure that new development is well related to existing public transport where possible, and encourage the provision of additional public transport. Planning can also require developers to contribute towards public transport provision, in order to mitigate against possible impacts of new developments on the highway network.

South Essex Rapid Transit (SERT)

10.16 Essex County Council, in partnership with the unitary authorities of Southend and Thurrock, have developed a programme for the delivery of a rapid transit system for South Essex - South Essex Rapid Transit (SERT). SERT will comprise of a network of corridors connecting the four main hubs, key development sites, major services and providing connections between the radial routes. The four main hubs are Basildon, Thurrock, Southend and London Gateway Port. While the initial route does not directly serve the District, future phases have the potential to do so.

10.17 SERT will involve high-quality bus-based vehicles travelling on a combination of specially dedicated routes and existing roads where SERT vehicles are given priority over other traffic. This service will provide rapid and reliable connections between residential areas and employment within the sub-region, helping to reduce car usage and ease congestion.

(1) Travel Plans

10.18 A travel plan is a package of practical measures to encourage employees/staff and pupils/residents/patients to be able to use methods of transport other than the car, and to reduce the need to travel by private car. A travel plan should be tailored to a particular site and use, and include a range of measures which will make a positive impact at that site. These could include, for example, setting up a car sharing scheme; providing cycle facilities; offering attractive flexible-working practices. The idea is to make alternatives to the car more feasible and more attractive to people.

10.19 There are several types of travel plans. Trip destination travel plans have been the significant focus to date. Destination travel plans have the overarching aim of reducing car use to specific destinations - schools, workplaces, visitor attractions etc. The travel plan will be drawn up in partnership with the employer, school or attraction, local authority and public transport operators. An example would be a "walking bus" to a school, or a car share scheme operated by an employer.

10.20 Origin, or residential travel plans, addresses the problem from the opposite angle. However, this raises several issues in that the pattern of journeys originating from residential areas are to varied and multiple destinations. As a consequence of this residential travel plans should incorporate a wider variety of measures encouraging more sustainable travel choices. Targets should also be set within travel plans to ensure that the objectives are achieved. Residential travel plans highlight the necessity of high levels of connectivity with the local transport network, and may also involve more personalised travel plans.

10.21 Travel plans may vary in scale and form, from a small package that includes bus timetables, maps of cycle footpaths, etc, to larger measures such as cycle vouchers.

Cycling and Walking

10.22 Increased opportunities for cycling and walking not only provide health and leisure benefits, but can also help reduce car dependency for certain journey types.

10.23 A two-pronged approach will be necessary to improve people's opportunity to cycle: an improved network of safe and convenient cycle paths, together with the provision of secure cycle parking and other facilities such as lockers, changing rooms, showers etc. at destinations.

Greenways

10.24 As part of ensuring that the regeneration of the Thames Gateway is sustainable, a strategy has been produced - the Green Grid Strategy - which has a number of aims, including to connect new communities with existing neighbourhoods, the regenerated riverside, local attractions and the countryside; create high quality new green spaces links in areas of opportunity and need; and plan and promote the Green Grid network as part of a sustainable transport strategy.

10.25 The Council are a member of the Green Grid partnership and, as such, are committed to seeing the aims of the Green Grid Strategy realised. Part of the Green Grid Strategy proposes the creation of "greenways" - footpaths, cyclepaths and bridlepaths that connect to and through towns and the rest of South Essex area which, in addition to leisure and recreational routes, also provide alternative transport options. A number of the proposed greenways are within Rochford District, and although not directly able to implement greenways alone, the Council will work with partners to see them realised.

10.26 It should be noted that the proposed cycle network has the potential to deliver an element of the planned greenways.

Parking Standards

10.27 National government policy, as stated in Planning Policy Guidance Note 13, has made it clear that parking policies should be used as part of a range of measures to promote sustainable transport and reduce reliance on the private car, stating that Local Authorities should not apply minimum parking standards to development. However, the Council have always been concerned that limiting parking at the origin of trips, i.e. homes, may lead to excessive on-street parking, to the detriment of highway safety and efficiency. As such the Council have sought to maintain minimum standards in certain cases. Planning Policy Statement 3 indicates that local circumstances should be taken into account when setting standards, and that proposed development should take a design led approach to the provision of car paring space. This will enable the provision of car parking spaces that are "well integrated with a high quality public realm and streets that are pedestrian, cycle and vehicle friendly."

10.28 Our current parking standards are set out in Supplementary Planning Document 5 - Vehicle Parking Standards. This seeks to limit the level of parking at trip destinations and residential development in certain circumstances, whilst applying minimum parking standards to residential schemes within other situations.

10.29 The Council believe that limiting parking provision at trip destinations can have a positive impact on sustainability and reduce congestion. However, the Council also believe that limiting car parking for residential development has little impact on the number of cars people use, and has predominantly negative effects. In such cases, a minimum standard is appropriate, although residential development within town centre locations or within close proximity to one of the District's train stations may be exempted from such requirements.

10.30 Essex County Council in conjunction with the Essex Planning Officers Association is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of car parking standards and initial conclusions are that a move to minimum standards at trip origins (residential planning) and maximum standards for trip destinations is appropriate acknowledging the fact that limited parking availability at trip origins does not necessarily discourage car ownership and can push vehicle parking onto the adjacent public highway, diminishing streetscape and potentially obstructing emergency and passenger transport vehicles.