Support

Representation ID: 9237

Received: 08/04/2009

Respondent: CPREssex

3.1 Surface Access Plan and Modal Share

We are not experts in this area. However we believe we can justifiably make the following comments.

We approve Policy LS4 - Surface Access Strategy, which says:
The airport operator will be required to prepare a Surface Access Strategy, the first version to be submitted in advance of any applications for planning consent, and thereafter an update of the strategy to be submitted every five years.
The impact of an additional 2 million passengers travelling to and from the airport in an already congested area of surface transport cannot be countenanced unless a very large proportion indeed travel by public transport. Any proposal for expansion of passenger aviation must be accompanied by costed and funded plans to achieve it.

Section 4.1 of Part 1 of the Evidence Base we considered in responding to the IOR refers to

"According to the Airport Surface Access Strategy, the staff survey carried out in 2006 revealed that 79% of staff drive to work alone, 7% car share, 11% use bicycle, 4% use motorcycles, 3% use the bus and 5% walk to work. 50% of car users say it is the quickest way."

This is the only indicator given of the likely modal split under current circumstances. We found no forecasts in the evidence base at that time of future modal splits when with passenger numbers up to 1mppa and eventually 2mppa.

This is a vital issue given current road congestion in the area. Para 4.5.1 p 40 in the Evidence Base lists surface access recommendations. These were, and are, purely aspirational. We found it unacceptable that the development proposals in the IOR had no concrete accompanying surface access plan, nor any clear statement of who would be responsible for funding including the share to be borne by the airport owners.

Any growth in passenger numbers should be catered for by maximum use of public transport. Any development plan should seek to greatly reduce the number of journeys by car, without which it would be unsustainable and environmentally damaging. Together with the increased air traffic movements, hugely increased road traffic will damage air quality creating both a health hazard and potential damage to the natural environment.

A genuinely sustainable surface access strategy is required.