Renaissance Southend Ltd Southend Borough Council Buses In-Depth Scrutiny 12 December 2007 Mike Lambert – Chief Executive.

Renaissance Southend Ltd

Southend Borough Council Buses In-Depth Scrutiny

12 December 2007

Mike Lambert – Chief Executive

Background

• Urban Regeneration Company (URC) for the Borough of Southend

• Regeneration Framework

• Central Area Masterplan Development Framework

• Work in partnership with SSBC on major projects

• Working alongside SSBC on Southend Transport Study

Regeneration Framework

Central Area Masterplan

Southend Transport Study

• Funded by Communities and Local Government (CLG)• Working alongside SSBC• Southend Town Centre Access & Movement Strategy• Park & Ride feasibility• A127 Corridor Study and Junction improvement analysis• South Essex Rapid Transit (SERT)• Cinder Path (National Cycle Network 16)

• Thames Gateway Transport Project Prioritisation – RSL worked alongside SSBC

Bus Priority Considerations

• Bus priority across the Borough should be seen as part of a wider transport strategy

• Capacity of all roads, but particularly major routes should be seen in terms of people movements as opposed to just vehicle movements

• Congestion levels on key routes at peak times will increase over time without intervention

• Single occupancy in cars at am peak times along A127 and A13 is high at 85%

• Southend has relatively low levels of bus use for a range of trips• Many short trips within the Borough by car which could be on public

transport• Relatively low levels of car ownership compared to national figures

Bus Operator Considerations

• Operators are important and working alongside them part of the solution

• Buses compete with traffic across the Borough making it a less attractive option

• Buses need to become an attractive alternative to the car – reliability, real-time information, good quality buses and shelters

• Operators can react to market demands – or in partnership with the public sector and developers, can create demand

• Bus operators cannot do it on their own – Need for a commitment to bus priority as part of a transport strategy

Social Impacts

• Regeneration Framework and Central Area Masterplan set out an ambitious vision for growth in line with the Council’s Core Strategy

• The evidence suggests that congestion will increasingly become a constraining factor on the Borough’s economy

• Growth in the economy will bring new employment and training opportunities for all Southend residents

• More people will work in Southend as the economy grows – they cannot all travel to work by car

• Economic growth will improve the tourism market• Not all residents have access to a car – the bus network must be

improved to serve all residents• Congestion must be tackled through a range of measures –

including greater prominence of bus priority throughout the Borough

New Opportunities

• Three major projects along A127– Progress Road– Victoria Circus A13/A127– Priory Crescent

• The opportunity to include bus priority through each junction to ‘future proof’ bus priority

• SERT offers opportunity for new bus priority – could attract Interreg IVB European funding for Victoria Circus

• SERT could link town centre, airport, hospital, Progress Road

• Need to build on the momentum from the Southend Transport Study

Fastrack – Kent Thameside

Fastrack continued

Renaissance Southend Ltd