Type of document (version) Project no: 70010059 Date: August 2015
– WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Mountbatten House, Basing View, Basingstoke, RG21 4HJ Tel: +44 (0) 1256 318 800 Fax: +44 (0) 1256 318 700 www.wspgroup.com www.pbworld.com
STOCKLEY PARK
TRAVEL PLAN
Stockley Park Estates Company Limited
Q U A L I T Y M A N A G E M E N T
ISSUE/REVISION FIRST ISSUE REVISION 1 REVISION 2 REVISION 3
Remarks DRAFT
Date
Prepared by H. Beaven H. Beaven
Signature
Checked by A. Dixon A. Dixon
Signature
Authorised by A. Winmill A. Winmill
Signature
Project number 70010059 70010059
Report number
File reference S:\70010059 - Stockley Park TPC\C Documents\Travel Plan\Stockley Park Travel Plan FINAL Aug 2015.docx
S:\70010059 - Stockley Park TPC\C Documents\Travel Plan\Stockley Park Travel Plan FINAL Aug 2015.docx
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Stockley Park Stockley Park Estates Company Limited August 2015
P R O D U C T I O N T E A M
CLIENT
Stockley Park Estates Company Management
WSP GLOBAL INC. (WSP)
Graduate Transport Planner Hannah Beaven
Senior Transport Planner Amanda Dixon
Associate Director Andrew Winmill
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Stockley Park Stockley Park Estates Company Limited August 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..............................................................1
2 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................2
3 EXISTING TRANSPORT CONDITIONS .......................................3
4 CURRENT TRAVEL PATTERNS .................................................9
5 VISION AND OBJECTIVES........................................................ 14
6 TRAVEL PLAN MEASURES ...................................................... 15
7 TRAVEL PLAN GOVERNANCE ................................................ 21
8 MONITORING STRATEGY ........................................................ 22
9 IMPLEMENTATION ACTION PLAN .......................................... 23
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Stockley Park WSP Stockley Park Estates Company Limited Project No 70010059 August 2015
T A B L E S
TABLE 3-1 TRAIN SERVICE FREQUENCIES AT NEARBY STATIONS ............................. 7
TABLE 3-2 BUS SERVICE FREQUENCIES ......................................................................... 8
TABLE 4-1 PM PEAK HOUR CAR TRIP DEPARTURE DIRECTION ................................... 9
TABLE 4-2 MODE OF TRAVEL TO WORK ......................................................................... 10
TABLE 4-3 USUAL DEPARTURE TIME FOR CAR ALONE DRIVERS .............................. 11
TABLE 4-4 WHAT WOULD ENCOURAGE CAR SHARING ............................................... 11
TABLE 4-5 WHAT WOULD ENCOURAGE INCREASED BUS/ RAIL USE ........................ 11
TABLE 4-6 WHAT WOULD ENCOURAGE INCREASED CYCLE USE .............................. 12
TABLE 4-7 WHAT WOULD ENCOURAGE INCREASED WALKING.................................. 12
TABLE 8-1 OBJECTIVES AND MONITORING ................................................................... 22
TABLE 9-1 IMPLEMENTATION ACTION PLAN .................................................................. 23
F I G U R E S
FIGURE 3-1 STOCKLEY PARK TRANSPORT CONNECTIONS ......................................... 3
FIGURE 3-2 STOCKLEY PARK SITE PLAN ......................................................................... 4
FIGURE 3-3 PHOTO OF A408 ROUNDABOUT EXITING STOCKLEY PARK ..................... 5
FIGURE 3-4 PHOTOS OF REAR ACCESS CONNECTING WITH GRAND UNION CANAL ................................................................................................. 6
FIGURE 3-5 PHOTOS OF MAIN ENTRANCE AND REAR ACCESS ................................... 6
FIGURE 3-6 BUS STOPS ON STOCKLEY PARK ................................................................ 8
FIGURE 6-1 TRAVEL PLAN PYRAMID ............................................................................... 15
FIGURE 6-2 RELEVANT TRAVEL APPS ............................................................................ 17
FIGURE 6-3 STOCKLEY PARK SCREENSHOT ................................................................ 18
FIGURE 7-1 TRAVEL PLAN STRUCTURE ......................................................................... 21
A P P E N D I C E S
A P P E N D I X A FIGURES
A P P E N D I X B STOCKLEY PARK TRAVEL PLAN STEERING GROUP TERMS OF REFERENCE
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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1.1 This Travel Plan has been prepared by WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff for Stockley Park, in consultation with the Travel Plan Steering Group.
The plan has been produced voluntarily, and in partnership with London Borough of Hillingdon, to assist tenants in encouraging their staff and visitors to use alternatives to single-occupancy car use for travelling to and from the park. Specific objectives of the plan are to:
Increase employee and business awareness and encourage the use of sustainable travel options for commuting and business travel
Promote smart working practices and reduce the overall need to travel
Improve services and facilities for sustainable travel
1.1.2 The plan includes a package of measures to promote sustainable travel patterns at Stockley Park and address traffic congestion problems on site during the afternoon peak departure period. The measures will encourage active travel (walking and cycling), use of public transport and car sharing options, and smart working practices to both reduce the overall need to travel and spread travel demands.
1.1.3 Specific measures being implemented include:
Personal Travel Planning advice offered to employees, showcasing viable commuting options using sustainable forms of transport
Employee-engagement activities and competitions promoting active travel in exchange for rewards
A comprehensive review of bus operations at the park, to identify potential new services or enhancements to existing services
Hosting a series of on-site roadshow events to raise awareness of sustainable transport options employees can consider
A private car sharing database, hosted by Liftshare, to facilitate higher levels of car sharing across the park
On-site cycle hire for employees
Enhancements to the existing Stockley Park website to make travel information mobile-accessible and compatible with smartphone devices
Real-time bus departure information, located within tenant buildings, for relevant services
1.1.4 WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has been appointed Travel Plan Coordinator for Stockley Park and will be responsible for administering the Travel Plan, overseeing implementation of the above measures, and monitoring their effectiveness.
1.1.5 A Stockley Park Travel Plan Steering Group has also been established and will meet on a quarterly basis to review progress, discuss emerging issues and priorities, and help shape the forward programme. Representatives of the group presently include commercial tenants, Stockley Park Estates Company Limited and London Borough of Hillingdon.
1.1.6 This Travel Plan will be periodically reviewed and updated, in agreement with the Steering Group, to maintain continued progress against its objectives.
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2 INTRODUCTION
2.1 PARK OVERVIEW
2.1.1 Stockley Park is a business estate located between Hayes and West Drayton in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
2.1.2 The site covers 150 acres with 25 buildings, offering more than 165,000sqm of office space. Approximately 8,000 people work within the site.
2.2 TRAVEL PLAN BACKGROUND
2.2.1 This Travel Plan has been prepared voluntarily following engagement between stakeholders, including the site management company (Stockley Park Estates Company Limited), individual business occupiers and London Borough of Hillingdon.
2.2.2 A Travel Plan Steering Group has been formed, with representatives from the above parties to firstly identify transport issues to be addressed and then explore opportunities to resolve them.
2.2.3 Measures put forward within this Travel Plan have been identified through this ‘bottom up’ process. The Travel Plan Steering Group will continue to guide discussion of travel and transport issues, opportunities, and a forward programme of investment in sustainable transport initiatives.
2.3 TRAVEL PLAN STRUCTURE
2.3.1 The remainder of this Travel Plan document covers the following areas:
Section 3 – Existing Transport Conditions
Section 4 – Current Travel Patterns
Section 5 – Vision and Objectives
Section 6 – Travel Plan Measures
Section 7 – Travel Plan Governance
Section 8 – Monitoring Strategy
Section 9 – Implementation Action Plan
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3 EXISTING TRANSPORT CONDITIONS
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.1.1 To understand the travel characteristics of Stockley Park and the existing transport conditions of the surrounding area, a review has been carried out involving the following activities:
Desk-based study
Site visits/audits
Meetings/discussions with occupiers and other stakeholders
Review of existing traffic counts
Review of July 2014 staff travel survey
3.1.2 The information will act as a benchmark against which future monitoring can be compared, to then assess changes in travel patterns and the effectiveness of the measures and initiatives within the Travel Plan.
3.2 SITE LOCATION
3.2.1 Stockley Park is well located for air, road, and bus travel. The park is located inside the M25 to the west of London. It is approximately 2.5 kilometres north of the M4 Junction 4 and 4 kilometres north of London Heathrow Airport.
3.2.2 Figure 3-1 shows the transport connections in the area surrounding Stockley Park.
Figure 3-1 Stockley Park transport connections
Reference: Stockley Park Website
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3.3 SITE DESCRIPTION
3.3.1 Stockley Park is a 150 acre site, with 25 buildings accommodating more than 165,000 square metres of office space. There are approximately 8,000 employees on the site. In addition to the office buildings, the park is also home to restaurants, coffee shops and bars, a golf course and a Virgin Active health club, as well as acres of maintained parkland.
3.3.2 Figure 3-2 shows a plan of the site.
Figure 3-2 Stockley Park Site Plan
3.3.3 Current tenants* at the park include:
Activision Blizzard Alexion Pharma UK Almirall Apple (UK)
Aspect Canon Celgene Coats
Fiserv Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd GlaxoSmithKline Grass Valley
Hasbro Havi Global Solutions IBM UK IMG Productions
Lucozade Ribena Suntory Marks and Spencer Mitsubishi Nobel Biocare
Regus Rocket Software RSCEMA Samsonite
Sharp Electronics (UK) Toshiba World Vision International
*June 2015
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3.3.4 Employee numbers naturally vary by business, with GlaxoSmithKline having the largest number of employees at approximately 2,500, followed by Marks and Spencer with 750, down to smaller offices such as Samsonite with 15 employees and Rocket Software with 10.
3.4 EXISTING ACCESS AND FACILITIES
VEHICLE ACCESS
3.4.1 The main vehicle access and egress from Stockley Park is via Bennetsfield Road. This joins to a roundabout junction with the A408 (Stockley Road) and Horton Road. The Bennetsfield Road junction arm has a two lane approach to the roundabout.
3.4.2 There is a secondary access road, at the rear of the site, which is restricted for motorised vehicles, except for public buses and emergency vehicles.
3.4.3 Figure 3-3 shows the A408 roundabout junction at the main entrance. The photo has been taken from Stockley Park (Bennetsfield Road) looking out towards the A408.
Figure 3-3 Photo of A408 roundabout exiting Stockley Park
Source: Google Maps Street View, Image from October 2014
3.4.4 There are a total of 6,532 car parking spaces across the site with each building allocated dedicated on-plot provision. The park is monitored by 24/7 security.
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
3.4.5 A network of footpaths allows pedestrian access to and from Stockley Park. Access points can be found at the main entrance, the south west corner of the park (connecting with the Grand Union Canal), and the rear (bus/cycle) access road.
3.4.6 The main access is to a high standard, however the south west access is less so and surfacing, lighting and directional signage require improvement. Figure 3-4 shows the access at the south west corner of the park.
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Figure 3-4 Photos of rear access connecting with Grand Union Canal
3.4.7 Figure 3-5 shows the main entrance (Bennetsfield Road) which offers an attractive route into the park, and the rear access via Bolingbroke Way.
Figure 3-5 Photos of main entrance and rear access
3.4.8 Based on industry standard guidance1, average walking speeds have been considered to
determine areas from where it would be reasonable to walk to Stockley Park.
3.4.9 Appendix A, Figure A-1, shows walking journey times up to 25 minutes from the centre of Stockley Park. This indicates there are some residential areas reachable within this time scale. However, as is evidenced in Section 4 of this Travel Plan, there are only a very limited number of employees living this close.
3.4.10 Connection on foot is possible from either of the adjacent railway stations (West Drayton approximately 2.5km to the west or Hayes and Harlington approximately 2.5km to the east). A towpath along the Grand Union Canal from West Drayton Station leads to the south west corner of the park. Both stations are shown as just over a 25 minute walk from Stockley Park.
CYCLING ACCESS AND FACILITIES
3.4.11 Cyclists are able to use the rear access road to enter Stockley Park, via Bolingbroke Way, as well as the main entrance road and the Grand Union Canal route.
3.4.12 All buildings have some degree of cycle storage, and some have showers and lockers.
1 Guidelines for Providing Journeys on Foot’ (The Institution of Highways and Transportation, 2000)
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3.4.13 Stockley Park Estates Company Limited currently offer a ‘Borrow a Bike’ scheme, where employees can borrow one of eight hybrid bikes free of charge to try cycling to and from work. Thirty employees have used the scheme since it started in 2011.
3.4.14 Based on industry guidance, an average cycling speed has been applied to calculate areas from which the park can be reached within twenty minutes
2. Figure A-2 (Appendix A), shows cycle
journey times from the centre point of Stockley Park.
3.4.15 As can be seen, this potentially captures Uxbridge and North Hillingdon in the north, to Hartlington and Harmondsworth to the south, as well as the nearest London Underground and railway stations. This suggests promoting cycling could have a wider appeal for many employees at the park, including those who may interchange with rail services on their commute to and from work.
3.5 CURRENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES
TRAIN SERVICES
3.5.1 As shown in Figure A-1 (Appendix A), the closest railway stations are West Drayton to the west and Hayes and Harlington to the east, both of which are just under 2.5 kilometres away from Stockley Park and operate along the same line.
3.5.2 Frequencies of train services are shown in Table 3-1 below. Either station is approximately a 25 minute walk, or there are frequent bus service connections (see Table 3-2).
Table 3-1 Train Service Frequencies at Nearby Stations
DIRECTION ARRIVING 08:00-09:00 DEPARTING 17:00-18:00 TYPICAL JOURNEY TIME
Central London to/from Hayes and Harlington Station
5 trains 6 trains 20-25 minutes
Reading to/from West Drayton Station
4 trains 3 trains 25-30 minutes
Source: Network Rail 2015 http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3828.aspx Table 117
CROSSRAIL
3.5.3 From 2018, rail services at West Drayton and Hayes and Harlington will be expanded with the launch of Crossrail. This will provide a 118km high capacity railway service traversing London on the east-west axis, and will stop at both stations closest to Stockley Park.
3.5.4 Service frequency is proposed to increase in both directions, with six Crossrail trains per hour operating in the peak, and four trains per hour off-peak. Journey times from Reading to West Drayton will be 30 minutes, and 15 minutes from London Paddington to Hayes and Harlington.
3.5.5 As part of the Crossrail scheme, facilities at West Drayton and Hayes and Harlington stations are being upgraded. Work began in 2014 and is due to complete in 2017. Hayes and Harlington will benefit significantly from a new station building with level access from the street. West Drayton will benefit from covered walkways and platforms, step-free platform access improvements from street level and the station building, and upgraded passenger information facilities.
2 ‘Cycle Friendly Employers’ Information Sheet’ (Sustrans, 1998) suggests that a five mile journey can
comfortably be cycled by an adult in 30 minutes
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LONDON UNDERGROUND SERVICES
3.5.6 The closest London Underground Station to Stockley Park is Uxbridge, approximately 6.5km to the north. The A10 bus service connects Uxbridge Underground Station to Stockley Park.
BUS SERVICES
3.5.7 Regular bus services connect the nearby stations to Stockley Park. The bus routes connecting to Stockley Park are shown in Figure A-3 (Appendix A). Bus service frequencies are shown in Table 3-2. The 350 bus route extends into Heathrow Terminal 5. U5 buses travel from Uxbridge Underground Station, through West Drayton to Stockley Park, and then on to Hayes and Harlington Station. The A10 is a dedicated frequent bus link from Heathrow Airport to Stockley Park, and then continues on to Uxbridge Station.
Table 3-2 Bus Service Frequencies
BUS ROUTE DAY TIME FREQUENCY (07:00-19:00 MONDAY TO FRIDAY)
350 Every 10 to 13 minutes
U5 Every 10 to 13 minutes
A10 Every 12 to 20 minutes
Source: TfL Journey Planner
3.5.8 The journey to Stockley Park from Uxbridge Station takes approximately 15 minutes on the A10. The journey to Stockley Park from West Drayton Station and from Hayes and Harlington Station takes approximately 10-15 minutes. The journey from Heathrow’s Central Bus Station to Stockley Park takes approximately 15 minutes.
3.5.9 Stockley Park has nine bus stops across the site (see Figure 3-6), allowing convenient access to all buildings. These are all served by the 350, the U5 and the A10.
Figure 3-6 Bus Stops on Stockley Park
Source: TfL Bus Maps http://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/bus-route-maps/stockleypark-a4.pdf
3.5.10 Some individual occupiers provide employee minibuses from certain locations. These include IMG and Marks and Spencer which provide shuttle services between their offices
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4 CURRENT TRAVEL PATTERNS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.1.1 Analysis of existing travel patterns provides insight into current issues and sets a baseline for future monitoring. This section summarises vehicle trip data and employee travel survey data.
4.2 EXISTING VEHICLE TRIPS
4.2.1 Traffic counts undertaken in 2014 at the egress to Stockley Park recorded 944 cars exiting the park between 17:00 and 18:00. See Table 4-1 for further details.
Table 4-1 PM Peak Hour Car Trip Departure Direction
DESTINATION DIRECTION NUMBER OF CARS PERCENTAGE OF CARS
A312 North 22 2%
A4020 East 15 2%
A437 North 127 13%
A437 South 10 1%
M4 East 184 20%
A408 North 20 2%
A408 South 1 0%
M4 West 535 57%
Horton Road 26 3%
Stays on site (visiting gym, etc) 5 1%
TOTAL 944 100%
Source: Stockley Park Traffic Management Report (Paul Mew Associates, 2014)
4.2.2 Further traffic analysis can be found in the Stockley Park Traffic Management Report3.
4.3 KEY ISSUES IDENTIFIED FROM BASELINE REVIEW
STOCKLEY PARK EGRESS JUNCTION
4.3.1 At present it is common that traffic exiting the park at the roundabout during the afternoon peak is not able to access the A408 southbound as queuing traffic on the elevated section prevents southbound traffic from Stockley Park joining. This causes queues to tail back into the park.
4.3.2 In addition, queued traffic blocking Stockley Park’s access to the roundabout prevents traffic wishing to travel north entering onto the roundabout.
3 Stockley Park Traffic Management Report (Paul Mew Associates, 2014)
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4.4 STAFF TRAVEL SURVEY RESULTS
4.4.1 A staff travel survey was undertaken across the park in July 2014. This took the form of an online questionnaire that occupiers were encouraged to circulate to their employees. The survey received a good response rate. In total, data on travel behaviour was gathered from 3,240 employees. This represents around 40% of the park’s population (circa 8,000 employees).
4.4.2 Staff home postcodes have been plotted on a map (see Figure A-4, Appendix A). Employees are geographically spread over a large area primarily to the west of London. While the majority of employees appear to be located to the north-west of London within the M25, the number of employees living within a twenty-five minute walking distance of the park is small. Less than seven percent of respondents to the employee survey live in the four postcode districts surrounding Stockley Park (UB3, UB7, UB8 and UB11), and the majority of these districts are not within a twenty-five minute walk.
4.4.3 Figure A-5 (Appendix A), has plotted the number of respondents to the staff travel survey living in the postcode areas adjacent to Stockley Park. This shows that there are employees living within an acceptable cycling distance. Cycling can therefore realistically be promoted to these employees. Where not within walking or cycling distance, there is also clear potential for many employees to use rail and bus connections to travel to and from Stockley Park.
4.4.4 Staff were asked their mode of travel to work. The majority of respondents were single occupancy car drivers (77.1%). Full results are displayed in Table 4-2.
Table 4-2 Mode of Travel to Work
MODE NUMBER OF STAFF PERCENTAGE OF STAFF
Car driver (alone) 2442 77.1%
Public bus 199 6.3%
Train 177 5.6%
Car driver (with passengers)
101 3.2%
Private bus 72 2.3%
Bicycle 53 1.7%
Underground 34 1.1%
Motorcycle/scooter 25 0.8%
Other 25 0.8%
Walk 22 0.7%
Car passenger 12 0.4%
Taxi 6 0.2%
TOTAL 3168 100%
Source: Paul Mew Associates Stockley Park Traffic Management Report Total sample size 3,168.
4.4.5 When asked the primary reason why they used each particular mode, most cited convenience or that there was no convenient alternative. For car drivers (alone), these figures were 31% and 29% respectively.
4.4.6 Twenty-five percent of car alone drivers stated travel time as their primary reason for driving. The survey also asked what time people departed work. The results for car alone drivers are shown in Table 4-3. Of the car alone drivers responding to the survey, 53% departed between 17:00 and 18:00 presenting a significant volume of departures in a concentrated timeframe.
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Table 4-3 Usual Departure Time for Car Alone Drivers
USUAL DEPARTURE TIME PROPORTION OF STAFF USING THAT MODE
Before 5.00pm 22%
Between 5.00pm and 5.15pm 17%
Between 5.15pm and 5.30pm 11%
Between 5.30pm and 5.45pm 13%
Between 5.45pm and 6.00pm 12%
After 6.00pm 25%
TOTAL 100%
Source: Paul Mew Associates Stockley Park Traffic Management Report Total sample size 1,949.N.B.
4.4.7 The survey asked employees to state what would encourage them to travel more sustainably. This was asked specifically for car sharing, public transport use, cycling and walking. The results are displayed in Tables 4-4 to 4-7.
4.4.8 As can be seen in Table 4-4, there is potential to encourage car sharing amongst employees, with almost 20% of respondents saying they would like help to find a sharer and just over 15% desiring a ‘guaranteed lift home’ scheme. More than a third of respondents would be encouraged to car share if they could share with someone they knew. This information has been used to inform the Travel Plan measures.
Table 4-4 What would encourage car sharing
OPTIONS % RESPONSES
Sharing with people you know 33.7%
Help finding sharers 19.1%
Guaranteed lift home in emergency 15.1%
Pool cars for business trips 3.8%
Priority parking space 3.7%
Lack of parking spaces 2.2%
None of these 53.5%
Source: Paul Mew Associates Stockley Park Traffic Management Report Total sample size 1,821
4.4.9 Table 4-5 shows that 22% of employees would be more likely to use public transport if fares were subsidised, and a similar proportion would like a dedicated shuttle bus from the railway station. These are initiatives that will be investigated.
Table 4-5 What would encourage increased bus/ rail use
OPTIONS % RESPONSES
Subsidised/cheaper fares 22.1%
Dedicated Stockley Park Shuttle Bus from Hayes & Harlington Station
22.0%
More frequent services 21.5%
More reliable services 16.0%
Interest free season ticket loan 6.2%
Better waiting facilities 4.2%
Better information 2.7%
None of these 58.1%
Source: Paul Mew Associates Stockley Park Traffic Management Report Total sample size 1,821
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4.4.10 Table 4-6 shows that almost a quarter of respondents would be more likely to cycle if there were better cycle routes. Whilst the Travel Plan cannot specify improvements to physical infrastructure outside of the park, it will be an output of the Travel Plan to inform employees of the existing cycle routes that are available in the local area as it may be the case that people are not fully aware of existing provision. Improved on site facilities would also be welcomed and this will be investigated by the Travel Plan Coordinator.
Table 4-6 What would encourage increased cycle use
OPTIONS % RESPONSES
Better cycle routes 24.7%
Discounts on bikes/equipment 10.4%
Showers/changing facilities 9.9%
Improved road crossings 7.8%
Secure cycle parking 7.0%
Better lighting/security 6.1%
Storage lockers 4.6%
Someone to cycle with 2.1%
Cycle training 2.0%
None of these 69.0%
Source: Paul Mew Associates Stockley Park Traffic Management Report Total sample size 1,825
4.4.11 Table 4-7 suggests that there are only a limited number of employees who would be encouraged to walk to work, with more than 80% saying that none of the listed improvements would encourage them. This is consistent with our review of employee home postcodes, which suggests that there are few employees within walking distance. Nine percent of respondents stated that a ‘park and walk’ type scheme would encourage them to walk more. A park and walk scheme could be facilitated using an offsite car park, however there may be low uptake of this given only 9% of respondents selected this option.
Table 4-7 What would encourage increased walking
OPTIONS % RESPONSES
Better pedestrian facilities 9.8%
Parking nearby (Park & Walk) 8.8%
Better lighting/ security 6.3%
Improved road crossings 5.7%
Someone to walk with 2.2%
None of these 81.2%
Source: Paul Mew Associates Stockley Park Traffic Management Report Total sample size 1,831
4.5 KEY ISSUES IDENTIFIED FROM STAFF TRAVEL SURVEY AND OTHER SOURCES
4.5.1 The majority of employees responding to the staff survey drive alone to and from the park (77.1%). Of the staff survey respondents, 53% of car alone drivers depart the park between 17:00 and 18:00. This is the problem period for traffic congestion at the park. Data collected by Stockley Park tells of extensive queueing that can take one to three hours to clear in the PM peak.
4.5.2 Less than seven percent of respondents to the employee survey live in the four postcode districts closest to Stockley Park. This means that a very limited number of employees live within a 25 minute walking distance. Slightly more live within a 30 minute cycling distance (approximately 500 scaling up from the employee survey), offering potential to promote this option.
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4.5.3 Stockley Park has recorded data on use of the 350 public bus. This shows the 350 bus is often operating at capacity during the morning peak (07:30 and 09:00), however, there is some spare capacity during the evening peak (16:30 and 18:00). Overcrowding at peak times is also reflected in comments made in the staff survey.
4.5.4 There is also a strong desire amongst respondents for improvements to local cycle routes and supporting facilities. This includes not only provision at offices, but safe and direct cycle connections between Stockley Park and surrounding areas.
4.6 OPPORTUNITIES ARISING
4.6.1 Amongst staff driving to work, a high percentage stated that there was no convenient alternative to this method of travel. Whilst this may be true in some cases, it also infers a lack of general awareness about available options. Therefore, this Travel Plan will advance measures to ensure that employees will be made aware of alternative options.
4.6.2 Existing travel patterns suggests demand for bus services at Stockley Park is high and that a more comprehensive review of bus services through this Travel Plan would be pertinent. This may potentially lead to increases in existing service capacity, or new services being introduced.
4.6.3 Currently, a high proportion of journeys to and from the park are single-occupancy car journeys, however, the staff survey revealed that many staff would consider car sharing if they had help finding a car sharing partner. Consequently, promoting car sharing appears a worthwhile activity to focus on through this Travel Plan.
4.6.4 A number of employees are within reasonable cycling distance of the park and have stated that improvements to cycling infrastructure would make them more likely to cycle to work. Therefore, the promotion of cycling in and around the park and advancing potential improvements to cycling infrastructure will be an area of focus.
4.6.5 The concentration of peak hour car departures is also clearly exacerbating queueing at the site egress. The Travel Plan will therefore also focus on working with both employers and their employees to explore options to both reduce the overall need to travel into work, and/or spread arrival and departures times for some staff to reduce this issue.
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5 VISION AND OBJECTIVES
5.1 TRAVEL PLAN VISION
5.1.1 The Travel Plan evidently has to promote sustainable transport options more widely to employees at Stockley Park and help reduce pressure on the road network, specifically during the peak departure time (17:00 to 18:00).
5.1.2 This process will also support active and healthy lifestyles, and provide benefits for individual tenants, the environment and local community from reduced vehicle traffic.
To guide the Travel Plan, a vision statement has been agreed by the Stockley Park Travel Plan Steering Group:
5.2 TRAVEL PLAN OBJECTIVES
5.2.1 Given the existing travel conditions at the park, three objectives to achieve the Travel Plan vision have been identified:
1. Increase employee and business awareness and encourage the use of sustainable travel options for commuting and business travel
2. Improve services and facilities for sustainable travel
3. Promote smart working practices and reduce the overall need to travel
5.3 SUPPORTING TRANSPORT AND PLANNING POLICY
5.3.1 The Hillingdon Local Plan ‘aims to reduce congestion and smooth traffic flow’4. The objectives of
this Travel Plan directly support this local policy goal.
5.3.2 In addition, the Local Plan states that the London Borough of Hillingdon ‘seeks to provide a sustainable transport system that addresses whole length of journeys, reduces car dependency, supports the economy, encourages active travel and improves the quality of life’
4.
5.3.3 This Travel Plan sets out measures that, in particular, can reduce traffic congestion and car dependency by informing employees of alternative modes available and the benefits of using them, and encouraging active travel through promoting walking and cycling for even part of a journey as beneficial for health.
4 Local Plan Part 2 – Development Management Policies: September 2014 (London Borough of Hillingdon, 2014) – N.B.
awaiting adoption by the Council as at 12/5/2015
Stockley Park will be accessible by a range of sustainable transport options, supporting healthier lifestyles and offering travel choices for all users, enabling the Park to continue to attract leading companies and the highest quality staff.
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6 TRAVEL PLAN MEASURES
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.1.1 This section sets out the specific measures planned for Stockley Park to support achieving the vision specified in the previous section.
6.2 TRAVEL PLAN GUIDANCE
6.2.1 Department for Transport guidance on travel planning5 defines a ‘Travel Plan Pyramid’ with key
elements of a successful Travel Plan. This has been used to guide development of the Stockley Park Travel Plan.
Figure 6-1 Travel Plan Pyramid
6.3 TRAVEL PLAN COORDINATOR APPOINTMENT
6.3.1 WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has been appointed Travel Plan Coordinator (TPC) and will oversee day-to-day management and delivery of the plan. The TPC will be responsible for engaging with stakeholders of the Travel Plan as detailed in Section 7.
6.4 PLANNED MEASURES
6.4.1 The planned measures fall into three main categories:
Promoting sustainable travel
Smarter working practices
Improving transport services and facilities.
5 Department for Transport - Making Residential Travel Plans Work: Guidelines For New Development (2007)
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PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
PERSONAL TRAVEL PLANNING
6.4.2 Personal Travel Planning (PTP) will be delivered by WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff at participating businesses. This will involve trained travel advisors conversing with individual members of staff about their current commute to work and offering individually-tailored travel information and advice on different options as appropriate. This will include promoting the private car-sharing network and bicycle hire scheme.
6.4.3 Wherever possible, this will be integrated with ‘Health Weeks’ and other relevant initiatives at participating companies.
6.4.4 This process will be repeated periodically to extend coverage to different businesses and their employees who may benefit from the service.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE – ‘YOMP’
6.4.5 YOMP is a team-based initiative that allows employees to earn rewards by increasing and recording physical activity; primarily walking and cycling.
6.4.6 The aim is to increase and incentivise more active travel and consequently support the health and wellbeing of employees. Activity will be recorded and tracked through a Stockley Park branded YOMP website and mobile application. There will be prizes for individuals and teams. The TPC will promote the initiative across Stockley Park via email.
6.4.7 YOMP will run in parallel with the PTP programme. Both YOMP and PTP are ‘quick wins’ in terms of engaging with employees to encourage travel behaviour change. Both initiatives are proposed to be repeated periodically to cover new businesses and employees and to maintain momentum of the Travel Plan.
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TRAVEL PLAN WEBSITE
6.4.8 The current Stockley Park website already contains considerable travel information, including a link to real-time travel information in the vicinity of the park and a journey planner. The TPC will periodically review content and make recommendations for additional content where appropriate; for example to advertise a new travel initiative or service improvement.
6.4.9 Apps that provide staff with relevant on-the-go information will be promoted to staff through the website.
Figure 6-2 Relevant travel apps
6.4.10 However, the website travel information content would benefit from being more compatible with mobile and smartphone devices. Employees can then access the information more easily and whilst travelling if necessary. The TPC will therefore liaise with Stockley Park Estates Company Limited to deliver travel information in this format.
REAL-TIME BUS SERVICE INFORMATION
6.4.11 Information on live bus departures can be provided on screens, provided by Transport for London (TfL), situated within individual tenants buildings.
6.4.12 This will add to the availability and visibility of real-time information on bus arrivals and departures for routes serving Stockley Park. The TPC will liaise with London Borough of Hillingdon and TfL to advance the installation of the screens with commercial tenants who express an interest.
ROADSHOW EVENTS
6.4.13 The TPC will coordinate sustainable travel roadshow events at Stockley Park. These will feature stands from sustainable transport providers and organisations to discuss options and opportunities with individuals on an informal basis.
6.4.14 The Travel Plan Steering Group will input to shaping the event, including determining content and attendees to showcase sustainable transport options and innovation. This might include, for example, electric vehicle manufacturers or app developers demonstrating their latest technologies, coupled with cycle training for employees, Dr Bike, and public transport providers on hand to discuss services with staff.
6.4.15 Roadshow events will primarily be designed to raise awareness and be fun for employees to engage in, and will be hosted periodically.
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SUPPORT FOR CYCLING
POOL BIKES
6.4.16 Eight fully equipped hybrid bikes are currently available for employees to hire on a four week trial basis, free of charge. The TPC will promote this offer widely to all businesses in the park, including through the PTP programme, to encourage a higher level of uptake.
DR BIKE
6.4.17 London Borough of Hillingdon (LBH) currently offer ‘Dr Bike’ basic bike maintenance sessions free of charge. Participants receive a bike safety check and are given an indication of the health of their bike. The TPC will arrange a Dr Bike session for Stockley Park. If this is successful, further events will be arranged. Led rides are also available, as is a bike hire scheme (for a small charge).
MANAGING CAR-BASED TRAVEL
6.4.18 Stockley Park has introduced a dedicated Stockley Park car-sharing portal, facilitated by Liftshare.com – a car sharing promoter working with a number of businesses and business parks throughout the UK.
6.4.19 The service requires individual employees to sign up through the Stockley Park Liftshare website and then attempts to match them with suitable car sharing partners.
Figure 6-3 Stockley Park Screenshot
6.4.20 Given the potential interest in car sharing shown in the staff travel survey, the promotion of car sharing is worthwhile. This car sharing service will be promoted to employees through the Personal Travel Planning initiative and roadshow events.
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6.4.21 To encourage employees to car share, there is the potential to allocate a number of car sharing spaces to become dedicated spaces for car sharers. This option will be investigated by the TPC.
GUARANTEED RIDE HOME
6.4.22 Individual employers will be encouraged to introduce a ‘guaranteed ride home’ policy for registered car sharers, as the staff travel survey results indicated this would encourage car sharing.
6.4.23 This policy means a business agrees to pay for an employee’s journey home, either by taxi or public transport if appropriate, in the event a car sharing arrangement breaks down on a given day. This can alleviate concerns amongst potential car sharers worried they would otherwise be left stranded in such situations.
IMPROVING TRANSPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES
REAR PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLE ACCESS
6.4.24 The TPC will liaise with Stockley Park Estates Company Limited to explore potential improvements to the rear pedestrian and cycle access at the south-west corner of the park. At present, this access comprises a muddy track and is not inviting, particularly to pedestrians. However, there is potential to encourage employees to use this access and then walk or cycle along the canal towpath to connect to West Drayton Station.
SHOWERS, LOCKERS & DRYING FACILITIES
6.4.25 The TPC will investigate the provision of showers, lockers and drying facilities at businesses on the park. If provision is sub-standard and not catering for the demand, the TPC will explore options for additional or enhanced provision.
BUS SERVICE OPTIONS REVIEW
BUS SERVICE REVIEW
6.4.26 The staff travel survey indicated that there is some interest in using a bus for the journey to/from work. However, as described in the existing travel behaviour section of this Travel Plan, the public buses are reported to often already be at capacity during peak times.
6.4.27 The TPC will undertake a full review of public and private bus service operations at Stockley Park. This process will require dialogue with London Borough of Hillingdon and London Buses, and the process will be informed by punctuality surveys, boarding/alighting surveys, and capacity surveys as necessary to understand current service provision in detail.
6.4.28 The TPC will then identify and cost potential service improvements and liaise with the relevant parties to implement these where possible.
6.4.29 Two businesses currently operate their own shuttle buses between offices. The TPC will review these existing shuttle bus services, along with potential demand for further such services, and investigate where there may be demand for additional shuttle services to access West Drayton and Hayes and Harlington Stations.
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SMARTER WORKING PRACTICES
STAGGERED WORKING TIMES
6.4.30 The staff travel survey and traffic counts showed the majority of employees at the park depart between 17:00 and 18:00. The TPC will discuss with individual businesses the potential to introduce more flexible working practices, at least for some of the employee base. This could help alleviate the traffic pressures on the Stockley Park egress from during the afternoon peak due to many employees departing in a condensed time period.
WORKING FROM HOME
6.4.31 The TPC will also discuss with individual businesses remote working options, such as permitting more staff to work from home for at least part of the week. This will involve assessing whether it is practically possible for employees to work from home and whether the organisation uses technology to make this viable.
6.4.32 The staff travel survey revealed that the majority of staff travel to and from the park as a single occupancy car driver. Widespread adoption of home working practices will reduce the overall volume of car-based trips arriving and departing Stockley Park, assisting with easing current congestion issues.
PROMOTION OF MEASURES
6.4.33 The TPC will promote measures to each individual business by email, which the business will then be able to forward to all employees and display in the workplace, as appropriate. Promotional material will include posters, flyers and emails.
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7 TRAVEL PLAN GOVERNANCE
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.1.1 This section details the governance arrangements for the Travel Plan.
7.2 TRAVEL PLAN COORDINATOR
7.2.1 WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has been appointed TPC and will oversee day-to-day management and delivery of the plan, with support from the Stockley Park Travel Plan Steering Group. The TPC will engage with stakeholders of the Travel Plan as detailed below.
Figure 7-1 Travel Plan Structure
7.3 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
STOCKLEY PARK TRAVEL PLAN STEERING GROUP
7.3.1 The Travel Plan Coordinator has established the Stockley Park Travel Plan Steering Group, which held its first meeting in April 2015.
7.3.2 The group includes representatives from tenants, Stockley Park Estates Company Limited and London Borough of Hillingdon and is chaired by the TPC. The group will meet quarterly.
7.3.3 The Steering Group offers an opportunity for businesses to feedback on the current travel situation and discuss future travel initiatives. The Terms of Reference for the Travel Plan Steering Group are in Appendix B.
7.4 TRAVEL PLAN FUNDING
7.4.1 The Travel Plan measures identified in this document, and the TPC role, will be funded by Stockley Park Estates Company Limited.
7.4.2 Input from individual businesses will principally be staff time to attend meetings of the Travel Plan Steering Group, to assist with engaging employees, to promote the Travel Plan, and to support the delivery of initiatives within their respective companies.
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8 MONITORING STRATEGY
8.1 INTRODUCTION
8.1.1 This Travel Plan will be monitored to assess its impact on travel behaviour and the progress towards meeting the objectives identified in Section 5. Monitoring will require the collection of new data for comparison with baseline information to determine changes in travel patterns over time.
8.2 OBJECTIVES AND MONITORING
8.2.1 The table below presents the indicators that will be used to monitor progress of the Travel Plan made towards achieving each objective previously identified.
Table 8-1 Objectives and Monitoring
OBJECTIVES AND MONITORING INDICATORS
1. To increase employee and business awareness of sustainable travel options for commuting and business travel
Record the number of employees receiving PTP advice and information
Record the number of people using YOMP
Monitor the number of people using the trial bike hire scheme
Monitor the number of people registered with Liftshare
2. To improve services and facilities for sustainable travel
Review of facilities improvements planned and implemented at the park
Analysis of staff travel survey data on use of services and facilities
3. To promote smart working practices and reduce the overall need to travel
Review of individual business policies on flexible start/finish times
Analysis of staff travel survey data on start/finish times compared to July 2014
Traffic counts in the peak departure hour
8.3 MONITORING
8.3.1 The main systematic aspects of monitoring will be from traffic surveys and a staff travel survey. In addition to this, feedback will be taken on board from the Travel Plan Steering Group, which will provide a more qualitative assessment of the success of the measures delivered. The Travel Plan Coordinator will be responsible for organising these, analysing the data and reporting the results. Progress should be reviewed regularly (at least annually), and new objectives can be set if the current objectives are met.
TRAVEL SURVEY AND TRAFFIC COUNTS
8.3.2 A staff travel survey and traffic counts will be carried out in June 2016. The results will be compared against the July 2014 staff survey and reported to the Travel Plan Steering Group.
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9 IMPLEMENTATION ACTION PLAN
9.1 INTRODUCTION
9.1.1 This section sets out the implementation plan for the Travel Plan, specifying timescales for implementing the measures previously outlined and the party responsible.
9.2 IMPLEMENTATION ACTION PLAN
Table 9-1 Implementation Action Plan
TIMESCALE ACTION/ MEASURES DELIVERY RESONSIBILITY
May 2015 and September 2015
Personal Travel Planning Travel Plan Coordinator
May 2015 and September 2015
YOMP activity challenge Travel Plan Coordinator
May 2015 and ongoing Promoting pool bike scheme Travel Plan Coordinator
May 2015 and ongoing Promoting Liftshare scheme Travel Plan Coordinator
July 2015 Bus service options review Travel Plan Coordinator
Twice Annually Travel Plan Roadshow events Travel Plan Coordinator
Twice Annually Arranging ‘Dr Bike’ maintenance
events Travel Plan Coordinator /
London Borough of Hillingdon
August 2015 Updating website content to
ensure mobile device compatibility
Travel Plan Coordinator / Stockley Park Estates Company
Limited
August 2015 and ongoing Setting up ‘Guaranteed Ride
Home’ Travel Plan Coordinator /
Tenants
August 2015 and ongoing Smarter working options Travel Plan Coordinator /
Tenants
August 2015 and ongoing Promoting home working Travel Plan Coordinator /
Tenants
September 2015 Real-time bus information
screens Travel Plan Coordinator /
London Borough of Hillingdon
June 2016 Staff travel survey Travel Plan Coordinator
June 2016 Traffic count and queue survey Travel Plan Coordinator
9.2.1 Amendments to the above implementation dates will be subject to discussion and agreement through the Travel Plan Steering Group. Additional measures will be discussed and identified over time. Therefore additions to the above action plan will be subject to further funding agreement and documented in an updated Travel Plan where required.