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