Swale Transportation Modelling and draft Strategy Ruth Goudie Kent - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Swale Transportation Modelling and draft Strategy

Ruth Goudie Kent County Council Strategic Transportation Planner

• Jacobs model 2010
• Covers Sittingbourne and A249 to Sheerness
• Does not cover Faversham
• M2 J5 is at edge of model area
• Model was developed before SNRR and RRR
• Opening of SNRR changed traffic patterns in

model area

• Model did not include a Do Minimum scenario
• Model is suitable now for high level forecasts

• 2031 Do Minimum – background growth +

completions + extant permissions

• 2031 Do Something 1 – Do minimum + housing

540dpa + 600,000m2 employment land

• 2031 Do Something 2 -Do minimum + housing

740dpa + 600,000m2 employment land

• 2031 Do Something 1 + Bapchild link

Forecast additional travel demand in study zone

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 140% 160% DM 540dpa 740dpa

Increase over base

AM-origin PM-origin AM-destination PM-destination

Forecast origin and destination of additional traffic in study area

M2 Junction 5 morning peak hour

M2 Junction 5 afternoon peak hour

Effect of Bapchild Link am

Effect of Bapchild Link pm

Conclusions

• Growth targets for Swale can be accommodated

in the transport network with mitigation at specific locations

• Greater pressure on M2 J5 will require capacity

improvements to accommodate development and background growth

• No pure traffic need for Bapchild link, but it

would remove some traffic from A2 east of Sittingbourne and in town centre

Draft Swale Transportation Strategy Headline Aim To transform Swale’s economic, social and environmental prospects

Themes of the Strategy

Theme Aim Transportation issues Encouraging sustainable travel Encourage the use of sustainable means of travel as an alternative to the private car Walking Cycling Bus Rail Improvements to transport infrastructure Removal of pinchpoints which are barriers to development and growth. Intelligent Transport systems Additional road capacity and infrastructure improvements Alternative access to services Reduce the need to travel and supporting independence Sustainable mixed use developments Travel plans Road Safety Reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the district’s roads Crash remedial measures Lower speeds designed into new developments Road safety campaigns

Key Transport Challenges

• Congestion at M2 junction 5 acts a barrier to further development on Swale.
• Capacity improvements required at A249 Key Street and Grovehurst interchanges
• Rural areas of the borough are remote from main centres and less well served by

public transport

• Public transport tends to be inaccessible to the mobility impaired
• Traffic congestion with school/ employment commuting into Sittingbourne,

causing rural rat-runs in the south of town, and air quality issues.

• Transport interchange between cycle routes, bus services, and train services is

poor, therefore encouraging the use of cars to rail stations, which add to problems with parking and congestion

• Not enough uptake of sustainable transport
• No current parking strategy
• Constrained viability of new developments to provide significant infrastructure

contributions.

Infrastructure Improvements

• M2 Junction 5
• A249 Grovehurst Interchange
• Sittingbourne Town Centre UTMC
• Spirit of Sittingbourne scheme
• A2/ A251 Faversham – traffic signal scheme
• A2/ A249 Key Street
• A2500 Lower Road traffic signal junction
• Variable message signs for traffic information
• Schemes to smooth traffic flow
• SNRR extension to Bapchild
• M2 link to Kent Science Park (longer term)

Targets

• 1. No increase in traffic flows at key locations
• 2. Reduce % of journeys to work by private car

to 55%

• 3. Proposed mode share targets of other means
• f transport to increase
• 4. Buses meet timetables for 95% of time
• 5. Reduce KSI crashes by 50%
• 6. Reduce NO2 levels to below 40µg/m3

Mode share targets

Current Mode Share Target Mode Share Percentage Change Drive 65% 55%

• 15%

Passenger 5.5% 8% +45% Train 6.9% 6.9% Bus 2% 3% +50% Motorcycle 0.9% 0.9% Cycle 2.2% 3% +36% Walk 11.3% 15% +33% Work from home 5% 7% +40% Other 1.2% 1.2% Totals 100% 100%