Issue - meetings

City Access

Meeting: 25/01/2017 - Greater Cambridge Partnership Executive Board (Item 7)

7 City Access Congestion Reduction Proposals: Consultations Responses and Next Steps pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Decision:

The City Deal Executive Board:

a)            AGREED that:

              i.                Officers should work up and assess options for a package of physical demand management measures.

             ii.                Officers should assess existing data and evidence of desired access between destinations to create an overview of measures that will increase access while reducing congestion.

            iii.                Physical demand measures should make the best use of the limited road space and capacity in Cambridge, in order to improve bus reliability, cycling and walking, particularly within the designated Air Quality Management Area.

           iv.                No further work is undertaken on the package of six peak-time congestion control points consulted upon.

b)            AGREED that officers should continue to work up and assess options for the other seven elements of the eight-point plan consulted on, including:

              i.                A Workplace Parking Levy: Co-design a workplace parking levy (WPL) scheme with employers with more detail available for Board and public review later in 2017:

1.            To work with individual employers and groups of employers during 2017 on the details of the scheme.

2.            To determine the local transport priorities that will receive the revenue raised, building on employer evidence of transport needs and coordinated with Council infrastructure planners.

3.            To be coordinated with and if feasible form a part of the City Deal and the Local Enterprise Partnership’s broader engagement with the business community.

4.            The roll-out to include practical support for employers looking to manage their parking demand in advance of the levy coming into effect.

5.            It is recommended that as far as possible, the Cambridge WPL should resemble the Nottingham template. However, there will need to be agreement on how to charge, the price, its geographical extent, exemptions and how it will be administered and enforced.

             ii.                On-Street Parking Controls: NOTED that the Cambridge City Joint Area Committee (CJAC) recommended changes to parking policy in Cambridge. The Executive Board REQUESTED that officers bring forward a report on complementary measures to be implemented at the same time as changes to on street parking controls.

            iii.                Improved Public Space and Air Quality: AGREED that officers should:

1.            Assess the possibility of establishing a Clean Air Zone and the potential for the introduction of a pollution charge in central Cambridge within the existing Air Quality Management Area. Key criteria for assessing this should be its impacts on: health; the local environment, including air quality and public realm; bus reliability and cycling; business and the economy; deliverability and value for money.

2.            Ensure that initiatives to improve city centre access should continue to consider opportunities for improving the city centre experience and economy and that this should be coordinated with other work across the Partnership that has similar objectives, including planning policy.

           iv.                Better Bus Services and Expanded Park & Ride: AGREED  that officers should continue work to identify how to reduce bus delays on key bus routes by engaging bus operators and finalising the Bus Network Review.

            v.                Better Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure: AGREED that officers should continue  ...  view the full decision text for item 7

Minutes:

Hilary Holden, City Access Programme, delivered a presentation to introduce the report which informed the Executive Board of the results from the consultation on ‘Tackling Peak-Time Congestion in Cambridge’, which were informing the work of the City Access project team and influencing the emerging work programme.

Councillor Roger Hickford updated the Executive Board on the Joint Assembly’s views of the recommendations set out in the report:

·         There had been much debate by Joint Assembly members regarding omitting the word ‘physical’ from recommendation (a)(i) regarding physical demand management measures. A vote was taken on this, which was split six against and six in favour of removing the word ‘physical’. As the vote was split, the word ‘physical’ was not removed from the recommendation.

·         The Joint Assembly felt that there should be more evidence-based assessments by officers. Officers had agreed that there was more than enough data for them to assess and evidence desired access between destinations to create an overview of measures that would increase access while reducing congestion. This was incorporated by the Joint Assembly into a new recommendation (a)(ii).

·         There was concern from some Joint Assembly members that the workplace parking levy would be seen as another tax, urging care regarding what funds raised would be used for.

·         Regarding on-street parking controls, there was almost unanimous agreement that this should not proceed until there were mitigating alternatives in place for those currently driving into the city and parking. There was concern that rather than reducing vehicles in the city, this would lead to the dispersal of vehicles further out to avoid paying the high parking charges in the city. Councillor Hickford advised that the park and ride parking charge be removed as a key mitigation.

·         It was pointed out and noted by the Joint Assembly that smart technology consistently appeared at the bottom of lists and objectives, implying that it was an after thought and not as important as other measures. The Joint Assembly was a robust supporter of smart technology and requested as much emphasis as possible be put on this.

·         Councillor Hickford pointed out the Joint Assembly’s addition to recommendation (c)(iv) of ‘…and those impacted if changes are not made’, which was to emphasise that ‘doing nothing’ would have adverse consequences and that, in considering the consequences of actions, it was also important to look at the impacts of inaction.

Councillor Tim Bick was invited to speak and addressed the Board with the following points:

·         Councillor Bick asked the Board to envisage a scenario of bus services increasing by 50% with new services to the villages in and out of the city, bus fares being halved and the park and ride parking charge being removed. Councillor Bick advised that the only way of achieving this was with peak time congestion charging, the benefits of which he advised could be great if implemented with the revenue generated being used to fund better public transport and cycling infrastructure and to subsidise bus travel. He felt that no  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7


Meeting: 18/01/2017 - Greater Cambridge Partnership Joint Assembly (Item 7)

7 City Access Congestion Reduction Proposals: Consultation Responses and Next Steps pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Joint Assembly RECOMMENDED that the Executive Board:

a)    Agrees that :

                      i.        Officers should work up and assess options for a package of physical demand management measures.[i] (please see footnote i at the end of this decision notice)

                     ii.        Officers should assess existing data and evidence of desired access between destinations to create an overview of measures that will increase access while reducing congestion.

                    iii.        Physical demand measures should make the best use of the limited road space and capacity in Cambridge, in order to improve bus reliability, cycling and walking, particularly within the designated Air Quality Management Area.

                   iv.        No further work is undertaken on the package of six peak-time congestion control points consulted upon.

 

b)    Agrees that officers should continue to work up and assess options for the other seven elements of the eight-point plan consulted on, including:

                      i.        A Workplace Parking Levy: Co-design a workplace parking levy (WPL) scheme with employers with more detail available for Board and public review later in 2017:

1.To work with individual employers and groups of employers during 2017 on the details of the scheme.

2.To determine the local transport priorities that will receive the revenue raised, building on employer evidence of transport needs and coordinated with Council infrastructure planners.

3.To be coordinated with and if feasible form a part of the City Deal and the Local Enterprise Partnership’s broader engagement with the business community.

4.The roll-out to include practical support for employers looking to manage their parking demand in advance of the levy coming into effect.

5.It is recommended that as far as possible, the Cambridge WPL should resemble the Nottingham template. However, there will need to be agreement on how to charge, the price, its geographical extent, exemptions and how it will be administered and enforced.

                     ii.        On-Street Parking Controls: Note that the Cambridge City Joint Area Committee (CJAC) is considering whether to recommend changes to parking policy in Cambridge and subject to business case, the City Deal would fund consultation on new residents’ parking zones and the costs of implementation. Although the Assembly NOTED this potential action, it DID NOT SUPPORT IT. The Assembly considered this should not go ahead until there was mitigating alternatives in place to counter the potential displacement of vehicles.

                    iii.        Improved Public Space and Air Quality: Agrees that officers should:

1.Assess the possibility of establishing a Clean Air Zone and the potential for the introduction of a pollution charge in central Cambridge within the existing Air Quality Management Area. Key criteria for assessing this should be its impacts on: health; the local environment, including air quality and public realm; bus reliability and cycling; business and the economy; deliverability and value for money.

2.Ensure that initiatives to improve city centre access should continue to consider opportunities for improving the city centre experience and economy and that this should be coordinated with other work across the Partnership that has similar objectives, including planning policy.

                   iv.        Better  ...  view the full decision text for item 7

Minutes:

Hilary Holden (City Access Programme) presented the report which set out the results from the consultation on Tackling Peak-Time Congestion in Cambridge, which were informing the work of the City Access project team and influencing the emerging work programme. The purpose of the report was to agree next steps on the city access work following the consultation, in line with the project objectives and scope agreed in January and June 2016.

 

The following public questions were addressed under this agenda item:

 

Question from Dr Joanna Gomula

Dr Gomula was not present at the meeting.

 

Question from Cathy Mitchell

Ms Mitchell was not present at the meeting.

 

Question from Aylmer Johnson

It is encouraging to see that the Council’s City Deal includes plans for orbital bus routes, which will greatly improve the city’s public transport network. However the main benefit will only be realised if the existing radial routes are made straighter and if ‘oyster’ cards are introduced to allow all passengers to change buses easily.

 

In response to this question, Mr Johnson was informed that:

·         The City Deal Executive Board had considered options for further investment in smart technologies in July 2016 and work to look at barriers to integrated ticket purchasing  had been commissioned. An initial report was expected in February 2017.

·         Improving bus and cycling infrastructure on radial routes was a key part of the overall transport programme and part of the proposed delivery plan for better buses.

 

Question from Robin Pellew on behalf of Cambridge Past, Present and Future

Will the City Deal Assembly recommend that the Executive Board should instruct officers to work up the measures in the proposed Access and Congestion package as proposed in agenda item 7, whilst at the same time ask the Board to elaborate what this pollution charge comprises and how it would be applied?

 

In response to this question, Mr Pellew was informed that:

·         Officers were recommending that physical demand measures be looked at further, with work continuing on this.

·         A congestion charge was not being recommended as a priority, given question marks around its deliverability.

·         It was pointed out that there was no congestion charge in any city outside London.

·         A pollution charge also had a deliverability risk and required the sign off of the Secretary of State for Transport. It was highlighted that a pollution charge was not the only way to deliver a clean air zone. The report recommended work on the feasibility of a clean air zone, in the light of consultation feedback that tackling congestion also provided an opportunity to address air quality issues.

 

Question from Robin Heydon

Doesn’t the Hills Road cycle scheme prove that when high quality cycling facilities are provided that they will be used? When will the City Deal extend these benefits to other main roads, and reallocate road space on other main roads for people walking and cycling?

 

In response to his question, Mr Heydon was informed that:

·         These benefits would be sought to be extended to other main roads  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7