Gas Works Site, West Southall, Ealing Transport Assessment. Table of Contents

Transcription

1 Schedule Item 01 = Appendix Gas Works Site, West Southall, Ealing Transport Assessment Table of Contents 1.0 Existing Situation Highway network Public transport Car parking Proposed transport measures Highway measures Bus measures Pedestrian and cycle network Parking Car Parking... 7 Table 1 Car Parking Cycle Parking... 8 Table 2 Cycle Parking Coach Parking... 9 Table 3 Coach Parking Servicing Trip Generation and Distribution Estimation of number of trips Appropriate trip rates Trip generation forecast Table 4 Modal split for trips generated by development, % Network Capacity Assessment of model outputs Table 5 Impact of development on selected junctions Summary of model outputs Public Transport Bus services Table 6: Estimated bus passenger numbers in Bus priority measures on South Road Rail Table 7 Estimated rail passenger numbers in Walking and Cycling Links to the North Links to the South Links to the West Overall walking and cycling network Access Arrangements Pump Lane link road Eastern access Beaconsfield Road Summary of access arrangements Long-term infrastructure management Road adoptions Maintenance responsibility for bridges Travel Planning Need for travel demand management Site specific measures Draft framework travel plan Planning obligation agreement... 21

2 12.1 Draft terms of agreement Table 8 Proposed planning agreement Transport fund Phasing and Construction Conclusion Glossary... 26

3 1.0 Existing Situation [Please refer to planning report for extensive site description and outline of proposal] *This assessment assumes the worst case of 3,750 residential units. 1.1 Highway network The surrounding network consists of local distributor, primary and national roads managed by the London Boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon, Transport for London (TfL) and the Highways Agency. The highway network in Southall currently operates at or near capacity and there are limited opportunities to increase or extend the network within the highway boundaries. The main roads in this area South Road (the A3005), The Broadway (the A4020) and The Parkway (the A312) are heavily congested. Sections of the local road network currently operate at or near capacity during the morning and evening peaks and at weekends. The build up of queues on the approaches to most junctions is a common occurrence. 1.2 Public transport Public transport accessibility in London is typically ranked on a scale of 1-6 using the PTAL system, where 1 is low and 6 is high. Southall s rating ranges from zero, near the site s western edge, to four at the core of the shopping area. Buses Most buses run along two main corridors: East-west, along Uxbridge Rd: 195 Hayes to Brentford 207 Hayes Bypass to White City 607 Uxbridge to White City North-south, along South Rd: 105 Greenford to Heathrow 120 Northolt to Hounslow 195 Hayes to Brentford E5 Perivale Tesco to Southall Rail Southall Railway Station is near the east corner of the site and is served by the Great Western Main Line, which provides rail links to central London, Heathrow Airport and destinations to the west. Express services do not stop at this station. No changes are proposed to rail infrastructure or services as part of this proposal. The introduction of Heathrow Connect services in 2005 saw annual passenger numbers nearly double over the following two years from 859,286 in 2005/06 to 1,693,659 in 2007/08. Precise information on the rail services themselves is unavailable the train operating companies do not supply this, as it is commercially sensitive. In the absence of such data, officers have observed the station during the weekday morning peak and make the following comments:

4 Between 0800 and 0830 there appears to be no capacity even standing room on trains headed either eastbound (towards central London) or westbound (towards Heathrow and Reading). At this time, crowding on the London-bound trains becomes so severe that some passengers are unable to board trains and left waiting on the platform. After 0830 there is more capacity on westbound trains, and even available seats. After 0830 eastbound trains are still very close to capacity, with a small amount of standing room an officer was able to board a train and catch it to Ealing Broadway. The station s platforms appear fairly crowded, but are not currently at capacity. The following information about the Great Western Main Line is relevant: The line is currently electrified between Paddington Station and Airport Junction (Southall Station lies on this section of track) The Government recently announced that the entire line will be electrified by 2017 Network Rail also plans to upgrade the signalling along the line, probably concurrently with electrification New electric trains will therefore be required; these will decrease journey times and increase capacity A previously-placed order for new diesel trains for this line has therefore been cancelled, and (aside from the points below regarding Thameslink and Crossrail) there is no firm date yet for any new capacity, pending the publication of a new rolling stock plan sometime before the end of 2009 New electric trains will be provided on Thameslink routes between 2013 and 2015; the existing trains (4-carriage, electric) from those routes will be transferred onto the GWML (replacing its current 3-carriage, diesel trains) from the end of 2016 Furthermore, new trains will operate as part of Crossrail from 2017 each of these will have 10 carriages, and up to 8 services an hour will call at Southall 1.3 Car parking The most recent parking survey in Southall was conducted in September 2006 and found 686 offstreet parking spaces. Roughly a third of these are in the Herbert Road public parking building north of the railway, with most other off-street parking spaces south of the railway. This survey did not analyse demand for car parking or the use rates of the various car parking areas. 2.0 Proposed transport measures The following package of highway and transport measures is proposed as part of the development: 2.1 Highway measures Western access New signalised junction on Pump Lane, a short distance to the east of where it passes under The Parkway (A312) Two lanes on each approach Pedestrian crossings on the northern and western approaches Intended to connect to Hayes and the strategic highway network A312 / Pump Lane Existing junction is left-in / left-out only Install traffic signals to provide for all movements (except the right turn in from the south vehicles will continue to use Bolton Way for this movement) Intended to provide a direct route from the site to the strategic highway network

5 Eastern access This proposed junction on South Road, 80m south of the Park Avenue junction, will provide access between Southall town centre and the site Will be linked to the Beaconsfield / Park / South junction to the north, which will see minor changes, and the Merrick Road / The Green junction which will be signalised Two lanes on each approach Pedestrian crossings on the southern and western approaches (replacing the existing crossing outside the station, which would be removed) The land on the east side of South Road, directly opposite Southall Station, would be developed as a plaza with stairs up to South Road and linking the site towards the station South Road bridge South Road will be widened between Park Ave and Merrick Road (over the Great Western Main Line) This will provide four lanes, up from three currently Beaconsfield Road accesses Three new accesses will be provided onto this road, each to be 6m wide with 1.8m wide footways These will all be one-way and feature traffic calming measure to discourage these streets being used for rat-running These will be roughly opposite Ranelagh Road, Trinity Road and West End Road They will be low-capacity junctions which aim to move vehicles between the site and Southall Broadway (the A4020) while avoiding South Road Off-site highway works Widening the northbound, southbound and westbound approaches to Junction 3 on the M4, as well as general widening within the junction Elongating the roundabout at The Parkway (A312) / Hayes Rd junction and construct an extra lane on the circulatory carriageway and the southbound approach 2.2 Bus measures 2.21 South Road bus priority scheme A new northbound bus lane between 90 South Road (just north of the South Road / Park Ave / Beaconsfield Road junction) and Hamilton Road (just south of South Road / The Broadway junction) The Cambridge Road junction will be signalised The existing pelican (signalised pedestrian) crossing opposite 41 South Road will be replaced with a pelican crossing opposite 60 South Road The island bus shelters south of Cambridge Road will be relocated Some on-street parking will be removed 2.22 Changes to bus services The applicant will contribute towards the following changes to bus services, which have been agreed to by TfL: Extend route 95 (Shepherd s Bush Southall) into the site Extend route 350 (Hayes Arlington) into the site Divert route 207 (White City Hayes Bypass) through the site Divert route 482 (Brentford Uxbridge) into the site Create a new route from Hounslow (Bulls Bridge) to Hayes (Lombardy Retail Park)

6 Operate the above services at least six times per hour each, resulting in 10-minute frequencies for each service and a total of 30 buses per hour in each direction The applicant has agreed, as part of the development, to: Provide space for six bus stands along with bus driver facilities, on the eastern side of the site (to the south of the eastern multi-storey carpark) Construct bus lanes on both sides of the High Street through the site s retail area Build bus stops and shelters, with real-time information, so that each individual unit is at most 400m from a stop and ideally no more than 250m Construct bus lanes on Park Avenue on the approaches to Pump Lane and the High Street 2.3 Pedestrian and cycle network The applicant proposes to provide for pedestrians and cyclists through a series of connecting roads and footpaths, cycle paths, and two footbridges. These measures are intended make the site permeable and connect it to surrounding residential and commercial areas to the north, east and south, and Minet Country Park to the west. Internal network There will be a network of pedestrian and cycle links across and through the site This will allow for movement between new uses and also provide for north-south through movements that avoid South Road External connections to the north The site would have eight walking / cycling links to the north, with footways at least 2m wide and shared pedestrian / cycle links of at least 4.5m wide. These would connect to: Grange Road Hanson Gardens Lewis Road Randolph Road Near Blair Peach School Three links adjacent to the new vehicular accesses onto Beaconsfield Road External connections to the south The site would connect to the south in two places: Brent Road the existing vehicular link would be converted into a dedicated pedestrian / cycle link Dudley Road the existing pedestrian tunnel is in a poor state of repair and would be improved, though details are yet to be agreed. The gradients at either end of the tunnel are substandard, and the tunnel and approaches could be made more attractive. External connections to the west The site would have three walking / cycling links to the west: Pump Lane footways adjacent the road Two new pedestrian / cycle bridges over the Grand Union Canal and Yeading Brook, one roughly midway along the site s western boundary and one at the site s northwest corner; these would connect from the site s internal network of footpaths and cycleways to Minet Country Park and Springfield Rd Existing subways under the Great Western Main Line would link from the site to existing development south of the railway and connect into the site s internal network of footpaths and cycleways

7 3.0 Parking 3.1 Car Parking Table 1 Car Parking Land use Amount UDP maximum rate Residential 3,750 units 1:1 for < 6 rooms 2:1 for 6+ rooms Retail 21,800m² 1:350m² site area + 1:75m² floor area Office 3,500m² 1:350m², incl min 1:800m² disabled School / 10,700m² health / cinema Hotel 160 Banqueting / Conference centre bedrooms Capacity for 1,500 people spaces 1:10 people 1:5 bedrooms 1:10 people Maximum rate applied to proposal 3,750 assuming all units less than 5 rooms 361 (retail, incl 176 disabled) + 13 (office, incl 6 disabled) + 69 (school / health / cinema, incl 12 disabled) = 443 Proposed parking provision 2,625 including 131 disabled spaces (5% of total) PLUS 50 car club bays = 2, (hotel) (conf centre) = Residential carparking The proposed provision of parking is considered acceptable for the following reasons: The site is fairly accessible to public transport, with frequent bus services running along South Road and The Broadway providing connections to Ealing Broadway, Greenford and Northolt. Southall Station is within walking distance, providing rail connections to Heathrow Airport and inner London. As noted earlier in this report, this accessibility can be quantified using the PTAL system, which shows that parts of the site mainly the eastern edge have fairly good access to public transport. According to the 2001 census, 70% of Southall households own a car, and the development would allow for similar car ownership rates for residents. It accords with UDP Policy 9.8 which advocates low car housing schemes (and a commitment to travel planning) for residential developments in any of the following locations: Town centres Sites within 200m of train stations Controlled parking zones We recommend that the developer be required to submit a framework travel plan and fund travel demand management measures to reduce car use. These measures would include: Travel awareness campaigns Workplace travel plans Residential travel plans Personalised travel planning for 2,000 people Car club bays and promotion Cycle loans

8 Recycled cycle scheme Direct support for cycling Increased travel information Freight quality partnership The developer shall be required to submit a framework travel plan and fund demand management measures, by way of planning obligation agreement pursuant to section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act Retail, office and non-residential car parking The applicant proposes 830 parking spaces, nearly double the maximum permitted of 441. This over-provision is considered acceptable for the following reasons: Parking provision in Southall town centre is 0.92 per 100m² of retail floor space, which compares with 1.54 in Ealing and 3.13 in Hounslow. While these other two are major metropolitan centres as identified in the London Plan, Southall does perform some functions above what would normally be expected of a district centre, due to the specialist nature of the shops and facilities on offer in the high street. Elected members and the general public have anecdotally reported difficulty in finding parking spaces in Southall, which would indicate that demand currently outstrips supply. The provision of extra parking on the site could go some way towards relieving this problem, assuming it will be publicly available. This may be useful for those shopping in the existing South Road retail area due to its proximity to the site The site is relatively well-situated for public transport, as evidenced by its fair PTAL scores (on at least part of the site), and will almost certainly see an improved PTAL score as a result of the changes to bus infrastructure and services proposed as part of this application. Furthermore, large parts of the site are within walking distance of the future Southall Crossrail Station, which will provide a world-class high-frequency rail connection as far east as Abbey Wood and Shenfield, and to Heathrow Airport and Maidenhead in the west. Crossrail will be fully operational well before this proposal is, which tends to detract somewhat from the rationale for this over-provision of parking. Finally, officers from TfL have agreed, at working party meetings, that this would be an acceptable level of parking Hotel and conference centre car parking The proposed provision of 122 spaces is within the maximum allowable. Hence, the number of parking spaces provided for the Hotel and Conference Centre is considered acceptable. 3.2 Cycle Parking Table 2 Cycle Parking Land use Amount UDP minimum 1 Minimum rate applied to proposal Proposed parking provision Residential 3,750 units 1:1 units 3,750 3,400-3,750 Retail 21,800m² 1:450m² 48 (retail) Office 3,500m² 1:450m² School / 10,700m² health / cinema 20 for school and health 34 for cinema = (office) + 54 (school / health / cinema) = The London Plan, which forms part of Ealing s UDP, refers to TfL s cycle standards document, which in turn specifies a minimum provision of 1 cycle parking space per unit.

9 Hotel 160 bedrooms Banqueting Capacity for / 1,500 people Conference (3,000m² centre floorspace) 1:20 bedrooms 1:300m² floorspace 8 (hotel) + 10 (conf centre) = Residential Cycle Parking The provision of between 3,400 and 3750 cycle parking spaces should meet the minimum requirement of the UDP (bearing in mind that the number of units, and hence number of cycle parking spaces, has not yet been fixed). This is considered an acceptable level of provision for a low-car scheme Retail, Office and Non- Residential Cycle Parking The proposal involves 38 more spaces than the minimum standard. This is considered acceptable Hotel and Conference Centre cycle parking The proposed provision of 18 spaces meets the minimum requirement. This is considered acceptable. 3.3 Coach Parking Table 3 Coach Parking Land use Amount UDP minimum Minimum rate Hotel 160 bedrooms Banqueting / Conference centre Capacity for 1,500 people 1:first 100 rooms 1:each 200 rooms above that Site specific consideration applied to proposal 2 (hotel) (conf centre) = 5 8 Proposed parking provision There is no specific parking standard for coach parking for conference centres, with the relevant policy calling for site-specific consideration. Officers have looked into similar sites elsewhere in West London (including several sites within the borough) and determined that 2-3 spaces would be an appropriate rate of provision for the banqueting / conference centre. Applying for the minimum standard for hotels to the site would mean that 2 spaces are required for this use. Overall, the proposed provision of 8 coach parking spaces is therefore considered to be sufficient for both the hotel and conference centre. At present, there are no designated coach parking spaces in Southall town centre. The spaces provided as part of this development could therefore be useful for short-term parking for coaches that have an origin or destination in Southall town centre. A condition should be imposed on the proposal to ensure that the site s coach spaces are kept open for public use. The applicant is required to submit to the Council, for its written approval, a management plan setting out how the coach parking spaces will be managed, advertised and kept open for public use. 4.0 Servicing

10 The applicant has not provided details on the site s provision for servicing. These are not required as part of an outline plan, but will be necessary as part of any full application for this proposal. The proposal s access points and internal road network will be adequate to cope with most typical service vehicles, including articulated lorries. Articulated buses (commonly known as bendy buses ) would not be able to negotiate the site, although they cannot currently negotiate many existing junctions in Southall town centre. Also, the Mayor of London s policy is to replace these buses with other models as existing contracts expire, and this process will be complete in the period, which is around the earliest time that work would commence on this development. Furthermore, none of the services that will be routed through the site use articulated buses. Full details of servicing provision should be submitted for assessment as part of any subsequent detailed applications. 5.0 Trip Generation and Distribution 5.1 Estimation of number of trips The site s trip generation has been estimated using rates set out in industry standard databases (refer to Glossary for more details). Residential areas are typically busiest during the morning and evening peaks (commuter travel), while retail is usually busiest in afternoons and at weekends. Therefore, trip numbers were estimated for the following times: Weekday morning peak, 8am-9am Weekday evening peak, 5pm-6pm Saturday peak, 1pm-2pm The number of person trips for each land use was estimated using the databases average trip rates, factored to take account of the floor area. The average weekday traffic generated by the site s current use for long-term airport parking is 2,590 vehicles, or 190 vehicles in the morning weekday peak and 225 in the weekday evening peak. Although the airport parking will be removed from the site as it is redeveloped, no reductions in flows were taken into account as part of the traffic modelling. 5.2 Appropriate trip rates The databases attempt to forecast trip generation based on a large sample of survey data from existing developments. Using 50 th percentile trip rates gives us an average chance that the results will be representative of the proposed development, and is suggested by TfL s guidance as the appropriate rate to use in transport assessments. Using 85 th percentile trip rates gives us a factor of safety that the trip generation predictions will be robust and very unlikely to be exceeded. Therefore any subsequent transport capacity improvements that the development delivers will be highly likely to be adequate, and will almost certainly have spare capacity. For a very large development like this, an average trip rate is justified because the inevitable variations in trip generation will be more likely to even out. For example it would be quite unlikely that we would experience 85 th percentile trip rates for every land use and for every dwelling simultaneously. Some land uses may generate fewer than average trips, while others generate more than average. The larger the sample set, the more likely it is that average outcomes will occur.

11 Consequently, due to the development s size, using 85 th percentile trip rates could forecast a need for transport improvements that would be disproportionate to what is needed to mitigate its effects on the network. The potential risk of using average trip generation is that the site ends up generating more trips than forecast. To avoid this, conditions and/or planning obligation agreement (funding) commitments should be used to implement measures that suppress the number of trips and/or increase the capacity of alternative transport methods. 5.3 Trip generation forecast Table 4 Modal split for trips generated by development, % Mode Morning peak Evening peak Saturday peak Car Driver Public Transport Walk Car Passenger Cycle Other The main travel modes from the site will be driving, public transport, walking and as a car passenger. Cycling would have a very small mode share, which is consistent with existing London-wide travel survey data. There would be many linked trips, particularly during the peak periods with journeys having more than one purpose. There would also be a fair proportion of internal trips i.e. people travelling from their home on the site to another facility on the site, such as a local shop which is one of the major sustainable transport justifications for this scheme, and another reason for using a lower-than-normal trip generation rate. The estimated vehicle trips were then assigned onto the local highway network, and an analysis of the impact of this extra traffic is provided in Section 6, below. 6.0 Network Capacity 6.1 Assessment of model outputs The applicant s consultant has modelled the impact of the extra traffic generated by the development on a number of key junctions around the site, and compared this against a scenario where the development does not go ahead. These are referred to as the with development and without development scenarios respectively. The with development scenario assumes the implementation of all highway and transport measures outlined in Section 2 above. All of the modelled junctions are currently congested to some degree. Over the next 15 years, background growth in traffic is expected to increase this congestion, even without the

12 development typically around 0.8% per year. The proposal would add considerably to traffic flow at these junctions. At some of these junctions it is possible to provide some capacity improvements, which will be paid for by the developer. At these locations the congestion will still be worse than at present but not as bad as it would be without the development. These locations are: Junction 3, M4 motorway Hayes Road / The Parkway (A312) Pump Lane / The Parkway (A312) Pedestrian crossing outside Southall Station At other junctions, increasing capacity is not feasible, and so the congestion with the development would be worse than the future situation without the development, which in turn is considerably worse than the current situation. These are: Pump Lane / Bilton Way South Road / The Broadway (A4020) South Road / Beaconsfield Road / Park Avenue South Road / Merrick Road / The Green At the junction of The Parkway (A312) / Uxbridge Road / The Broadway (A4020), levels of congestion would be broadly similar in 2025 either with or without the development. Finally, the development would have access points onto Ranelagh Road, Trinity Road and West End Road. The potential impacts of extra traffic on these streets, particularly at their junctions with Uxbridge Road (the A4020), has not been modelled. This is because these streets are intended to be relatively lightly trafficked, and in order to discourage rat-running the council will implement measures such as banning right turns in or out of these streets onto Uxbridge Road and physical works to prevent u-turns. This will mean that the impact of any extra traffic through these junctions will be negligible. The table below classes the development s impacts as negative, positive or negligible. Table 5 Impact of development on selected junctions Junction Junction 3, M4 Motorway Hayes Rd / The Parkway (A312) Pump Lane / The Parkway (A312) Pump Lane / Bilton Way The Parkway (A312) / Uxbridge Road / The Broadway (A4020) South Road / The Broadway (A4020) South / Beaconsfield / Park Pedestrian crossing adjacent station (without development) OR site access onto South Road (with development) South / Merrick / The Green Uxbridge Road junctions with Ranelagh Road, Trinity Road and West End Road (leading to secondary access points on Beaconsfield Rd) Impact of development Marginally positive Marginally positive Marginally positive Marginally negative Negligible Considerably negative Negative Marginally positive Considerably negative Negligible In order to mitigate the impact of the development it is proposed that the developer should fund Travel Demand Management initiatives to reduce the level of background traffic, or at least

13 reduce its rate of growth, to effectively make space for the additional traffic from the development. These measures are detailed in section 11.0 below General comments The model outputs must be considered broad projections only, especially in light of the following: Measurements of DOS are unreliable for values > 100% Some of the projected queues would seem to have knock-on effects: for example, a queue of 800 vehicles would extend roughly 2km and would pass through other junctions. This is because Transyt, the industry-standard model used in this assessment, is not spatially aware, and does not consider how much road space is available to accommodate queues. Such model results would suggest gridlock, but in reality this is unlikely to materialise, as driver behaviour could almost certainly be expected to change in response to some of the severe congestion results predicted. Faced with regular queues well in excess of a kilometre, it would be likely that most people would reconsider their route, their time of travel or their choice of mode. However, this would mean that unusual events such as breakdowns or emergency road repairs could easily trigger a gridlock situation. This can be observed on congested motorways. Finally, there is the (unquantifiable) factor of potential highway improvements that have not yet been identified. Faced with such extreme queue events, it is conceivable that local or regional money might be used to address the congestion in some way (whether relieving congestion directly through highway widening, or indirectly by improving and encouraging the use of other modes) Junction 3, M4 Motorway In general, the highway improvements associated with the development will improve traffic conditions at this junction when compared to the without development scenario in The modelling shows that queues would be lower at every arm, at every peak, with the development than without it, and that DOS would be lower in almost every case, too. The proposal s net impact on this junction would be marginally positive Hayes Rd / The Parkway (A312) While most arms of the junction would operate at levels well above capacity in 2025 under either scenario, the with development scenario would achieve marginally better results than the without development scenario. However they would both would lead to rather significant queues northbound on the A312 in the morning peak and southbound on the same road in the evening in excess of 700 vehicles. The proposal s net impact on this junction would be marginally positive Pump Lane / The Parkway (A312) The applicant s Transport Assessment notes: currently, at some times, queues associated with the Bulls Bridge signalised junction can extend past the Pump Lane junction. The proposed capacity enhancements at the Bulls Bridge and M4 J3 junctions are intended to assist in reducing queues. As noted above, the queues from the Bulls Bridge junction on the north arm would be between 800 and 900 vehicles long in the morning peak (in either of the 2025 scenarios), and would

14 therefore extend approximately 4km north of that junction. The Pump Lane / A312 junction is only 900m north of Bulls Bridge, and would therefore appear to be impacted by these queues, with or without the proposed development. However these queues are unlikely to materialise, in reality, for the reasons set out at section Leaving aside the model s projection of extreme queueing events, the proposal would have a marginally positive impact on this junction, taking account of the proposed highway improvement measures Pump Lane / Bilton Way The modelling outputs show that the proposal will have largely negligible effects on this junction, with the exception of Bilton Way in the weekday evening peak facing queues of 78 vehicles and DOS of 119% - and a smaller queue of 6 vehicles on the Saturday peak. All other movements at all other times show peak queues of 1 or 2 vehicles. Therefore the proposal s impacts on this junction can be considered marginally negative The Parkway (A312) / Uxbridge Road / The Broadway (A4020) The modelling indicates that this junction s performance will improve by 2025, with or without the development. Currently some movements are above capacity at some peak times, but within 15 years all arms will be below 90% DOS at all (modelled) times, in both scenarios. There is little difference between the scenarios, and the proposal s net impact on this junction can therefore be considered negligible South Road / The Broadway (A4020) The approaches to this junction in either direction along Uxbridge Road (the A4020) appear to be marginally better in 2025 under the with development scenario than under the without development scenario. However, the projection is for the development to massively increase queues along South Road (south of the junction) in all peak hours between 97 and 195 vehicles. As indicated in the general comments at the top of this section, such numbers cannot be taken entirely literally, but do serve as an indication that the development would have a negative impact on this movement. Conditions would also worsen along Lady Margaret Road (north of the junction), though not to as dramatic an extent as on South Road. Overall, the proposal would have noticeable and negative impacts on this junction South Road / Beaconsfield Road / Park Avenue Queueing would be significantly worse under the with development scenario in 2025 on Park Avenue in the morning peak and South Road (north arm) in the Saturday peak. The evening peak would see slightly shorter queues. Overall, the proposal would negatively impact on the functioning of this junction Pedestrian crossing opposite Southall Station (or South Road access) The existing pedestrian crossing opposite the train station would be replaced by a new signalised junction, linking to a new road into the site, under the with development scenario. This means

15 that the queues on the west arm cannot be compared between the two scenarios, as this access road would only be constructed as part of the development. The modelling shows that the queues on the north and south arms of South Road would be essentially similar under either scenario in 2025, except in the evening peak when the south arm would have queues half as long in the with development scenario. Based on the modelling, therefore, the proposal s impact on the pedestrian crossing would be marginally positive South Road / Merrick Road / The Green The with development scenario in 2025 would lead to slightly longer queues on the south (The Green) arm of this junction at all peak times, while slightly shorter on the north (South Road) arm at all peak times. However, there would be significant queues on Merrick Road projected as 180 vehicles in the Saturday peak, 197 in the morning peak and 251 in the evening peak. As before, such queues are not literally expected to materialise, but this is an indication that this approach to the junction would be over-saturated. The proposal would, therefore, have a noticeable and negative impact on the functioning of this junction Beaconsfield Road accesses As these access points are being constructed for the development, they cannot be compared to the without development scenario. No modelling has been done to predict the potential impact (if any) of the additional traffic on these north-south roads at their junctions with Uxbridge Road. 6.2 Summary of model outputs The model outputs outlined above show the following: It should be possible to broadly mitigate the proposal s impact on junctions along The Parkway (A312) It will probably not be possible to fully mitigate the proposal s impacts on South Road and Southall town centre, partly due to limited scope for capacity improvements within the existing highway boundary Travel behaviour change through demand management measures and public transport improvements will therefore need to be considered along with traffic engineering solutions such as junction widening The Council is seeking financial contributions from the developer to mitigate the scheme s impacts, and these are detailed at section 11.0 below 7.0 Public Transport 7.1 Bus services Section 2.0 above details the proposed changes to the bus network, which were determined by TfL as appropriate to accommodate the anticipated growth in bus demand generated by the development. Following discussions between TfL, Ealing Council and the applicant, the applicant has agreed to provide 6.5 million (by way of planning obligation agreement) to support the new / revised bus

16 services and proposed bus infrastructure. TfL considers this level of funding necessary to deliver the agreed services, based on its projections of demand. Table 6 below lists estimates of bus passengers on completion of the development, in Table 6: Estimated bus passenger numbers in 2025 Period Arrivals Departures Total Weekday morning peak am-9am Weekday evening peak pm-6pm Saturday peak hour 1pm-2pm The new services through the site, in addition to existing services nearby on South Road and The Broadway, will provide a total of 192 buses per hour in both directions. The maximum two-way demand for buses will be 1,961 passengers per hour, during the Saturday peak. Assuming these are spread evenly across all services, there would be approximately 10 additional passengers on each bus. However, bus patronage surveys 3 (as well as common sense) would suggest that demand is not evenly spread, with some routes more congested than others. Presumably, this is because the congested bus routes travel to destinations people are more likely to want to visit. Logically, future passengers would also be more likely to travel on these more popular routes, assuming that their trips are distributed in a similar manner to existing residents. This raises the possibility that already-congested bus services will become far more congested. However, in such a situation, it is envisaged that TfL would operate additional buses on the grounds that it would be financially viable. The proposal is therefore acceptable in terms of its impact on bus services. 7.2 Bus priority measures on South Road The junction modelling indicates that congestion and queues would increase along South Road by 2025, with or without the development. The following transport measures associated with this proposal should provide some additional capacity: Widening South Road bridge to provide an extra lane for southbound traffic Improvements at the Beaconsfield Road / Park Avenue junction Signalisation of the junction of Merrick Road and The Green However, the overall contribution of these works will not completely mitigate the development s impact on the network. There is limited scope for other capacity-increasing works, and so it is necessary to consider how to increase the people-moving capacity of the network. 2 Passenger numbers are based on trip rates derived from survey information in traffic databases and patterns observed in the 2001 Census, assuming 90% of public transport trips to / from the site are by bus, except the Conference Centre where 50% is assumed. 3 Bus Origin Destination Survey data

17 This will mean, in essence, promoting public transport use especially buses through reduced journey times and improved reliability. This will be a more efficient and sustainable way of moving large numbers of people within the network. Bus journey time surveys were undertaken along South Road, in both directions from Lady Margaret Road to The Green. The results were used to estimate average bus journey times from a set of five successive runs in the weekday morning peak, weekday off-peak and weekday evening peak periods. The worst average journey time about eight minutes was recorded during the weekday evening peak, for northbound buses along South Road. This is for a total distance of approximately 0.5 miles / 700m. Traffic lanes for buses in both directions along South Road would be ideal in terms of reducing bus journey times and increasing potential bus capacity, but would negatively impact on general traffic flow. Following consultation with TfL, it was agreed that a northbound traffic lanes for buses only would still provide significant benefits for buses (given the severe delays faced by northbound buses) but with only minor negative impacts on general traffic flow. Southbound bus journey times are likely to decrease as a result of the widening of the bridge over the railway line. The northbound traffic lane for buses would have the following benefits: Improved northbound journey times for buses More consistent journey times for general traffic Overall, the bus priority measures which form part of the development would have a positive impact on the bus infrastructure network. 7.3 Rail Table 4 below illustrates a summary of the estimated rail passengers on completion of the development 4. Table 7 Estimated rail passenger numbers in Period Arrivals Departures Twoway Weekday morning peak, 8am-9am Weekday evening peak, 5pm-6pm Saturday peak hour, 1pm-2pm Existing trains per hour trains towards London trains from London trains towards London Existing carriages per train Extra pax per carriage The proposal s first stage is not likely to open before 2013, and the full site is not expected to be completed before We consider that the increase in capacity resulting from electrification (of the entire line) and Crossrail will be sufficient to accommodate the demand generated by the site from 2017 onwards. 4 Rail passenger numbers are based on trips rates derived from survey information in TRAVL and TRICS databases and observed patterns from 2001 Census, assuming that 10% of public transport trips are by rail. 5 The calculations assume that 80% of passengers are traveling to / from London.

18 The critical period will therefore be between 2013 and 2017, after the development s first stage opens but before new capacity comes online, and when new passengers will begin to be added to what are already-crowded rail services. Following a site visit, the station itself appears to be fairly close to capacity at some points during the weekday morning peak hour. Assuming the new passengers enter the station steadily throughout the hour, roughly 4-5 (eastbound) arrivals each hour would be added to the platform and would accumulate until a train service arrived, which could be expected once every 10 minutes (on average) based on peak service levels. In total this would mean up to 50 passengers (generated by the development) added to the eastbound platform at any one time, which may begin to impact on station functioning. However, the station will be relocated as part of Crossrail and so, after 2017, this should not pose an issue. Again, the critical period is , when new passengers will begin to be added to what are moderately crowded station platforms. The proposal s impacts on the rail network including infrastructure and services may therefore be negative, in the medium-term prior to the provision of new infrastructure. 8.0 Walking and Cycling 8.1 Links to the North The proposed links to the north will provide for easy pedestrian and cyclist movement between the site and Southall Broadway, Southall town centre and Southall Station. The connections will also help to integrate the site into the fabric of the town centre through the layout of housing towards the site s northern end, which will essentially form an extension of the residential streets south of The Broadway. 8.2 Links to the South The proposed links to the south will improve accessibility across the railway line, which currently forms a barrier to movement, as there are no direct north-south connections between Southall Station to the east and The Parkway to the west. This improved accessibility can be considered as a broader societal benefit and will increase the appeal of walking and cycling for users of the site as well as local residents generally. 8.3 Links to the West The new connections between the site and Minet Country Park and industrial estates to the northwest will benefit site users and residents, and will also benefit residents of Southall Broadway and Southall Green with considerably shorter and easier connections. There will potentially also be flow-on benefits for residents of Hayes town centre and its surrounding catchment (although this is outside of Ealing s boundaries), and may increase the appeal of Southall s local shopping area. 8.4 Overall walking and cycling network All the proposed walking and cycling links will be open to the public (though not necessarily public rights-of-way). This will improve accessibility through and around the local area. The proposal s overall impact on the environment for pedestrians and cyclists is therefore considered positive. 9.0 Access Arrangements The proposal includes the construction of five new accesses onto the site. These are:

19 9.1 Pump Lane link road The safety audit of this proposed junction finds it adequate in terms of: Road widths of 7.3m Footway widths of at least 1.8m Entry radius of 10m Visibility distances over 60m This junction is outside Ealing Council s jurisdiction. However, we would suggest to LB Hillingdon that it require footways to be at least 2.5m wide to ensure ample room for future growth in pedestrian flows. Ealing Council suggests that LB Hillingdon require footways on the Pump Lane link road be at least 2.5m wide to accommodate growth in pedestrian numbers. 9.2 Eastern access For the access onto South Road, the proposed visibility distances of over 70m, and entry radius of roughly 10m, are considered adequate. Officers requested that the following changes be made to this access: The proposed footway, shown as 2m wide, should be between 3.0m and 3.5m to cope with expected numbers of pedestrian considering that Southall Station is almost directly opposite the junction; Lane widths on the primary route through the site should be increased to allow vehicles to overtake cyclists safely and so a total carriageway width of 9m (4.5m per lane) is recommended; and Bus lanes must be 4.5m wide, with a traffic lane of 3m. The applicant has agreed, via , that these proposed changes are acceptable and has prepared plans ready for formal submission. 9.3 Beaconsfield Road The three secondary access points from the site to Beaconsfield Road may be expected to see fairly high levels of pedestrian activity, as they will link the site towards The Broadway. Consequently the footways should be at least 2m wide (instead of the 1.8m proposed), and this width could be accommodated within the proposed road boundaries on the site. Visibility distances of over 70metres can be achieved at all three access points in both directions. Following discussions with the applicant, revised drawings for the accesses, incorporating additional traffic calming features to reduce vehicles speeds on the approaches to the junction have been submitted. These measures will be solely funded by the applicant. On this basis, the proposal is considered acceptable. 9.4 Summary of access arrangements Overall, having regard to the proposed mitigative measures, the proposed vehicular access points are considered acceptable in terms of safety and traffic flow Long-term infrastructure management

20 10.1 Road adoptions Officers have raised the issue of road adoptions with the applicant. At the time of writing, the following is understood: The primary road through the site would be adopted by LB Ealing as the local highway authority The secondary and tertiary road networks would by retained by the site management company Further details on road network adoption remain to be confirmed as part of a full application The applicant will need to ensure that access for emergency and service vehicles is maintained at all times on all roads within the site, whether publicly or privately owned 10.2 Maintenance responsibility for bridges Three of the proposed bridges / footbridges across the Grand Union Canal and Yeading Brook straddle the boundary between LB Ealing and LB Hillingdon, which raises the question of ownership. The applicant has indicated a desire to retain these structures (and the attendant responsibility of maintenance) in private ownership. As the development proposals are at a relatively early stage, no agreement has been reached with the affected parties British Waterways, LB Ealing and LB Hillingdon which is, in the context, considered acceptable. The applicant needs to be aware, however, that Ealing Council will want to secure a public right-of-way across these bridges, in perpetuity, as part of any future agreement Travel Planning 11.1 Need for travel demand management This proposal is well-designed to embrace the principles of sustainable transport, by maximising internalised trips and mixing land uses within the development. Travel demand management will help to further mitigate the proposal s impacts on the highway network, which is already very congested and has limited scope for capacity increases other than the measures outlined above. Encouraging and promoting the use of sustainable transport modes by residents and visitors to the site would maximise the network s people-moving capacity. The intention is to deliver a shift in travel behaviour, first by reducing the length of journeys and the number of trips by better land use and transport planning, and secondly, by choosing more sustainable modes for short distance trips. Nationwide, 76% of journeys of 2-3 miles or less are undertaken by car. TfL s research indicates that the total numbers of car trips can be reduced by 8-17% through a combination of measures such as car clubs, car sharing, workplace and school travel plans and tele-working. The applicant has therefore agreed a make a funding contribution to develop a package of travel demand management measures. Details of the proposed measures are set out in the recommended planning obligation agreement, and summarised below Site specific measures To achieve this change in travel behaviour and to offer attractive more sustainable alternatives, a series of initiatives targeted at trips generated from the site, and existing trips within the wider area are recommended. This is intended to reduce overall car borne trips over a period of time, and ultimately slow the rate of increase in congestion on the road network in Southall. Most of the site specific measures would be delivered under the umbrella of the Travel Plan for the site, which will consider measures such as car clubs, awareness campaigns, cycle training, monitoring and setting targets for reductions in car use.