Agenda item

Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/23/68) on Capital Schemes (Tranche 1) of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, attached.

Two Impact Assessment have been prepared for the attention of Members at the meeting, are attached and available at -

·       Bus Services Improvement Plan Scheme Roundswell Bus Lane - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

·       Bus Service Improvement Scheme - New North Road Exeter - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

RESOLVED

(a) that theadvertising of the traffic regulation orders necessary for the schemes in this report and to make and seal the orders subject to the requirements of the legislation and the council’s procedures, be approved;

(b) that subject to the resolution of the traffic regulation orders, the construction of the bus lane scheme in Roundswell, as shown in Appendix 1, at an estimated cost of £525,000 be approved;

(c) that subject to the resolution of the traffic regulation orders, the construction of the New North Road Bus Gate in Exeter City Centre, as shown in Appendix 2, at an estimated cost of £400,000, be approved; and

(d) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport and the relevant Local Members, to approve minor changes to the schemes.

(Councillors Biederman, Brazil, Hannaford, Henderson and Whitton attended in accordance with Standing Order 25(2) and spoke to this item).

The Cabinet considered the Report of the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport (CET/23/68) on Capital Schemes (Tranche 1) of the Bus Service Improvement Plan, circulated prior to the meeting in accordance with regulation 7(4) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

In 2021, the UK Government published its National Bus Strategy, which provided a pathway to help bus services improve following the COVID19 pandemic. This required local transport authorities to form Enhanced Partnerships with bus operating companies, and to publish a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The Council’s BSIP was developed and subsequently approved by Cabinet on 13 October 2021, and an Enhanced Partnership formed.

In 2022, the Council was allocated £14.1 million BSIP funding by the Department for Transport, which is split into capital (£8.8 million) and revenue (£5.3 million). This funding was for a three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 with all schemes subject to final approval from the Department for Transport. As the revenue funding was significantly less than that requested, a second revision of the BSIP was developed, with the plan split into Individual Scheme Delivery of what was deliverable now with current funding, and future aspirations for bus services, should additional funding become available.

The Report sought approval to construct two of the capital schemes listed under the Individual Scheme Delivery section of the revised BSIP, both of which were bus priority measures, with the aim of achieving better bus journey times. These were the Bideford/Barnstaple Western Bus Corridor, and the Exeter Northern Corridor: New North Road to City Centre Bus Gate.

The Bideford/Barnstaple Western Bus Corridor scheme improved bus priority on the 3.4km bus corridor between Bickington and Roundswell on the western edge of the town, and the bus station in the town centre. This would include the construction of a new bus lane and the construction of a footway. The scheme would achieve approximately a 1 minute journey time saving, which represented a 6% reduction along this corridor. Figure 1 showed the Roundswell Scheme Location.

The Exeter Northern Corridor: New North Road to city centre bus gate scheme sought to provide a more direct route to the city centre for countywide bus services approaching on the northern corridor between Cowley Bridge roundabout and the Bus Station. The bus gate would provide a more direct route to the city centre, and subsequently the bus station, whilst enabling stops closer to the city centre. It was estimated the intervention would achieve a time saving of approximately 2.5 minutes per bus, which represented a 17% reduction in bus journey times along this corridor. Figure 2 showed the Exeter Scheme Location and Figure 3 the New North Road Route Diversion.

A public consultation for each of the scheme proposals has been undertaken and the methodology, responses and results were outlined in full at section 5 of the Report.

The BSIP schemes were well aligned with a range of the Strategic Plan priorities by improving the efficiency and attractiveness of bus travel, encouraging increased patronage and therefore more sustainable lifestyles. The table in section 6 summarised how each of the proposals would impact the relevant Strategic Plan actions according to a seven-point scale.

The BSIP funding was ringfenced for schemes identified within the BSIP. The current estimate for the Roundswell scheme was £525,000 and Government had allocated £380,000 for the Roundswell scheme and the remainder of funding would come from Section 106 developer contributions already secured from local developments.

The overall cost of the New North Road to City Centre Bus Gate scheme was estimated to be £400,000. The BSIP grant allocated £300,000 for this scheme, with the remainder coming from LTP grant as a local match contribution.

The delivery of public transport interventions was an essential part of driving down transport emissions and the Carbon Plan identified that reducing the need to travel and shifting to sustainable transport options were the most important ways to tackle transport emissions.

Two Impact Assessments had been prepared for the attention of Members at the meeting and were available as follows –

·       Bus Services Improvement Plan Scheme Roundswell Bus Lane - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

·       Bus Service Improvement Scheme - New North Road Exeter - Impact Assessment (devon.gov.uk)

It was noted in the Impact Assessment for the BSIP that greater proportions of trips were made by bus for those identifying as ‘Black’ or mixed ethnicities. This indicated the potential to advance equality of opportunities for these groups by enabling faster, and more direct travel to employment, services, and leisure facilities. Additionally, greater proportions of trips made by young people (aged 17-20), elderly people (ages 75+), people with reduced mobility and females were made by bus than the general population, all of which would see an advancement in equality of opportunities as a result of these schemes.

The Cabinet noted that the proposals had been assessed and all necessary safeguards or action had been taken to safeguard the Council's position. As part of the delivery of the schemes, project risk registers had been maintained. They further noted that approval of the recommendations would enable the construction of an initial tranche of BSIP capital schemes, creating improved bus priority measures along busy corridors in Exeter and Barnstaple.

The Cabinet Members commented that the Devon Bus Service Improvement Plan represented a great opportunity to deliver improvements for people to use public transport and made the most of the highway network for all users. They welcomed the plans and would work with colleagues to ensure successful implementation of the schemes.

The matter having been debated and the options and alternatives and other relevant factors (e.g. financial, sustainability and carbon impact, risk management, equality and legal considerations and alignment with the Council’s Strategic Plan) set out in the Director’s Report having been considered:

it was MOVED by Councillor Davis, SECONDED by Councillor Hughes, and

RESOLVED

(a) that the advertising of the traffic regulation orders necessary for the schemes in this report and to make and seal the orders subject to the requirements of the legislation and the council’s procedures, be approved;

(b) that subject to the resolution of the traffic regulation orders, the construction of the bus lane scheme in Roundswell, as shown in Appendix 1, at an estimated cost of £525,000 be approved;

(c) that subject to the resolution of the traffic regulation orders, the construction of the New North Road Bus Gate in Exeter City Centre, as shown in Appendix 2, at an estimated cost of £400,000, be approved; and

(d) that the Director of Climate Change, Environment and Transport be given delegated authority, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highway Management, the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport and the relevant Local Members, to approve minor changes to the schemes.