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SOUTH
PENNINES INTEGRATED TRANSPORT STRATEGY
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1.1 Impetus for the strategy
The Peak District National Park was designated as Britain’s first National Park in 1951. The most beautiful and wild parts of our landscape need to be conserved, and remain available for appropriate public enjoyment.
The area is, however, facing serious pressures because of its central location in the country, surrounded by the major conurbations of the Midlands, the North West, and South and West Yorkshire. This means that, in addition to the Park being subject to a high degree of cross-Park traffic, the Park is also within an hour’s drive of over twenty million people. Of over twenty two million people who visit the Park each year, mainly as day trippers, only 2% use public transport.
The combination of lorries, cross-Park, visitor and local traffic contributes to road accidents, congestion, pollution, and pressures on parking. The level of traffic can also have the effect of splitting local communities, and reduces the independence of children and older people. Over the last twenty years, road traffic has grown by an alarming 60%, and it continues to grow. Abating this growth is a real challenge for the 21st Century; the prospect of climate change is considered to lead to increased tourism and transport demand, congestion and pollution. The recommended strategy by the East Midlands Sustainable Development Round Table is to adopt sustainable transport initiatives such as road closing, charging, and cheap, frequent and reliable public transport.
1.2 Objective-led co-ordination
The South Pennines Integrated Transport Strategy is an ambitious strategy which has been developed over a number of years by a partnership of organisations and authorities (listed on the front cover) in order to tackle these problems. Public consultation and participation have been combined with technical studies funded by the Forum as the strategy has been developed. It is important to remember that the strategy itself is not the delivery mechanism for a fixed list of initiatives. The strategy is objective led and the action plan will need to adapt as the results of further studies and appraisals become known. It therefore has a vital role of co-ordination rather than one of control.
1.3 Development of the strategy
Table 1 summarises the main stages in the development of the strategy.
The strategy is the culmination of a number of studies which were prompted by existing or predicted traffic problems in the South Pennines area. The recommended strategy, which was the subject of a structured consultation exercise in 1998, stemmed from the following two studies:
The earlier Trans-Pennine roads study (1991) commissioned by the (then) Department of Transport predicted a serious shortfall in highway capacity, particularly on the M62 and A628 corridors. It also highlighted the environmental problems of Trans-Pennine traffic in the National Parks. The Government issued a consultation document in 1992, following which the highways proposals in the Roads Programme were confirmed. This included the widening of the M62 to 4 lanes between junctions 21 and 24, whilst the Government remained committed to their policy of ‘no major development in National Parks except in exceptional circumstances.’ There was therefore a clear decision not to upgrade the A628/A616 to dual carriageway through the Peak District National Park.
At a similar time (1992) the Trans-Pennine Rail Strategy Study which was commissioned by a grouping of local authorities, Passenger Transport Executives, and the Peak District National Park Authority, had identified the scope for increasing rail patronage by service improvements.
| 1991
Trans-Pennine Road Study for Dept of Transport - serious shortfall in highway
capacity, particularly on M62 and A628 corridors |
1992 Trans-Pennine Rail Study for local authorities, PTEs and PDNPA - identified scope for increasing
rail patronage by service improvements |
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1995 South Pennines Transport Needs Study for Peak Park Transport Forum - to develop an implementable
transport strategy to protect the environment of the Park and surrounding
area, whilst meeting economic and social needs of area |
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1997 South Pennines Transport Needs Study - Strategic Level Environmental Assessment of Selected Strategy Options for Peak Park Transport Forum - to identify the strategy
which would bring about the greatest overall environmental benefits |
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1998 Public Consultation for Peak Park Transport Forum - survey of 1523 residents
throughout the South Pennines area, 1013 visitors at thirteen towns and
attractions in the region, focus groups with local businesses and environmental
organisations, and written consultation with special interest groups and
emergency services |
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1999 Participation Workshop Peak Park Transport Forum - to review objectives of the Strategy, to consider policy development, additional transport elements which should be included, improve public participation, how to take forward, and evaluate progress |
2000 Incorporate Local Transport Plans and Regional Planning Guidance into... Business Plan |
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2002 Participation Workshop Peak Park Transport Forum - to review objectives of the Strategy, to consider policy development, how to take forward, and evaluate progress |
2002 Update.... Business Plan |
The Forum therefore funded a South Pennines Transport Needs Study to develop an implementable transport strategy to protect the environment of the Park and surrounding area, whilst meeting the social and economic needs of the area. Recommendations included traffic restraint measures, support in principle of the Highway Agency’s proposals for improving the A628 (including the Mottram-Hollingworth-Tintwistle by-pass), enhanced Trans-Pennine rail services, more use of rail by freight, improvements to the A52/A523, and services on the re-opened Matlock-Buxton/Chinley railway. Within the scope of the study, the re-opening of the Woodhead railway was not considered to warrant further investigation. It was recommended that concern be expressed to the Department of Transport regarding the potential adverse environmental impact of the A6 Disley High Lane Bypass. The environmental implications of the strategy over the whole South Pennines area would need to be assessed more fully.
2. South Pennines Transport Needs Study – Strategic Level Environmental Assessment of Selected Strategy Options(1997) RPS/Oscar Faber for the Peak Park Transport Forum
The purpose of this study was to identify the strategy that would bring about the greatest overall environmental benefits. A number of options and combinations of them were tested, and the recommended strategy included the following:
traffic restraint measures (including proposals for a blanket 40mph speed restriction throughout the Park that was not accepted), A628 improvements, (including wide single carriageway standard with climbing lanes, Mottram-Tintwistle bypass, and mitigation measures to minimise environmental impact, including the prospect of a cut and cover tunnel through the South Pennines Special Protection Area), a re-opened Matlock-Buxton/Chinley rail route (with acceptable diversion of strategic footpaths), and preservation of the Woodhead rail route.
Recommendations from the assessment were then the subject of a public consultation exercise in 1998; summarised details are provided in Table 1. Organisations and special interest groups involved in the consultation process are listed in Appendix A1, whilst Appendix A2 provides more information about the consultation. The Participation Workshop which was held in October 1999 reviewed the objectives of the strategy in the light of current developments in the field of transport, and questioned which additional transport elements should be included, how public participation could be improved, and how to take the whole strategy forward. Attendees at the workshop are listed in Appendix B1, and a summary of main issues raised is provided as Appendix B2.
Information from all of the above has now been brought forward and combined within this Business Plan, and the strategy is described in the next section. Joint working mechanisms will be developed as demanded by the strategy, ensuring that practical projects remain focussed on the wider objectives.