Congestion & Road Safety Christopher Deakins Team Leader - Network Management & Administration

1. 9 July 2008 Target Setting for New Development Travel Plans Congestion & Road Safety Christopher Deakins Team Leader - Network Management & Administration Introduction and Context for the WSP Study into Setting Effective Travel Plan Targets Mark Frost (LB Hounslow and WestTrans) ECOMM 2009 European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

2. The Problem • As a result of successive government policies most new developments in London are now required to develop a travel plan encouraging sustainable transport to the site. • However, for officers responsible for implementing this policy key questions remain: • What is an appropriate target for a travel plan for a new development? • What are the appropriate courses of action available to the authority in the event that the development does not achieve this target? European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

3. Recent Practice • Up until recently most DC travel plans provided targets based around generic best practice documents (e.g. Making Smarter Choices Work, DfT, 2005) quoting approximate goals of such as ‘We will achieve a 10% reduction in car use over 5 years’. • In most cases these targets were not generally tailored to relate to the specifics of the site or nature of operations. • What they were actually measuring was also vague – 10% reduction in car use – total car movements onto and off of the site/day? staff commute trips/day? just single occupancy vehicles or all car trips? How would it be measured? • Regardless, the way in which plans were secured meant that the targets were effectively unenforceable. European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

4. New Guidance • TfL’s new Best Practice Guidance for Development Related Travel Plans (March 2008) recommends the use of various planning obligation mechanisms to ensure successful implementation of travel plans and the reaching of travel plan targets. These include: • Implementation of works expected to remedy the failure to achieve agreed outcomes • A specified change or series of changes to the way the site is used • Specified payments to the borough to meet the cost of undertaking action to achieve the agreed outcomes • Payments to the borough to implement certain measures that have been identified previously European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

5. Implementing this Guidance • However, under planning law, it is essential to be able to prove that a development has not achieved a target before these can be enforced. • In 2008 WestTrans & LB Hounslow therefore commissioned WSP to develop further guidance on how best to set targets and secure appropriate remedial measures in the event of travel plan failure. • The focus was on providing a robust, concise and easy to use toolkit for authority transport planners in west London to assist in securing effective travel plans. European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

6. TRAVEL PLAN TARGET SETTING AND MONITORING: GETTING IT RIGHT! David Knight Senior Technical Director

7. This presentation’s target elements… • Objectives, Targets and Indicators • Case Studies • Mode of School Travel Validation Project for Transport for London – Evaluation of the robustness of ‘hands up’ surveys. (Data from 50 schools in London); • Development of a Target Setting Toolkit for WestTrans – How to set appropriate targets for development related workplace travel plans; • Northstowe New Town Travel Planning Strategy – Area wide travel planning for a prototype eco-town with a population of 30,000 people. European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

8. The Development Related Travel Plan Process • Develop Travel Plan • Strategy • Content • Budget Based on Figure 2.2 of TfL Guidance for Workplace Travel Planning for Development European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

9. Objectives, Targets and Indicators • Objectives • High level aims • Give direction • Provide focus • Targets • Measurable goals • Indicators • Elements you need to monitor • A core travel plan process • MONITOR CHANGE • UNDERSTAND LEVEL OF SUCCESS TARGETS INDICATORS OBJECTIVES European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

10. Why set targets? • Targets drive improvement • Help to define an agreed direction • Focus attention and resources • Motivate the Travel Plan delivery team • Put local performance standards into a specific context • Help develop a culture of continuous improvement • Demonstrates to the public that the travel plan is important and there is a commitment to deliver • Blindly setting targets for every activity is unlikely to be productive • Need to be fair, legal, honest and ethical European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

11. About Targets • SMART • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Timebound • Relationship to Objectives and Indicators • Imprecise target setting can lead to confusion and loss of credibility in the travel plan • ‘Desired’, ’promised’, ‘minimum’ or ‘aspirational’ ‘Action Type’ ‘Aim Type’ To reduce the proportion of single occupancy vehicle trips by 15% by 2011 To appoint a Travel Plan Coordinator by March 2010 European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

12. Targets within the Travel Plan Document European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

13. West Trans Target Setting Toolkit European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

14. Setting Core Aim-Type Targets • Review Transport Assessment • Identify Relevant Data Sources • Record Predicted Behaviour • Check Baseline Data • Summarise Development • Proposals • Travel Plan Requirement • Travel Plan Type • Identify User Groups • Policy Requirements • Provision of data in TP • database • Check against iTRACE PTAL tool • Check targets against car parking proposals • Check mode shift assumptions against measures • Check that targets are smart • Isochrone / Accessibility Plots • Expected Mode Shift • Draft Targets • Record on iTRACE • Convert to full targets after Year 1 • Are Targets Met? • Submit draft Travel Plan and await feedback European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

15. Element Element Score Score Site Details (8%) Site Details (8%) Accessibility Accessibility 0 (Low), 1 (med), 2 (high) 0 (Low), 1 (med), 2 (high) n n Congestion on traffic network Congestion on traffic network 0 (Low), 1 (med), 2 (high) 0 (Low), 1 (med), 2 (high) n n Management (10%) Management (10%) Travel Plan Coordinator Travel Plan Coordinator 1 (PT) or 3 (FT) 1 (PT) or 3 (FT) n n Implementation Strategy Implementation Strategy 2 2 n n Public Transport (22%) Public Transport (22%) New infrastructure New infrastructure 1 (minor) or 3 (major) 1 (minor) or 3 (major) n n New or enhanced public transport services New or enhanced public transport services 2 (1 2 (1 - - 2) or 4 (2+) 2) or 4 (2+) n n Public Transport Discounts Public Transport Discounts 1 (minor) or 3 (major) 1 (minor) or 3 (major) n n Interest free PT season ticket loans Interest free PT season ticket loans 1 1 n n Cycling and Walking (12%) Cycling and Walking (12%) New cycling/walking infrastructure New cycling/walking infrastructure 1 (minor) or 2 (major) 1 (minor) or 2 (major) n n Cycle Parking Cycle Parking 1 1 n n Shower/Locking/Changing Facilities Shower/Locking/Changing Facilities 1 1 n n Cycle Discounts Cycle Discounts 1 1 n n Other Other eg eg cycle repair, training cycle repair, training 1 1 n n Car Parking Management (16%) Car Parking Management (16%) Restrictions on effective car parking Restrictions on effective car parking 3 (minor) 5 (major) 3 (minor) 5 (major) n n availability availability Car parking charges Car parking charges 3 3 n n Smarter working practices (2%) Smarter working practices (2%) 1 1 Marketing and consultation strategy (14%) Marketing and consultation strategy (14%) Provision of maps/timetables Provision of maps/timetables 1 1 n n Newsletters/memos/e Newsletters/memos/e - - mails mails 1 1 n n Travel website Travel website 1 1 n n Stakeholder engagement/events Stakeholder engagement/events 1 1 n n Personal Travel Planning (PTP) Personal Travel Planning (PTP) 3 3 n n Car Sharing Scheme elements (8%) Car Sharing Scheme elements (8%) Guaranteed Ride Home Guaranteed Ride Home 2 2 n n Computer based matching scheme Computer based matching scheme 1 1 n n Priority Parking Priority Parking 1 1 n n Financial incentive/payout for using Sustainable Financial incentive/payout for using Sustainable 2 (minor) 4 (major) Transport (8%) Transport (8%) 4 Maximum score Maximum score 50 50 Mode Shift Potential Tool • Scoring system for measures contained with a Travel Plan • Based on 20 UK Case Studies • Most effective measures are: • Significant new or enhanced public transport • Major restrictions on car parking • Financial Incentives for using sustainable transport • Linear Regression of Modal Shift versus scores achieved strong correlation • Tool indicates a band of values for which targets for car driver mode share should realistically fall within European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

16. Mode Shift Potential Tool European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

17. Target Setting Key Principles • A maximum of 6 to 10 targets is recommended for a single Travel Plan Co-ordinator • All standard travel plans need to have a target that is set to reduce single occupancy vehicle (SOV) across the site • Targets are best expressed in terms of maximum end levels of SOV or car driver arrivals • Where applicable the applicant should set separate SOV targets for each target group covered by the scope of the travel plan • Levels of parking proposed for the development should be consistent with the proposed targets • The target date for achieving targets should be clear and usually linked to a key milestone European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

18. Northstowe New Town Travel Planning Strategy European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

19. European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

20. A major development • 9,500 new homes • 136,000 sqm B1 employment • 49,500 sqm Retail town centre • 5,000 sqm Local centre retail • 22,800 sqm Leisure (Fitness Centre, Hotel, Cinema) • 11,000 sqm Community Facilities (Library, Civic Hub, Public Offices) • Education Facilities (6 primary schools, 1 Secondary School, 1 FE Campus) European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

21. Northstowe Travel Planning Strategy Workplace TP Strategy School Travel Plan Strategy Construction Residential Town Centre Travel Plan Travel Plan Travel Plan (Separate) Individual Workplace Individual School Travel Travel Plans (WTPs) for Plans (STPs) for each each organisation school Overall responsibilities: WTP WTP WTP STP STP STP TPMO Contractor Individual Developers/ Occupiers Monitoring, Review and Evaluation Comprehensive Travel Planning European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

22. Monitoring and Evaluation for a whole town • Issues • Peak hour trips, weekday trips etc • Internal and External Trips • Through Trips • Measuring modal shares • Monitoring methods • Traffic counts • Travel surveys • Automatic Number Plate Recognition? • Radio Frequency Identification? • iTRACE • The way forward • A consistent evidence base • A cost effective solution • A national approach is needed European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

23. The Development Related Travel Plan Budget Back-up or Default Measures Monitoring and Evaluation Implementing the Travel Plan TRAVEL PLAN BUDGET £000s European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

24. Mode of School Travel Data Validation Project for Transport for LondonWSP supported by Integrated Transport Planning Ltd and MVA Consultancy Ltd European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

25. Purpose and process • Understand how robust ‘hands up’ data is • Identify ways more accurate data could be collected • Provide all stakeholders with clear guidance • Ensure the evaluation of School Travel Plan measures is accurate • Our approach • Recruitment of 51 schools with the help of School Transport Advisors • Classroom surveys observed by surveyor • Classroom surveys completed by surveyor • Use of alternative methods • Interviews with sample of pupils • Travel diaries with a sample of pupils • TRAVL survey methodology European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

26. Insert survey methodology diagram European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

27. Survey Response • No significant difference between hands up and interview for any mode • Significant differences between travel diary and interview for: • Car/van • Train • Underground • Other • Confidence interval between methods is 3% European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

28. Study Findings • Hands Up Survey is the best way and delivers a high degree of accuracy • Guidance written to reduce inaccuracies: • ‘Usual’ or ‘Today’ • Multiple modes • Car share confusions • Multiple responses • Different modes on different days • Language • Mis-recording responses European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

29. Some conclusions • A robust Target Setting Toolkit now exists for development related travel plans with widespread application • We need a national and consistent standard for target setting and monitoring in new and existing communities • Hands Up Surveys provide a high degree of accuracy – Workplace Travel Plans should use high response snapshot surveys for monitoring modal shift European Conference on Mobility Management 2009

30. David KnightSenior Technical DirectorWSP Development and TransportationBristol, UKTel: +44 117 930 3776e-mail: david.knight@wspgroup.comWSP is winner of 2008 Sustainable Consultant of the Year AwardWSP is Number 1 Transport Consultancy 2009 (NCE Consultants File) European Conference on Mobility Management 2009