watlington traffic study tpp presentation 24/11/2014
TRANSCRIPT
Watlington Traffic StudyTPP Presentation 24/11/2014
Study brief• Analyse what the traffic issues are currently;
• Without any additional development in Watlington itself, determine what the anticipated rise in traffic volumes generally in the region would mean for Watlington's roads;
• Assess which areas of Watlington would be better for development (without any additional road infrastructure) to minimise additional traffic flows within the town;
• If you could facilitate a relief road with new housing development, determine which roads it would be best to connect with;
• Establish how through traffic could be deterred, whilst still encouraging destination traffic which supports Watlington’s shops and business community
Our approach to the traffic study
• Comprehensive traffic surveys were undertaken in September 2014.
• A site visit was undertaken on Thursday 18th September 2014.
• A pragmatic approach to this study based on the data, our knowledge of the town and professional judgement of the transport issues.
• Supported by the extensive local knowledge of members of the NPCC.
Structure of presentation
• Site visit observations
• Traffic surveys
• Future background traffic growth
• Potential relief road
• Options for improving traffic
• Summary and conclusions
Site visit observations
• B4009 Shirburn Street
• Shirburn Street / Hill Road / Couching Street / High Street Priority Junction
• B4009 Couching Street
• Couching Street / Brook Street Priority Junction
• B480 Brook Street
• Other routes: Hill Road, High Street, Pyrton Lane
Traffic surveys
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) survey
Indication of the level of through-traffic by cars and HGVs on a typical weekday.
A cordon was identified and ANPR was set up at four locations:
– B4009 Shirburn Road
– B480 Howe Road
– B4009 Britwell Road
– B480 Cuxham Road
Traffic surveys
• Manual counts
– Link counts for Hill Road and Pyrton Lane
– Turning movements on Pyrton Lane between B4009 and B480
– Turning movements at the Couching Street / Brook Street priority junction
• Automatic Traffic Counters
Installed near the ANPR cameras to confirm the traffic flows on the ANPR survey day were not atypical.
Summary of traffic surveys
• The ATCs confirmed the traffic flows on the ANPR survey day were not atypical.
• Average weekday 24-hour traffic flow: Approximately 22,500 vehicles pass the four main cordon points (ATCs).
• Total ANPR traffic flow:
– 1,890 in the AM peak (7.0% HGVs)
– 2,061 vehicles in the PM peak (2.6% HGVs)
• Approximately 85% were “matched” which gives an indication of through-traffic.
• Shirburn Road accounts for a large proportion of the through-traffic, in the region of 40% to 50%.
“Matched” vehicle movements to/from Shirburn Road, AM Peak
330
127151
30
76160
46
304
Note: 22 U-turning movements not shown
Summary of traffic surveys
• Approximate average journey times:
North - South
3 mins
5 mins in AM peak
East – West
2.5 mins
4 mins in AM peak
Summary of traffic surveys
• Couching Street / Brook Street priority junction PICADY analysis
– Theoretically be operating within capacity.
– Confirms observation that queueing was caused by the on-street parking on Couching Street.
• Pyrton Lane used as a “rat-run” especially in the AM peak
Future background traffic growth
• TEMPRO (Trip End Model Presentation Program) database
• Without any development, between 2014 and 2031.
• 6% to 8% increase in background traffic depending on the time period.
• Inter-peak and weekends are expected to experience more growth than during the weekday peak times.
• Junction analysis for
Potential relief road
• Most HGVs travel between Shirburn Road and Howe Road or Britwell Road
• Link between Shirburn Road and Britwell Road could be provided
• Pyrton Lane could be improved and used as an alternative HGV route
• Pyrton Lane could also provide access to schools
Options for improving traffic
• Discourage HGV through movements
– Signage
– Physical measures to restrict HGV access
– Enforcement of 7.5 tonne weight restriction zone
• Public realm improvements
– Short-term
– Medium-term
– Long-term
Discourage HGV through movements
• Signage
– 7.5t weight restriction signs on the M40 before Junction 6.
– Consistency in signage at the M40 Junction 6 slip roads.
– Removal of “M40” from the signs at the Couching Street / Brook Street junction.
– Local access only signs.
– Black lorry routeing signs.
Discourage HGV through movements
• Physical measures to restrict HGV access
– Width / height restrictions.
– Lack of alternative routes available for HGVs at present.
– Requirements for HGV access to serve Watlington.
– Physical measures are not considered to be appropriate at Watlington at this time but an opportunity might exist in the future.
• Enforcement of 7.5 tonne weight restriction zone
– Police checks need to be undertaken on a regular basis to encourage HGV drivers to change habits.
Public realm improvementsShort-term measures
• Removal of on-street car parking.
• Realignment of kerb to ease left-turning manoeuvres from Couching Street to Brook Street.
• Rearrangement of the "give-way to oncoming traffic"
• Road markings to improve the alignment and visibility for northbound traffic.
• Renewal of footways and kerb materials by the pinchpoint.
• Convert one or two of the on-street parking bays on High Street into loading bays.
Public realm improvementsShort-term measures
• Reconfiguration of the Shirburn Street / Hill Road / Couching Street / High Street junction.
• Potentially involve installing traffic signals.
• Buildout on Shirburn Street.
• There is scope to provide an additional loading bay.
• Potential for implementing a 20mph zone.
Public realm improvementsMedium-term measures
• Long-term aspiration for Watlington: to “reclaim” the town from the traffic.
• A “relief road” in the future would reduce traffic flows along Shirburn Street and Couching Street.
• Elements of the “shared space” concept could be applied to Watlington.
• Any changes to Watlington should be fit for purpose and recognise the constraints which Watlington faces.
• Acceptance for some HGVs which have to serve the town.
Public realm improvementsLong-term measures
• Heart of Watlington could be considered to be along the High Street, between the War Memorial and the Town Hall.
• Demarcated by a different surface material.
• Carriageway could be raised to be the same level as the footways.
• Vehicles be made aware they are passing by the heart of the town - slow down and drive more carefully
• Depending on the car parking demand in the future, potential to remove yellow lines along the High Street.
• Further scope to implement other traffic management measures, e.g. a one-way system on Couching Street.
Public realm improvementsLong-term measures
Summary and conclusions• High proportion of through-traffic and HGV movements.
• HGVs are mainly travelling between the M40 and Britwell Road or Howe Road.
• There is a potential to deliver effectively a “relief road”.
• Background traffic growth is expected to be between 6% and 8%.
• Traffic growth in the area is expected to intensify the existing congestion and air quality issues in the town.
• Measures to deter through-traffic have been examined.
– Discourage HGVs through the town.
– Short-term, medium-term and long-term public realm improvements.