Hertfordshire's Local Transport Plan

Key Transport Issues

3.1 Introduction

The continuing growth in road traffic in Hertfordshire poses a serious threat to the quality of life in the county. The significant problems of safety, congestion, access and the environment can all be linked to traffic flows which are 35% higher than the national average.

Why is there so much traffic in Hertfordshire?

The high level of traffic is a result on many interacting factors:

there are over 1 million local residents spread amongst a dozen medium sized towns (more than 25,000 population) and many more smaller towns;
neighbouring London attracts large commuting flows;
rail services do not provide for east-west movements;
the county sits astride three of the most important national routes (M25, M1 and A1(M));
car ownership is the fourth highest in the country at 0.522 cars per head;
28% of households have 2 or more cars.

What problems are the public concerned about?

In a recent MORI survey undertaken for the County Council, the public's top five priorities for investment in transport were:

safer routes to school - 44%
improving road safety - 33%
improving bus and rail facilities - 33%
improving pedestrian facilities - 20%
improving cycle facilities - 20%

A more detailed consideration of the problems of Safety, Congestion, Access and the Environment is given in the following sections.

Figure 3(1) Population Density

3.2 Safety

There were over 6700 road injuries in 1999, including 53 fatalities and 895 serious injuries.

Total casualties are 18% higher than the 1981-85 average, which far outstrips the regional and national increases. Whilst the number of killed and seriously injured has reduced, there has been a large increase in the number of slight casualties.

Figure 3(2) Casualty Index

Other Key Issues:

Road casualties in Hertfordshire have a cost to the community of over £300 million per year;
Current estimates suggest that there are on average 15 non-injury accidents for every injury accident;
Inappropriate or excessive speed is a large factor in road accidents. Monitoring in Hertfordshire has shown that 53% of vehicles travelled faster than the speed limit in urban areas, and 58% of vehicles were over the speed limit on 30mph roads.

The new Road Safety Plan (available in Volume 3) provides further details on safety issues in Hertfordshire.

Measures to address safety problems are included in the following strategies:

3.3 Congestion

Congestion is a major problem restricting the best use of the road and rail networks. This increases journey times and can lead to overspill onto unsuitable local roads. Current congestion on the road network (derived from HCC Traffic and Transport Data Report) and the rail network (from the Railtrack 2000 Network Management Statement) is shown in Figure 3(3) and Figure 3(4).

Figure 3(3) Road Congestion

Figure 3(4) Rail Congestion

The main cause of Hertfordshire's road congestion problems is the very high levels of traffic. On average traffic flows have increased by 2-3% per year, and flows are 35% higher than the national average. Hertfordshire's annual Traffic and Transport Data Report provides more in depth information on traffic flows in Hertfordshire (available in Volume 3).

Figure 3(5) Traffic Flows by Road Type

Other Key Issues

Hertfordshire is well served by radial routes and services from London, but there is a lack of east-west links across Hertfordshire especially for rail. There is no direct interchange between any of the four main railway lines in the county.
This continuous growth leads to increased congestion at peak times, which in turn means that the peak hour periods are lengthening.
Road congestion is a significant problem for bus operators as it leads to unreliable and slow services. This in turn makes it more difficult to provide services on a commercial basis.

Measures to address congestion problems are included in the following strategies:

3.4 Access

The lack of suitable transport services is a major barrier to access to day-to-day necessities such as health care services and employment. Barriers can be caused by lack of services, cost and physical accessibility.

In Hertfordshire, problems include:

22% of homes have no regular use of a car, despite the growing number of out of town developments and the decentralisation of hospitals.
67% of villages have no grocer/supermarket, 63% have no newsagent, and 66% have no post office.
MORI surveys have found that 43% of the general public are dissatisfied with the cost of travelling by bus, and 60% are dissatisfied with current train fares.

Other Key Issues:

The design of shopping and leisure facilities often require pedestrians and passenger transport users to cross busy roads or walk through car parks before reaching the entrance of their destination.
Access problems for the mobility impaired (ranging from those laden with shopping to people with physical disabilities) include step heights onto buses, long walking distances, stairs at passenger transport interchanges, and obstructions to the footways.
Crime, and more often the fear of crime, can present barriers to journeys for particular groups of people at certain times of the day. Isolated bus stops, poorly lit streets, and trains without guards are just some of the reasons from non-users of why journeys are not made, or are only made by car.
Car dependency is greatest amongst rural residents, adults in their teens and early twenties, those travelling at weekends, for leisure journeys and for journeys to escort children.

Measures to address access problems are included in the following strategies:

3.5 Environment

Transport has a number of environmental implications for Hertfordshire in the form of air pollution, noise and resulting health problems.

Air Pollution

The principal pollutants from road transport include nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulates.
Health statistics have shown an increase in the incidences of asthma in the County, although, there is no hard evidence to support the link between air pollution and respiratory problems.

Noise

CPRE maps of Tranquil Areas indicate that Hertfordshire has experienced a significant loss of such areas (defined as areas sufficiently away from visual or noise intrusion from development or traffic, considered unspoilt by urban influences).
Noise from road traffic is rarely reported.
Hertfordshire is affected by aircraft noise from Stansted, London Luton and Heathrow, causing problems to residents ranging from sleep disturbance to psychophysiological effects.

Other Key Issues

Street and motorway lighting is important for road safety and increasing personal safety, but it is recognised that it also has some dis-benefits for the natural environment for flora and fauna.
New infrastructure can have an adverse impact on landscapes, and can be damaging to wildlife through loss of habitat, noise, air and light pollution.

Measures to address environment problems are included in the following strategies:

3.6 Future Issues

A number of emerging issues will have a significant effect on Hertfordshire over the next few years. The effect of these issues will be assessed and, where appropriate, addressed through the annual monitoring process for this Local Transport Plan.

Stansted Airport

Stansted Airport, situated just outside the county, currently handles over 10 million passengers per year. However Stansted has planning permission for development to handle about 15 million passengers per annum, and BAA has recently announced its wish to increase capacity significantly beyond the current permitted limit. Local roads, as well as the passenger transport infrastructure will have to accommodate and deal with the pressure of increasing numbers of passengers and employees in the future, therefore reinforcing the need for east-west improvements in Hertfordshire. These transport needs are set out in the Stansted Airport Surface Access Strategy developed by BAA Stansted in conjunction with Hertfordshire and other local authorities.

London Luton Airport

The impact of London Luton airport is smaller than that of Stansted, with passenger levels of 5 million in 1999. However, growth in passengers (currently permitted up to 5 million) will have a significant impact on local traffic in Hertfordshire. These transport needs are set out in the London Luton Airport Surface Access Strategy developed by London Luton Airport in conjunction with Hertfordshire and other local authorities.

Multi-Modal Studies

Two of the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions' multi-modal studies will have an effect on Hertfordshire; London Orbital and London to South Midlands. The London Orbital multi-modal study will have implications for east-west movements, whilst the London to South Midlands study covers almost all north-south movements in Hertfordshire. Together these two studies cover 90% of the county.

Workplace Parking and Road User Charging

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions have invited authorities to take part in pilot schemes for Workplace Parking and Road User Charging once legislation is in place. The County Council supports the introduction of new charging powers in principle, but its strategy is to await the outcomes of the pilot schemes before deciding upon future actions within Hertfordshire. However, any future schemes would need to recognise the particular effects on those living in rural areas.

Regional Transport Strategy

The County Council will also be participating in the development of a Regional Transport Strategy for the East of England region. At present, Hertfordshire works to the regional planning guidance for the SERPLAN area. However it is unlikely that the new Regional Transport Strategy will be produced before the publication of this Local Transport Plan.