To consider Maidstone Council’s response to Kent County Council’s draft Integrated Transport Strategy “Growth without Gridlock”.

1.  That the Council’s response to the draft Integrated Transport Strategy should include -

a)  Recommendations with respect to the context and objectives for the strategy as summarised at section 1.3.13 of the report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration;

b)  Recommendations with respect to the strategic themes as summarised in Appendix A to the report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration including reference to the Kent Freedom Pass to Travel in the buses section and active travel in the sustainable travel section;

c)  Recommendations with respect to the context, key issues, objectives and proposals for Maidstone as set out in Appendix B to the report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration;

d)  A request that KCC should consider delegation of its transport planning responsibilities for the local road network in Maidstone to the Borough Council.

2.  That the current Department for Transport ‘Delivering a Sustainable Transport System (DaSTS)’ study relating to Kent described at paragraph 1.3.14 of the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration be noted.

3.  That the Council should promote consideration of the Maidstone transport issues, objectives and proposals as set out in Appendix B to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration for inclusion in this study and lobbies KCC to ensure the inclusion of any resultant scheme or package of schemes that would meet Maidstone’s transport planning objectives.

4.  That a copy of the Council’s response should be sent to the Secretary of State for Transport, Leader of Kent County Council, Homes and Communities Agency and West Kent District Councils.

Kent County Council has drafted a county wide Integrated Transport Strategy “Growth without Gridlock” which is currently the subject of consultation. Views need to be submitted by 12^th February 2010. The vision is expressed in a draft document “Growth without Gridlock” which has been circulated to District Councils; this has been supplemented by a presentation to key stakeholders which gives further information about the context for the strategy.

The Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration and Appendix A to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration, summarise the content of the draft strategy, identify the impact and consequences broadly and for Maidstone specifically and set out recommendations for the changes to the draft strategy that this Council should pursue in order that the key objectives of the Maidstone Local Strategic Partnership’s Sustainable Communities Strategy, Council’s Strategic Plan and the emerging Local Development Framework can be achieved. In identifying the recommendations the overarching aim has been to strengthen the strategy in order to address the county’s transport challenge as a whole (ie reduce the number and length of trips particularly by private vehicles) and lever in resources both to improve Kent’s transport systems as a whole and specifically into Maidstone. 

The stated objective of the Integrated Transport Strategy is to provide a 20 year vision for road, rail, bus, air, sea and sustainable transport systems to support the Regeneration Framework – Unlocking Kent’s Potential.  It will feed the next round of the Local Transport Plan which is a 5 year implementation plan (the current LTP covers the period to 2011 and drafting of the next LTP will commence in the spring) and the means by which KCC compile and evidence a bid for investment in transport in the county including through allocation of funding from central government.  It is also KCC’s intention that the vision will create an outline blueprint for Local Development Frameworks.

KCC emphasise that the context for the transport vision is the projected increase in the county’s population which is estimated at an additional 188,000 people by 2026. The impact of this, based on current trip rates and modal share is that there would be an additional 250,000 car trips per day on Kent’s road network. KCC have calculated that in order to maintain the status quo in terms of the current volume of car trips the share of overall trips by car would need to reduce from 46.1% to 40.6% which is a very significant change. Any increases arising from travel through the county or increased propensity to travel by car in general eg due to rising car ownership would push this level up further.

In terms of the transport response KCC have identified 15 transport challenges across the county (although these are not included in the draft ITS). Six objectives are defined and eight themes described which lead to identification of transport infrastructure, rail and bus improvements plus a range of other generalized initiatives; some specific proposals are made for each district. More detail of this and an assessment is set out in Appendix B to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration. 

In their presentation to stakeholders KCC provided analysis of the impact of transport on carbon emissions. The stance being put forward is that the contribution of transport to total emissions in the UK is less than a third (29.5%); analysis has been undertaken of how this breaks down in terms of transport modes and journey purpose; the key will be public support for behavioural change (Department for Transport figures suggest that 78% of the public say they would change behaviour to prevent climate change and 61% would support road charging if the money was used to improve public transport but this may not hold true for an area like Kent with such a large rural community) and affordable technology. The types of journeys that need to change the most are those made by car for commuting and personal business like shopping. Linked trips are not analysed – and it often these that are the most difficult to change eg trips taking children to school followed by a journey to work by people who have very tight time budgets. 

Woven into the body of the draft strategy are the following contextual information and proposals which are of direct relevance to Maidstone.

Contextual information

·  Recognition of the Traffic Management Centre operational since 2006 (p10 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration)

·  In terms of the strategic road network the role of the M20 is recognised, reference is made to the “controlled” section (between J 4 and 7) where the intention is to introduce variable speed limits (timing is unclear and the Highways Agency are unable to give an operational date) as well as the impact of occasional closures on this increasingly pressurised road which results in diversion of traffic into Maidstone and consequent gridlock  in the town (p11 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration)

·  In terms of the local road network reference is made to the South East Maidstone Strategic Link. The historical perspective of Leeds-Langley bypass is given ie a response to increasing traffic levels using the B2163 through Leeds and Langley, KCC’s  initiation of a feasibility project but that it became apparent that government funding would not be available; reference is made to the relationship between this proposal and the South East Maidstone Strategic Link (SEMSL) associated with the LDF draft core strategy ie a more direct link that would connect Parkwood and the potential Maidstone Urban Extension to the M20/A20 and also act as a bypass but it is considered difficult to assess the route at present as the LDF core strategy is not complete (P14 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration). 

Specific proposals for Maidstone integrated into the general text are

·  A parkway station serving high speed services on the HS1 route at an undefined location in Maidstone (p18 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration); parkway stations are also identified for Thanet and Westenhanger; no indication is given of priorities. Reference is made to enhancing international rail services and connections to the Transmanche metro (p20 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration); the concept is of a regular, up to hourly, service from St Pancras to Calais and beyond stopping at a range of intermediate stations including the potential Maidstone Parkway.

·  An aspiration to improve local rail services through addressing parts of the network with restrictions on speed including those on the Maidstone-London stretch

·  KCC will lobby for Kent to benefit from the expansion of Thameslink services in 2015 (which will improve access into the City) and in particular for Maidstone to be linked directly into the Thameslink network (p22 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration)

·  Implementation of a bus rapid transit scheme using the Fastrack (currently operating in Kent Thameside) as the blueprint. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells have been identified as potential future locations plus an extension of the system already in place in the Thames Gateway and a link between this and the Essex rapid transit network and progression of Smartlink already planned for Ashford (p25, 42 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration ).

·  Improvements to inter-urban public transport between Maidstone and Sittingbourne to be achieved by means of an inter-urban coach service as part of a wider network of such services offering direct, fast services along major corridors building on services like the high frequency 101 service between Maidstone and the Medway towns; furthermore the concept is that these routes will also link to Park and Ride sites on the urban periphery and other significant out of town locations and other transport nodes like stations and airports (p26 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration )

·  KCC will investigate the potential for greater use of the Medway between Maidstone and the Medway towns (p33 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration); it is not entirely clear was the target trip purpose is but this statement appears adjacent to comments about commuting.

·  The draft ITS states that KCC will lobby central and international governments to put more freight through the Channel Tunnel.  Such an unfocussed approach could in reality result in more lorries crossing the Channel, putting additional pressure on the existing road network.  The focus of the strategy should be to promote the move for existing freight to be transferred from road to rail on the continent and then come through the Tunnel.  It should also promote that new freight should come through the tunnel by rail as opposed to HGV.  In addition, the Strategy should promote that container freight from Europe should be directed towards the parts along the Thames which are already well connected to the road and rail network and closer to the markets.

·  The draft ITS reiterates KCC’s opposition to the Kent International Gateway proposal for a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange adjacent to the M20 and west of J8 (p35/6 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration) as amongst other things it is over 20 miles from the M25 and would not relieve the most congested western part of the M20 of lorry traffic.  The Borough Council continues to oppose KIG.

Specific proposals on the Maidstone page (p49 to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration )

·  Construction of the South East Maidstone Strategic Link to give direct access from the proposed urban extension to the m20 at junction 8

·  Extension of bus lanes to serve the proposed urban extensions

·  Additional park and ride sites to assist in reducing congestion in the town centre

·  Co-ordination with the Highways Agency to manage the local and strategic networks as efficiently as possible

·  Improved walking and cycling networks, supported by Travel Plan requirements for new major developments

It is recommended that Maidstone’s response includes the following components

·  Feedback on overarching aspects of the strategy including its relationship with statutory plans including the South East Plan (ie the regional spatial strategy), the relationship with other initiatives including the Department for Transport’s “Delivering a Sustainable Transport Strategy (DaSTS)  and the need for the strategy to consider funding options

·  Feedback on the detailed proposals set out in the individual theme chapters of the draft ITS

·  A description of key Maidstone context factors for consideration and incorporation into the Kent Integrated Transport strategy

·  A statement of the Council’s view of the transport challenges, objectives and proposals for Maidstone for inclusion in the ITS on the “Maidstone page”.

Strategic content

Appendix A to the report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration, assesses the way in which the draft ITS tackles the context for transport, the proposed transport objectives and the strategic themes to be followed to address the county’s transport challenges. As a consequence a range of recommendations is made to strengthen the overarching strategy. The recommendations arising for context and objectives are abstracted below and those for the strategic themes are set out in the table in Appendix A to the report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration.

It is recommended that KCC should consider strengthening the draft Integrated Transport Strategy by

·  Including reference to the statutory Regional Spatial, Economic and Transport Strategies

·  Clearer presentation of the issues and opportunities

·  Including specific reference to Maidstone’s role as a growth point and as a transport hub

·  Including reference to the whole range of strategies relevant to the context for the ITS including those for education and young people

·  Including a summary of the key outcomes from the contextual strategies which have consequences for the ITS

·  Including information about the predicted impact of the measures identified in the vision.

·  Changing the structure so that the strategy themes directly relate to the strategy objectives rather than being mode based

·  Introducing key performance indicators and targets for each of the objectives

·  Including reference to how the strategy will be funded

As a result of the Eddington report on Transport the Government has, among other things, initiated a number of DaSTS studies including one in Kent – which KCC is leading supported by Jacobs. The study focuses on the corridor between London and the international gateways of Dover and the Channel Tunnel. This is because the efficient operation of the key transport routes that form this corridor – the M20, the rail network (a combination of HS1 and the classic rail network), the M2/A2 – is of critical importance in supporting economic growth at the national level and delivery of growth set out in the statutory planning framework (the South East Plan and Regional Economic Strategy). Consequently there is a need to respond to the challenges of future growth along and within the corridor by ensuring that the most effective use is made of the existing infrastructure. In identifying potential investment scenarios for the future there is a need to understand the extent to which solutions for dealing with the demand of international/national movements is influenced by the solutions required to support delivery of regional growth, and vice-versa. It is acknowledged that any consideration of this kind must also take into account the potential for non-transport solutions to mitigate transport problems. In particular there is a need to assess the potential for sustainable economic growth at regionally significant locations in accordance with the policies of the South East Plan to minimise the additional impact on the transport network (both in terms of the nature of that demand and the overall level of demand). Hence there are clear implications for Maidstone.

The project is being undertaken in two stages. The first is essentially a research and sifting process to identify the challenges, potential solutions and future investment scenarios that will help to facilitate sustainable economic development post 2013/14. Stage two will further investigate the most promising options/packages between April 2010 and March 2011.

Given the purpose and the timing of this project it is recommended that the analysis of Maidstone’s transport challenges, consequent objectives and proposals as summarised in Appendix B to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration are used as the basis for Maidstone’s input to the DaSTS project and that this is further refined as the work on the LDF related transport strategy is developed.

Maidstone Context

The current draft ITS contains fragmented information about Maidstone and is largely silent about the borough’s wider role in the county and its status as a growth point and regional hub and the projected level of growth it is to accommodate. As a consequence inadequate consideration is given to the existing congestion problems and transport needs of the town and transport systems/infrastructure to support growth.  It is therefore recommended that KCC be invited to include in the Integrated Transport Strategy the following contextual statement

“Maidstone is the County Town of Kent. It has been designated as a Growth Point by the Government and identified in the South East Plan as a “Hub” with the consequence that Maidstone is a focus for growth and requirements to deliver more sustainable forms of development. Policy AOSR7 identifies that Maidstone borough should make provision for housing consistent with its growth role and make provision for employment on a scale of sub-regional significance with a concentration of commercial uses at the town centre. The South East Plan states that in order to support growth (11,080 homes and 10,000 jobs by 2026) new infrastructure should include the South East Strategic Link and a transport Hub Package.  

Maidstone transport challenges, objectives and proposals

Maidstone Council has previously considered transport issues and strategy as part of the formulation of a variety of activity led strategies including the Sustainable Communities Strategy, Economic Development Strategy, the Programme of Development for Growth Point and Local Development Framework. The latter is a current strand of work in terms of evidence gathering, assessment and identification of infrastructure needs. Consultation with transport stakeholders is in progress; a draft strategy will be produced for the purposes of public consultation which is programmed for June 2010. There has also been a recent review of road safety in the borough through the Council’s Regeneration and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee in response to the 2007 reported road crash casualty statistics which demonstrated that the record for Maidstone was poorer than for the rest of Kent. 

Advanced consideration was given to the transport impact of growth in housing and employment as a consequence of the Kent International Gateway planning application and a related representation arising from consultation on the draft Core Strategy. Evidence was contained in the Kent Highways Services proof presented to the KIG public inquiry. This evidence, among other things indicates that from a KHS perspective, the South East Maidstone Strategic Link is needed as part of the Maidstone Transport Hub package (the measures for this package were listed) to support the delivery of housing (particularly housing in an urban extension to the south east of the town). If the Hub Transport Strategy did not include the SEMSL, the situation would be that;-

a)  Its role in relieving the growth of congestion in the town centre would be lost, and

b)  It would be more difficult to develop sites in an already congested central area, and

c)   Further congestion would be caused at the already congested M20 Junctions 5, 6 and 7.

d)   some development might progress in the south east sector, but not the full urban extension that is necessary to meet the SEP target, and traffic will still be seeking routes to Junction 8 to avoid congestion at the other motorway junctions, leading to continuing use of the B2163 through Leeds and Langley, and extensive diversions through rural lanes and residential roads.

e)   As the capacity at the A20 Link Road roundabout has been reached by 2017, congestion would further increase

The draft ITS defines the transport issues for Maidstone as follows  –

·  Existing congestion hot spots and associated poor air quality which require relief

·  The targets for future housing provision

·  The need to serve a proposed urban extension by sustainable transport

·  Maintaining accessibility to the town centre by public transport

·  Maintaining frequent rail services, particularly to the London city area

This summary does not adequately reflect the transport issues for Maidstone. The statement of issues in the ITS needs to acknowledge the challenges of existing conditions for the continued economic prosperity of the borough, those arising from trends already apparent and those associated with Maidstone’s growth. Appendix B to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration sets out recommendations for the Maidstone transport issues to be stated in the Kent ITS and to replace those in the current draft.

The draft ITS includes transport objectives for the county as a whole but does not include any transport objectives for Maidstone or identify which of the county-wide objectives are relevant. It is important that clear objectives are defined and that these reflect Maidstone’s economic role in the county, its status as a growth point and transport hub. Appendix B to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration sets out recommendations for these transport objectives.

The draft ITS contains some specific transport proposals for Maidstone both on the Maidstone page and in the text of the theme based chapters. The content of the Maidstone page does not contain reference to all proposals mentioned in the theme chapters and does not contain the range of measures included in the KHS evidence presented to the KIG inquiry. A recommended approach is set out in Appendix B to the Report of the Director of Prosperity and Regeneration; this seeks to list proposals already identified and leave scope for development of this schedule as a consequence of transport strategy work currently underway in the borough as part of the LDF core strategy. 

The Council could choose not to respond to the consultation concerning the draft ITS. This is not recommended as the opportunity to influence the overall approach and proposals specifically for Maidstone would be lost. In principle it is important that the borough influences transport strategy given the significant consequences for the economy and hence the quality of life for people who live and work in the borough. It is important in practice because the draft strategy needs significant change in order to meet the objectives and priorities identified for Maidstone borough by this Council.