2006-2011 LTP Annex 2

Introduction

The County Council will promote public transport services that offer direct through routes.  However, there are instances where public transport services cannot always offer a direct route to passengers and they have to change and connect to another service or modes to reach their destination.  In recent years this has become more necessary as diverse travel patterns and lifestyles have developed. This has meant we travel further, more often and at different times of day to access services in various locations, such as employment, education, health and leisure activities. 

A challenge for the strategy is making sure that where 'indirect' routes exist, passengers can connect and change to other services or modes to reach their destination with ease, in comfort, and in safety. This is often referred to as interchange and an interchange point is where the change and connection occurs. 

Key to promoting good interchange is the development of a public transport network that provides a choice of travel destination and suitable connections to make a particular journey. 

An important part of the development of a public transport network is integration, between modes, for example, the co-ordination of bus and rail services timetables to enable a 'seamless' journey. The concept of the 'seamless' journey aims to make journeys by public transport as smooth as possible so as to provide an attractive alternative to the car. 

To achieve these aims we need to develop a way of allowing people to be able to make the right connections with confidence.  To this end, the strategy will aim to deliver measures and schemes to develop interchanges and promote other initiatives, for example, multi-modal through ticketing and the provision of better passenger information.

This document outlines:

• The objectives of the strategy;
• Local regional and national policy framework in which the strategy operates;
• The Public Transport Interchange Strategy itself, including a number of schemes and measures; and
• Monitoring of the schemes and measures.

Public Transport Interchange Strategy Objectives

The starting point for this Public Transport Interchange Strategy is the overall transport objectives of the Local Transport Plan 2005 that have been developed to reflect national, regional and local policy.

The Public Transport Interchange Strategy will contribute to achieving the objectives in the LTP by promoting a passenger transport network, which:

• Offers accessibility, both in terms of physical access to transport and its availability, to the widest cross section of the population;
• Gives people (including those who do not have access to cars) more travel choices to access work, services and leisure activities;
• Provides an attractive and sustainable travel alternative to the car thereby helping to reduce traffic congestion and pollution levels and improving air quality and the environment; and
• Encourages integration with other modes of transport.

Therefore, when we talk about interchange this refers not only to the physical infrastructure such as station and stop facilities which assist in people interchanging but also the co-ordination of public transport services through connecting timetabling and multi-modal ticketing initiatives to promote the seamless journey.

To this end the Public Transport Strategy will aim to deliver measures and schemes to make interchanging easier by the development and promotion of several initiatives such as the building of infrastructure and ‘soft’ measures including the provision of better travel/passenger information. 

Policy Overview

The Strategy has been developed within the National, Regional and Local policy environment and aims to be consistent with the wider framework.  An overview of the policy background is provided in Annex 1 of the LTP. 

The White Paper ‘’A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone’’ set out the Government’s approach to seeking to achieve the seamless journey. Although published in 1998, the key provisions relating to interchange are still valid.  For public transport to provide an attractive alternative to the convenience of the car it must operate as a seamless network. To achieve this the White Paper was seeking:- 

• More through ticketing;
• Better facilities at stations and other places for interchanges;
• Better connections between and co-ordination of services;
• Wider availability and provision of information on timetables route planning and fares; and
• A national public transport information system available over the telephone and the Internet.     

A key theme of the White Paper was transport integration.  It identified the importance of integration between trains, buses, taxis and community transport.  

In July 2004, the Government published the the White Paper 'The Future of Transport' which sets out the current thinking on the development of the UK transport network up to 2030.  It also sets the scene for the better use of buses to help reduce congestion and tackle social exclusion. This included developing the seamless journey with good integration of bus services and other transport networks.       

Overall Context

To deliver an integrated transport network every aspect of interchange needs to be considered.  Interchange can be defined as the process by which passengers/users move or connect within one mode (type) of public transport or between one mode and another public or private transport mode.   This includes both the act of joining and leaving the public transport network.  This definition includes public transport interchange with car, cycle, walking, taxi/minicab and other forms of private transport.

Making improvements to achieve high quality Public Transport Interchange needs to recognise that it is not only about the development of facilities and the promotion of connections by integrated timetabling between rail and bus services.  The starting point is looking at interchange from the passengers’ perspective and it is the whole journey experience which counts and the decision to use public transport, or even whether to travel at all, will depend on the quality of connections/interchanges, which are part of that journey.

This approach will allow us to identify access constraints and also the opportunities (see below), both informal and formal, which influence people interchanging and the following will also have a bearing on the improvements to interchange:-

• The number of service/s which serve the facility;
• The frequency of the service/s;
• The level of passenger patronage of the service/s;
• The availability and type of facilities;
• The level of co-ordination and ‘connectivity’ between various modes;  
• The relative high cost of public transport fares and through ticketing;
• Information systems enabling passengers to plan through journeys with confidence; and
• Full and timely information in case of disruption to connecting services.

 Problems and Opportunities

Consultation and Customer Research

Ongoing consultation, market research, data collection and monitoring of public transport services and infrastructure is conducted in order to gain a better understanding of people’s needs and expectations. The interview research has provided a detailed picture of the different issues that influence the way people value public transport services. This has helped to produce a Public Transport Interchange Strategy which address the needs of current and potential users and which will deliver the desired outcomes.

Citizens' Panel (April 2004)

Respondents said that the main features that would encourage them to use public transport or use it more often were:

• More Convenient Through Routes;
• More Frequent Services
• More Conveniently Timed Services;
• Clean Comfortable Vehicles
• More Reliable Services;
• Clearer Information; and
• Helpful Staff.

The Public Transport Interchange Strategy has been prepared in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including user groups, other local authorities, operators, other interest groups and potential partners.

Warwickshire County Council have incorporated and addressed the results of the customer research and the consultations in the preparation of this Public Transport Interchange Strategy.  It was prepared in consultation with relevant organisations including bus and train operators, The Traffic Commissioner, neighbouring Local Authorities, District Councils, Parish Councils and other groups, for example, the Older Peoples Forums.    

The Strategy

The vision of Warwickshire County Council’s Public Transport Interchange Strategy is to provide:

‘An accessible, safe, convenient, environmentally friendly and integrated network of public transport services, capable of attracting an increasing market share for public transport services and contributing to the achievement of the objectives in the Warwickshire’s Local Transport Plan 2005’.

The aim of the Public Transport Interchange Strategy is to grow the public transport market by making Public Transport Interchange as attractive and convenient to both existing and potential users.  It will be achieved by making significant improvements in the provision and quality of facilities and the promotion of suitable initiatives like integration between bus and rail services.  This will offer improvements in the provision of interchange for the people of Warwickshire by following a customer-driven approach designed to identify and overcome barriers to public transport interchange.

The Public Transport Interchange Strategy seeks to provide a range of measures and initiatives that will assist in the growth of the market for public transport services.

The four major themes of the Strategy are:

• To improve existing interchange facilities;
• To improve the integration of bus, rail, coach services and other modes;
• To provide new multi modal interchange facilities; and
• To improve passenger information.

The Public Transport Interchange Strategy Policies

Details of the specific policies are provided below. 

Quality Of Public Transport Interchange  

a. Accessible

The design of bus stops, bus stations and vehicles must enable passengers to board or alight from the vehicle unaided or with a reasonable level of assistance. Interchange infrastructure should provide for ‘seamless’ changes between transport modes. Public transport services should be co-ordinated to encourage interchange consistent with the aims of the Public Transport Interchange Strategy, the Bus Strategy and the Community Transport Strategy with the object of increasing the range of travel opportunities and options for travellers. Pedestrian and cycling routes to bus stops and interchanges shall accord with the standards set out in the Walking Strategy and the Cycling Strategy.

b. Acceptable

Bus services should be of sufficient quality, particularly in terms of reliability and punctuality that a potential passenger would be confident in relying on it. Bus, bus stops, bus stations and interchanges should provide reasonable shelter, comfort, suitable heating (where appropriate) and ventilation for the season of the year; and both a perception and reality of personal safety and security. Staff should be helpful and courteous and have received customer service training. The journey time by bus should be similar to the equivalent journey by car unless this can be justified by a significantly reduced fare.

c. Simple to Use

Timetables, routes and fares should be readily available, easy to understand, be simple to use. Information systems should enable passengers to plan their journeys and provide increased public confidence as to the availability and reliability of bus services consistent with the Bus Information Strategy. Full and timely information should be provided or be easily available to customers in case of disruption to services. Integrated ticketing between modes including ail, bus and community transport services, where it is necessary to use different modes to complete a journey.

Delivering The Strategy

This section of the strategy sets out the County Council’s actions in delivering the policies of the Public Transport Interchange Strategy in a way that recognises the existing constraints and opportunities outlined earlier in this document.

The delivery of public transport interchanges involves a wide range of stakeholders and partners both internal and external. It will in some instances, for example at railway stations involve strategic decisions that are taken at national level.  In these circumstances the timescales for the schemes and measures set out below will need to be flexible to take advantage of the implementation opportunities as they occur.     

Partnership

The County Council in partnership with operators, District Councils, Parish Councils and others will work together towards the objectives of improving and providing suitable high quality public transport interchanges in Warwickshire. The County Council will work with its partners to secure funding from the Local Transport Plan settlement and from other appropriate sources of funding, including developer contributions.

Each specific initiative is identified together with the likely timescales for its delivery in either, the short term, medium term or long term.  For the purposes of this strategy, short term will be for the period 2011, medium term will be the period from 2011 and 2016 and long term will be the period 2016 onwards. 

Quality of Public Transport Interchange and New Public Transport Interchange Facilities 

'Simple to Use'

New Public Transport Interchange Facilities

New Developments

Improvements to Public Transport Information

Indicators and Monitoring

The Public Transport Interchange Strategy has established a range of desired standards, indicators and implementation targets for enhancements to the public transport network. Monitoring the delivery of the actions outlined in the Public Transport Interchange Strategy will be an important part of the management and control process. Progress against the identified actions and standards will be reviewed on a regular basis to make certain that the Strategy is achieving the desired outcome.

All monitoring, benchmarking and measuring will allow changes to be identified, incorporated and updated.

The aim of the targets is to create a virtual circle of continued improvement.