BOSTON & DISTRICT BYPASS PRESSURE GROUP

BOSTON TRANSPORT STUDY - PROGRESS TO DATE

The Project Brief identified that SRG3 (Stakeholder Reference Group 3) would "take the form of a letter which will set out progress to date, including the results of the qualitative appraisal." Therefore the purpose of this letter is to inform you of the next stage of the study. As you will recall, the Study is being carried out to see how transport problems in Boston can be tackled up to the year 2021. The aim is to make Boston and its surrounding area a more attractive place in which to live, work and visit, by identifying a Transport Strategy for future implementation in Boston.

By completion, in the summer of 2006, the study will have: -

• Identified existing and future transport problems in Boston, and, where possible, quantified them
• Identified desirable outcomes that the Transport Strategy should achieve
• Identified those options that should be assessed
• Assessed those options against the criteria and using the methodology set out below to determine whether they should be included in the final Strategy
• Consulted with key Stakeholders during the course of the Study at the SRG2 (Stakeholder Reference Group 2) event
• Consulted with the public and key Stakeholders on the various packages towards the end of the Study at a venue near the centre of Boston
• Produced a vision report for the implementation of the study outcomes

Where Are We Now?

Transport Problems

The transport problems and issues within Boston were presented at the Stakeholder Reference Group workshop held on 6 September 2005, and there was broad agreement from those present that these were correct. The problems identified and agreed are summarised below :

Problem 1 - High volumes of traffic on A16 & A52 through the town
Problem 2 - Congestion at A52 Liquorpond Street/A16 Haven Bridge Road/A16 Spalding Road junction
Problem 3 - Congestion at Al 6 Haven Bridge Road/A16 John Adams Way/Port junction
Problem 4 - Large number of small car parks spread out around the town centre, with poor signage to them
Problem 5 - Rat-running traffic using inappropriate roads, both residential and rural roads
Problem 6 - Poor "Town" bus service
Problem 7 - Unreliable bus services due to congestion
Problem 8 - Bus services in peak hours are primarily for educational users, not commuters
Problem 9 - Buses and bus station lack modern facilities
Problem 10 - Cycle/vehicle conflicts, leading to accidents
Problem 11 - Pedestrian/vehicle conflicts, leading to accidents, delays and severance
Problem 12 - Localised poor air quality (Air Quality Management Area)
Problem 13 - Future development sites situated away from existing housing and transport facilities

Strategy Outcomes

"Strategy Outcomes" are the specific results that the Transport Strategy should achieve on the ground in Boston. Since the last Stakeholder Reference Group event, the Outcomes have been discussed and agreed by the Study Team (the Joint Officer Group). The agreed Outcomes are summarised as follows:

Outcome A - To have less traffic on inappropriate routes
Outcome B - A reduction in the number and severity of crashes (all modes)
Outcome C - Reduced delays for traffic on A52/Al 6 corridor with safe facilities for vulnerable users
Outcome D - Improved access to facilities, especially for those who are mobility impaired and those without access to a car
Outcome E - Improved road safety for Non Motorised Users, especially in the vicinity of schools
Outcome F - Improved cycling and pedestrian management in the town centre
Outcome G - Greater clarity and consistency of priority within the highway for all users
Outcome H - Improved connectivity between shopping areas and public transport facilities
Outcome I - Priority for Public Transport into and within the town centre
Outcome J - Increased public transport access and provision
Outcome K - Improved air quality in the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)
Outcome L - Reduced car usage for trips wholly within Boston
Outcome M - Effective management of car parking
Outcome N - Limiting the impact of development
Outcome O - Improved cross-town movements

Options Accepted, Rejected and "Ongoing"

At the SRG2 event, various options were presented by the study team for consideration for possible inclusion in the final Transport Strategy. SRG members also suggested additional options. All the Options that met the strategy outcomes and were both viable and cost effective were then taken forward into a "sifting" process, known as Qualitative Appraisal, to see if any of the Options could be rejected at an early stage - this would allow the appraisal time to be concentrated on only assessing those Options that were considered feasible. The criteria against which they were judged and the methodology is described below:

Criteria & Methodology

The Qualitative Appraisal of all the options listed above was carried out by the Study Team (the Joint Officer Group). This "sifting" process was carried out using the following steps. Firstly, each option was assessed to decide whether it was :

• Feasible from an engineering/planning point of view
• Publicly and politically acceptable
• Deliverable from a cost/funding source point of view

If the answer was "no" to any of the above, the option was classified as "rejected". The remaining options were then qualitatively appraised to assess their contribution towards :

• Easing the agreed Problems stated above
• Achieving the agreed Outcomes stated above
• Achieving the Policy Objectives (presented at the SRG2 workshop)
• Achieving the 5 Government Objectives (environment, economy, safety, accessibility and integration)

Some options were neither accepted nor rejected but considered as `ongoing' i.e. would occur outside the Transport Study.
The options accepted, rejected or considered to be "ongoing" are shown in Table I below:

Table 1

Where do we go from here?

The study has now progressed through a number of different stages. The diagram below shows the different stages involved, and the current percentages of completion.

Data Collection

In order to get high quality data on the transport situation in Boston, the following information has
been collected, checked and processed :

• Origins and Destinations of traffic, including HGVs, travelling to, from and through Boston
• Counts of traffic for all turning movements at all major junctions in Boston
• Counts of traffic on the major roads around Boston using Automatic Traffic Counters
• Journey Time Surveys
• Counts of how many people board and leave buses at the Market Place and Bus Station on a
non-market day
• Counts of how many people board and leave trains at the Train Station on a typical day
• Review of car parking usage
• Counts of traffic using Asda and Pilgrim Hospital

Updating the Traffic Model

The Boston traffic model represents the road network using links and nodes (nodes = junctions, links = roads in between junctions). The previous SATURN traffic model is now being updated to make sure that the traffic flows and journey times are similar to real life. This is due to be completed shortly. The model will then be available to test relevant Strategy Packages (see below).

What Happens Next ?

The options to be assessed further will be grouped into "Packages". The Packages will then be tested
to allow comparisons to be made between the different Packages. This testing is known as
Quantitative Appraisal.

A Public Consultation & SRG4 Event is planned for May 2006, to present the results of the Quantitative Appraisal and to give the SRG members and the public the opportunity to give their views on the various Packages. You will be informed of the exact date and location of this event in due course.

I hope that the above provides you with an update on progress to date. If you have any queries or observations on the above or have any other information that you feel is relevant, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

(Name not published for privacy respect)

Project Manager
Boston Transport Study