Mayor's Transport Strategy

[snoggle]

Seems the new version of the Mayor's Transport Strategy will be published for consultation tomorrow (source - Guardian)

Main media headlines are fewer car journeys through road charging, restricting car parking in new developments, more walking and cycling. Nothing referenced re buses, Tube, rail, trams or river in the newspaper article.

Links etc to be added when available.

[snoggle]

The consultation on the Strategy is now open.

consultations.tfl.gov.uk/policy/mayors-transport-strategy/

Not read any of it yet so will come back later.

[snowman]

Jun 21, 2017 8:31:11 GMT snoggle said:

The consultation on the Strategy is now open.

consultations.tfl.gov.uk/policy/mayors-transport-strategy/

Not read any of it yet so will come back later.

The timeline table on page 95 shows buses in red.

It says all new buses will be hybrid, electric or hydrogen from now (now is current-2018 per elsewhere in document), so if adopted looks like end of new diesel single decks in 2019.

From 2030 all buses to be zero emission or hybrid, so looks like 31/12/29 is last day when pure diesel operated buses permitted

From 2037 all buses to be zero emission, so appears end 2036 is when last hybrid buses need to have left.

There is a more detailed split of dates between inner and outer London and single and double on page 97

[snoggle]

Well I'm still scanning my way through the draft MTS but the following snippets relate to buses. I'm not repeating the vehicle emission point.

1. Public transport is third behind walking and cycling in the transport hierarchy.
2. Very heavy emphasis on reducing road speeds and vehicle caused deaths and casualties and that has significant impacts for bus speeds, driving and vehicle design.
3. No commitment to an expansion of bus services. References to "shaping the network to respond to demand". That looks like an overall cut to me if you are "encouraging" people to walk and cycle as priorities.
4. Reallocation of road space to walking and cycling inevitably means reduced / narrower traffic lanes meaning buses will be slower until such point as car traffic is reduced.
5. Reference to different forms of bus services - e.g. High volume, high frequency links to developments and demand response buses in outer London. Let's hope everyone is given a free smartphone by the Mayor to be able to use the latter!!!
6. More branding trials and possible different vehicle designs to be trialled.
7. Enhanced "on board services" such as air conditioning and the never ending emphasis on driver training. How many times are bus drivers going to be trained to do their job?

On the bus network, there will be improved customer information during disruption and delays, as well as enhanced on-board services (e.g. cleanliness, seating and air conditioning).
New customer service standards will be developed for bus stations, and customer-focused training – with a continuing emphasis on equality issues particularly for older and disabled people
– will be delivered to all bus drivers and front-line staff

8. More vehicle redesign on accessibility - more space for wheelchairs, new design of boarding ramps, induction loops to be fitted (I thought they already were?).
9. More on the "shaping and growing the bus network"

Policy 13

The Mayor, through TfL and the boroughs, will transform the quality of bus services so that they offer faster, more reliable, accessible, comfortable and convenient travel by public transport, while being integrated with, and complementing, the rail and Tube networks.

This flexibility also makes buses the perfect means of providing convenient public transport options in areas of London that are changing. As the Healthy Streets Approach is applied to realise the benefits of more walking, cycling and public transport use across the city, the character of many parts of London will change over time. Using buses to support these changes will allow public transport links to be added where they are needed now, and potentially reviewed as cycling and walking become more common options in the future.

The Healthy Streets Approach will support buses by reasserting the priority of walking, cycling and public transport over private vehicle use, and taking an integrated approach to planning these complementary modes. It is therefore important at this pivotal moment in the future of London’s transport system that a strategic view of how the bus network operates is taken.

Current work to re-shape the bus network

The current strategy for bus network development is to redistribute resources to reflect changing patterns of demand. There has, and will continue to be in the short and medium term, a fall in demand for buses in central London as passengers transfer to the new and upgraded rail network (e.g. Elizabeth line) and to cycling and walking. Too many buses where they are not needed means too much cost, greater congestion and increased pollution. Resources are therefore being redistributed from central London to outer London, where the potential for mode shift to buses is greatest, and to areas of housing growth where demand is forecast to rise the most.

This strategic approach is supported by more focused reviews of services, such as a recently completed study of bus routes serving hospitals. This research concluded that, while most hospitals have a good bus service, changes in NHS service provision mean that some bus services could need to be adjusted. A specific set of proposals has been developed by TfL, although most require additional funding and infrastructure such as bus stands.

Improving bus journey times and reliability

Taking the Healthy Streets Approach in inner and outer London will require a significant uplift in the number of journeys made by bus instead of car. Across London, reasonable and reliable bus journey times are essential to the attractiveness of bus services to existing and potential customers. TfL will make sure bus routes are adequately resourced, contracts are incentivised to ensure reliable journeys, and supporting infrastructure (e.g. bus priority, stops and stands) is protected and enhanced. However, the greatest threat to journey times and reliability is from road congestion caused by cars and other traffic as well as by the increasing volume of utilities road works. Buses therefore need to be given greater priority on London’s streets. TfL will start by making the best use of existing bus priority by reviewing the hours of operation and reducing interference from general traffic. The Mayor will review whether lanes that do not currently operate in off-peak hours, or on Saturdays and Sundays, should be extended to operate at these times or on these days. This can be delivered quickly and at low cost.

Further bus priority will be essential to give Londoners a good public transport experience. This will be planned in a new, holistic way with other road users: for example, opportunities for further improvements for cycling will be integrated into the scheme design. This will achieve the best result for public transport, walking, cycling and essential freight, as well as improving the public realm and reducing emissions. Central London is where there is the greatest opportunity to improve bus journey times and reliability through the deployment of bus priority measures. These will include 24-hour bus lanes and bus- and cycle-only corridors, all of which will help future-proof the bus network from further congestion as well as improve air quality. Where possible, new bus priority corridors in central London will be located away from the key cycle routes.

Many of the main radial roads in inner London are key bus routes to central London. They carry large numbers of people and it is essential they continue to do this reliably. But these bus routes must also work well for the communities and town centres they pass through. Measures to improve bus reliability on these routes will include revised bus lane hours, traffic signal priority, policing and enforcement, behaviour change initiatives and priority measures. To improve air quality, low-emission buses will be deployed along these routes.

[snoggle]

More stuff - this time on new types of bus service!

New types of bus service
As London’s population grows, new types of service, such as more express routes, may be needed to cater for changing patterns of demand; alongside this, communication and branding will be enhanced to promote more strongly the bus network to customers.

In addition, new forms of mobility are rapidly emerging as different business models and technology evolve and, if not managed well, these threaten the provision and viability of London’s bus services. The suggested approach to managing these is set out in Chapter six.

All of the above can only be successful if the public has an ongoing opportunity to shape and comment on TfL’s plans. Targeted consultation will be carried out on all service changes, and TfL will work with boroughs to discuss aspirations for bus priority and the local bus network. Work will continue to benefit from the expertise of bus operators, who have an essential role to play in the delivery of a high-quality network.

Bus transit
New types of services, including highquality bus transit, can unlock new areas for development (enabling housing densities akin to those associated with light rail). Bus transit services
generally consist of enhanced vehicles and infrastructure, for example highcapacity buses running on dedicated carriageways, but can also take the form of continuous bus priority. A major benefit of bus transit is that, by providing fast, reliable, sustainable bus connections from the outset, it can kick-start housing development ahead of investment in rail links to serve the area. This may require a different approach to planning less well-connected areas to provide investors with the confidence that other forms of public transport will be available in future.

Proposal 86

The Mayor, through TfL and the boroughs, will pilot bus transit networks in outer London Opportunity Areas with the aim of bringing forward development, either ahead of rail investment or
to support growth in places without planned rail access.

New bus connections

More diffuse growth can be supported by smaller improvements to the existing network, including providing new routes or enhancing or extending bus priority, coupled with improvements for walking and cycling. For example, the benefits of the Silvertown Tunnel will be maximised through the delivery of new cross-river bus services, which will increase the potential to deliver new housing and improve access to jobs.

New demand-responsive bus services

It will be important to explore new ‘mobility’ models (described in more detail in Chapter six) that enable wider growth, for example demand-responsive services. This should be focused in outer London, where more ‘conventional’ forms of public transport are less economically viable and car dependency is higher. These areas, shown in Figure 42, often have relatively low PTALs. About one third of Londoners live in areas with the lowest (0, 1a and 1b) PTALs.

In such areas, new services could offer the potential to reduce car ownership, cater for more diverse trip patterns and respond to changing lifestyles. This could support denser development in areas where it has traditionally been more difficult to provide more frequent public transport. In conjunction with measures to promote cycling and walking, demand-responsive services should deliver overall benefits for health and the environment. The flexible nature of these services could also support early transport provision in new areas of development, ahead of permanent infrastructure/fixed routes.

Proposal 87

The Mayor, through TfL and the boroughs, will explore the role for demand-responsive bus services to enable further sustainable housing development, particularly in otherwise difficult to serve areas of outer London.

New public transport and higher occupancy services

As these changes occur, TfL will continue its role of providing a public transport network to meet London’s economic, environmental and social needs. Should technology enable new higher-occupancy services, such as those using vehicles larger than a taxi but smaller than conventional buses, TfL will look to use these to extend the reach of its network, where this is needed. Where other providers wish to deliver similar services, these should look to complement this essential public transport network and provide alternatives to car travel. They should not undermine TfL’s ability to deliver any of the aims of this strategy, impact on its network management duties or cause additional congestion, particularly in central and inner London.

TfL will explore any opportunities for new ways to help reduce car use further alongside improvements to ‘conventional’ bus and other public transport services, helping to make better use of road space. Demand-responsive bus services, which operate without necessarily fixed routes or frequencies, are one particular application that could potentially cater for gaps in service provision where public transport is required. This could offer benefits particularly in outer London where travel patterns are characterised by trips having many different start
and end points, and consequently conventional public transport is less able to provide services that cater for people’s needs. These demand-responsive services could also help address demand pinch-points or provide alternatives where car travel still predominates.

Proposal 99

The Mayor, through TfL, will explore and trial demand-responsive bus services as a possible complement to ‘conventional’ public transport services in London.

Looks like the Mayor and TfL want to strictly control the potential impact of services like Uber and other forms of car sharing service where it would encourage more car traffic in areas and / or undermine the viability of existing TfL controlled services. No sign of TfL relinquishing its monopoly control of much of the transport network!! Similar issues apply to the use of autonmous vehicles as well.