Renaissance Southend Ltd Southend Borough Council Buses In-Depth Scrutiny 12 December 2007 Mike Lambert – Chief Executive

Background Urban Regeneration Company (URC) for the Borough of Southend Regeneration Framework Central Area Masterplan Development Framework Work in partnership with SSBC on major projects Working alongside SSBC on Southend Transport Study

Regeneration Framework

Central Area Masterplan

Southend Transport Study Funded by Communities and Local Government (CLG) Working alongside SSBC Southend Town Centre Access & Movement Strategy Park & Ride feasibility A127 Corridor Study and Junction improvement analysis South Essex Rapid Transit (SERT) Cinder Path (National Cycle Network 16) Thames Gateway Transport Project Prioritisation – RSL worked alongside SSBC

Bus Priority Considerations Bus priority across the Borough should be seen as part of a wider transport strategy Capacity of all roads, but particularly major routes should be seen in terms of people movements as opposed to just vehicle movements Congestion levels on key routes at peak times will increase over time without intervention Single occupancy in cars at am peak times along A127 and A13 is high at 85% Southend has relatively low levels of bus use for a range of trips Many short trips within the Borough by car which could be on public transport Relatively low levels of car ownership compared to national figures

Bus Operator Considerations Operators are important and working alongside them part of the solution Buses compete with traffic across the Borough making it a less attractive option Buses need to become an attractive alternative to the car – reliability, real-time information, good quality buses and shelters Operators can react to market demands – or in partnership with the public sector and developers, can create demand Bus operators cannot do it on their own – Need for a commitment to bus priority as part of a transport strategy

Social Impacts Regeneration Framework and Central Area Masterplan set out an ambitious vision for growth in line with the Council’s Core Strategy The evidence suggests that congestion will increasingly become a constraining factor on the Borough’s economy Growth in the economy will bring new employment and training opportunities for all Southend residents More people will work in Southend as the economy grows – they cannot all travel to work by car Economic growth will improve the tourism market Not all residents have access to a car – the bus network must be improved to serve all residents Congestion must be tackled through a range of measures – including greater prominence of bus priority throughout the Borough

New Opportunities Three major projects along A127 –Progress Road –Victoria Circus A13/A127 –Priory Crescent The opportunity to include bus priority through each junction to ‘future proof’ bus priority SERT offers opportunity for new bus priority – could attract Interreg IVB European funding for Victoria Circus SERT could link town centre, airport, hospital, Progress Road Need to build on the momentum from the Southend Transport Study

Fastrack – Kent Thameside

Fastrack continued

Renaissance Southend Ltd