Report to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport
Report submitted by: Interim Executive Director for Environment
Date: 5 December 2013
Part l
Electoral Divisions affected:
Accrington North,
Accrington South,
Accrington West, Great
Harwood, Oswaldtwistle,
and Rishton & Clayton-leMoors
Pennine Reach - Proposed Improvements to Bus Stops
(Appendix 'A' refers)
Contact for further information:
Chris Anslow, 01772 534673, Environment Directorate,
chris.anslow@lancashire.gov.uk
Executive Summary
Improvements to existing bus stops as part of Pennine Reach Major Transport
Scheme.
This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order No 25
have been complied with.
Recommendation
The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport is asked that approval is given
for improvements to 3 bus stops for which objections have been received. The bus
stops are listed and shown on plans at Appendix 'A'. The objections are also
detailed in Appendix 'A'. The estimated cost for these improvements is £30,000
and will be funded through the Pennine Reach scheme.
Background and Advice
Pennine Reach is a major public transport scheme which is aimed at improving
public transport in Hyndburn, Blackburn and Darwen. The scheme was given Final
Funding approval by the Department for Transport (DfT) in October 2013 and the
project has now progressed to the delivery and construction stage with full
completion and implementation expected in early 2016.
Pennine Reach is intended to be one of the key catalysts for regeneration and
economic growth within the Pennine Lancashire area. The scheme will not only
improve access to existing employment areas but assist in unlocking new
development sites. It will also contribute to improving the quality of life for the people
it will serve through providing better accessibility to education, health and leisure
facilities.
Pennine Reach focuses on the trunk bus routes between Accrington and Blackburn
via Clayton-le-Moors, Great Harwood, Rishton and Oswaldtwistle and between
Accrington, Blackburn and Darwen. Through a mixture of physical engineering, new
technology, high quality buses, improved timetables and ticketing and improved bus
stops and waiting facilities the scheme is designed to make public transport more
attractive and a real alternative to the private car.
Improving bus stops and passenger waiting environments on the route is key to the
success of Pennine Reach. As part of Pennine Reach, the bus stops along the route
have been reviewed to consider:




The location of existing and/or new stops in terms of convenience for potential
passengers, distance between stops, suitability of footway, highway safety,
current guidance and recommendations and the needs of other road users
and residents,
Whether there are bus stops that can be removed – if there are any redundant
bus stops that are poorly used or bus stops that are inappropriately located,
The facilities at the bus stop and whether they are fit for purpose and
appropriate for the level of use,
Improving accessibility to bus stops and bus services for all, in particular for
wheelchair users, people with mobility difficulties and people with pushchairs
or heavy bags.
The bus stop facilities on the route will be improved and refreshed with new
surfacing, new/refreshed road markings, new/replacement raised kerbs and boarding
points and new/replacement shelters or poles.
Currently, there are in total 131 bus stops on the planned Pennine Reach route. The
Pennine Reach scheme aims to improve 118 of these stops and to remove 13 bus
stops.
As part of the initial review of bus stops on the Pennine Reach route, site visits were
carried out to every bus stop which formed the development of the proposals. Key
stakeholders attended including highway engineers, representatives from the County
Council's Local Bus Services and Public Transport Development teams and the bus
operators.
There are 9 bus stops around the route and several stops in Accrington Town Centre
where designs are still being drawn up, developed and amended or where
consultation is continuing. These remaining stops will be the subject of further
reports to the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport following the
determination of final plans and, where objections still stand, further consideration to
try and address consultees' concerns.
Consultations have been undertaken with interested parties as described below.
Consultations
Further consultations on the proposals were carried out where the improvements
would lead to a change in the location or the removal of a bus stop, the introduction
of a shelter where there is none presently, a significant change in the shelter type,
scale or position, or an increase in the bus stop clearway length. In total 71 bus
stops were consulted on.
The following bodies and individuals were consulted:
1.
Hyndburn Borough Council
A full set of the bus stop consultation plans was sent to Hyndburn Borough
Council officers. No comments were received.
2.
Local County and Borough Councillors
All County and local councillors were sent consultation plans of the bus stops
located in their areas. No specific comments were received, although one
Councillor asked to be kept informed on stops in their area where comments or
objections were received.
3.
Local Bus Operators
Following the initial site visit, comments from the bus operator were
incorporated into the consultation plans. Once developed, the consultation
plans for all the stops were then sent to the bus operators. No adverse
comments were received.
4.
The Lancashire Constabulary
A full set of the bus stop consultation plans was sent to the Police. No adverse
comments were received.
5.
County Council Highways Officer (safety)
The highways officer worked closely with the design team throughout the
development of the proposals and had input into all the bus stop designs.
6.
County Council Local Bus Services Team
Comments from the Local Bus Services Team were accommodated into the
initial designs. Once drawn up, the bus stop consultation plans were again
discussed with the Local Bus Services Team and a few further detailed
comments were made and incorporated into the final designs.
7.
County Council Cycling Officer
The cycling Officer made some detailed comments to improve facilities for
cyclists in and around the bus stops and, where possible, these have been
included within the bus stop plans.
8.
Frontages at Bus Stop Locations
Frontages at bus stop locations were sent details of the proposals for the bus
stop adjacent to their property and invited to comment.
County Council officers have worked to resolve any objections received. When
feasible, alternative options have been identified which would offer similar
convenience to bus passengers, or provide similar benefits that contribute towards
the improvement of public transport facilities.
However, 3 bus stops have outstanding objections against them that cannot be
resolved or accommodated and approval is now sought to allow the proposals for
these 3 stops to go ahead. The stops are listed and shown on plans in Appendix 'A'
along with details of the objections and officer comments.
Implications:
This item has the following implications, as indicated:
Financial
Capital Implications
The total cost for the full Pennine Reach Major Public Transport Scheme is £39.9
million (rounded). The DfT will meet 90% of this cost, contributing £31.9 million to the
scheme. The remaining balance of £8 million will be funded through local
contributions, with a £5.1 million local contribution from Blackburn with Darwen
Borough Council and a £2.9 million local contribution from Lancashire County
Council. The County Council's contribution is made up from £2.73 from the
Transport Capital Programme and a secured Section 106 fund of £0.17 million.
Pennine Reach is now in the delivery stage and work should continue from the end
of 2013 with full completion and implementation expected in spring 2016. It should
be noted that the funding profile for the Pennine Reach scheme has been agreed
with the DfT as part of the Final Funding approval. The DfT has stipulated that this
timescale must be adhered to as closely as possible and that it would be very difficult
to accommodate any slippage in their funding provision. Should the programme slip
beyond the funding period, it may fall to Lancashire County Council and Blackburn
with Darwen Council as the scheme promoters to meet any outstanding cost
transfer.
Within the Pennine Reach budget a total of £1.42 million (rounded) has been
allocated to improving bus stops and bus shelters within Hyndburn. The cost of
improving the 3 bus stops as set out in this report, including providing shelters, will
be approximately £30,000 and will be funded through Pennine Reach.
Revenue Implications
The contract for the provision of bus shelters on the Pennine Reach route includes
on-going cleaning and maintenance for a period of five years. A revenue provision
will need to be considered once a shelter has been installed for five years.
Human Rights
The view has been expressed that the erection of a bus shelter could interfere with
residents’ Article 8 Convention Rights, namely right to respect for home private and
family life, contrary to the County Council's obligation under the Human Rights Act
1998 to act compatibly with Convention rights. Further, it has been suggested that
the erection of a bus shelter could interfere with the rights set out in Article 1 of the
First Protocol, the peaceful enjoyment of property, which could extend to the rights of
businesses affected. Whilst these Convention rights are recognised it is important to
note that they are qualified rights, interference with which may be justified.
Accordingly, they must be balanced against the general rights and interests of the
wider community, including the users of public transport. Taking into account all
relevant factors, these latter rights are considered to prevail.
Crime and Disorder
The scheme contributes to the objective of developing and maintaining a safe and
effective transport system and can improve the confidence of the users of public
transport. The provision of modern bus shelters with seating, lighting and bus
service information plays a significant role towards achieving this objective by
providing an inviting and secure waiting environment both day and night. Although
there is a risk that in some areas a bus shelter may attract anti-social behaviour,
features are incorporated to deter or minimise this, such as vandal-proof fittings (as
far as this is practicable), clear glazing to allow occupants to be seen (both to deter
unacceptable behaviour and to enhance security for legitimate users) and light
extinguishment during the night when buses are not operating.
Risk management
The detail design phase of the Pennine Reach scheme has been subject to an
extensive risk management process. This includes a fully quantified risk register
which has been regularly reviewed through the design process to ensure that all
risks are mitigated as fully as possible. A contingency has also been allowed to take
into account any unforeseen risk.
List of Background Papers
Paper
Date
Contact/Directorate/Tel
Local Authority Major Projects
– Development Pool
Schemes. Expression of
Interest
January 2011
Chris
Anslow/Environment/01772
534673
Local Authority Major Projects
– Bid for Programme Entry
September 2011
Chris
Anslow/Environment/01772
534673
Report to Cabinet Member for
Highways and Transport
'Pennine Reach Bus Rapid
Transport Scheme – Approval
for the Submission to
Government of an Application
for Final Approval
April 2013
Chris
Anslow/Environment/01772
534673
Local Authority Major
Schemes Application for Full
Approval
April 2013
Chris
Anslow/Environment/01772
534673
Reason for inclusion in Part II, if appropriate
N/A.