LTP4 meeting outcomes
The consultation for East Sussex county Council’s Local Transport Plan 4 closes on Sunday 25th February 2024.
If you haven’t already submitted your response, you may be interested in the outcomes of an LTP4 workshop/meeting organised by Eastbourne Eco Action Network and held at Eastbourne Town Hall, on Monday 12th February.
But first, some general comments:
LTP4 contains a list of six objectives and we can agree with most of these. The problem is that there is no clear commitment to achieve any of these objectives. No measurable targets and no review dates have been set to monitor progress. The implementation plan lists many schemes we’d all like to see, but these are all subject to funding sources, which haven’t been agreed. We’re unlikely to see many of these schemes implemented in the medium term, but theoretically the consultation process should help to identify priorities. Sadly, the form only allows for a few free text inputs with 3000 characters (not words) in each, so we have to be really selective about what we choose to include..
Essential things missing in LTP4 include a target to reduce traffic – that’s fundamental.
The LTP4 Health Impact Assessment states in item 2.6 that
“The theme ‘safety, health and air quality’ was ranked as the most important in ESCC with 79% of respondents selecting it as an important theme for the forthcoming LTP.”
Why then, are there no significant plans to introduce 20mph speed limits in urban areas? 20mph urban speed limits are being introduced across the UK, widely acknowledged to improve road safety, encourage active travel, which in turn reduces congestion and improves air quality. East Sussex is falling behind.
We should remind ESCC that 85% of pedestrian casualties are on 30mph roads and the number is increasing in East Sussex. Also, contrary to messages that regularly come from ESCC, you need 20mph speed limits across wide areas to see real benefit – and this would be cheaper to implement than short stretches with speed bumps. Wales has already seen speed limits reduce by 4mph, which will lead to 24% fewer collisions , fewer deaths and severe injuries and will have a significant impact on the NHS.
There is a serious lack of commitment to develop cycle networks that people will be able to, and want to, use for their daily commutes and leisure activities. Worth noting that Eastbourne is in the UK bottom 15% for cycle safety. A high priority for Eastbourne is a safe seafront cycle path.
Cars are getting bigger, more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, more damaging to roads and they take up more space on our streets. Can ESCC introduce higher parking charges for bigger cars?
Brighton & Hove have shown how bus priority measures encourage people to move from cars to buses. We’d ask ESCC, as well as our district and borough councils, to be brave and help to get more introduced.
LTP4 plans for rural bus services centre around Flexibus, but 95% of Demand Responsive Transport schemes are making a loss.
Reducing rail season ticket prices has been shown to lead to an increase in passenger numbers and profit.
What we didn’t want to see: Building new roads and widening existing ones is still high on the LTP4 agenda, even though we know that widening roads doesn’t ease congestion, it just moves it a bit further down the road. Putting in a new road doesn’t always help the economy (SACTRA conclusions).
And, maybe suggest that if our council want more people to engage in consultations that have far reaching implications, they could make them a little easier for the general public to engage with. The documents are well written, but lack pictures and positive visions of what change could look like.
We recommend reading Guidance notes on LTP4 from Paul Humphreys for more help on completing the LTP4 consultation.
Below you will find the output from our recent meeting, starting with those all important key targets, followed by a range of ideas and suggestions for the implementation plan. Note that some are already in LTP4 – but it can’t hurt to emphasise what your priorities are.
On this page:
Other useful information sources:
- Summary of LTP4 objectives and outcomes – 2 min read
- Consultation survey questions – 2 min read
- Guidance notes on LTP4 from Paul Humphreys – 5 min read
- Response to LTP4 from Lewes Climate hub
- See Norman Baker’s summit presentation with thoughts on LTP4 – video and transcript available
Key targets
ESCC have identified some KPIs here for monitoring and evaluating their implementation plans. Some of these align perfectly with our own, although no figures have been published yet and no review dates identified. This must happen and we need to emphasise this in any response to the consultation. Suggest 5 year interim targets, review every 2 years.
The ESCC targets are listed below alongside additional and revised targets identified by EEAN and participants at the recent LTP4 meeting. We have added references to the LTP4 Themes and Objectives they support.
ESCC KPI 1: Reduction in carbon emissions by transport.
EEAN notes
- Agreed as essential key target – data already published every year by Local Authorities.
- Supports Theme A and Objective 3
ESCC KPI 2: Reduction in NOx, SOx and particulate pollution levels in urban areas.
EEAN notes
- Agreed as essential key target – should be based on DEFRA targets, when these are known. London already tracking theirs. Can ESCC do the same?
- 36,000 deaths a year from air pollution due to long term exposure from PM 2.5 particles, the majority of deaths linked to road transport
- Supports Theme A and Objective 3
ESCC KPI 3: Increase in active travel mode share over time, by different user groups if data is available
- Agreed as essential key target.
- DfT produces annual statistics by LAs.
- Supports Theme B and Objective 2
ESCC KPI 4: Reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured by road and rail transport
EEAN notes
- This ESCC target will not tackle the underlying safety issue of our transport systems, the vulnerability of pedestrians and cyclists.
- There should be a specific target to reduce the serious injuries and fatalities caused to pedestrians and cyclists in addition to more general target for road and rail.
- This is essential to encourage a modal shift to active travel, which in turn will help to reduce congestion and reduce pollution and increase health and wellbeing of the population. Need annual data by LA – some data available from Rospa and Department for Transport .
- Supports Theme B and Objective 1
ESCC KPI 5: Increase in rail and bus mode share over time, by different user groups if data is available
EEAN notes
- Agreed as essential key target
- Supports Theme C and Objective 3
ESCC KPI 6: Measuring the increase in percentage of new allocated sites in Local Plans that are supported by high frequency bus, rail and active travel
EEAN Notes
This target is too loose and would allow for business as usual.
Our firm aim should be that all new housing developments include provision for regular public transport services, and safe routes for cyclist and pedestrians. This revised target is key as it supports all 6 LTP4 objectives
- Supports Theme C and Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
ESCC KPI 7: Measuring the increase in the number of cross-modal interchanges through delivering strategic mobility hubs in East Sussex
EEAN Notes
- Supports Theme C
ESCC KPI 8: Reduced minutes delayed and improved journey time reliability on the Strategic Road Network, Major Road Network and local roads
EEAN notes
- Reducing journey times by car should not be a priority as this is backwards thinking. First, improve reliability and frequency of public transport and that will reduce number of cars on the roads. Reducing congestion will speed up car journeys, but this can only follow improvements to public transport and active transport.
- Focussing on journey times by cars first is likely to have the reverse effect. Plans to widen roads and introduce new dual carriageways will only move the congestion further down the road. It will not solve the real problem – too many cars on the roads.
- Focus instead on encouraging people out of their cars with better public transport and active travel options.
- Data can be found on Google Maps, or from traffic speed monitoring.
ESCC KPI 9: Improved operating performance on the railway network, measured by Public Performance Measure (PPM) and other available passenger and freight performance measures, where available
Supports Theme D
Suggested additional key targets:
The following key targets were identified as missing from the LTP4 implementation plan:
Reduction in toxic run-off from roads
- Introduce requirement to monitor road water run-off, as well as air pollution at transport hotspots.
- Supports Theme A and Objective 4
Reduction in number of journeys made by car
and
Reduction in number of cars owned in the UK
- These targets don’t appear as a KPI anywhere and they should. We must aim to reduce the number of car trips made and the number of cars owned. Car share schemes, car clubs as well as more use of public transport reduce the need for cars – so many households have several cars, with better alternatives they will want to save money with fewer cars.
- DfT provide national data on number of car trips.
- Support Themes A, D and Objectives 3, 4
Reduction of number of households in transport poverty
- Targets need to be set at local level. Eastbourne is a particularly bad outlier in the South East. The Social Market Foundation have researched levels by LAs.
- Transport for the North have done some mapping here. Can TfSE do something similar?
- Support Theme C and Objectives 1, 5
Secondary targets
In addition to the key targets, or KPIs, there are a number of secondary targets that should be considered, since achieving these is key to achieving the key targets above.
East Sussex to increase their Active Travel England rating from 1 to 3
- Lewes Climate hub suggested performance pay of the ESCC Director of Communities, Economies & Transport should be linked to ESCC improving its ranking.
- Supports Theme B and Objectives 1, 2
Increase in number of street miles covered by 20mph maximum speed limits
- Child friendly policy – essential for reducing serious accidents and fatality and essential for encouraging more active travel. Do we want to wait to measure child fatalities to know whether we are getting things right? Knowing we are taking steps that are already proven to reduce serious casualties is important.
- Supports Theme B and Objectives 1,2
Increase in number of school streets
- ESCC already has piloted school streets and we should encourage expansion of this scheme which is key to providing safe walking routes to schools.
- Supports Theme B and Objectives 1, 2
100% of ‘mobility hubs’ to have provision for bike,e-bike, or e-scooter hire drop off and pickup, as appropriate to the location and population size.
- Supports Themes B, C and Objectives 2, 3, 4, 6
Increase in provision of delivery hubs, with low or zero carbon last mile delivery options
- Supports Theme C and Objectives 3, 5
Accessible access to all platforms at all rail stations
- Not all stations are currently accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
- Supports Theme C
All new housing developments to provide alternative car free direct access through housing estates
- This should include walkways with green spaces away from the road.
- Supports Theme A and Objectives 1, 4
Reduction & eventual removal of diesel buses and trains
- Complete electrification plans for local rail links.
- Supports Theme A
Ambition to create a safe cycle network connecting ‘mobility/transport’ hubs with tourist and leisure facilities, schools, shopping centres, residential areas.
- ESCC must be more ambitious with plans for cycle networks. Towns like Eastbourne are ideal for cycling with most central locations in a flat plain, but cycling levels are very low. East Sussex cycling levels are around 1% of all trips, which is well below the national average of 2.2%.
- Lewes Climate Hub suggested “East Sussex should take a leaf out of Oxfordshire’s book: adopt the ambition for creating a comprehensive safe cycle network, to rival the best in Europe by 2040, with the new cycling and walking plan (LCWIP) peer-reviewed by officers in local authorities with the highest rankings in the Active Travel England assessment”
- ESCC should be setting firm targets for increase in cycling numbers and cycle routes
- Set target for distance/length in miles of LT 1/20 type routes.
- Supports Themes B, C, D
Tree quotas for roads
- Can we restore trees to previous levels along roads, choosing trees appropriate to the location?
- It is essential to replace trees lost to disease, or during road maintenance
- Supports Theme A and Objective 4
Reduce noise pollution
Noise pollution is harmful to physical and mental well-being and have a significant impact on the economy. According to research from UK Health Security Agency, 40% of population are exposed to harmful levels of road traffic noise and the equivalent of 130,000 healthy life years are lost from noise pollution each year in Britain. Sleep disturbance is estimated to cost the uK economy £34 billion a year (RAND Europe). UK parliament update on noise and light pollution.
Traffic hotspots, particularly near residential areas, should be monitored and targets set to reduce noise pollution.
Suggestions for change, listed by LTP4 Objectives
The following suggestions were identified by participants at the recent LTP4 meeting. Some are already part of the LTP4 implementation plan, albeit with no identified funding or commitment. We kept everything we could read in – this is an uncensored list of suggestions. Look for ones you feel strongly about.
We didn’t have time to rank these suggestions during the meeting, but we are still keen to know what your priorities are. We can use this information to push for change with our local councils. If you have ten minutes to spare, please look at our priorities survey.
Meanwhile, you may find some suggestions from the list below you want to include in your response to the LTP4 consultation.
Objective 1: Safer and Accessible Journeys
- More evening buses to improve personal safety. 1.1
- Secure bike storage 1.1
- Develop transport hubs, creating safe and pleasant places to rest, relax and access range of transport options 1.4
- Better street lighting 1.3
- Increase the number of ‘School streets to encourage active travel to school’ 1.2 Set targets for number of school streets
- Better road & pavement surfaces, 1.1
- Tactile pavements and dropped kerbs 1.1
- Get rid of EV cars 1.3
- Prevent pavement parking to improve accessibility and safety 1.2
- Introduce 20mph wide area speed limits to reduce fatalities & serious injury. Set target for miles of streets with 20mph speed limits 1.2
- Create a comprehensive safe cycle network linking transport hubs, schools, shopping areas, tourist attractions, leisure facilities and residential areas, 1.2
- Introduce bus priority measures to enable more frequent and punctual buses to improve personal safety. 1.1
- Increase availability of taxi services 1.3
- Create ‘one way’ roads/traffic system to provide safe space for active travel 1.2
- Provide bin storage to improve safety and accessibility of pavements 1.3
- Charge bigger cars more to park to encourage smaller, safer cars in towns 1.2
- Maintain zebra crossings with clear road markings for pedestrians/wheelers, especially on school routes 1.2
- Cheaper, simpler, integrated bus and train tickets (as in London) 1.4 and 1.5
- Ensure all stations are accessible by wheelchair/pushchair – (e.g.Battle & Wadhurst are not) 1.1
- Create connected coastal cycle path for East Sussex 1.5
- Pedestrianise town centre 1.2
- Digital info on buses and at bus stops and audio info on buses 1.1
- Set target for Reduction in RTA for pedestrians and cyclists
- More and improved bus shelters 1.3
- Include nurseries with schools when thinking about clean air and lowers speed limits
Objective 2: Support healthier lifestyles and communities
- Ring-fence budget for active travel & set percentage.
- Set targets for increase proportion of walking, wheeling & cycling journeys – 50% increase in active travel. (outcome 2.1)
- Produce and promote better quality tyres
- Councillors must visibly support active travel
- Make it easier to get roads changes through planning (without excess process) Set targets for distance of LT 1/20 type routes (outcome 2.1)
- Higher parking charges for larger cars to encourage smaller cars, leaving more room for active travel
- Slow down speeds to encourage active travel and reduce noise (outcomes 2.1 and 2.5)
- Connected off-road walking & cycling routes
- Reduce number of car trips and number of cars. Set targets for traffic reduction – no. of vehicle trips, and %age of residents with cars and number of cars per household
- Park & Ride schemes
- 20mph round schools (800m perimeter around school)
- Monitor emissions using annual data from DEFRA on PMx and NOx Targets to reduce by x% – according to DEFRA targets (outcome 2.4)
- Increase number of Euro 6 buses short term, then perhaps hybrid, then E-buses and H-buses
- Bus routes to Downs along length of Eastbourne, including Butts Brow (outcome 2.6)
- Police enforcement to stop modified exhausts (outcome 2.5)
- Monitor noise pollution. Set targets for noise pollution.
- work with schools for a programme of walking & cycling
- Bike hire pick-up and drop-off at stations, bus stations, tourist attractions, shopping areas etc
- Increase ESCC rating with Active Travel England. Move Active Travel England rating from 1 to 2 by 2025, and to 4 by 2030
Objective 3: Decarbonise transport & travel
- Only electric trains (Theme A)
- Increase number of electric and/or H2 buses
- Introduce schemes to install home charging for EVs
- Encourage supermarkets and delivery companies to convert to EVs or hydrogen
- Accelerate the viability of H2 production at Newhaven
- Introduce ICE scrappage schemes
- Create ‘one way’ roads/traffic system to provide space and safety for active travel
- Use of parking charges to subsidise active travel/deter use of car (Theme A)
- 20 mph limits to encourage more cycling
- Promote car sharing scheme for car owners
- Reduce the number of journeys made by vehicle. Set Clear target to reduce car travel relative to population size
- Introduce e-bike schemes
- Bike hire pick-up and drop-off at stations, bus stations, tourist attractions, shopping areas etc
- Create transport hubs at key locations
- E-scooter and bike hire pick up and drop off at stations, bus stations, tourist attractions, shopping areas etc 3.1
- Introduce two-part private vehicle taxation to take account of real costs to health & economy; part 1 proportional to emissions, part 2 proportional to weight of vehicle 3.2
- Introduce bus priority measures to improve reliability of buses and encourage modal shift from cars
- Reduce bus and rail fares for young people
- Promote more car club schemes
- EB councillors to proactively support bus priority measures
- Introduce clear targets to reduce car travel relative to population size
- Increase number of electric and/or H2 trains
- Prioritise new rail and bus schemes over new roads and road widening
- Establish local delivery hubs and parcel lockers that people can walk to, to reduce the number of delivery van journeys
- ESCC and EBC to provide roadside EV charging facilities (Theme A in IP)
- Increase in bus services, particularly evenings
- Introduce workplace parking levy (Theme A)
Objective 4: Conserve and enhance our local environment
- Create migratory corridors – access for pedestrians, bikes, animals, but not cars, buses, trains – e.g. along South Downs Way and supporting routes 4.2
- Introduce SUDS with roads – drainage systems where water filtered through reed beds to remove toxins before it enters our water system. Set targets for Biodiversity net gains with road maintenance/improvements 4.1
- Move towards infrastructure materials that are designed to return to nature. .eg tarmac designed to last for 100 years, but is not then compostable. 4.1
- Use biodegradable permeable material that can bind / solidify the ground ad base material for migratory corridors. We should be able to 3D print these affordably. Corn husks / coffee grounds / lignin chemical compounds. 4.1
- When trees lost to ash dieback, or for maintenance, replace with appropriate trees for situation, e.g city streets. 4.3
- Ban AstroTurf in new developments 4.1
- Install planting & benches along cycle paths and footpaths, e.g. Lottbridge Drove 4.2
- Plant edible fruit trees 4.3
- Future technology – wind turbines along central reservation to generate electricity from movement of passing cars 4.1
- Reduce speeds to 20mph to encourage more walking 4.2
- Use permeable paving 4.1
- Install sedum roofs on bus shelters 4.3
- For new developments, prioritise walking & cycle routes to access local facilities (shops, bus, train, schools) Target that 100% of new developments have connected walkways with green spaces away from roads 4.2
- Underground corridors for animals 4.3
- Champion non-car owning households and restore gardens for nature and flood reduction 4.2
- Wildflower programmes on verges for biodiversity. Measure biodiversity Net Gain 4.3
- Requirement to monitor air pollution and road water runoff at transport hotspots, boreholes, aquifers, reservoirs Set targets for clean water, as well as air 4.1
- Calculate environmental impact of tarmac, cars, EVs, Train, Bus, Bike, e-bike, whole life cycle audit 4.1
- Plant more hedgerows- can be used to as a buffer between cars and people. 4.3
- When planting, consider trophic interactions – how insects interact with plants as well as buses and cars. 4.3
- Improve bus services on golden routes, e.g. Black Robin Farm, 4.2
- Measure BNG for new bus routes, adding hedges, trees planting 4.1
- Invest/research into green innovations, e.g. running blades that optimise human motion during running, walking .4.1.
- Stimulate Sussex economy by developing industry for high level refurbishment/remanufacturing of end-of-life vehicles and road infrastructure 4.1
- Replace toxic materials, e/g tarmac, plastic, rubber, with bio-based materials where possible 4.1
- Design transport routes that are appropriate for locality and habitat – different approaches needed for Peatland, wetlands, downland, woodland 4.3..
- Investigate whether community composting could be used to help fertilise transport route diversity – e.g. Veolia project which produces agricultural fertiliser 4.3
Objective 5: Support sustainable economic growth
Congestions hinders our economy, reducing congestion is key .
- Introduce more school streets – encourage walking to school to reduce congestion 5.1
- Introduce café culture & pedestrianisation 5.3
- Stimulate Sussex economy by developing industry for high level refurbishment/remanufacturing of end-of-life vehicles and road infrastructure 5.5
- Last mile delivery (for goods & delivery use cargo bikes) to reduce number of LGVs and HGVs in town centres 5.1
- Cheaper bus and train fares for young people 5.2
- Identify possible freight flows by rail and short sea routes 5.1
- Encourage visitor attractions to promote access by sustainable transport. Target for all key visitor & cultural attractions promoting sustainable transport access by 20?? (outcome 5.4)
- Introduce train from Tunbridge Wells to Brighton 5.4
- Better & more reliable bus services for school routes to reduce congestion 5.1
- 20mph routes to schools & business 5.1
- Reduce transport poverty in our towns, providing more frequent and reliable options for those that can’t afford cars. Targets to reduce transport poverty for each council – Eastbourne particularly bad Outcome 5.2
- Frequent (every 10 minutes) bus services from station to tourist hotspots (e.g. theatres, seafront, Black Robin Farm) and commercial centres 5.4
- Improve transport options between Eastbourne and Hastings that do not require car 5.1
- Regular hospital transport for patients and staff 5.1
- Bus routes between shopping centres without multiple changes 5.3
- Pedestrianise more shopping areas 5.3
- Provide more bus services to support night time economy 5.2
- Dispel parking myths to get businesses on board 5.1
- Introduce bus priority measures to improve reliability and reduce bus journey times 5.1
- Reduce number of parked cars in streets 5.1
- Develop cycle network connecting transport hubs, schools, shops and leisure facilities. meet government target to reach 50% of all urban journeys to be walked or cycled by 2030Outcome 5.2.
- Complete coastal cycle path for Sussex, connecting towns and villages 5.4
- Integrate bus and train timetables 5.1
- Improve accessibility of stations and bus services 5.2
Objective 6: Strengthen the resilience of our transport networks
- Better bus technology, telemetry within bus companies
- More bus lanes/priority measures – eg traffic signals
- Higher parking fees for larger private vehicles to reverse the trend for bigger more damaging cars
- Promote sustainable transport options, e.g. greater use of rail service between Eastbourne & Hastings
- Maintain zebra crossings with clear road markings for pedestrians/wheelers 6.3
- Fix the highways and revise the ‘black top’ (tarmac – road surface) quality specification 6.3
- Digital info on buses and at bus stops and audio info on buses 6.1
- Build cycle network 6.1
- More accessible buses 6.1
- Slower traffic (20mph) for less emissions and reduced noise
- Include children in our thinking and planning and educate the public.
- More stations, e.g. Stone Cross 6.2
- Link to and from Europe via Ashford International
- Stop new developments that ignore pedestrians and cyclists and which don’t support public transport options 5.5
- Redesign Seaside to celebrate ‘place’ – buildings/greenery/artwork – supporting walkable local shops/cafes 4.2
- Cheaper, simpler & Integrated bus and train tickets 6.1
- Make changes beneficial to sustainable transport on the back of other road maintenance
- Prioritise new rail and bus schemes over new roads and road widening 6.3
- Introduce more suds – drainage systems for roads that collect and filter water through reed beds etc, before it enters our waste system 6.2
- Ensure all stations are accessible by wheelchair/pushchair – (e.g.Battle & Wadhurst are not)
- Champion non-car owning households – and restore gardens for nature and flood reduction 6.2
- Integrate bus & train timetables as standard – ensure connections are maintained, when timetables are adjusted 6.1
- Reinstate the Lewes to Uckfield rail link 6.2
- Introduce two-part private vehicle taxation to take account of real costs to health & economy; part 1 proportional to emissions, part 2