Transport

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To ensure people can reach the facilites they need by: designing out the need to travel, encouraging walking and cycling, encouraging public transport use and accommodating private cars in a way that minimises their impact and promotes a reduction in their use.

Read the background on Transport

Question 4.1

Objective

To manage the impact of traffic generated by the development upon the existing transport infrastructure and the community.

Importance:

Question

Has a Transport Assessment been carried out?

Targets and Justification

Best: Mitigation of impacts planned into design through the provision of infrastructure, amenity or services which will be of community benefit and a non-motorised user audit as well as a risk assessment are carried out
Good: Impacts identified in transport assessment are acceptable given benefits of development
Minimum: Local Authority Requirements met for appropriate impact assessments

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Small, Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.2

Objective

To provide measures which could enable people to adopt healthier and more sustainable transport patterns.

Importance:

Question

Has a Travel Plan or plans been proposed for the development (workplace, school, residential as appropriate) and are measures to enable building occupiers to use alternatives to the private car promoted?

Targets and Justification

Best: As good practice, plus advice to be given to the development as part of a personalised travel planning programme including options to work from home
Good: Workplace, school and/or residential travel plan prepared including consultation of cycling design manual
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.3

Objective

To promote the use of teleworking plus telephone and/or video conferencing as an alternative to transport where feasible.

Importance:

Question

Has the developer installed infrastructure in homes and commercial / industrial buildings which will allow the installation and use of telephone and on-line (or wi-fi) communications as an option for work and/or meeting structure, rather than commuting and travel?

Targets and Justification

Best: Fibre network throughout
Good: Ducting in place to allow self-installation
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Small, Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.4

Objective

To enable residents to use and enjoy communal space around homes whilst maintaining vehicular access.

Importance:

Question

Will the development have residential / mixed use streets (excluding primary and public transport routes) designed for non-motorised traffic (e.g. homezone concept)?

Targets and Justification

Best: Focus on both road traffic accident reduction and provision of amenity space to encourage non-traffic street functions
Good: Focus on road traffic accident reduction by reducing the volume and speed of motor vehicles
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.5

Objective

To reduce any need to travel by car to essential facilities by having them within a reasonable walking and cycling distance .

Importance:

Question

Are key trip generators within acceptable walking and cycling distances?

Shop selling food and fresh groceries (500m)
Post box (500m)
Playground/ amenity area (500m)
Post office (1000m)
Bank or cash point machine (1000m)
Pharmacy (1000m)
Primary school (1000m)
Medical Centre (1000m)
Leisure facilities (1000m)
Local meeting place / community centre (1000m)
Public house (1000m)
Public park or village green (1000m)
Child care facility (nursery or creche) (1000m)
Bus stop (500m)
Railway station (2000m where geographically possible)

Targets and Justification

Best: A, B, C, N and O plus any five of the other items listed (bicycle parking provision is incorporated where feasible)
Good: A, B, C, N and O
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Small, Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.6

Objective

To ensure the development is easily accessible by foot and by cycle.

Importance:

Question

Incorporating the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, will there be a network of safe cycle routes to local facilities near to and overlooked by roads and footways?

Targets and Justification

Best: Site wide network which is well planned & segregated (where necessary) with direct links to neighbouring routes taking note of trip generators
Good: Key facilities served by designated cycle routes as set out in Manual for Streets
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.7

Objective

To encourage cycle use by providing good cycle parking at public facilities and accessible secure residential cycle storage.

Importance:

Question

What provision has been made for secure bicycle storage in new dwellings, at local facilities and at transport nodes?

Targets and Justification

Best: Lockers or secure compound with CCTV
Good: Cycle Parking (Sheffield Stands) at all public buildings and communal areas, as well as schools and workplaces
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Small, Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.8

Objective

To manage the car parking available as an incentive to use public transport and other methods of mobility and communication where feasible.

Importance:

Question

How will car parking standards compare with local authority requirements?

Targets and Justification

Best: Significant restraint / no additional car parking. Provision of significant alternative transport such as car pools, community buses, car clubs, car share infrastructure
Good: More stringent than the Local Authority maximum with parking restraint measures and some provision of alternative modes (e.g. limited on-site spaces, limited garage space, cycle parking space in dwellings and on-street)
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Medium and Large developments.

Question 4.9

Objective

To provided flexible space which can accommodate other uses outside the areas of peak parking demand.

Importance:

Question

What % of car parks will be designed to be for flexible use (e.g. play space, market space) when not being used for parking?

Targets and Justification

Best: >20%
Good: 10-20%
Minimum: See relevant local planning authority standard

Applies to Developments

This question applies to Medium and Large developments.

Policy Links

Proposed updates for RSS policies are being considered and site users should be aware of anticipated changes from the Examination in Public Panel Report and Schedules which can be downloaded from the North West Regional Assembly’s website.

RSS

DP1 Regional Development Principles
L1 Health & Education Services Provision
L4 Regional Housing Provision
RT1 Regional Public Transport Framework
RT2 Management & Maintenance of Highway Network
RT6 Parking & Policy Provision
RT7 Regional framework for Walking & Cycling
RT8 Regional Priorities for Transport Investment & Management
W1 Strengthening the Regional Economy

Reference

Development sizes

The checklist has been split into three different versions for different sizes of development:

Small: Up to 10 buildings
(up to 1000m²/0.5ha)
Medium: 11 - 199 buildings
(up to 20000m²/10ha)
Large: 200 - 5,999 dwellings
(over 20000m²/10ha)

If the development is for more than 6,000 houses, we recommend a bespoke checklist should be produced by the developer and local authority.

The set of questions for smaller developments is contained within the set of questions for larger developments.