Tuesday 12 July 2011

Lambeth Cabinet approves Transport Local Implementation Plan

The draft Transport Local Implementation Plan (LIP) was accepted In June's Lambeth Council Cabinet Meeting and was submitted to Transport for London. The Head of Transportation highlighted that this was a twenty year plan but that it also contained two year projects to design and develop community level plans.

A copy of the LIP and the results of the Public and Stakeholder Consultation on the first can be found as item 5 in the meeting papers


I find the results from the Consultation very encouraging, not least because a lot of people responded.
 1600 questionnaires were sent to a sample of properties in each of Lambeth’s 21 wards and a total of 762 were returned. There were also 243 online responses making a total of 1005 responses. 

The feedback was as follows:
The response to Lambeth’s Road Danger Reduction policy (by reducing the number and speed of motor vehicles) was positive with 89% expressing support.

The response to Lambeth’s new ‘neighbourhood’ approach (that introduces a range of improvements to public spaces rather than single measures to individual streets) was also positive with 82% supporting the policy. Those who provided comments felt that it would help the council to deliver better value for money and show that the council viewed Lambeth’s streets as community spaces and not just a ‘transit zone.’


In the main there was a high level of support for the TRANSPORT OBJECTIVES in the draft LTP with between 90 and 94% support for all of the goals, as follows:


Improve air quality 94%
promote sustainable healthy travel 94%
Reduce real and perceived danger on Lambeth’s roads 91%
Improve the condition of principal roads 90%
Reduce CO2 emissions 90%

All of the DELIVERY ACTIONS set out in the draft LTP received majority support with improving public transport, tackling inconsiderate driving and promoting sustainable transport being the most popular.

Improve public transport via TfL 95%
Tackle inconsiderate driving 93%
Promote sustainable and safe transport 93%
Improve public spaces for pedestrians 89%
Educate motorists to the danger they pose 86%
Improve cycle access 83%
To reduce and slow traffic 80%
Provide secure cycle parking 80%
Promote cycle training 79%
Tackle inconsiderate cycling 79%
To promote use of electric vehicle 63%
Increase the use of Car Club bays 59%

Four key priorities emerged from the general comments received.
1. Cyclists and those wanting to ride should be made to feel safer through dedicated cycle lanes, giving cyclists priority on the road and better promotion of cycling.

2. The condition of principal and secondary roads should be improved to reduce road danger and to encourage more residents to walk and cycle.

3. Traffic in the borough should be reduced and slowed particularly in residential roads. However, alternative methods of speed management other than physical traffic calming measures should be considered

4. Public transport fares should be reduced to make public transport a viable alternative to motor vehicle travel.