Cycling Strategy
PAPER NO. 14-503
WANDSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL
COMMUNITY SERVICES OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE –
25TH SEPTEMBER 2014
EXECUTIVE – 6TH OCTOBER 2014
Report by the Director of Housing and Community Services on a proposed strategic review of cycling in the Borough and other cycling matters.
SUMMARYThere have been many recent local and regional developments in the area of cycling. The cycling mode share in the Borough is growing and there are new funding sources to support cycling, including those arising from the Mayor’s Vision for Cycling in London. This paper summarises additional funding awarded to the Council for cycling projects and recommends a strategic review of cycling to help the Council increase the cycling mode share further and work towards Local Implementation Plan targets. Increasing cycling levels will also assist in meeting public health objectives for increased physical activity and reduction in obesity, as well as air quality improvements.
The Executive is recommended to approve this approach. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee are asked to support the recommendations in the report.
The Director of Finance comments that the Council’s bid for further cycle related Borough Cycling Programme funding has been approved. It is now recommended that a positive General Fund capital budget variation of £30,000 in 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 is approved, to be fully funded by this grant.
GLOSSARY
BCP Borough Cycling Programme
CO2 Carbon Dioxide
DVLA Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
FORS Freight Operators Recognition Scheme
HGV Heavy Goods Vehicle
KSI (No. of People) Killed or Seriously Injured
LCC London Cycling Campaign
LGV Light Goods Vehicle
LIP Local Implementation Plan
LTDS London Travel Demand Survey
MTS Mayor’s Transport Strategy
NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide
PSV Public Service Vehicle
SDG Steer Davies Gleave (transport consultants)
SPTOSC Strategic Planning and Transportation Overview and Scrutiny Committee
TfL Transport for London
TLRN Transport for London Road Network
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The Community Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee are recommended to support the recommendations to the Executive in paragraph 3.
2. If the Overview and Scrutiny Committee approve any views, comments or recommendations on the report, these will be submitted to the Executive and/or appropriate regulatory or other committees for their consideration.
3. The Executive is recommended to:-
(a) approve a positive General Fund capital budget variation of £30,000 for each year 2014/15, 2105/16 and 2016/17, funded by TfL;
(b) note additional revenue allocations of £62,500 in 2014/15 and £53,600 in both 2015/16 and 2016/17, for Borough Cycling Programme projects as described in paragraphs 17-18, funded by TfL;
(c) agree to a strategic review of cycling, as discussed in paragraphs 29-31;
(d) report the outcome of the review to this Committee; and
(e) agree to using a study of the Borough’s streets by consultant Steer Davies Gleave as the starting point for a review of the Borough cycling route network and to implement some “quick win” improvements, as described in paragraphs 32-36 using the Standing Order 83(A) procedure where approval is required for these measures.
INTRODUCTION
4. The Council published a cycling strategy in early 2011, covering a range of cycling-related actions under six headings: road safety; infrastructure; publicity and travel awareness; security; sustainability; and planning. However, the topic of cycling has developed significantly over a relatively short period since then and the strategy is now in need of review. This paper proposes a comprehensive review of cycling in the Borough, taking account of recent policy developments at regional and local level as well as new funding streams and initiatives to support cycling.
STRATEGIC CONTEXT
5. The Council’s transport plan was revised in October 2011 with approval of the second Local Implementation Plan (LIP) related to the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy (MTS). The Mayor subsequently published his Vision for Cycling in London (March 2013) which has brought with it new funding to promote and enable more cycling. In addition, the Council has recently taken over public health responsibilities from the NHS. All of these have implications for cycling and provide an opportunity to take a fresh and comprehensive look at cycling in Wandsworth.
6. The transport policy context set by the LIP is one of substantial support for cycling. The Council has in recent years helped contribute to increased cycling through improving highway conditions, increasing cycle parking, and by promoting cycling, including through direct provision and financial support of cycle training, cycling events and school travel plans. More people switching to bicycle from private car has many advantages including lower emissions of harmful pollutants (e.g. NO2 and particulate matter), reductions in greenhouse gases (CO2), and reductions in traffic congestion. This is reflected in two of the LIP’s objectives:
(i) to facilitate a higher proportion of travel by sustainable transport modes including walking and cycling; and
(ii) to improve the quality of the environment including improvements to air quality and reductions in transport CO2 emissions
7. The health basis for supporting cycling is also strong. Research quoted by TfL in Improving the Health of Londoners (February 2014) estimates that the average life expectancy of people who swap from using a car to riding a bicycle on a regular basis will increase by 3 - 14 months because of the physical activity benefits. This far outweighs any reductions to life expectancy from inhaling air pollution (0.8 - 4 days lost) or road traffic injuries (5 - 9 days lost), although it is noted that Wandsworth has higher than average levels of road casualties and air pollutants. More people cycling rather than driving will also reduce the production of levels of harmful emissions inhaled by the general population.
8. An increased focus on cycling is likely to have a positive impact on physical activity levels and would support the objectives of the Active Wandsworth Strategy 2011-2016, for example by integrating physical activity into every day life (e.g. cycling to work).
9. Central to the Mayor’s Vision for Cycling are four key outcomes:
(i) a “Tube network” for the bike, encompassing a network of direct, high-capacity, joined-up cycle routes;
(ii) safer streets for the bike, where cyclists feel they belong and are safe;
(iii) more people travelling by bike (doubling over 10 years between 2013 and 2023), making cycling something anyone feels comfortable doing; and
(iv) better places for everyone, e.g. by creating green corridors or linear parks with more space for pedestrians and cyclists with less vehicular traffic, and bringing new life and vitality to underused streets.
10. To support the vision, TfL is administering and co-ordinating new funding streams and programmes for cycling as described later in this paper.
11. Trends show that cycling is a growing mode of transport. A comparison of 2001 and 2011 census data (Table 1) shows that cycling for the journey to work has almost doubled over the decade. By comparison, use of private motor vehicles has declined significantly in percentage terms, though this is against the background of a growing population.
Table 1: Journeys to Work beginning in Wandsworth, 2001 and 2011
Mode Share (%)* / Cycling / Driving a car or van2001 census / 4.2 / 22.1
2011 census / 7.9 / 14.8
*Data excludes people working from home and those not in employment
Source: Census 2001 and Census 2011
12. Similarly, London Travel Demand Survey (LTDS) data collected by TfL (Table 2) indicates that cycling is increasing for all types of trip, not just the journey to work, albeit from a low base.
Table 2: All Journeys beginning in Wandsworth
Mode Share (%) / 2008/09 / 2012/13Cycling / 2.7 / 4.2
Source: LTDS. Figures are three year averages ending in the year stated, e.g. 2012/13 is the average for 2010/11 to 2012/13.
13. Wandsworth’s estimated resident population of 308,310 (2012) is projected to rise to 340,072 by 2021. As the population continues to grow it will become increasingly important for people to walk or cycle when they can, in order to minimise traffic-related congestion and pollution and to relieve pressure on the public transport network.
14. Recent trends and the need to encourage sustainable travel options have influenced the decision to bring forward the LIP target to increase the cycling mode share. In the approved LIP, the target for cycling was for mode share to increase to 7.0% of all trips by 2031, from the 2008/09 baseline of 2.7% of trips. The 7.0% target has now been brought forward to 2026 as agreed (Paper No. 13-526) by the former Strategic Planning and Transportation Overview and Scrutiny Committee (SPTOSC) in September 2013.
FUNDING TO SUPPORT CYCLING
15. TfL administers several different programmes to support cycling in London, many of which have been set up specifically in response to the Mayor’s Vision for Cycling.
16. Funding to support cycling in Wandsworth comes from two main sources: annual LIP funding via TfL, and a new TfL funding stream called the Borough Cycling Programme (BCP). These may be supplemented from time to time by other initiatives or budgets e.g. public health, physical activity, etc. In addition, there is a noticeable trend towards greater developer contributions in support of cycling, for example through the establishment of cycle hire docking stations on their sites or the improvement of nearby highways.
17. Annual LIP funding submissions are made in October, and funding for 2014/15 was confirmed by TfL and has previously been reported (Paper No. 14-62) to the former SPTOSC in January 2014. Funding directly relating to cycling is summarised in Table 3. In addition, many other highway schemes that seek to improve streets will include elements aimed at making cycling safer and more attractive.
Table 3: Wandsworth’s LIP Funding Directly Relating to Cycling
LIP Scheme / LIP Funding2014/15 (£000)
Mayor’s Cycle Hire (to complete payment for scheme) / 431
Local cycle route improvements e.g. missing links / 100
Cycle training (both children and adult) / 60
Cycle parking / 30
Cycle promotions / 20
18. The BCP is a new three-year funding pot introduced by TfL to support the Mayor’s Vision for Cycling. The Council made an application to the fund last October (Paper No. 13-526) and the resulting funding award is shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Borough Cycling Programme Funding for Wandsworth
BCP Scheme / Approved BCP Funding (£000)2014/15 / 2015/16 / 2016/17
Revenue:
Cycle Training / 6 / 8 / 8
Safer Lorries and Vans / 10 / 0 / 0
Safer Urban Driver Training / 4.5 / 6.6 / 6.6
Cycle Grants for Schools / 9 / 6 / 6
Staff Resource / 33 / 33 / 33
Capital:
Cycle Parking / 30 / 30 / 30
19. In total, the Council has successfully bid through the BCP for an extra £30,000 in capital funding for each of the three years 2014/15 to 2016/17, and additional revenue funding of £62,500 in 2014/15 and £53,600 in both 2015/16 and 2016/17.
20. Additionally through the BCP TfL is providing direct funding for a Sustrans Bike-It Plus officer who will work with selected schools in the Borough over the three years to encourage safe cycling to school.
QUIETWAY ROUTES
21. As well as allocating BCP funding to boroughs, TfL administers three major programmes to support the Mayor’s vision: a London Grid of cycle friendly streets and routes in central London; mini-Hollands for outer London boroughs; and the Quietways programme. In Wandsworth, Quietways will have most relevance and is a London-wide £120m programme to be delivered over 10 years. The Mayor’s vision describes Quietways as a cross-London network of high-quality guided routes on low-traffic back streets and other routes so that different kinds of cyclists can choose the routes which suit them. Quietways are intended to be direct, clearly signed, and delivered as whole routes without gaps in difficult places.
22. Sustrans have been working for TfL on the Quietways network with input from boroughs, and two pilot routes are being developed in north and east London (Bloomsbury to Waltham Forest and Waterloo to Greenwich). These will help identify route costs and assess how many Quietway routes could be delivered in total over the course of the programme. The schedule for other routes is not yet known but Sustrans have identified two routes for potential further development that pass through Wandsworth:-
(i) a Waterloo-Croydon route, passing through Tooting Commons (using existing cycle routes) and Tooting Bec Road; and
(ii) a possible spur from the Waterloo-Croydon route from Clapham Common to Wimbledon Park via Windmill Drive/Thurleigh Road/Wandsworth Common/Magdalen Road/Ravenslea Road/Revelstoke Road.
23. It should be noted that route plans are in an early stage and none of these routes have been finalised. At present it appears likely that Sustrans will be project manager for the routes on behalf of TfL and will undertake detailed design with input from Council officers.
OTHER CURRENT ACTIONS TO SUPPORT CYCLING
24. The Council already undertakes a range of activity to support cycling, contributing to the rise in cycle mode share shown in paragraphs 10-11 above. Last year, in response to guidelines produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the Council conducted an audit of walking and cycling (Paper No. 13-307). A summary of the audit results is shown in Appendix 1 to this report and illustrates how cycling cuts across many different service areas and can help achieve Council aims in those areas, for example sports development and public health.
25. One of the Council’s flagship areas of investment to encourage more people cycling for everyday journeys is the expansion of the Mayor’s cycle hire scheme to the north and east of the Borough. The scheme was launched in December 2013, and there are 59 docking stations ranging in size from 18 to 57 docking points. Data shows encouraging growth in the number of bikes docked at or hired from stations in the Borough, as shown in Figure 1. There is a broadly equal split between the number of docks and hires. More docking stations, notably in the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area, are approved for delivery with development.
Figure 1: Mayor’s Cycle Hire Usage in Wandsworth