A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling Sections 5 and 6. WelTAG Phase 1 Review FOR REVIEW

Transcription

1 A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling Sections 5 and 6 WelTAG Phase 1 Review FOR REVIEW B /D4/2/011 May 2015

2 Document control sheet BPP 04 F8 Project: A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling Sections 5 & 6 Client: Welsh Government Project Number: B Document Title: Ref. No: WelTAG Phase 1 Review B /D4/2/011 Originated by Checked by Reviewed by ORIGINAL Approved by NAME NAME NAME Sion Roberts Rhodri Thomas Rhodri Thomas NAME Sharon Spackman As Project Manager I confirm that the above document(s) have been subjected to Jacobs Check and Review procedure and that I approve them for issue INITIALS DATE 05/05/15 FOR REVIEW REVISION NAME NAME NAME NAME As Project Manager I confirm that the Approved by above document(s) have been subjected to Jacobs Check and Review procedure and that I approve them for issue DATE Document status INITIALS REVISION NAME NAME NAME NAME As Project Manager I confirm that the Approved by above document(s) have been subjected to Jacobs Check and Review procedure and that I approve them for issue DATE Document status INITIALS Jacobs U.K. Limited This document has been prepared by a division, subsidiary or affiliate of Jacobs U.K. Limited ( Jacobs ) in its professional capacity as consultants in accordance with the terms and conditions of Jacobs contract with the commissioning party (the Client ). Regard should be had to those terms and conditions when considering and/or placing any reliance on this document. No part of this document may be copied or reproduced by any means without prior written permission from Jacobs. If you have received this document in error, please destroy all copies in your possession or control and notify Jacobs. Any advice, opinions, or recommendations within this document (a) should be read and relied upon only in the context of the document as a whole; (b) do not, in any way, purport to include any manner of legal advice or opinion; (c) are based upon the information made available to Jacobs at the date of this document and on current UK standards, codes, technology and construction practices as at the date of this document. It should be noted and it is expressly stated that no independent verification of any of the documents or information supplied to Jacobs has been made. No liability is accepted by Jacobs for any use of this document, other than for the purposes for which it was originally prepared and provided. Following final delivery of this document to the Client, Jacobs will have no further obligations or duty to advise the Client on any matters, including development affecting the information or advice provided in this document. This document has been prepared for the exclusive use of the Client and unless otherwise agreed in writing by Jacobs, no other party may use, make use of or rely on the contents of this document. Should the Client wish to release this document to a third party, Jacobs may, at its discretion, agree to such release provided that (a) Jacobs written agreement is obtained prior to such release; and (b) by release of the document to the third party, that third party does not acquire any rights, contractual or otherwise, whatsoever against Jacobs and Jacobs, accordingly, assume no duties, liabilities or obligations to that third party; and (c) Jacobs accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage incurred by the Client or for any conflict of Jacobs interests arising out of the Client's release of this document to the third party. WelTAG Phase 1 Review R0

3 A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling - Sections 5 and 6 Executive Summary The Preferred Route announcement for the A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling was made in July 1995 and subsequently developed to making of the Line Order in The options were subject to appraisal and public consultation in the identification of the Preferred Route. However, the appraisal of options phase predates the Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) and its predecessors New Approach To Appraisal (NATA) and Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG). WelTAG guidance 1 identifies the transitional arrangements for road schemes. It states that if the scheme has published draft orders it can continue without a WelTAG Appraisal. This scheme has a made Line Order which meets this criteria. However, due to the significant length of time that has passed since the Preferred Route was identified, the Welsh Government consider it appropriate to review the Preferred Route in light of current policy, regional development strategies and national infrastructure planning. This exercise is being undertaken in three stages, namely; Transport Planning Objectives Policy Review WelTAG Phase 1 Review: sifting and WelTAG Stage 1 appraisal of multimodal option concepts including public transport improvements, road solution etc. to identify the best performing option concept(s). WelTAG Phase 2 Review: sifting and WelTAG Stage 1 appraisal of specific options for the best performing concepts from Phase 1, followed by WelTAG Stage 2 appraisal of the best performing options as necessary. This report records the findings of the WelTAG Phase 1 Review that identifies and appraises multi-modal option concepts to identify the Preferred Solution, making best use of recent work undertaken in the development of Sections 2 and 3. The following multi-modal option concepts were identified Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5 Option 6 Option 7 Option 8 Option 9 Option 10 Option 11 Do Nothing Do Minimum (Highway Improvement) Road Improvements (Made Line Order Route) Rerouting of the Trunk Road Network Removal of overtaking lane Improvements to NMU provision Park and Ride Car Share Schemes Bus improvements Rail improvements Tram/Guided Busway These options were subject to a WelTAG Sift that assessed their performance against the Transport Planning Objectives (TPO). The performance of the following options resulted in them being discarded; Option 4 Option 5 Option 8 Option 10 Option 11 Rerouting of the Trunk Road Network Removal of overtaking lane Car Share Schemes Bus improvements Tram/Guided Busway 1 Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance Issue 6 WelTAG_v7.1 (June 2008)

4 A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling - Sections 5 and 6 The remaining options were then subject to a WelTAG Stage 1 qualitative assessment against the following criteria; Welsh Impact Area Economy Welsh Impact Area Environment Welsh Impact Area Social Transport Planning Objectives Acceptability Feasibility and affordability Risk The assessment of multi-modal options concluded the following: Welsh Impact Area Economy: The economic sustainability of the region is influenced by the standard and condition of the local transport infrastructure. The only option concept which is likely to provide the efficient and reliable infrastructure necessary to attract inward investors is major highway improvements. Welsh Impact Area Environment: Non highway improvement options would have less direct impact on the environment. Highway improvement would impact on landscape, visual, loss of habitat etc., but also provide opportunity for long term benefits in noise levels and biodiversity through improvements to water quality, habitat creation and planting. Welsh Impact Area Social: Closely linked with economic aspects, the social sustainability of the region is significantly influenced by the standard and condition of the local transport infrastructure. It is unlikely that improvements in public transport services in the region would have a significant impact in addressing the current problems. NMU provision could be enhanced in isolation or as part of wider highway improvements. Transport Planning Objectives (TPO): The only option that performs well against the TPO, the objectives established to address the problems being experienced and aligned with current policy, is the major highway improvements option. Acceptability: It is considered that in general the public and wider stakeholders will be unlikely to consider that options other than major highway improvements would provide the improvement necessary to address the problems experienced and assist in the economic regeneration of the region. It is likely that improvement to dual carriageway to provide continuity of standard with the adjoining sections of the A465 would be considered necessary by stakeholders to provide the efficient and reliable infrastructure required to attract inward investment to the whole region. Feasibility and affordability: All options are feasible. However, affordability will be reliant on cost benefit analysis including patronage of the softer interventions. Risk: The only option concept which is likely to provide a significant improvement in accident rates, journey times and reliability and the economic viability of the region is a highway improvement. It is considered that this WelTAG Phase 1 review has confirmed that the Preferred Solution to address the problems being experienced in the region and on Sections 5 and 6 of the A465, remains a road improvement. It is therefore proposed that road based options are reviewed to ascertain whether the Made Line Order Route remains the Preferred Route for road improvements. This work will be undertaken and reported in the WelTAG Phase 2 Review Report.

5 A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling - Sections 5 and 6 Contents 1 Introduction Background WelTAG Review Approach Purpose of this Report 2 2 Scheme Context Regional Setting Road Rail 4 3 Review of Section 2 and 3 Documents Document List Design Options Report SASICOM (October 2013) Addendum to SASICOM (February 2014) A465 HOV2 Design Options Report Phase 1 Rev B (May 2014) A465 HOV2 Design Options Report Phase 2 Rev A (May 2014) 6 4 Multi-Modal Option Identification and Description Option List Option 1 Do Nothing Option 2 Do Minimum (Highway Improvement) Option 3 Road Improvements (Made Line Order Route) Option 4 Rerouting of the Trunk Road Network Option 5 Removal of overtaking lane Option 6 Improvements to NMU Provision Option 7 Park and Ride Option 8 Car Share Schemes Option 9 Bus Improvements Option 10 Rail Improvements Option 11 Tram/Guided Busway 11 5 Multi-Modal Option Assessment Methodology Approach Economy WelTAG Criteria Environmental WelTAG Criteria Social WelTAG Criteria Wider Assessment Criteria Appraisal Summary Table Format 14

6 A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling - Sections 5 and 6 6 Multi-Modal Option Assessment Summary WelTAG Sift WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 1: Do Nothing WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 2: Do Minimum WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 3: Road Improvements WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 6: Improvements to NMU Provision WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 7: Park and Ride WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 9: Bus Improvements 20 7 Conclusions 21 Appendix A Made Line Order Route Plan Appendix B Appraisal Summary Tables

7 1 Introduction 1.1 Background Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) defines the importance that government funded transport proposals demonstrate they; Make a positive contribution to the objectives for transport and hence the wider policy objectives for Wales; Provide good value for money; Provide overall economic, social and environmental benefits to society; and Maximise benefits and minimise impacts WelTAG has been developed to provide decision-makers with the information to judge the merits of alternatives and provide an audit trail of decision-making, showing the linkage between wider policy objectives and the scheme under consideration The Preferred Route announcement for the A465 Heads of the Valleys Dualling was made in July The options were subject to appraisal and public consultation in the identification of the Preferred Route. However this work undertaken predates WelTAG and its predecessors New Approach To Appraisal (NATA) and Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) The Preferred Route was divided into 7 sections, for the purpose of delivery as individual construction phases, namely; Section 1 Abergavenny to Gilwern Section 2 Gilwern to Brynmawr Section 3 Brynmawr to Tredegar Section 4 Tredegar to Dowlais Top Section 5 Dowlais Top to A470 Section 6 A470 to Baverstock Section 7 Baverstock to Hirwaun However, the Preferred Route was developed as a whole between 1995 and 2000 culminating in the making of the Line Order for the whole scheme and Compulsory Purchase and Side Roads Orders for Sections 1 and 4. This included a Public Local Inquiry in Since the making of the Line Order the individual sections have progressed as follows; Section 1 Construction completed and operational Section 2 Under construction Section 3 Under construction (due to open 2015) Section 4 Construction completed and operational Section 5 Progressing towards statutory procedures Section 6 Progressing towards statutory procedures Section 7 Combined with Section 6 1

8 1.1.8 WelTAG guidance 2 defines transition arrangements for its implementation on road schemes that predate its introduction. It states schemes which have published draft orders can proceed without WelTAG Appraisal The A465 has a made Line Order. However, in light of the significant timescale that has passed since the making of the Line Order and the potential for changes in policy, regional development strategies and national infrastructure planning an exercise been undertaken to review the Preferred Route This work is being undertaken in 3 stages, namely; Transport Planning Objectives Policy Review WelTAG Phase 1 Review WelTAG Phase 2 Review The Transport Planning Objectives Policy Review, compliant with the planning stage of WelTAG, has been completed and the findings are recorded in the A465 WelTAG Transport Planning Objectives Policy Review B /D4/2/ WelTAG Review Approach Best use has been made of the work recently undertaken in the development of Section 2 and 3. Both these sections have successfully completed the statutory process, been challenged through numerous consultations and Public Local Inquiry and are currently under construction The basis of WelTAG Appraisal is to develop options to a point that they can be discarded. To achieve this efficiently a 2 phase approach has been adopted, namely; Phase 1: sifting and WelTAG Stage 1 appraisal of multi-modal option concepts including public transport improvements, road solution etc. to identify the best performing option concept(s). Phase 2: sifting and WelTAG Stage 1 appraisal of specific options for the best performing concepts from Phase 1, followed by WelTAG Stage 2 appraisal of the best performing options as necessary Further description of the approach adopted under WelTAG to appraise multi-modal option concepts is provided in Section 5 of this report. 1.3 Purpose of this Report The purpose of this WelTAG Phase 1 Report is to record the findings of a review that identifies and appraises the multi-modal options to ascertain whether the Preferred Solution for Sections 5 and 6 of the Heads of the Valleys remains a highway improvement The outcomes of the review will be a defined statement on the Preferred Solution and, if necessary, recommendation for further work. 2 Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance Issue 6 WelTAG_v7.1 (June 2008) 2

9 2 Scheme Context 2.1 Regional Setting The A465 passes along the heads of the South Wales valleys between Brynmawr and Pontneddfechan, as identified in boundary displayed in the map below produced by the Welsh Government. Pontneddfechan Croesbychan Cefn Coed y Cymmer Brynmawr Section 5 Section Sections 5 and 6 of the Heads of the Valleys Dualling Scheme are located between Dowlais Top Roundabout at Merthyr Tydfil in the east and Rhigos Roundabout at Hirwaun in the west The scheme lies within Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council to the east and Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council to the west. The boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park, signified by the green dashed line on the plan above, crosses the scheme in 2 locations, at Cefn Coed y Cymmer and Croesbychan Merthyr Tydfil, with a population approaching 60,000, is the largest community in the scheme area. It provides regional services such as healthcare, education, governance and retail to the surrounding area. Hirwaun is the second largest community within the scheme area and is a village providing services to its immediate surroundings. Housing between these 2 communities is limited to isolated properties and small hamlets The region experiences significant socio-economic challenges with 35% of the Merthyr Tydfil area falling in the 10% most deprived areas in Wales and the majority of its areas are more deprived than the Wales average 3. Car ownership in the Merthyr Tydfil region is the lowest in Wales with 29.7% 4 of households not owning a vehicle. 3 Key Statistics for Merthyr Tydfil, National Assembly for Wales (April 2008) 4 RAC Foundation Car Ownership Rates (Source 2011 Census) 3

10 2.2 Road The A465 forms part of the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T) which makes it a primary long distance road route between Ireland and mainland Europe Sections 5 and 6 of the A465 are the only remaining sections of single carriageway trunk road between the Severn Bridge and St Clears. Traffic flows on this length are currently close to the capacity for this type of road and peak hour queues are a regular occurrence at major junctions Designed and built in the 1960s much of the route no longer meets current design standards (road width, gradient, visibility and highway drainage). Drainage has been referenced as a causation factor in Road Traffic Incidents (RTI). It has a high level of collisions and, west of Merthyr Tydfil, it has recently been necessary to install average speed cameras to control speeds Annualised daily traffic flows 5 identify daily vehicle flows of 21,176 (2013) with a vehicle type split as follows; 2.3 Rail Cars 78% LGV 16% HGV 5% Other 1% The valleys are serviced by rail lines that link with the Swansea/Paddington line with limited connectivity between valleys and no direct links between the communities of the Heads of the Valleys. Merthyr Tydfil is the closed location serviced by the rail network, the closest station to Hirwaun is Aberdare The scheme area contains European and UK designated environmental sites and numerous records of protected species. There are no priority areas for road noise management 6 or Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) 7 within the scheme locality. 5 Site 530 A465 between Merthyr Road and Swansea Road east of Baverstock 6 A noise action plan for Wales

11 3 Review of Section 2 and 3 Documents 3.1 Document List The review of Section 2 and 3 reports has identified five documents that included the appraisal of improvement alternatives, namely; A465 Section 3 Design Options Report (December 2010) A465 Section 2 Statement about Alternative Solutions Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest and Compensatory Measures (SASICOM), (October 2013) A465 Section 2 Addendum to SASICOM (February 2014) A465 Section 2 Design Options Report Phase 1 Rev B (May 2014) A465 Section 2 Design Options Report Phase 2 Rev A (May 2014) These are described in more details in the following sections. 3.2 Design Options Report This report was prepared as part of the Section 3 works. It includes an appraisal of highway improvement alternatives between Brynmawr and Nanty-Bwch. It did not consider any forms of multi-modal improvement options. 3.3 SASICOM (October 2013) This report was prepared as part of the Section 2 work to inform Welsh Ministers (the Competent Authority ) of the potential for effects of the proposed upgrade of the existing single three-lane carriageway section of the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road between Gilwern and Brynmawr (Section 2) It provides information on the screening (Stage 1) and appropriate assessment (Stage 2) stages of the Assessment of Implications on European Sites (AIES) process, which have been undertaken previously, and then addresses the following subsequent stages of AIES: Assessment of alternative solutions (Stage 3): Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (Stage 4): and Assessment of compensatory measures (Stage 5) The SASICOM considered alternative options to the Preferred Route, including multi-modal. However, its primary focus is the environmental impacts of these alternative options and although some of these alternatives would be relevant to Section 5 & 6, the majority were specifically relevant to Section 2 and its impact on the Usk Bat Sites Special Area of Conservation. 3.4 Addendum to SASICOM (February 2014) The SASICOM described previously was published in October An addendum to this document was produced in February 2014 which includes a revised conclusion of the published Statement to Inform an Appropriate 7 5

12 Assessment (SIAA). The revised conclusion relates to amendments to the original SIAA and further discussions with Natural Resources Wales The addendum does not include any further information or changes relating to the alternative multi-modal solutions. 3.5 A465 HOV2 Design Options Report Phase 1 Rev B (May 2014) This Design Options Report Phase 1 was produced as part of the Section 2 work. It includes an appraisal, in line with the requirements of WelTAG, of route alternatives to the Preferred Route The WelTAG appraisal considered road improvement options only and does not consider alternative multi-modal solutions. 3.6 A465 HOV2 Design Options Report Phase 2 Rev A (May 2014) The Design Options Report Phase 2 developed the Phase 1 report described above, it includes an appraisal, in line with the requirements of WelTAG, of those route alternatives identified during the Phase 1 appraisal as being worthy of further development against the Preferred Route As a result this report only considered four road improvement options for a dual 2 lane all-purpose road scheme through section 2 and did not consider multi-modal solutions. 6

13 4 Multi-Modal Option Identification and Description 4.1 Option List An optioneering exercise was undertaken that identified the following multimodal option concepts as having suitable potential to warrant appraisal against the Preferred Solution of road improvements. For completeness Do- Nothing and Do-Minimum comparables are included; Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5 Option 6 Option 7 Option 8 Option 9 Option 10 Option 11 Do Nothing Do Minimum (Highway Improvement) Road Improvements (Made Line Order Route) Rerouting of the Trunk Road Network Removal of overtaking lane Improvements to NMU provision Park and Ride Car Share Schemes Bus improvements Rail improvements Tram/Guided Busway A description of each alternative is provided in the following sections. 4.2 Option 1 Do Nothing This option would maintain the existing situation with the A465 operating under its existing conditions, features include; 3 single carriageway road at grade junctions restricted road width limited overtaking opportunity un-attenuated highway drainage existing NMU crossings 4.3 Option 2 Do Minimum (Highway Improvement) The Do Minimum (Highway Improvement)' option considers minor improvements to; road lighting road pavement road markings and minor improvements to junctions highway drainage improved NMU crossings 4.4 Option 3 Road Improvements (Made Line Order Route) This option is the route identified in the Made Line Order, the improvements are predominantly online and provide dual carriageway with grade separated junctions Plans identifying the specifics of the route are contained in Appendix A. 7

14 4.5 Option 4 Rerouting of the Trunk Road Network The A465 would not be improved as part of this option, instead strategic rerouting, through advanced directional signage, would be used to encourage the use of alternative routes other than Sections 5 and 6 of the A Rerouting options are listed below and indicated on the map; 1. From Abergavenny A40/A449 to M4 2. From Abergavenny A4042 to M4 3. From Merthyr Tydfil A4060/A470 to M4 4. From Hirwaun A4059/A470 to M4 5. From Llandarcy M4 6. From Abergavenny A4042/A472/A470/A465 to M To achieve this it would be necessary to redefine the Advanced Directional Signing (ADS) on the network. This would require the detrunking of parts of the A465 as a minimum and potential need to trunk other sections of the county network. 4.6 Option 5 Removal of overtaking lane This option considers the removal of the shared sections of overtaking lane as a means of improving safety. The crawler lane sections would remain. 4.7 Option 6 Improvements to NMU Provision This option considers improvements to encourage drivers to use NMU modes as an alternative to short car journeys These could include measures such as segregated cycleway/footway and improved road crossing provision. 8

15 4.8 Option 7 Park and Ride This option considers the implementation of a park and ride scheme, it assesses the principle of a park and ride rather than the specific details of what and where it could be implemented. 4.9 Option 8 Car Share Schemes This option considers the opportunity to develop car share scheme. This could take the form of an individual employer offering incentives for their staff to car share as well as well as a formal car share forum The Smarter Choices agenda 8 drives the promotion, development and marketing of sustainable travel choices. In support of this Sewta developed the Sewta Car Sharing programme. This scheme has ceased to exist since the disbanding of Sewta. However, a number of sites exist that offer car share opportunities, these include; Liftshare Wales (liftshare.com/wales) Share Cymru (sharecymru.carbonheroes.com/sharecymru.aspx) These organisations offer a national free service that allows both passengers and drivers to create a profile on the site. With this they are able to plan a journey and the site will indicate if anyone else on the system is heading in the same direction. It is then up to the individual to contact the other users to arrange the car share and determine the cost of the journey Option 9 Bus Improvements This option considers improvements to the bus services in the region. The primary focus is between the communities in the scheme area and their links to the wider public transport network via bus and railway stations A bus service operates between Merthyr Tydfil and Abergavenny, via Tredegar, Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr, operated by Stagecoach. This forms part of a wider bus service between Hereford and Cardiff. This route provides numerous opportunities to link with the rail network via the South Wales Valley Lines, Swansea/Paddington Line and the West Marches Line, Newport to Shrewsbury passing through Abergavenny The journey between Merthyr Tydfil and Abergavenny takes 1hr 30min and operates every half hour between 8am and 7pm. For comparison, a direct journey between Merthyr Tydfil and Abergavenny would take between 30 and 45 minutes. Although the service provides good links to the employment centres along the Heads of the Valleys, the timetable provides limited opportunity for use by commuters A bus service operates between Merthyr Tydfil and Hirwaun, via Cyfartha Retail Park, provided by Stagecoach. This is a local journey route linking Glynhafod, Aberdare, Rhigos, Glyneath, Penderyn, Hirwaun and Merthyr Tydfil with no longer distance destinations. 8 Smarter Choices: Changing the way we travel (DfT June 2005) 9

16 The journey takes 20 minutes and operates every 20 minutes between 9am and 6pm. The timetable looks to focus more on shoppers than commuters as a single bus operates on the route before 8am and operate on a half hourly basis until after 9am with the last bus of the day at 6.45pm A bus service operates between Merthyr Tydfil and Swansea via Hirwaun and the Neath valley. This route provides opportunity to link with the rail network at Neath or Swansea Railway Stations, the journey takes 1 hour 10 minutes and operates on a circuit 4 time a day A bus service operates between Merthyr Tydfil and Glynhafod, via Hirwaun and Aberdare, the portion of the journey between Merthyr Tydfil and Hirwaun takes 20 minutes and operates every 10 minutes. This route appears to be a well-used route due to the regularity of service and operating times, starting from 5.40am This review of bus services within the Heads of the Valleys Region has identified the following; Currently bus services provide good links to each of the valleys serviced by the Heads of the Valleys Road. Services operating between Hirwaun and Merthyr Tydfil provide good services at times that would be considered as commuter usage. Services operating east of Merthyr Tydfil provide reduced services at times that would be considered as commuter usage. Services operating east of Merthyr Tydfil take significantly longer to reach destinations than an alternative direct journey would. Bus services west of Hirwaun are limited Options to improve the bus service and meet the TPO for this scheme could include increasing bus services to align with commuter times on certain routes and the provision of a longer distance express route between Abergavenny and Swansea. On this second point investigations have found that an express service did operate for a period, limited to Tuesdays only. This service has stopped running, most likely due to a lack of patronage, so it is expected that patronage of a reinstated express route is likely to be limited It is likely that improvements in bus services would require significant subsidy and are unlikely to have a significant impact in alleviating the current problems with the A Option 10 Rail Improvements The valleys are serviced by rail lines that link with the Swansea/Paddington line with limited connectivity between valleys and no direct links between the communities of the Heads of the Valleys. 10

17 Rail improvement options, to meet the TPO for this scheme, are limited to local journeys as these communities are the end of the line. Construction of a new rail link running along the heads of the Valleys linking Abergavenny to Swansea is not seen as a viable option To travel from Hirwaun to Merthyr Tydfil by rail would require travel by another mode, 20 min bus journey (the same time required to catch a bus from Hirwaun to Merthyr Tydfil), to Aberdare train station, changing trains at Abercynon to reach Merthyr Tydfil. This journey, with train changes, would take 1hr 10 min resulting in a total journey time including waiting time between bus and train of 1hr 40min Although not serviced by a passenger rail link Hirwaun does have a mineral railway, freight only, from Tower-Goitre which links with Aberdare, as indicated in the red dashed box below As stated previously, the development of a direct train line along the Heads of the Valleys is considered unrealistic for consideration as an alternative to the proposed road improvements. However, the upgrade of the mineral railway to carry passenger services is considered worthy of assessment Option 11 Tram/Guided Busway The option of a tram/guided busway provides a crossover between the bus and rail improvement options. It would require significant investment to implement the infrastructure required to operate a scheme such as this and would offer very limited benefit to the trunk road user Any tram/guided busway would need to run on the county road network to maximise potential use. The impact of undertaking these works would be significant This option would effectively replicate the bus service currently operating in the area and be high cost. 11

18 5 Multi-Modal Option Assessment Methodology 5.1 Approach As stated previously, the multi-modal assessment is a staged exercise. The first of which is to undertake a WelTAG Sift exercise to establish the options performance in achieving the Transport Planning Objectives (TPO) established for the scheme Those options that do not perform sufficiently well against the TPO will be discarded Those options that do perform sufficiently well against the TPO will be subject to a WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal. This is a qualitative rather than quantitative assessment The Stage 1 Appraisals involve the options being assessed against the following assessment criteria; Welsh Impact Area Economy Welsh Impact Area Environment Welsh Impact Area Social Transport Planning Objectives Public acceptability Acceptability to other stakeholders Technical and operational feasibility Financial affordability and deliverability Risk The Welsh Impact Areas are sub-divided into WelTAG Criteria. In line with WelTAG the criteria used to assess the options have been selected from the WelTAG Guidance 9 as being those that offer differentiation between options in this instance, these and the wider assessment criteria are described under the following sections. 5.2 Economy WelTAG Criteria Cost Estimated capital cost of implementing the option based on a Low (under 10M), Medium ( 10M to 50M) and High (+ 50M) categorisation. Vehicle Operating Costs Impact on vehicle operating costs as a result of implementing the option. This considers factors such as engine efficiency, maintenance, subsidies etc. Travel Time Savings Assessment of time saving impact of option. Reliability Assessment of journey time reliability impact of option. Impact during Construction Impact of constructing the option. Impact during Maintenance Impact of maintaining the option. Economic Activity and Location Impacts (EALI) Assessment of impact of option on the local, regional and national economy. 9 Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance Issue 6 WelTAG_v7.1 (June 2008) 12

19 5.3 Environmental WelTAG Criteria Noise Assessment of noise impact of option. Local Air Quality Assessment of air quality impact of option. Landscape and Townscape Assessment of impact of option on land/townscape. Bio-diversity Assessment of impact of option on fauna, flora species, ecosystems and habitats. Heritage Impact of option on heritage sites/archaeology. Water Environment The effect on water quality including any changes likely to occur to existing watercourses. Soils The effect on soils, vegetation, general habitats, agricultural and horticultural practices. 5.4 Social WelTAG Criteria Transport Safety Assessment of the likely impact of option on accident frequencies and severity. Personal Security Assessment of the likely impact the option will have on the actual and perceived safety of all road users. Permeability Assessment of the options impact on the ease of travel by non-motorised modes. Physical Fitness Assessment of the options impact on attracting people to use active travel modes. Social Inclusion Assessment of the impact of the option on people s ability to access services e.g. healthcare, education, recreational etc. Equality, Diversity & Human Rights Assessment of the options impact on quality of access to transport, sites, services and facilities. 5.5 Wider Assessment Criteria Transport Planning Objectives (TPO) Assessment of options ability to meet, partially meet or not meet the scheme specific TPO. Public acceptability Assessment of whether the option is likely to be accepted by the public. Acceptability by other stakeholders Assessment of whether the option is likely to be accepted by other stakeholders. Technical and operational feasibility Assessment of barriers to the implementation and operation of the option. Financial affordability and deliverability Assessment of whether costs can realistically be funded and option delivered. Risk Assessment of the risks associated with the option. 13

20 5.6 Appraisal Summary Table Format The findings of each option assessment have been recorded in an Appraisal Summary Table (AST), as indicated below; Option Title Option Description: Criteria Assessment Distribution Significance Welsh Impact Areas Economy Costs Vehicle Operating Costs Travel Time Savings Revenue and User Charges Reliability Impact during Construction Impact during Maintenance Economic Activity and Location Impact Environment Noise Local Air Quality Landscape and Townscape Bio-diversity Heritage Water Environment Soils Transport Safety Personal Security Permeability Physical Fitness Social Inclusion Equality, Diversity & Human Rights 14

21 Wider Assessment Criteria Transport Planning Objectives: TPO1 To maintain the current level of service and to carry out improvements; TPO2 To reduce journey times for private and commercial road users; TPO3 To facilitate economic regeneration; TPO4 To enhance road safety and reduce casualties; TPO5 To do all this with proper care for the environment; TPO6 To deliver a scheme that is sustainable; TPO7 To improve Non-Motorised User provision, providing opportunity for healthy lifestyle and a reduction in short vehicle journeys; TPO8 To deliver a scheme which minimises future maintenance requirements and disruption to the network; TPO9 To reduce journey time variability and improve resilience on the A465; TPO10 To use the A465 to manage traffic effectively and improve resilience on the strategic road network in South East Wales; TPO11 To deliver a scheme that integrates with public transport and the local transport network. Public acceptability: Acceptability to other stakeholders: Technical and operational feasibility: Financial affordability and deliverability: Risks: Assessment Conclusion: These provide a brief description of each options performance against the criteria area. It identifies the distribution, (those affected by the option), and the significance of the impact Significance is assessed using the following seven-point score system; Significant benefit Moderate benefit Slight benefit Neutral Slight Moderate Significant The AST are contained in Appendix B and a summary reported in the following section. 15

22 6 Multi-Modal Option Assessment Summary 6.1 WelTAG Sift WelTAG states the importance of options performance against the TPO as this ensures the proposal addresses the problems identified. The table below compares performance of each option against the TPO. TPO1 TPO2 TPO3 TPO4 TPO5 TPO6 TPO7 TPO8 TPO9 TPO10 TPO11 To maintain the current level of service and to carry out improvements; To reduce journey times for private and commercial road users; To facilitate economic regeneration; To enhance road safety and reduce casualties; To do all this with proper care for the environment; To deliver a scheme that is sustainable; To improve Non-Motorised User provision, providing opportunity for healthy lifestyle and a reduction in short vehicle journeys; To deliver a scheme which minimises future maintenance requirements and disruption to the network; To reduce journey time variability and improve resilience on the A465; To use the A465 to manage traffic effectively and improve resilience on the strategic road network in South East Wales; and To deliver a scheme that integrates with public transport and the local transport network. Transport Planning Objective (TPO) Option Do Nothing X X X X X X X X X X X 2 Do Minimum X X X X X X 3 Road Improvements 4 Rerouting X X X X X X X X X X X 5 Overtaking Removal X X X X X X X X X X X 6 NMU Provision X X X X X X X X 7 Park and Ride X X X X X X X 8 Car Share X X X X X X X X X X 9 Bus Improvement X X X X X X X X X 10 Rail Improvement X X X X X X X X X X 11 Tram/Guided Bus X X X X X X X X X X Key: TPO is Met Partially Met X Not Met The A465 is approaching capacity and as vehicle numbers increase improvement will be required to maintain the current level of service. 16

23 6.1.2 This sift has identified that the following options do not perform well enough against the TPO to warrant their further consideration as they meet none or only one of the TPOs. As such they are discarded from the process; Option 4 Option 5 Option 8 Option 10 Option 11 Rerouting of the Trunk Road Network Removal of overtaking lane Car Share Schemes Rail improvements Tram/Guided Busway The following options have been subject to a WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal; Option 2 Option 3 Option 6 Option 7 Option 9 Do Minimum (Highway Improvement) Road Improvements (Made Line Order Route) Improvements to NMU provision Park and Ride Bus improvements For comparison purposes Option 1 Do Nothing has been appraised The following sections provide a brief summary of the Stage 1 Appraisal. The full ASTs are contained within Appendix B Assessment for each of the options is summarised against the following assessment criteria; Welsh Impact Area Economy Welsh Impact Area Environment Welsh Impact Area Social Acceptability Feasibility and affordability Risk 6.2 WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 1: Do Nothing The option assessment is summarised as; Welsh Impact Area Economy Poor quality transport links will continue to impact upon the economic viability of the region and planned regeneration. Welsh Impact Area Environment Impacts remain largely neutral, increasing in the areas of noise and air quality as congestion increases and highway drainage continues to run un-attenuated into surrounding watercourses and influence Road Traffic Incidents (RTI). Welsh Impact Area Social Transport safety continues to be significantly impacted upon by road standard. Acceptability Very few people see the current situation as satisfactory. Feasibility and affordability Significant operational difficulties remain. Risk Road user safety and economic viability deteriorate further If improvements are not made to the A465 the issues relating to alignment, capacity and ongoing maintenance will continue to influence the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region. 17

24 6.3 WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 2: Do Minimum The option assessment is summarised as; Welsh Impact Area Economy The scale of this intervention will mean that poor transport links will continue to impact upon the economic viability of the region and planned regeneration. Welsh Impact Area Environment Impacts remain largely neutral with the acceptance of the significant benefits associated with addressing road drainage issues and the influence these have on RTI. Welsh Impact Area Social Slight improvements regarding safety. Acceptability Option unlikely to be acceptable by a large proportion of the public particularly as other adjoining sections have undergone significant improvements. It is also unlikely to be acceptable by other stakeholders, particularly those with business interests and responsibilities for targeting the economic regeneration of the region and maintenance of the road network. Feasibility and affordability Although technically feasible the extent to which improvement can be achieved is likely to be limited without significant work which moves away from a do minimum approach and towards a major improvement. Significant operational difficulties will remain. Construction will cause disruption. Risk Road user safety and economic viability continue to be influenced by the quality of infrastructure links Minor improvements to the A465 are likely to be of limited benefit and the alignment, capacity and ongoing maintenance issues will continue to influence the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region This option performs very poorly against the TPO partially meeting This option is not considered worthy of further development. 6.4 WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 3: Road Improvements The option assessment is summarised as; Welsh Impact Area Economy A high cost option. However, the benefits in terms of the economy are likely to be significant. Welsh Impact Area Environment The short term impacts of habitat loss will reduce with time as a more ecologically diverse habitat develops which will be of benefit to the area in the long term. The remaining environmental criteria are likely to remain largely unchanged with the exception of water which would be significantly improved due to the introduction of attenuation. Welsh Impact Area Social Significantly improved opportunity for social improvements. Acceptability Option likely to be acceptable by a large proportion of the public as has been proven historically. It is also likely to be acceptable by other stakeholders, particularly stakeholders with business interests and those responsible for targeting the economic regeneration of the region and maintenance of the road network. Feasibility and affordability The option is feasible and affordable, and offers significant benefits in terms of the operation efficiency of the route. Risk Risks associated with a major highway improvement scheme. 18

25 6.4.2 Major improvements to the A465 are likely to be of significant benefit to the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region. They will significantly improve alignment, capacity and ongoing maintenance issues to greatly improve journey time reliability maximising inward investment opportunities and support the safeguarding of existing businesses The option meets all TPO This option is considered worthy of further development. 6.5 WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 6: Improvements to NMU Provision The option assessment is summarised as; Welsh Impact Area Economy Poor transport links will continue to impact upon the economic viability of the region and regeneration. Welsh Impact Area Environment Impacts remain largely neutral with the slight potential to improve the areas of noise and air quality dependant on level of modal shift. Highway drainage continues to run unattenuated into surrounding watercourses and influence RTI. Welsh Impact Area Social Improved NMU provision reduces conflict with road users improving safety and attracting healthy travel modes, but road safety for motorised users remain an issue. Acceptability Option unlikely to be acceptable by a large proportion of the public and other stakeholders, particularly those with business interests and responsibilities for targeting the economic regeneration of the region and maintenance of the road network. Feasibility and affordability Significant operational difficulties remain. Risk Road user safety and economic viability continue to deteriorate Improved NMU provision would be of benefit and may reduce the number of short car journeys and have a slight benefit. However, it will not address other issues that impact the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region This option performs very poorly against TPO meeting 1 and partially meeting As improved NMU provision would be included as part of a major highway improvement this option is not considered worthy of further development. 6.6 WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 7: Park and Ride The option assessment is summarised as; Welsh Impact Area Economy Poor transport links will continue to impact upon the economic viability of the region and planned regeneration. Welsh Impact Area Environment Impacts remain largely neutral with some transfer of impacts to the area surrounding the park and ride hub. Highway drainage continues to run un-attenuated into surrounding watercourses and influence RTI. Welsh Impact Area Social Situation remains largely unchanged as the benefit of the park and ride is likely to be limited. 19

26 Acceptability Option unlikely to be acceptable by a large proportion of the public and other stakeholders, particularly those with business interests and responsibilities for targeting the economic regeneration of the region and maintenance of the road network. Benefit will be seen as limited as patronage is likely to be low. Feasibility and affordability Technically feasible, but the operational viability will depend on patronage and the level of ongoing funding required to maintain the service, significant operational difficulties remain on the A465. Risk Option doesn t attract a level of patronage that can support its operation limiting benefits. A suitable location for the park and ride hub cannot be identified Implementation of a Park and Ride scheme is unlikely to have a significant effect on vehicle numbers using the A465 as a significant level of traffic is through traffic. Congestion issues are limited within destination towns and parking facilities reasonable in the area, limiting the attraction of local drivers to change mode. Patronage is therefore likely to be low Park and Ride will require highway improvement works and will not address other issues that impact the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region This option performs very poorly against TPO meeting 1 and partially meeting This option is not considered worthy of further development. 6.7 WelTAG Stage 1 Appraisal Option 9: Bus Improvements Welsh Impact Area Economy Poor transport links will continue to impact upon the economic viability of the region and regeneration. Welsh Impact Area Environment Impacts remain largely neutral with the exception of highway drainage which continues to run un-attenuated into surrounding watercourses and influence RTI. Welsh Impact Area Social Situation remains largely unchanged as the impact of a small number of additional buses is likely to be very limited. Acceptability Option unlikely to be acceptable by a large proportion of the public and other stakeholders, particularly those with business interests and responsibilities for targeting the economic regeneration of the region and maintenance of the road network. Feasibility and affordability Technically feasible, but the operational viability of the option will depend on patronage. Risk Road user safety and economic viability continue to deteriorate Bus services in the area are reasonable, consideration could be given to an increased commuter service, but this will not address other issues that impact the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the region This option performs very poorly against TPO meeting This option is not considered worthy of further development. 20

27 7 Conclusions The assessment of multi-modal option concepts has identified the following: Welsh Impact Area Economy: The economic sustainability of the region is influenced by the standard and condition of the local transport infrastructure. The only option which is likely to provide the efficient and reliable infrastructure necessary to attract inward investors is major highway improvements Welsh Impact Area Environment: Non highway improvement options would have less direct impact on the environment. Highway improvement would impact on landscape, visual, loss of habitat etc., but also provide opportunity for long term benefits in noise levels and biodiversity through improvements to water quality, habitat creation and planting Welsh Impact Area Social: Closely linked with economic aspects, the social sustainability of the region is significantly influenced by the standard and condition of the local transport infrastructure. It is unlikely that improvements in public transport services in the region would have a significant impact in addressing the current problems. NMU provision could be enhanced in isolation or as part of wider highway improvements Transport Planning Objectives (TPO): The only option that performs well against the TPO, the objectives established to address the problems being experienced and aligned with current policy, is the major highway improvements option Acceptability: It is considered that, in general, the public and wider stakeholders will be unlikely to consider that, options other than major highway improvements would provide the improvement necessary to address the problems experienced and assist in the economic regeneration of the region. It is likely that improvement to dual carriageway, providing continuity of standard with the adjoining sections of the A465, would be considered necessary by stakeholders to provide the efficient and reliable infrastructure required to attract inward investment to the region Feasibility and affordability: All options are feasible. However, affordability will be reliant on cost benefit analysis including patronage of the softer interventions Risk: The only option concept which is likely to provide a significant improvement in accident rates, journey times and reliability and the economic viability of the region is a highway improvement It is considered that this WelTAG Phase 1 review has confirmed that the Preferred Solution, to address the problems being experienced in the region and on Sections 5 and 6 of the A465, remains a road improvement It is therefore proposed that road based options are reviewed to ascertain whether the Made Line Order Route remains the Preferred Route for road improvements. This work will be undertaken and reported in the WelTAG Phase 2 Review Report. 21

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29 Appendix A Made Line Order Route Plans

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