Submission from Plymouth Civic Society

 

TRANSPORT IN THE SOUTH WEST

 

Bullet points:

· We need a new rail link between Exeter and Plymouth before the existing line is washed away.

· We need a better integrated public transport system in Plymouth with less need to rely on the private car.

· We need a longer runway at Plymouth Airport, access to slots at Heathrow and better connections to Exeter and Bristol Airports.

· The existing road system in Plymouth could be considerably improved by better traffic management.

· We need better port facilities at the old Royal Dockyard at Devonport which should provide for cruises, more ferries and freight facilities.

· We need better communication and consultation from all tiers of Government but especially at regional and local level.

 

- Whether transport provision in the SW is adequate to meet the demands placed upon it.

1. No. Far from it. The SW is a vast Region stretching from Gloucestershire to Cornwall. Transport provision and the need for improvements vary greatly across the Region. The "Outer SW" from Exeter westward, lacks significant infrastructure compared with much of the rest of the Region and we often feel that Central Government is not prepared to invest here. Providing better transport links between London and Bristol, or even Exeter, does not meet the needs of Plymouth and Cornwall. West of Exeter road, rail and air infrastructure is poor compared with the rest of the Region and much of the Country. The railway in particular is in very real danger of being cut off because of coastal erosion. Every winter we worry that the latest storm might cut us off completely by rail. The road system west of Exeter is also at capacity and Plymouth airport is only capable of taking small propeller-driven planes and there is no prospect of any improvement in either.

 

- What the priorities should be for improvement.

2. It is essential that a replacement rail route be provided west of Exeter to Plymouth to serve West Devon and to ensure Cornwall remains connected to the national network. If you are going to build a new railway line it should be high-speed capable and that should not cost any more than a "low-speed" line. Railway is the greenest mass transport option and it would be false economy to spend the money available on more polluting options like road or air. Merely "hoping" that the railway does not get washed away is not a serious policy for Government. We need a transport system that provides a green transport future for local people and the tourist industry on which so much of our economy depends.

3. Improving Plymouth Airport as currently proposed would merely allow some slightly larger aeroplanes to use the runways; the prospect of a full size airport is not on the cards. While this might help some MPs and businessmen to make day trips to Plymouth, it would not benefit the local people. If we want to go abroad by air we must currently drive to Exeter or Bristol Airports thus increasing the road traffic. Neither Exeter nor Bristol has public transport connections at the times when most ordinary people are expected to use them, ie before 9.00am.

4. Within Plymouth we need an enforceable integrated transport policy. The lack of such a policy is glaringly obvious. Few buses go near the railway station and, of those that do, many do not stop. The coach station is a disgrace and has been for many years though the Council seems unable to do anything about it. It should be closed and a new one opened near the railway station. The existing coach station land can then be redeveloped. The roads are already nearing capacity but the bus system, instead of expanding, is constantly being reduced because the council cannot pay the sums demanded by the bus operators. Few people living in the suburbs of Plymouth can rely on a bus service to get them home after work and even fewer can rely on a bus service to go into Plymouth for a meal or entertainment in the evening. The result is that everyone needs a car merely to get about. We have spent millions of pounds on a modern Park & Ride at the George but it closes at 7.00pm. That is surely against Government policy on the need for an environmentally-friendly transport system.

5. The road system within Plymouth is also sub-standard. There are only 4 or 5 main feeder roads into the city. The existing road system could be substantially improved by:

a. Sequencing the traffic lights to allow continuous flow into the centre. This must include not permitting pedestrians to interrupt the flow on crossings but allowing unimpeded bus flow;

b. Allowing no right turns anywhere other than at traffic lights during the busy periods in morning and evening; right turns at traffic lights should have a filter lane (ie a third lane);

c. If bus lanes are provided then they should be all the way thorough not just for small distances; also the provision of cycle lanes should be increased.

 

6. The provision of light trains and trams, as proposed for the new town at Sherford, should be considered for other parts of Plymouth.

 

- How these priorities should be reflected in the up-coming Regional Transport Strategy.

7. Priority should be given to an alternative railway between Exeter and Plymouth, connecting to Cornwall and other parts of West Devon. The local authorities' plans for a new railway connecting Tavistock to Plymouth are very welcome but make more sense if Plymouth will be connected to the rest of the Country. An enforceable requirement for an integrated transport policy for Plymouth and better bus services should also be included.

8. An extension of the runway at Plymouth Airport allowing larger aircraft to use it would be helpful as would access to slots at Heathrow. If it is to remain a base only for local business flights within UK, there need to be better public transport connections to Exeter and Bristol airports - railway connections would be best in the longer term but bus and coach connections could be laid on without investing a great deal more in infrastructure.

9. An extension of the runway at Plymouth Airport allowing larger aircraft to use it would be helpful as would access to slots at Heathrow.  Plymouth Airport should be providing a link service to at least one major hub airport (possibly Heathrow, Gatwick or Paris CDG) with associated arrangements for appropriate fast-transit facilities and agreements for guaranteed seats with the carriers providing onward flights from the hub airport to ticket-holders in transit from Plymouth in the event of delays.

10. Plymouth City Council's aspiration to make Plymouth a city of 300,000 by 2021 will not happen without considerably better transport connections.

11. As the Royal Navy relinquishes more and more of the Dockyard, we should take the opportunity to find an alternative use for the port. How about much better facilities for cruises; ferry services to eg other parts of Europe; better freight handling facilities (with access to rail freight which would be much less polluting than road services).

 

- What the costs of these improvements would be and whether the Region can afford them.

12. We cannot put specific financial costs on these improvements but the social costs to the peninsula of not meeting them would be very large. Proper cost benefit analysis should show that the outer SW, without the improvements proposed, would be condemned to further long-term decline with all the social evils that brings with it. This will be made considerably worse with the running down and possible closure of the Royal Dockyard in the foreseeable future; or its use a disposal facility for nuclear waste.

 

- Whether the current arrangements for prioritising, approving and funding infrastructure projects are effective and appropriate.

13. Clearly not. There has been remarkably little consultation locally on the needs of this part of the Region. We have noticed very little consultation locally by the SW Regional Government who appear to spend most of their time in the Bristol area. If the Assembly ever meets down here we have not been told and the members appear to be from local government who, again, do not consult locally on any issues they are to discuss. We are amazed that any responsible body looking for a greener future for our Region should have decided to shelve the prospect of a replacement rail connection west of Exeter. In most of Western Europe and even the USA it appears to be generally accepted that the way forward in transport that contributes least to climate change is railways - for passengers and freight. However, despite paying lip service to the urgent need to reduce climate change, the Government seems not to be interested in doing anything practical about it.

 

- Whether the Region is doing enough to promote environmentally friendly transport.

14. Absolutely not. See paragraph 12.

 

- The role and effectiveness of regional bodies such as the Regional Development Agency and SW Councils in identifying and addressing transport issues.

15. We have no information on what, if anything, the RDA is doing for the transport problems of this part of the Region. If they have identified and addressed our transport issues, especially Region-wide, they have not done a good job of keeping local people informed. The message we seem to have received is that, if there are any transport problems, there is little they can, or will, do about them.

 

- The role and effectiveness of Government Offices for the South West in delivering national transport policy within the Region.

16. We assume that GOSW are delivering the Government's national policy within the Region. This underlines how inadequate that policy is. They do not publicise or consult locally on whatever they are doing for the outer SW. To speak to local government officials or councillors is not enough; they need to inform local, interested lay-people. Is there a published statement of national transport policy for the SW Region?

 

- The ability of the Government to influence private sector transport providers.

17. Government seems to be incapable of influencing private transport providers in Plymouth. There should be more specific policies requiring the private sector to ensure that their facilities are integrated with other transport providers. Local bus services seem to be too easily removed on cost grounds. Local Councils do not seem to have the money or inclination to require better public transport services.

18. The lack of a reliable bus service in Plymouth means that everyone needs a car to get around. In this era of climate change, Government needs to be planning ahead so that people do not have to rely on a car for survival.

 

Peter Towey, Secretary, Plymouth Civic Society.

 

15^th July 2009