Cornwall LTP1 Delivery Report - July 2006

Development of the Cornwall Air Quality Strategy, and coordination with Air Quality Action Plan and action on noise

(Section 8.3, 5.2.6, 8.3.2 of LTP1)

In the earlier years of the LTP1 we, along with other members of the Cornwall Air Quality Forum (CAQF), commenced work on the Cornwall Air Quality Strategy (CAQS). A number of workshops and events were held to input into the development process for the CAQS.  The Cornwall Air Quality Strategy was published in 2004 and has helped provide the focus and lead for the actions within the CAQF and the LTP.

Air quality monitoring has led to the declaration of one Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and five air quality 'hotspots'. These identified sites were:

• Camborne - Wesley Street and Redruth - Penryn Street.

• Penzance - Market Jew Street, Alverton Street.

• Falmouth - Church Street, Arwenack Street, Market Street.

• Truro - Current high levels indicated on Highertown corridor, Morlaix Avenue, Tregolls road (although exposure is low in these areas).

•  A389 Bodmin, Higher Bore Street, Dennison Road, Turf Street and Priory Road.

• Dobwalls - A38: road managed by the Highways Agency.

The town of Camborne and neighbouring Redruth were declared an AQMA in December 2005, which has led to a detailed assessment of traffic monitoring, alongside the air quality monitoring to understand more and ascertain what can be done to resolve the air quality problem. 

Co-ordinated and proactive partnership working within the The Cornwall Air Quality Forum (CAQF) to tackle the identified transport related hotspots has meant that the Environment Agency, District Councils and the County Council have remained joined up in their approach to tackling air quality problems. Transport, Planning and Development Control departments within both tiers have been co-ordinated with District Environmental Health officers in formulating an action plan and are now working on effective, value for money measures to try and bring air quality levels below the National Air Quality Strategy Objective level to produce 'real'  outcomes.  Traffic management interventions have already successfully started reducing poor air quality levels in the other hotspot areas and in every case the impact of traffic management on noise will be minimised.

In Penzance, clearer signage, more provision for cyclists and a change to one-way flow for general traffic up hill on Market Jew Street and buses and cycles both ways, has meant reduced levels of traffic using this street and instead using the town's distributor road, therefore resulting in less congestion.

Falmouth Transport Package aimed to produce a more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable transport system for the area. Just some of these measures included restricting town centre access for vehicles, therefore reducing traffic flows in the main shopping streets with the highest pedestrian numbers. Pedestrian and cycling facilities were improved, a bus and ferry  park and ride site and bus priority measures were introduced, patronage on the Truro-Falmouth rail branch line has increased and environmental enhancement schemes have restricted and directed motor vehicles to suitable routes, achieving safe and improved environmental conditions on the streets. Air quality has improved in the main shopping streets, but could be improved even further.

Bodmin's 'Walk to Work' scheme has provided a direct link for people to access the town centre and local schools from the residential area by walking or cycling.  Other traffic management interventions and potential transport measures to address the air quality hotspots are discussed in the LTP2.

Surface trial experiments have been undertaken to determine the best noise reducing surfacing.  Our approved ‘Highway Surface Treatment Strategy’ states that ‘where it is considered to be of benefit to adjacent residents, low noise surfacing should be viewed as the most appropriate treatment’.  The selection of appropriate surfacing treatment involves several considerations. However, unless there are specific reasons for not using the noise reducing type of surfacing in a residential area (e.g. practicalities), it will be the preferred choice.

These 'hotspots' are very localised and are due to slow moving or congested traffic producing higher emission levels under still weather conditions (high pressure). This causes  air pollution levels to build up as a result of becoming trapped within the narrow streets with high sided buildings (the 'canyon' effect). 

As a result of regular monitoring and detailed cluster surveys of the air quality hotspots an additional AQMA in Dennison Road, Bodmin may need to be designated. A study is currently underway to understand the cause of the problem and the outcome of the study will form part of the action plan.

We did not have targets specifically aimed at air quality in LTP1 but throughout the plan have instigated monitoring throughout Cornwall and implemented the Falmouth Transport Package to specifically target the emerging air quality hotspot, which successfully reduced Nitrogen Dioxide values.

Action on Climate Change (including Travel Awareness)

(Section 5.4.1 of LTP1)

Encouraging people to travel more sustainably can have meaningful impacts on local pollution and our School Travel Strategy and Travel Awareness Strategy are reported on in Section 7.4 of this report.

In terms of dealing with vehicle emissions at source, we have supported measures to promote environmentally friendly  vehicles through our participation in the Transport Group of the Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (CSEP). We have piloted LPG, Electric and Bio-fuelled vehicles and currently use a 5% Bio-diesel blend obtained through a local supplier. Our new fleet car contract  enables us to use higher blends of bio-diesel, but we still have to overcome some fuel storage issues as our truck suppliers will not warranty vehicles to use more than 5%.  We retain a small number of electric vehicles for specific, short distance tasks, such as catering deliveries.

To achieve meaningful reductions in emissions we have realised that it is preferable to have many vehicles producing a little less pollution than a few vehicles producing a lot less. Hence, we are increasingly focusing our efforts on working with partners through groups such as CSEP to promote innovative schemes to produce bio-diesel and particularly to encourage the wider distribution of bio-fuels. We also, for example, look favourably on bus operators who undertake the use bio-fuels in vehicles under contract to us. We will not abandon the use of alternatively fuelled vehicles (electric, hybrid, etc.) ourselves, but see this more as a tool for raising awareness of the issues than as a means of reducing pollution overall.

Strategic Freight Network (SFN) (LTP1 Section 7.5.3)

In partnership with the Cornwall Freight Forum and local members, we have developed and expanded the Strategic Freight Network (SFN) identified in the LTP1 to include the local freight network for Cornwall   This identifies the most suitable routes from the SFN to individual freight generators such as quarries, industrial estates, ports etc, for the whole county and has been rolled out to local companies through the Cornwall Freight Forum.

In addition, we have produced a Lorry Management Strategy for Cornwall, which promotes the use of traffic management measures to deter large commercial vehicles from the less suitable routes where superior alternative routes exist.  The Lorry Management Strategy sets out policies for managing Cornwall's unavoidable lorry traffic in the most sustainable way and is supported by the Cornwall Freight Network.

In 2006, the Cornwall Local Freight Network will be rolled out to hauliers across the SW  Region.

The Cornwall Freight Forum, led by the County Council, acts as an all embracing FQP which consists of key organisations such as the Highways Agency, road hauliers, rail freight companies and port representatives in addition to Imerys,  the County's largest private employer and key freight generator. 

The Forum has acted as a consultation body for freight issues and uses partnership work to implement best practice and achieve sustainable benefits in the freight distribution system.  This is in addition to acting as a mechanism for forming smaller FQPs such as that which exists with Imerys to carry specific actions forward.  The FQP with Imerys Minerals Ltd was established to aid the development of the local freight network in the Restormel area, which was achieved in 2005.

We would have liked to develop further FQP's but clear achievable outcomes were not in place in order to do this.  We have therefore developed a framework for the creation of FQPs and will work within this for their future establishment.

We have undertaken several  studies into the provision of rail freight facilities in Cornwall. 

We have supported the development of an inter modal terminal at Tavistock Junction in Plymouth, which will enable us to assess the potential demand for a facility in Cornwall, based on the fact that an aggregates train can remove 23 lorries from Cornwall’s roads (Imerys 2005).

We have used comprehensive evidence to identify locations which should be protected for future use as rail freight interchanges.

The movement of freight by rail is very much governed by the relative costs of movement. At this point in time, the economics of moving freight by rail is extremely difficult. This has severely hampered efforts to switch freight from road to rail.

We have assessed the current lorry parking facilities in the County, in light of the new Working Time Directive, and have identified two key locations to develop. 

We have worked with the Highways Agency to develop their comprehensive truck stop guide.

We have produced the Cornwall Freight Strategy which outlines the strategies for the movement of freight by rail and sea, and in conjunction with the Lorry Management Strategy, takes account of the dominant role of road freight.  The Cornwall Freight Strategy sets out to maximise the potential for freight by alternative means.  This strategy is based on evidence compiled throughout the LTP1 period .

A detailed analysis of passengers and staff travel patterns was carried out as part of the evidence base for the strategy development. The analysis confirmed that with the small number of users involved, there was only one main and one secondary route corridor where the number of users was anywhere sufficient to develop public transport options - this being from the Airport to Newquay and to Truro.

As a result, bus and taxi services have been enhanced significantly along these corridors during the LTP1 period, working in partnership with the operators. Work will be carried out later this year to provide new bus and taxi facilities at the airport, despite the lack of overall space on a very confined site, demonstrating the commitment to developing public transport options. Regular surveys are carried out each year and the strategy will be developed as the passenger and staff numbers increase.

During the period of the LTP1 a number of notable successes were achieved with respect to improving access to services for those living in remoter areas. Examples of delivery under this heading are contained in Sections 2.2 and 3.2 above.