To receive a report on passenger transport in Redditch from representatives of the Integrated Passenger Transport Unit at Worcestershire County Council.
(Report to follow and oral report)
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed Officers from the Integrated Passenger Transport Unit, based at Worcestershire County Council, to the meeting. A presentation was given to the Committee (attached as Appendix A) which explained the background to the Redditch Passenger Transport Area Review. It was explained that the basis of the review was to provide evidence to support the development of sustainable schemes to improve public transport in Worcestershire. There were eight stages to the review.
Officers explained that they had completed a strategic analysis of passenger transport in Redditch. One of the three key outcomes of this analysis was that the western circular route in the town needed to be improved. Development of this route was deemed a priority, owing to the high demand for this corridor. One bus operator had expressed an interest in operating this service and it was anticipated that the western circular would be launched in the following year.
The second key outcome from the review was the recognition of the need for improvements at the Alexandra Hospital. Worcestershire County Council had been working in conjunction with the Primary Care Trust and the Council to develop a passenger interchange at the hospital. However, funding had not yet been secured for the scheme.
The third key outcome from the review was that of the taxi bus service. The review had identified that public transport users based in the Crabbs Cross area of the town were isolated, especially in the evening. As a result the evening taxi bus services on the western and eastern circular routes had been introduced. It was reported to the Committee that, when the service was introduced in 2005, monthly passenger numbers totalled 193. By May 2007, this figure had risen to 464. With the addition of extra routes, passenger numbers between July and September 2008 had risen to 2,375. The subsidy level had been reduced from £9.99 in 2007 to £2.32 in 2008.
Officers explained that they were in the process of reviewing future funding for the taxi bus service, as the original funding provided by the Urban Bus Challenge was due to run out. Interest in the service had been expressed by the bus operators and it was envisaged that the service would be continued.
Members asked whether the implications of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for extra homes in the Borough had been taken into account in the study. Officers explained that the RSS contained specific requirements for sustainable land use planning and it was widely understood that additional infrastructure would need to be in place for any additional housing that was built. Any developers building new homes would be required to work with the County Council through Section 106 agreements to meet the sustainability agenda.
Members commented that Redditch relied on the bus network for movement around the town and that it was important to maintain the bus only routes in order to preserve this. Members also commented that there were many partners that worked together to provide bus services in the town but communication between them was inconsistent. Furthermore, elected Members felt that they were often left out of communication on transport issues. Officers from the County reminded the Committee that there was the opportunity to receive information about transport related issues through the Joint Member and Officer Transportation Forum.
Safety issues regarding the buses were discussed by the County Council Officers. Safety was a factor that influenced the use of buses in the evening. Officers suggested that this was an issue for a community safety partnership to address. Officers also informed the Committee that there had been an increasing problem of safety at the bus station, in particular with dangerous vehicle movement around the station. Officers reported that an independent health and safety inspection had been commissioned to examine this issue further.
Members questioned safety in relation to accidents on the bus only routes within the town and whether these issues had been addressed in the review. Officers explained that a lack of public road safety awareness, in particular of bus only routes, might contribute to the cause of accidents. Bus Groups within the County had considered this issue and decided to implement an education programme within schools to raise awareness of the dangers of the bus only routes.
Members commented on the problems experienced on the eastern circular route, particularly the regularity of buses in the morning. The Committee was informed that this issue was a symptom of the early morning peak period when, owing to heavy congestion, buses became increasingly late. Members questioned whether there were any plans to increase the regularity of services to the Alexandra Hospital on this route. The Committee were informed that the operator had withdrawn this service because of difficulties in operating the service reliably. Extensive highway works were needed to resolve the access issue to the hospital.
The Committee thanked the County Officers for attending the meeting. The Committee, in light of the information with which they had been provided, considered the need for a scrutiny exercise on public transport in the town. Members decided that, because of the extensive nature of the review conducted by the County Council, there was no immediate need for a scrutiny of the subject. However, Members agreed to invite Officers from the County Council back to a future meeting of the Committee to receive an update on the progress of the review.
RESOLVED that
1) Officers from Worcestershire County Council be invited to attend a meeting of the Committee on Wednesday 8 April 2009 to provide an update on the progress of the Redditch Passenger Transport Area Review; and
2) the report be noted.