Understanding Why Transport Planners Carry Out Traffic Surveys

Traffic surveys are utilised for many purposes. These include being part of the process that resolves national, regional and local traffic issues. Often, the data gathered plays a critical role in the decision making process in highways planning. Sometimes this contributes to projects related to the planning, construction and maintenance of highway infrastructure. With major investment in short supply, traffic survey reports can influence investment in future infrastructure as well as making the best of our current road networks. On a local level, surveys are also utilised for smaller projects that may deal with parking issues or the effectiveness of traffic calming measures in regards to road safety issues.

With big development projects, it would require much bigger studies. This may require turning counts at a number of junctions, vehicle speed surveys, pedestrian desire line surveys, vehicle queue surveys and even observing how often pedestrians cross at a crossing and the affect that may have on vehicle flow. In some instances, particularly where there may be some new road building (such as a bypass) origin and destination surveys may be required across the study area, which typically can be carried out using number plate surveys at all entry and exit points to the study area as well as within the study area at major intersections in order to track individual car movements. On a smaller schemes, traffic surveys may only be required to determine vehicle 85th percentile speeds and two-way link (road) counts. This would help determine such issues as visibility splays and highway capacity and whether the development proposals would have an adverse affect on the highway.

A recent requirement for many development proposals is to develop Travel Plans for the development end user. The basis of the Travel Plan is to survey of staff/residents, looking at their travel characteristics and their willingness to change if they are given various incentives. The Travel Plan survey can either be carried out manually (face to face) or on-line as staff log in to their workplace computers. The survey would need to be carried out at the inception of the Travel Plan and then either annually or every two or three years in order to track any changes, to identify if targets are met or indicate areas where further work/incentives may be needed.

For more information about UK Traffic Surveys please go to the website at Modal Group.

Transport Assessment Good Practice

Compiling a Transport Statement or a more complex Transport Assessment Report is at the core of the professional activity for Modal Group. Modal's transport planning consultants are often required to prepare these statements and reports to accompany planning applications where the development proposals may have an effect on the public highway.

After receiving instruction to carry out an assessment, and as long as the proposals are not secret, Modal Group Ltd will approach the local Highway Authority and discuss the scheme in general and scope the parameters required to carry out the project. This will have the advantage of not only getting to know the Highway Officer involved, by agreeing whether the transport evidence required need only be in the form of a Transport Statement, a requirement for smaller developments, or the lengthier and more in depth Transport Assessment Report. Additionally, scoping the development proposals with the Highways Officer will agree what parameters or information would be required in the report as well as getting an early indication as to what are the local issues and what sort of contributions, if any the Highways Authority would look for. This should result in saving time later once the Application is submitted and reports sent to the Consultees who can then raise issues and make comments.

The Four Stage Model Approach
When carrying out the highway study, Modal Group, in most cases, will follow the typical 4 stage model approach. This is where we look at:
1. The development's likely traffic generation
2. How the traffic distributes across the highway network.
3. The modal split of the traffic, such as the split between types of vehicle (car, bus, cycle etc) as well as considering pedestrians or any other mode of transport
4. Assigning the traffic to the local highway network.

By following the 4 stage model, Modal Group will have a good prediction of travel characteristics of the development proposals. By comparing these with what is currently happening on the local highway network. This may need traffic surveys to get a present day snapshot. Modal Group can assess the significance of the additional development traffic, if any, would have on the operation of the local highway network for the opening year of the development proposals or the design year which could be a number of years ahead.

If there is no significant impact then there may be no need for any off-site highway works, however if there is a significant impact then Modal Group Ltd can assess and advise the Client on what highway works will need to be carried out, such as junction improvements or road widening. Any such highway schemes would then require a Road Safety Audit, carried out by an independent highway consultancy, a service Modal Group Ltd can offer to other designers.

The Effect of Additional Development Traffic
In some instances, the impact of additional development traffic could be mitigated by encouraging the developments end users to make fewer car journeys by car sharing, promoting cycle, bus and pedestrian forms of travel. Modal Group Ltd would prepare a separate document called a Travel Plan which would bring all this information as well as advising on how to monitor the effectiveness of the Travel Plan and identify targets for the end users to achieve.

After all the above information has been prepared, and in most cases, Modal Group Ltd will continue to liaise with the local Highway Authority in order to discuss any other issues or concerns that may arise with the aim to get the Highways Officer to recommend the scheme to the Planning Officer.

To get in touch with Modal Group for a no-obligation chat please phone 015398 86015 or contact us via the website at Modal Group.

The Role of Transport Planning

Civil engineering covers a wide range of activities relating to both public sector projects and private sector development schemes. Transport planning is one of the specialist areas that comes under the umbrella of civil engineering. The public perception of transport planning is that they don't really think about it as such, but transport planning does indeed play a vital role in our everyday lives as it impacts hugely on a regions economic well being as well as the quality of life experienced by its inhabitants . Think about it this way, carefully designed and well constructed transport links allows a region's populace to access jobs, education and health services easily and safely. Meanwhile, it also enables businesses to gain access to customers, suppliers and importantly the skilled employees they'll need to do the work. As a transport planning consultant, you may be thinking that I'm overdoing our role in the scheme of things and perhaps you're right! However, I'm hoping that you are starting to see how transport planning is an essential link between our transport system requirements and the needs of society at local, regional and national levels.

Transport planning consultants aim to improve the transport infrastructure, provide advice on policies as well as work on various transportation related projects. When the general public consider transport projects, it tends to be that they think of road networks. I guess this is because most of us tend to drive private vehicles more than we use public transport. However, the highways consultant will also get involved with railway networks, pedestrian systems, cycle routes and air travel. So, as well as having to think about the various transport systems, these days we also take into consideration climate change, the economic development objectives, travel behaviour and community needs.

As you can see, there's plenty of variety in transport planning work and may involve anything from working on anything from an access issue on a small parcel of land all the way to an international integrated infrastructure project. Accepting the complexity of any particular scheme, the transport planners’ responsibilities will typically include:

1. Identifying transport problems and providing potential solutions
2. Report on transport systems and present options and recommendations
3. Creating designs for new or improved transport infrastructures (including junctions, pedestrian areas, and car parking areas, etc
4. Resolving development site access issues
5. Carrying out a road safety audit
6. The design and interpretation of traffic surveys
7. Forecasting the impact of road improvements, policy changes and public transport schemes
8. Analysing and reporting on the benefits of various transportation strategies
9. Evaluating infrastructure needs to support planning applications for development projects
10. Analysing and reporting on environmental impact
11. Advise local authorities on their development plans
12. Participating in negotiations with planning authorities, local councillors, developers, architects, special interest groups and transport providers
13. Contributing to the bid writing process to gain funding for projects
14. Being an expert witness at planning appeals

Transport planners make a major contribution to developing and improving transport systems and really should be involved in infrastructure projects from the earliest stages to ensure that they are sustainable and provide the greatest benefit to the economy in the long-term.

If you would like to discuss this article or find out more about Modal Group UK services then please phone 015398 86015 or get in touch via the website at Traffic Consultants.

Discover How Climate Change Will Impact Our Transport Systems

There is now a general acceptance across the globe of the scientific evidence that climate change is with us. Plans are being drawn up and actions are being taken to mitigate the impact of climate change on our communities and our economies.

As transport planning consultants, Modal Group has to consider and assess our transport networks in terms of their flexibility and long-term resistance to the potential effects of climate change and the extreme weather conditions that this may bring.

How can our transport systems become vulnerable?

On TV we regularly see the impact that extreme weather conditions such as coastal storm surges, extreme temperatures and flooding has on UK communities as well as internationally.

A storm surge in a coastal area could result in cliffs collapsing blocking routes, the loss of basic services such as electricity and clean water, homes and roads being washed away, etc… Extreme cold spells and winter storms can easily bring roads, railways and airports to a standstill creating considerable delays, accidents and damage to our economy. Though the UK would probably welcome an extended heatwave, extreme heat will damage tarmac, encourage subsidence as well as create other surface and structural damage. It can also impact on how we travel depending on the level of discomfort (think London Underground) with any particular mode of transport thereby potentially adding greater pressure on certain networks.

At the moment, we are more used to heavy rainfall and flooding than heatwaves (though this may change in the future). However, flash floods will endanger lives, damage embankments and wash away most things in its path thereby causing considerable disruption to our transport infrastructure and the communities that use them. Prolonged heavy rain can cause landslides that will bring down buildings and other structures, bridges can be washed away and cause severe problems for underground networks.

These are just some of the problems that can happen and when you also consider the costs of the clean up operation, the potential damage to tourism and the impact on insurance premiums it all becomes a bit of a headache.

How can we make protect our transport systems and make them resilient?

New transport infrastructure development tends to be determined by new housing or commercial developments. Therefore it is essential that all stakeholders work together to improve our transport networks by making them more resistant to the extreme conditions that are being brought about by climate change. In many cases, there will be a regional strategy or transport plan in place that will provide guidance to planners on the best way forward on extreme weather issues such as flood risk and potential storm damage as well as looking at options for reducing carbon emissions.

It is essential that planners and developers alike confront climate change and continue to work towards meeting future transportation needs. We'll need to deal with a variety of issues such as how climate change will affect the way we travel and how we can adapt our current infrastructure to cope better with these changes. It will also be necessary put in place preventative measures to limit disruptions to businesses. When considering that climate change takes place over a long period of time those businesses involved in longer term investments such as those in the construction and transport infrastructure could be particularly vulnerable.

How To Stop Your Property Development Grinding To A Halt

The success or failure of any development is more often than not determined at the earliest stages of the development project where the afore mentioned success or failure can be put down to a typical list of issues. In this article, we review some of the main issues that tend to crop up more often than you'd think.
Reviewing Land Access Issues
It is advisable to check that a site can be accessed properly as early on in the project as possible. Ideally, this should be checked before the Architect has had chance to position a property or designed a larger estate. If the access audit concludes that the site cannot be accessed safely and within the design criteria for the scale of development proposed, then ultimately there is very little chance that the scheme will get to the Planning Application stage. If brought in at an early stage, experienced transport planning consultants, could save considerable abortive costs in the long run.

Reviewing Visibility Issues
Visibility at the access point of the proposed development site is often one of the key hurdles that need to be overcome when it comes to obtaining highway approval. The visibility splay is the area of land either side of the proposed access point. It is essential that it is kept clear of all permanent obstructions such as a wall or fence. It is vital that a driver departing the site is be able to clearly see if another vehicle is passing and of course the passing driver needs to be able to see if a car is about to pull out of the access into his path. The risk of an accident occurring increases significantly, the more substandard the visibility splay provided.

Depending on the circumstances, there is some flexibility in deciding the right visibility splay to use. For instance, the lower the speed limit the smaller the splay, however, there are options available to the scheme designer. Firstly, by basing the splay on the main road’s speed limit, or secondly by determining the required splay based on the actual speed of the traffic. It is not unusual nowadays for Highway Authorities to request a one or two week long Automatic Traffic Count (ATC) using a counter that identifies the speeds of each vehicle. Additionally, this system can classify the vehicle (eg car or HGV) and count vehicle numbers traveling in each direction.

Reviewing Physical Design Issues
The physical design of the access road width is critical. As a general rule, the more houses proposed within the scheme, the wider the road width required. Additionally, on smaller proposals there may not be a requirement to provide footways and therefore have “shared” surfaces. However on larger projects 1.8.m footways would be required, though the width could be reduced at pinch points.
Whether it is a residential or commercial scheme, the access road will need to be designed in order to cater for deliveries, emergency vehicles and waste collection. All of these types of vehicles require consideration as they’ll need be able to negotiate bends as well as having turning areas within the actual development.

Reviewing Car Parking Issues
Car parking is often a stumbling block to progressing the scheme, especially where the site layout is constrained with limited space for parking.

In such a scenario, the architect will need to decide:
A) if each property needs its own off street parking or
B) if parking will be shared communally
It is not unheard of for Highway Authorities to permit lower levels of parking if it is communal parking as opposed to off-street parking schemes. In the past Government guidance helped determine parking levels. However, more recently the Government changed its advice by giving Highway Officers the authority to determine what they think would be the correct level of parking. Developers must remember that parking ratios tend to be based on the numbers of bedrooms, so typically a 1 bedroom house may require 1.5 spaces whereas a 5 bedroom house 3 spaces.
Reviewing Non-car Modes of Transport Issues
Access by non-car modes of transport needs to be factored in to the Planning Application. For larger housing schemes a Travel Plan may need to be produced which considers how a developer would encourage residents to reduce car usage. For smaller schemes, the Highway Authority will need to be convinced that a developer has appropriate access to public transport as well as made provision for non-car users. Ideally a development needs to be near and preferably within 250m of a bus stop with a regular bus service. The design of the development also needs to incorporate cycle parking or storage, have good pedestrian access and there is increasing pressure to incorporate electric vehicle re-charging points at each property.

A  Number Of Additional Planning Application Related Information Is Required
The list is by no means limited regarding information that may be needed to be submitted as part of a Planning Application. These often include :

a) Traffic surveys and traffic modelling of the surrounding highway network, as well as a Transport Assessment Report
b) Travel Plan
c) Road Safety Audit which checks the highway design for safety by all road users
d) Noise reports
e) Energy Saving Assessments eg BREEAM, SAP, water efficiency, renewable energy saving assessments.
f) Environmantal surveys eg bat and tree surveys
g) Flood risk assessments

You may get in touch with Modal Group via the website at Traffic Consultants.

The Planning Team For Your Property Development

Have you purchased a piece of land because it's an ideal location for your dream home? Maybe you've identified a bigger piece of land where you can build multiple properties. This article will provide you with some basic advice to help you with your project and avoid some pitfalls that often crop up in development schemes. It also aims to provide advice as to who to involve in your planning so as to provide the optimum chance of getting your planning application passed.

Site Research
Before liaising with any specialists such as architects and surveyors, it is crucial that you carry out some research. These days, by going on-line, you can check if anyone has previously put in a planning application. Your local planning authority will allow access to their “Planning Portal” which lists Planning Applications, copies of reports and drawings on the planning file and details of any decisions made. Don't worry if you discover that your site has had a refusal. It is always a good idea to closely examine the reasons for refusal as quite often they can be overcome with some technical expertise. A Consultant Town Planner, Highways Consultant (such as Modal Group) or Architect could advise you or point you in the right direction of someone who could help.
In addition to checking out the planning history of your site, also look at similar sized sites in the locality as this will give you an idea of what the Local Planning Authority are looking for in an application and what other issues there may be locally. Additionally, if planning was approved, you'd be informed of the planning conditions that are likely to be applied.

It is at this stage that, we'd advise that you engage an Architect, Town Planner and a Highways Consultant. I can understand that this may seem rather excessive, but there may be issues which all three Consultants would need to address; and the earlier that they do, the less likely that the scheme will be delayed at a later stage or during the Planning Application process itself.

Who Needs To Be On My Planning Team?

a)The Consultant Town Planner
They are often the natural choice to co-ordinate the team's effort in preparing a Planning Application. He will need to consider local planning policy, prepare an argument for the “need” of the proposals, and he will also carry out a more detailed investigation into the planning history as well as considering the planning decisions made for similar sites.
Ideally, the Consultant Town Planner should have an early meeting with the Council Planners, finding out what their requirements are and what the local issues may be. They can then pull together all the relevant planning reports, write and submit the Planning Application, as well as negotiate its passage through the Council in order to obtain a successful result.

b) The Architect
They often take on the duties of the Town Planner and the highways expert. The architect will not only design the dwellings inside and outside, but they will also need to take in to account how the buildings sit in the site, their visual amenity and how they affect neighboring properties. The architect will also advise on how the building design and specification can save energy costs, both in construction and building use thereafter. If there isn't a town planner involved, which is often the case on smaller schemes, then the Architect will quite often lead the development team and co-ordinate the production of any specialist reports that need to be submitted with the Planning Application as well as prepare and submit the Planning Application itself and take responsibility for negotiating with the Council Planners in order to get their recommendation for approval.

c) The Highways Consultant / Transport Planning Consultant
The consultant will quite often face the toughest task. This is to persuade the Local Highway Authority that the development proposals can be accessed safely, that the internal highway layout and design follow the appropriate design guides and Manual for Streets. In addition, that the impact of the proposals on the wider highway network is minimal, traffic surveys may be required, and that accessibility by car, on-foot, cycle and public transport is achievable.

Contact Modal Group
To find out more about our services visit Transport Planning Consultants. Alternatively, for an informal chat about your project call 015398 86015 or contact Modal Group via the website at Traffic Consultants.

Road Safety Audit Checklist at Preliminary Design Stage

It is important that any previous road safety audits carried out are reviewed in order to allow subsequent design changes. If it is a major project then it is also advisable to determine the amount land required to meet all the safety requirements.

It is essential to check any elements of horizontal and vertical alignments in order to minimize any hazards caused by reduced sight-lines.This is particularly important where the scheme departs from normal standards. In regards to sight-lines consider all other obstructions that may be caused by such things as parapets, bridge abutments, structures and street furniture.

Junctions are critical places, often a source of delay and where collisions tend to occur. Therefore it is essential to review all conflict points at junctions (especially private access points) in order to minimize hazards. Check the visibility of the actual junction upon approach including sight-lines from minor roads and private access points. All things considered it is important to control approach speed to the junction and review the layout of the approach roads. It is also good practice to consider nay provision for turning traffic as well as location and access of lay-bys.

What else needs to be reviewed within the preliminary design?

1. The impact of landscaping
2. Perceptions of road users towards road markings and signage
3. Provision of safety aids on steep hills
4. Provision of facilities for other highway users such as pedestrians, cyclists and horse-riders
5. Potential for flooding due to inadequate drainage
6. Any maintenance arrangements

Modal Group are transport planning consultants that also provide traffic surveys and road safety audits.
If you would like to find out more about Modal's Road Safety Audit services contact Petros Price via the website at Traffic Consultants.