Post by Bracken Van Ryssen on Aug 8, 2015 11:19:42 GMT
Hi all
I was able to attend a stakeholder's meeting for the Solihull Green Paper last Tuesday and thought you might be interested to see notes from the meeting, so I have enclosed my brief notes on the meeting. The Green Paper itself can be found at: www.solihull.gov.uk/solihullconnected
Basically the Solihull Green Paper will be the overall transport strategy for the next 20 years and will feed into the larger pan-West Midlands strategies. As it currently stands the paper looks pretty good, with the provision of alternatives to car travel and the creation of "streets for people" as it's main goals. Cycling, walking and public transport are frequently mentioned and the paper even mentions a comprehensive primary and secondary network for cycling. However much emphasis is still on keeping car traffic moving and the overall tone in the room was that car travel is here to stay and the majority of people will not want to or be able to cycle.
Given the wide range of people attending, with representatives of various businesses, local and national organisations as well as a few council reps, this attitude was unsurprising, However it should be noted that the majority agreed that more walking and cycling is generally a good thing.
Throughout the presentation we were able to vote anonymously on some aspects of the overall strategy, I have included some of the outcomes of these votes in my notes but will email around the full statistics once I receive them from the council.
Overall I would say that as a whole the paper looks promising, but will require quite a bit of campaigning and pressure to prevent the sustainable aspects from being watered down before the final paper is released.
Solihull Green Paper Stakeholders Meeting 04 August 2015
Basic overview of the Green Paper:
It will cover 5 main areas: north Solihull, the airport area, the Solihul Center,
JLR and Blythe Valley.
Will increase emphasis on alternatives but still cater to the car.
Looking at what the priorities need to be for transport planning.
Is a 20 year vision for transport etc…
It will set Solihull’s transport infra spending programme and help bid for
funding from the central government.
Will feed into the West Midlands regional transport paper.
Designed to maximise opportunities from HS2.
Making a case for a new direction away from car traffic.
Car use modal share has grown consistently even in the past 10 years.
Very few people cycle.
It is a discussion document to initiate debate.
Goal is to create and promote alternative transport choices.
Reduce dependency on car use and make better use of streets for public
transport
Opinion Poll of those present regarding biggest issues facing transport in Solihull:
1st congestion, 2nd poor transport connectivity, 3rd over reliance on cars.
Points raised by those present regarding issues in Solihull:
Congestion major issue during peak times, tidal flows due to school run
Expensive parking in the Solihull center
Poor location of the train station.
Need to get cycle infra to NEC and HS2.
Poor cycle infrastructure, on-road not good ‘feels unsafe’.
Overcrowding of main bus routes due to school children.
Congestion major problems with reliability etc.. being a problem.
Transport links to major centres need to be better.
Air pollution, noise, loss of connectivity.
Freight and deliveries are and issue.
Buses should be more accessible to visually impaired.
Lack of access for people with mobility problems.
Lack of access to transport networks for young people.
Environment needs to be preserved.
Safety of cycle infrastructure not good enough.
Poor alternatives to car travel.
No cycle or public transport access to businesses along A45.
Cost of getting people into the businesses is prohibitive and can reduce
employment rates.
A45 is major barrier between north and south of borough.
No north-south link in transport and journey times are high.
Solihull Facts:
2011 population is 206,000.
60% of people travel outside borough to work.
287,000 cars on the road every day out of 572,000 total trips (50% mode
share).
Looking at another 1,000 trips in the next few years, 20,000 more residents
and 35,000 more jobs.
Only 34% of people in N Solihull own a car.
N Solihull residents tend to travel in and out of B’ham more often than
travelling in and out of Solihull Centre. This is reversed for rural areas where
70% of people travel by car.
NEC area is largest area for growth. Could end up with another 15k more car
trips into this area.
Feedback from some organisations at meeting:
“Car is here to stay.” “We mustn’t demonise the car.” “People will always
drive.”
Opinion votes
Best way to achieve progress?
>Car use + road widening 23%
>Sustainable alternatives 77%
Do people need to change the way they travel? 77% agree.
What can be done to encourage use of public transport, walking and
cycling?
Increased safety for walking and cycling.
Joined up cycle network.
Workplace and shopping facilities.
Integration of public transport and cycling.
Reliable, regular and safe bus transport.
Crossing points near bus stops to allow crossing of major roads.
Behaviour change: promoting.
Reliable, safe, fast and cheap public transport.
Dealing with pinchpoints and relieve congestion.
Building safer infrastructure for cycling and enabling young people’s access.
The new buses.
Contactless payments
Businesses working with council to identify needs and how they may be met.
More park and ride schemes.
What can be done to improve cycling? A comprehensive network of safe cycle
routes.
What can be done to improve walking? Better connected routes, improving
local streets to make them feels safer.
West Midlands Plans
Mass transit system connections to Birmingham and NEC.
Strategic level cycle network
Green Paper Key Schemes:
o Large cycle network along the primary road network, as well as secondary
network connections.
o Breaking down barriers to pedestrian movement and working with new
developments to encourage more active travel trips.
o Moving the train station closer to the Solihull Town centre.
o Improving cycle access to the town centre from all directions.
o Cycling allowed on the high street.
o Managing car parking charges, supply and demand in the town centre.
o Smart ticketing schemes for buses.
Timeline for Green Paper
Consultation ends September 2015
Technical investigation October to December 2015
I was able to attend a stakeholder's meeting for the Solihull Green Paper last Tuesday and thought you might be interested to see notes from the meeting, so I have enclosed my brief notes on the meeting. The Green Paper itself can be found at: www.solihull.gov.uk/solihullconnected
Basically the Solihull Green Paper will be the overall transport strategy for the next 20 years and will feed into the larger pan-West Midlands strategies. As it currently stands the paper looks pretty good, with the provision of alternatives to car travel and the creation of "streets for people" as it's main goals. Cycling, walking and public transport are frequently mentioned and the paper even mentions a comprehensive primary and secondary network for cycling. However much emphasis is still on keeping car traffic moving and the overall tone in the room was that car travel is here to stay and the majority of people will not want to or be able to cycle.
Given the wide range of people attending, with representatives of various businesses, local and national organisations as well as a few council reps, this attitude was unsurprising, However it should be noted that the majority agreed that more walking and cycling is generally a good thing.
Throughout the presentation we were able to vote anonymously on some aspects of the overall strategy, I have included some of the outcomes of these votes in my notes but will email around the full statistics once I receive them from the council.
Overall I would say that as a whole the paper looks promising, but will require quite a bit of campaigning and pressure to prevent the sustainable aspects from being watered down before the final paper is released.
Solihull Green Paper Stakeholders Meeting 04 August 2015
Basic overview of the Green Paper:
It will cover 5 main areas: north Solihull, the airport area, the Solihul Center,
JLR and Blythe Valley.
Will increase emphasis on alternatives but still cater to the car.
Looking at what the priorities need to be for transport planning.
Is a 20 year vision for transport etc…
It will set Solihull’s transport infra spending programme and help bid for
funding from the central government.
Will feed into the West Midlands regional transport paper.
Designed to maximise opportunities from HS2.
Making a case for a new direction away from car traffic.
Car use modal share has grown consistently even in the past 10 years.
Very few people cycle.
It is a discussion document to initiate debate.
Goal is to create and promote alternative transport choices.
Reduce dependency on car use and make better use of streets for public
transport
Opinion Poll of those present regarding biggest issues facing transport in Solihull:
1st congestion, 2nd poor transport connectivity, 3rd over reliance on cars.
Points raised by those present regarding issues in Solihull:
Congestion major issue during peak times, tidal flows due to school run
Expensive parking in the Solihull center
Poor location of the train station.
Need to get cycle infra to NEC and HS2.
Poor cycle infrastructure, on-road not good ‘feels unsafe’.
Overcrowding of main bus routes due to school children.
Congestion major problems with reliability etc.. being a problem.
Transport links to major centres need to be better.
Air pollution, noise, loss of connectivity.
Freight and deliveries are and issue.
Buses should be more accessible to visually impaired.
Lack of access for people with mobility problems.
Lack of access to transport networks for young people.
Environment needs to be preserved.
Safety of cycle infrastructure not good enough.
Poor alternatives to car travel.
No cycle or public transport access to businesses along A45.
Cost of getting people into the businesses is prohibitive and can reduce
employment rates.
A45 is major barrier between north and south of borough.
No north-south link in transport and journey times are high.
Solihull Facts:
2011 population is 206,000.
60% of people travel outside borough to work.
287,000 cars on the road every day out of 572,000 total trips (50% mode
share).
Looking at another 1,000 trips in the next few years, 20,000 more residents
and 35,000 more jobs.
Only 34% of people in N Solihull own a car.
N Solihull residents tend to travel in and out of B’ham more often than
travelling in and out of Solihull Centre. This is reversed for rural areas where
70% of people travel by car.
NEC area is largest area for growth. Could end up with another 15k more car
trips into this area.
Feedback from some organisations at meeting:
“Car is here to stay.” “We mustn’t demonise the car.” “People will always
drive.”
Opinion votes
Best way to achieve progress?
>Car use + road widening 23%
>Sustainable alternatives 77%
Do people need to change the way they travel? 77% agree.
What can be done to encourage use of public transport, walking and
cycling?
Increased safety for walking and cycling.
Joined up cycle network.
Workplace and shopping facilities.
Integration of public transport and cycling.
Reliable, regular and safe bus transport.
Crossing points near bus stops to allow crossing of major roads.
Behaviour change: promoting.
Reliable, safe, fast and cheap public transport.
Dealing with pinchpoints and relieve congestion.
Building safer infrastructure for cycling and enabling young people’s access.
The new buses.
Contactless payments
Businesses working with council to identify needs and how they may be met.
More park and ride schemes.
What can be done to improve cycling? A comprehensive network of safe cycle
routes.
What can be done to improve walking? Better connected routes, improving
local streets to make them feels safer.
West Midlands Plans
Mass transit system connections to Birmingham and NEC.
Strategic level cycle network
Green Paper Key Schemes:
o Large cycle network along the primary road network, as well as secondary
network connections.
o Breaking down barriers to pedestrian movement and working with new
developments to encourage more active travel trips.
o Moving the train station closer to the Solihull Town centre.
o Improving cycle access to the town centre from all directions.
o Cycling allowed on the high street.
o Managing car parking charges, supply and demand in the town centre.
o Smart ticketing schemes for buses.
Timeline for Green Paper
Consultation ends September 2015
Technical investigation October to December 2015