darlington park-and-ride feasibility study

Darlington Park-and-Ride Feasibility Study

Context and Initial Demand Assessment

Draft Interim Report

JOB NUMBER: 5047783 DOCUMENT REF: 5047783_feasibility_v2.doc

1 Interim Report MK JT MK JT Oct 2007

2 Revised ADB JA Mar 2008

Originated Checked Reviewed Authorised Date

Revision Purpose Description

DARLINGTON PARK-AND-RIDE FEASIBILITY STUDY Draft Interim Report

i 5047783_feasibility_v2c.doc

Contents Section Page

1. Introduction 1-1 The Study 1-1

Phase 1: Inception, Data Review and Best Practice 1-1

Phase 2: Demand Analysis 1-1

Phase 3: Initial Site Identification 1-1

Phase 4: Scheme Design and Business Case 1-1

This Report 1-2

Report Structure 1-2

2. Local Policy and Major Schemes 2-1 Introduction 2-1

Local Policy 2-1

Major Schemes 2-5

Local Plan/Local Development Framework 2-7

Key Development Sites 2-8

3. Transport Network and Parking 3-1 Existing Networks 3-1

Parking Situation 3-4

4. Best Practice 4-1 Overview 4-1

The Market 4-1

Site Location 4-1

Service 4-2

Site Design 4-2

Size 4-3

Charges 4-3

Funding 4-3

5. Initial Demand Analysis 5-1 Introduction 5-1


ii 5047783_feasibility_v2c.doc

Methodology 5-1

Results of the Initial Demand Analysis 5-1

Demand Assessment Using Tees Valley Model 5-12

6. Next Steps 6-1 Workings 6-1

Costs 6-2

Trial 6-3

Overview 6-3

Local Policy and Major Schemes 6-3

Transport Network and Parking 6-3

Best Practice 6-4

List of Tables Table 3.1 - Off-Street Parking Supply 3-4 Table 5.1 – Counts and Model Flows Comparisons 5-2 Table 5.2 – Number of Car Only Trips In-Scope 5-3 Table 5.3 -Travel to Work - Origins of Trips Arriving in Darlington Town Centre 5-6 Table 5.4 – AM Peak Modelled Destinations (%) 5-7 Table 5.5 - IP Peak Modelled Destinations (%) 5-8 Table 5.6 – Factored Number of Car Only Trips In-Scope 5-9 Table 5.7 – Estimated Usage under Various Take-Up Scenarios 5-11 Table 5.8 – Results of Mode-Choice Modelling (AM Peak) 5-14 Table 5.9 – Annualised Demand and Revenues 5-21 Table 6.1 – Costs and Revenues Associated With the Six Potential Sites 6-2

List of Figures Figure 2.1 – Key Developments 2-10 Figure 3.1 – Congested Routes 3-2 Figure 3.2 – Bus Services 3-3 Figure 3.3 – Car Parking Supply 3-5 Figure 3.4 – Average Weekday Occupancy (September 2005) 3-7 Figure 3.5 – Average Occupancy Rates (September 2005, Car Parks>100 Spaces) 3-8 Figure 3.6 – Average Occupancy Rates (September 2005, Long Stay Facilities) 3-8 Figure 5.1 – Car Trips In-Scope: AM Peak 5-4 Figure 5.2 – Car Trips In-Scope: Inter-Peak 5-5 Figure 5.3 - Car Trips and P&R Take-up Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 5.4 – Location of Modelled Park-and-Ride Sites 5-13 Figure 5.5 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 470 - A167 North Road 5-15 Figure 5.6 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 591 – Little Burden 5-16 Figure 5.7 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 589 – Darlington Arena 5-17 Figure 5.8 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 549 – A66/A167 Junction 5-18 Figure 5.9 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 567 – A167 5-19 Figure 5.10 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 617 – A68/A1(M) Junction 5-20


1-1 5047783_feasibility_v2c.doc

1. Introduction

THE STUDY

1.1 Atkins was commissioned in October 2006 by Darlington Borough Council to consider the feasibility of Park-and-Ride in the borough. The Study is to be undertaken in four phases as follows:

♦ Phase 1 Inception, Data Review and Best Practice; ♦ Phase 2 Initial Demand Analysis; ♦ Phase 3 Initial Site Identification; and ♦ Phase 4: Scheme Design and Business Case.

PHASE 1: INCEPTION, DATA REVIEW AND BEST PRACTICE

1.2 In Phase 1, a comprehensive review was undertaken of the available information pertinent to this study. Data collected and used throughout the course of the study included:

♦ Local policy documents; ♦ Tees Valley Multi-Modal Model (TVMMM); ♦ Parking information; ♦ Development details; ♦ Major scheme details; and ♦ Best practice in Park-and-Ride.

PHASE 2: DEMAND ANALYSIS

1.3 In Phase 2 an initial assessment of the potential demand for Park-and-Ride has been undertaken. Levels of car trip demand identified from the TVMMM have been analysed by corridor to identify the most promising corridors where demand is considered potentially sufficient to support Park-and-Ride, and thus identify broad areas of search for potential sites.

PHASE 3: INITIAL SITE IDENTIFICATION

1.4 In Phase 3 the key tasks will be to bring together the Phase 2 analyses into a list of sites where there is potentially scope for a viable Park-and-Ride service and to assess those sites against a criteria framework which will include: Potential capacity, current use, relationship to the highway network and access arrangements etc.

PHASE 4: SCHEME DESIGN AND BUSINESS CASE

1.5 The key objective of the final phase of the study will be to identify, assess and cost a feasible scheme and supporting measures.



THIS REPORT

1.6 This Report summarises the available policy, data and information and presents a summary of best practise (Phase 1) to provide the context and to inform the study. Initial demand forecasts are also provided (Phase 2).

REPORT STRUCTURE

1.7 The remainder of this Report is structured in the following manner:

♦ Chapter 2 summarises the local policy context, identifies key development and infrastructure schemes;

♦ Chapter 3 provides an overview of the existing situation with regards the transport network and parking;

♦ Chapter 4 illustrates best practice for Park-and-Ride; ♦ Chapter 5 provides initial demand estimates; and ♦ Chapter 6 summarises the findings of this Report and proposes the next

steps.



2. Local Policy and Major Schemes

INTRODUCTION

2.1 This Chapter of the Report provides the context for the potential development of Park-and-Ride in Darlington by summarising local policy, major schemes and developments.

2.2 Policy documents reviewed include:

♦ Local Transport Plan; ♦ Vehicle Parking Strategy 2006-2011; ♦ Local Plan/Local Development Framework; and ♦ Darlington Gateway Development Framework.

2.3 Proposed major schemes include:

♦ Pedestrian Heart Scheme; ♦ Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor; ♦ Bus Network Review; and ♦ The Tees Valley Metro.

2.4 Proposed major developments include:

♦ Commercial Street Shopping Centre; ♦ Central Park; ♦ West Park; ♦ Lingfield Point ♦ Morton Palms; and ♦ Tees Valley Airport Development.

LOCAL POLICY

Darlington Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 (LTP2)

2.5 The LTP2 sets out the main priorities and strategy objectives for the borough as follows:



♦ To provide a framework for sustainable development. ♦ To improve access to services particularly for those without a car. ♦ To tackle congestion and its impact on the economy and environment by

making the most effective use of the transport network. ♦ To improve travel safety and security. ♦ To provide and promote travel choices, in particular to reduce the proportion

of private car use. ♦ To improve the health of the community through increasing levels of

sustainable travel.

2.6 With specific regards to Park-and-Ride and parking the salient excerpts are summarised below:

Park-and-Ride:

2.7 LTP2 reports that there are nearly 16,000 travel to work trips into Darlington, 90% of which are by car, “… contributing to significant traffic levels on North Road and approaching the urban area from the westbound A66(T). Further work is required to explore how these traffic levels can be tackled to minimise congestion, through demand management and alternatives, such as Park-and-Ride and increased use of bus and rail services”. (Chapter 3.33)

2.8 The LTP recognises that “Darlington….has a wide catchment area; much of this area outwith the Borough to the south and west is more rural with fewer bus services, so car access to the centre is important to regional planning and economic aims. As a consequence, this Plan will explore the feasibility of a Park & Ride scheme to complement town centre parking provision and maintain the high proportion (currently 49%) of town centre users who either walk, cycle or use the bus”. (Chapter 4.26)

2.9 Additionally, the LTP seeks to continue to limit long stay car parking supply in the town centre to 2000 levels; whilst examining the feasibility of Park-and-Ride to support...“the needs of the economic regeneration strategy (increasing levels of employment, promoting business growth and attracting investment) it is considered that existing demand management techniques, some recently strengthened, are appropriate for the next five years’ delivery of Darlington’s proposed Transport Strategy” (Chapter 4.34)

2.10 Chapter 6; “Programme” reiterates the potential role of Park-and-Ride in aiding travel for commuters from the rural areas and those travelling between Darlington and neighbouring areas. The LTP’s capital programme for 2007/11 sets aside £1,250,000 for Park-and-Ride.

2.11 Finally, with regards to Park-and-Ride; consultation revealed that traffic congestion should be mitigated through alternatives, such as public transport facilities, rather than through restricting the use of the private car.



Parking:

2.12 The LTP reports that an increase in demand for rail has seen patronage at Darlington Station increase by 13% between 2001 and 2005. reflecting “…the additional use generated by travel conditions on national trunk roads coupled with a pattern of people using Darlington as a railhead for the Teesside area…This Plan needs to recognise the consequences ..”(Chapter 3.47)

2.13 The LTP notes that “Historically”, there have been fewer car parking spaces available in the town centre, than that permitted by Planning Policy Guidance Note 13, which “implies” there should be 5,150 car park spaces within the inner ring road, compared to the actual supply of 2,397 off-road and 375 on-road short stay spaces. The LTP asserts that this lower provision has contributed to a reduction in traffic volumes approaching the town centre by 6%. Subsequently the Authority “…will continue to carefully manage the supply of town centre parking, ensuring that its policy objectives are met including increasing the supply of short stay spaces in the town centre. (Chapter 4.25)

2.14 Chapter 4.28 asserts that: “The level of charges applied are consistent with the larger centres in the sub-region (2005 values), and represent significant commitment to demand management by the Council. In terms of long stay parking, the standard day charge has doubled between 2000 and 2006 (£3.00) – again demonstrating the Council’s ability to implement difficult decisions and its commitment to demand management”.

2.15 Chapter 4.29 reports that in November 2004 charging was introduced for on-street town centre short stay parking in line with off-street charges, with space being “... utilised more efficiently, supporting local businesses and reducing circulating traffic”.

2.16 Chapter 30 provides that “Residents’ Parking Zones have been introduced in five areas around the town centre, with a sixth scheduled for implementation in 2006”.

2.17 The Council is also assessing the feasibility of introducing decriminalised parking enforcement with implementation proposed by 2007 (Chapter 4.31).

2.18 Chapter 34 provides the key measures to be delivered over the lifetime of the LTP2:



♦ Selecting the most appropriate use of road space for all modes (i.e. Corridors of Certainty);

♦ Continuing to provide short stay town centre parking both on and off street, provide residents’ parking zones and decriminalised parking enforcement;

♦ Charging prices appropriate to demand management and economic regeneration policies;

♦ Continuing to limit long stay car parking supply in the town centre to 2000 levels whilst examining the feasibility of Park & Ride;

♦ Continuing to provide better facilities for pedestrians, bus users, motorcyclists and cyclists where needed;

♦ Continuing to introduce and promote travel plans; and ♦ Encouraging the development of land in accessible locations.

2.19 Chapter 35 asserts that: “More stringent demand management measures…”, such as road or workplace parking charges implemented in isolation (to other towns) are considered to be detrimental to the achievement of the economic regeneration.

2.20 Interestingly, the LTP reports that during the consultation process, parking issues were raised in 7% of comments; with significant numbers concerned over the “high” cost of town centre parking and the lack of available spaces. (Annex 1).

Darlington Parking Strategy

2.21 Annex 17 of the LTP sets out the Darlington Parking Strategy 2006-2011; the salient points of which are summarised below:

♦ Deciding level and cost of supply: Provide parking for cycles and motor cycles; apply vehicle parking policies to planning applications and negotiate and require workplace and residential travel plans as appropriate;

♦ Provide secure parking for cycles & motor cycles: Parking provision for blue badge holders to meet the needs of disabled people;

♦ Demand management measures to influence travel choices and thus tackle congestion: Pricing and supply and negotiate and require workplace and residential travel plans as appropriate;

♦ Retain and achieve further Park Mark awards in car parks: Car park CCTV coverage;

♦ Marketing and promotion. (sustainable travel demonstration town campaign): Negotiate and require workplace and residential travel plans as appropriate; provide secure parking for those without access to a car (cycles & motorcycles); improved parking enforcement to ensure punctual and reliable bus operation and the provision of parent and child spaces;

♦ Ensure appropriate parking at key sites such as health, food and leisure destinations, and on all new sites via the planning system: Improve secure parking provision for cycles and motorcycles in town centre; and negotiate and require workplace and residential travel plans as appropriate.

2.22 The Strategy identified five types of parking demand of potential concern, namely:



♦ Parking in the town centre for shopping and other short stay activities; ♦ Parking in, or near, the town centre for those staying throughout the day; ♦ Parking in residential streets where demand exceeds supply due to conflicting

needs of users of different land uses (residential, employment, business, health etc), such as Darlington Memorial Hospital or Mowden Hall;

♦ Parking associated with major transport facilities –Darlington Railway Station and Durham Tees Valley Airport;

♦ Private, non-residential parking such as that attached to the Argos regional distribution depot at Faverdale or at Lingfield Point, McMullen Road.

2.23 The LTP reports that there are significant amounts of privately operated parking within the Borough and recognises the potential long term effects on traffic levels of such parking, particularly if free at point of use. However, the LTP recognises the road safety benefits of off road car parking, when the alternative could be inappropriate on-street demand.

MAJOR SCHEMES

2.24 Key infrastructure and transportation proposals include:

♦ Pedestrian Heart Scheme; ♦ Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor; ♦ Bus Network Review; and ♦ The Tees Valley Metro.

Pedestrian Heart Scheme

2.25 Darlington town centre is currently experiencing a £6.5M scheme to create a series enhanced pedestrian spaces. The scheme commenced in late 2005 and is planned to be completed by May 2007. The scheme will have significant changes to traffic flows within the town centre, removing motor vehicles from some of the key existing roads including Northgate (south of Crown Street), Prospect Place, Bondgate (part), West Row and Blackwellgate. Further improvements include a one-way bus loop around Priestgate, Prebend Row and Tubwell Row. A majority of services will access the loop via Northgate, Crown Street and exist at Stonebridge roundabout.

2.26 Resultant from this, existing traffic levels into the town centre may well be slightly suppressed due to the on going construction work.

Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor (DETC)

2.27 DETC is a major scheme bid which has conditional approval for a single carriage highway link from the A66T to Haughton Road which is planned to provide better access to Tees Valley, reduce A66 congestion and link with the developments at Lingfield Point. A major scheme business case was submitted to Government Office in August 2005 to secure funding for the scheme. The scheme is planned to be completed in 2008.



Bus Network Review

2.28 Annex 10 of LTP2 provides the Darlington’s Bus Strategy. It notes that the above review had been undertaken which highlighted a number of potential issues and put forward a number of proposals. The Cabinet Report1 provided to the Consultants, provides further information. That report states that “substantial progress has been made” in developing a major scheme business case for the Tees Valley Bus Network. The review highlighted the following issues which are leading to a shrinking network:

♦ 40 million passengers per year - although high patronage there is year on year decline

♦ Increasing operating costs – three times that of inflation leading to increased fares

♦ Traffic congestion and limited and poorly enforced priority leading to poor reliability

2.29 The review culminated in proposals for a “stable, hierarchical network and the development of high quality links to key centres.” An ‘Indicative List’ of schemes for construction and implementation is planned for 2009/10 to 2015/16. The study recommends a hierarchical bus network based on:

♦ Super core and core routes; ♦ A secondary network; and

♦ A tertiary and rural network.

2.30 These will be supplemented by inter-urban and express routes

2.31 A specification for the two top tiers within the hierarchy – “Super Core” and “Core” routes have now been agreed, and specific infrastructure proposals for each route corridor are being developed.

The Tees Valley Metro2

2.32 To complement the Bus Network Review, proposals for the Tees Valley Metro have been developed by Tees Valley Regeneration to facilitate trips between local centres and key economic assets, and trips to and from these locations from outside the sub region. The proposals also provide enhanced capacity on the East Coast Main Line and Transpennine rail routes. Key elements of the proposals include:

♦ Stations at East Darlington, Airport, James Cook University Hospital; and ♦ The conversion of Darlington to Saltburn heavy rail line, to tram train

technology-with potential Park-and-Ride at Nunthorpe.

2.33 The proposals were developed into a business case during October 2006, with the intention to work in partnership with the Department for Transport and Network Rail to further develop proposals.

1 Second Darlington LTP 2, 2006-2011: Tees Valley Initiatives 2 Second Darlington LTP 2, 2006-2011: Tees Valley Initiatives



LOCAL PLAN/LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

2.34 Overall, the Local Plan reflects the objectives of the LTP2 and the Parking Strategy. Pertinent policies within the Plan include:

♦ Policy T14 - Private Car Access to the Town Centre - During the working day, private cars will only have access within the inner ring road to those streets giving access to public car parking.

♦ Proposal T19 - Multi-Storey Car Parks - Land for multi-storey car parks will be safeguarded at: Beaumont Street; Commercial Street; Crown Street and the car park at East Street will be retained.

♦ Proposal T20 - Town Centre Surface Car Parks - Surface car parks will be retained for public use in and adjacent to the town centre at: Archer Street; Barnard Street; Chesnut Street; Hird Street; Garden Street; Kendrew Street (East); Northumberland Street; Parkgate; Park Place (East & West); Russell Street; and at the Town Hall.

♦ Policy T21 - Public Use of Private Car Parks - The council will seek to make private car parks available for public use by agreement with their owners where necessary at times of excessive parking demand.

♦ Policy T22 - Priority in Central Car Parks - The management of public car parks serving the town centre will give priority to short-stay parking.

♦ Proposal T23 - Albert Road Car Park - A publicly available car park will be provided at Albert Road.

♦ Policy T25 - Parking and Servicing Requirements for New Development in the Town Centre - Non-operational parking space will be permitted only where it is compatible with the totality of the provisions of policies T19-20, that it is generally available, and that priority is given to short stay parking.

♦ Policy T26 - Town Centre Fringe Parking - Parking standards may be relaxed outside the town centre but within the office development limit and the Northgate fringe shopping area where a significant proportion of employees are able to use public transport or to ensure the retention of an existing building.

♦ Policy T27 - On-Street Parking Control - The council will remove on-street parking where this causes road safety hazards, impedes bus operations or causes unacceptable disturbance to residents.

♦ Policy T28 - Residents' Parking Schemes - The council will introduce residents' parking schemes where residents are severely inconvenienced by others' parked vehicles.

♦ Policy T29 - On-Street Short Stay Parking - On-street parking areas for non-residents within and adjacent to the town centre and other shopping centres will be controlled to give priority to shoppers and other short stay visitors including people with disabilities in accordance with demand which can not be met within public car parks.

♦ Policy T30 - Use of Public Transport - The council will promote the use of buses within the borough and to other destinations.



♦ Policy T33 - Provision for Waiting Passengers - Safe and convenient waiting facilities will be provided for passengers at roadside bus stops in accordance with demand.

♦ Policy T39 - Conditions for Pedestrians - Footpaths and other areas for pedestrians should be designed: To be safe from motor vehicles; to ensure personal security and avoid fear of attack; to provide a convenient and direct route to destination; to provide attractive surroundings including planting; to a reasonable width and with a comfortable surface; to assist the mobility of people with disabilities.

2.35 The Local Development Framework is currently being developed, and will gradually replace the Borough of Darlington Local Plan. The Framework will be supplemented by non-statutory planning policy documents adopted by the council, and supported by an evidence base to help identify opportunities, constraints and issues for Darlington. It is not known at this stage if significant changes are anticipated. Although those related to traffic and transportation will undoubtedly reflect and support the existing and future LTP.

Darlington Gateway Development Framework 2004-2007

2.36 The Tees Valley Partnership is planning the £53million Darlington Gateway Project which focuses on Darlington’s role as gateway to the Tees Valley. The project aims to address a number of key areas for improvement and development, with a number of major activities being undertaken between 2004 and 2007. These developments aim to link a wide range of local strategies and corporate plans including the Community Strategy, Town Centre Development Strategy, Local Transport Plan and the Economic Regeneration Strategy.

2.37 Key themes of relevance to this study include:

♦ Physical Gateways - Environmental improvements to key approaches to Darlington, such as the North Road Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme, approach to Bank Top Railway Station, and South Park Restoration Scheme. (These support the investment taking place at Teesside Airport which is also designated as a key entrance to Darlington and the Tees Valley.)

♦ Town Centre Development -The continuing improvements to the town centre are planned to increase its competitiveness, vitality and viability; and thus economy as a key market town within the Tees Valley.

♦ Key Employment Sites – Key strategic developments include: Morton Palms, Faverdale and Central Park (Haughton Road)

KEY DEVELOPMENT SITES

2.38 Key development sites and proposals of potential relevance to Park-and-Ride are shown on Figure 2.1 and listed below:



♦ Commercial Street Shopping Centre; ♦ Central Park (Haughton Road); ♦ West Park; ♦ Morton Palms; ♦ Tees Valley Airport Development; ♦ Faverdale East Business Park; and ♦ Lingfield Point.

Commercial Street Shopping Centre

2.39 A detailed planning application was submitted in September 2006, with proposals to build on two sites: Commercial Street and Kendrew Street. The scheme proposes a retail and leisure development on the site of the existing Commercial Street car park, thus adding an extension to the Queen Street Shopping Centre. Also, the proposal plans to erect a multi-storey car park on the site of the Kendrew Street car parks. The two are to be linked by a pedestrian bridge across St. Augustine’s Way, with a new signalised junction into the car park.

2.40 The Commercial Street site will see 22,100 square metres of retail shopping floor space and 6,000 square metres of leisure floor space, including a multi screen cinema, and associated food and drink uses.

2.41 On the Kendrew Street site it is proposed to develop a six level multi-storey car park, providing 799 car parking spaces, and 26 apartments with parking provision in the basement of the multi-storey car park.



Figure 2.1 – Key Developments



Filename: P:\GBMRB\TP\HA\Projects\5047783 - Darlington P&r - KINS5538\GIS Date: 14/11/2006

Figure 2.1Key Developments

Morton Palms Tees Valley

Airport

Lingfield Point

Central Park

Commercial Street Shopping Centre

West Park

Faverdale East Business Park

Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor

Development Sites

Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor© Crown copyright 2004. All rights reserved. Licence number 100023728.



Central Park (Haughton Road)

2.42 Central Park is a 30 hectare brownfield site, situated between Haughton Road, Yarm Road, Hundens Lane and the railway. The site has been granted conditional planning consent and will provide3:

♦ 600 new homes, including family town houses and apartments; ♦ Around 2,000 jobs; ♦ Hotel and conference facilities close to the railway station; ♦ A range of leisure and community facilities; ♦ Green open space and sculpture park; ♦ High quality office accommodation; ♦ A new site for Darlington College; ♦ A new pedestrian link to the railway station; and ♦ A combined investment of £170m, with the majority from the private sector.

2.43 Central Park will be linked to Darlington town centre via one of two new pedestrian bridges to be built, with another bridge linking the development to the station. The first phase of the work will be carried out between 2007 and 2012.

2.44 Darlington College moved to Central Park in September 2006 to a new £35M campus on Haughton Road. The site covers 16 acres and forms a major element of the Central Park development. The College employs around 600 staff, with 17,000 part-time and full-time students. It also provides a 106 place childcare centre, a restaurant, café, and hairdressing salon.

West Park

2.45 West Park is a mixed use development of around 50 hectares, located between the Cockerton and Faverdale areas of Darlington, adjacent to the A68. It is planned that over next ten years “…a sustainable community will arise on the site of a former chemical works and a waste tip containing over a million tonnes of calcium carbonate4”. By 2005, the site encompassed residential neighbourhoods, a school, community facilities, a mental health hospital, and a 13 hectare park.

2.46 Further planned developments on West Park include: New housing, a rugby club and a retail outlet.

Morton Palms

2.47 Morton Palms is situated on the 28 acre Morton Palms Business Park on the eastern edge of Darlington and currently comprises of recently completed office facilities (38,000 and 32,200 square feet). The site is a joint venture between One NorthEast, Darlington Borough Council, and the developer, City and Northern. Further planned developments include 60,000 square feet office use and complimentary leisure facilities.

3 DBC Website 4 Westpark Issue 4



Tees Valley Airport

2.48 Tees Valley Regeneration in conjunction with English Partnerships, One North East and Peel Holdings have presented proposals for a 28,000 square metres of office development and an additional 6,000 car parking spaces. The Airport is one of five strategic sites in the £1.5 billion Tees Valley Regeneration investment programme.

2.49 It is recognised that the airport is clearly at a pivotal point in the Tees Valley, midway between the A19 and the A1(M). A new access has been built to the south of the link with the A67, which is planned to streamline traffic flows to and from the site. The 100 hectare area designated for commercial use will be located to the south of the runway. There is also provision on the north side for hotels and other ancillary developments.

2.50 Proposals also include increasing the airports current potential of 1.2 million passengers per year to around 3 million and its current rate throughput of freight just over 1000 tonnes per annum to around 26,000 tonnes per annum.

2.51 Plans for the expansion were submitted in January 2005, with development set to begin between 2007 and 2008.

Faverdale East Business Park

2.52 This project brought forward 10.8 hectares of Greenfield employment land for industrial premises. The development of the site was completed in 2005. It is recognised that the site is strategically located on the western edge of Darlington conurbation, with direct access to the A1 (Junction 58) one mile away via the A68.

Lingfield Point

2.53 The Lingfield Point development is a 107 acre business park, providing two key developments: Beehive and Memphis. The Beehive provides contemporary accommodation from 2,500 square feet, and Memphis provides space for medium to large space users, with accommodation from 20,000- 150,000 square feet. A single carriage highway link from the A66T to Haughton Road is planned to provide a link with the developments.



3. Transport Network and Parking

EXISTING NETWORKS

3.1 Darlington is largely a compact town centre. The LTP2 reports that around 85% of residents live within the “compact urban area” and 49% of town centre users walk or cycle or use the bus.

3.2 The town of Darlington is situated to the east of A1(M), off junctions 57, 58 and 59. The immediate highway network comprises a ring road around the town centre, which connects to a number of radial routes enabling access to the wider area.

3.3 The LTP2 reports traffic congestion on a number of routes around Darlington town centre. These are shown on Figure 3.1 and listed below:

♦ A68 West Auckland Road (from A1M junction 58 to Woodland Road); ♦ North Road/Whessoe Road; ♦ North Road/ Slaters Lane /Thompson Street East; ♦ Haughton Road /McMullen junction; and ♦ A66T near Yarm Road, Blands Corner and Stockton Road.

3.4 Darlington rail station is located some five minutes walk outside the ring road in the east and provides access to the East Coast Main Line; and thus to London, Edinburgh ,York, Durham and Newcastle. Additionally, there are also some direct connections to Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow. Local services connect with Bishop Auckland, Teesside and Middlesbrough.

3.5 Teesside Airport is around 9km east of the town centre. A free shuttle service runs every 30 minutes between the airport, the town centre and the main railway station.

3.6 Arriva and Stagecoach provide the majority of services in the borough. Frequent bus services link the town centre with the main urban areas. The rural hinterlands are less well served. Figure 3.2 illustrates the main bus services.



Figure 3.1 – Congested Routes

Filename: P:\GBMRB\TP\HA\Projects\5047783 Darlington P&r KINS5538\GIS Date: 14/11/2006

Figure 3.1Congested Routes

Whessoe Road

A66 (T)

A66(T)/Yarm Road

Salters Lane

Thompson Street East Stockton Road

Haughton Road

North Road

West Auckland

Road

Congested Routes© Crown copyright 2004. All rights reserved.Licence number 100023728.



Figure 3.2 – Bus Services Source: http://www.dothelocalmotion.co.uk/Bus/CountyBusMap.htm



PARKING SITUATION

Introduction

3.7 The situation with regards to the supply, demand and management of town centre parking has a considerable impact on the success or otherwise of Park-and-Ride, therefore a broad assessment has been undertaken which is summarised below.

Supply

3.8 Table 3.1 summarises the existing parking supply in the town centre. Figure 3.3 shows the locations of the parking supply.

Table 3.1 - Off-Street Parking Supply5

Car Park Type Operator Spaces Disabled Park Mark Other Total Charges

Central House (Sat and BHols only)

DBC 47 2 49 £3.00 day

Park Place West LS DBC 141 0 141 £3.00 day Park Place East LS DBC 93 0 93 £3.00 day Chesnut Street LS DBC 180 0 180 Free Garden Street LS DBC 72 2 74 £3.00 day Archer Street LS DBC 79 0 79 £3.00 day Kendrew St East LS DBC 90 0 90 £3.00 day Kendrew St West LS DBC 97 0 97 £3.00 day St Hilda’s LS DBC 15 0 15 £3.00 day Hird Street LS DBC 12 0 1 13 £3.00 day Park Lane LS GNER 120 7 127 £4.00 day Beaumont St West SS DBC 45 0 45 £0.80 per hour Beaumont St North SS DBC 147 0 3 150 £0.80 per hour Beaumont St East SS DBC 124 4 128 £0.80 per hour Commercial St East SS DBC 137 9 5 151 £0.80 per hour Commercial St West SS DBC 165 5 5 175 £0.80 per hour

Abbott’s Yard SS DBC 73 22 1 96 £1.00 first

hour. £1.50 after

Winston Street SS DBC 110 6 116 £0.80 per hour Town Hall SS DBC 216 15 231 £0.80 per hour East Street SS DBC 336 2 336 £0.80 per hour

Safeway SS (P) Private 500 12 500

Free to shoppers for 2

hours Cornmill (Priestgate) SS (P) Private 412 12 412 £0.80 per hour Duke Street SS (P) Private 27 0 27 £0.80 per hour Blockbuster SS (P) Private 30 4 30 £0.80 per hour St Cuthbert’s Way SS (P) Private 53 2 53 Not available Totals 3321 104 3408

5 Source: Darlington “Vehicle Parking Strategy 2006-2011”



Figure 3.3 – Car Parking Supply Source: http://www.darlington.gov.uk/dar_public/documents



3.9 The key points concerning the current off-street parking supply are:

♦ There are 30 off-street car parks providing 3408 off street parking spaces available to the public;

♦ 27% (909 spaces) of available spaces are long stay; ♦ 42% (1022 spaces) of the 2450 short stay spaces are privately run; ♦ All long stay spaces are provided by DBC except for Park Lane; ♦ Additionally, there are around 382 off-street spaces provided directly at

Darlington Rail Station which are operated by Great North Eastern Railways; and

♦ There are some 375 charged for short stay on-street parking spaces available on 26 streets on the periphery of the town centre.

Demand

3.10 Darlington BC provided occupancy information for the formal car parks located in and around Darlington town centre. The off street parking data provided, extracted from the variable messaging system, represents an annual period from the 16th May 2005 to the 15th May 2006.

3.11 Analysis of the data suggests that the majority of the car parks operate significantly below their respective capacity levels (i.e. maximum number of spaces). The average weekday occupancy rates for short and long stay car parks were 47% and 65% respectively. However, the occupancy rates do vary by time period and by facility. For example, East Street car park located north of the central business district, operated at an average weekday occupancy rate of 30%, compared to an equivalent rate of 69% for the Commercial Street Sites.

3.12 A graphical representation of occupancy rates by car park site for the month of September6 (2005) is provided in Figure 3.1. It clearly demonstrates the variability in ‘take-up’ rates between the various sites, with only three car parks exceeding a capacity rate of 90%. Nine sites had a capacity rate below 50%, of which three provide long stay facilities.

6 The month of September 2005 was selected because it had the highest level of car park usage (excluding December 2005), during the period 16th May 2005 and 15th May 2006



0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120

Abbotts YardBarnard Street ABarnard Street BBarnard Street C

Beaumont Street EasBeaumont Street Nor

Beaumont Street WesCommercial Street E

Commercial Street WTown Hall

East StreetCornmill

MFISafeway

Archer StreetGarden Street

Kendrew Street EastKendrew Street West

Grange RoadGladstone StreetChestnut Street

ParkgatePark LaneHird Street

Car

Par

k

Average Weekday Occupancy

Figure 3.4 – Average Weekday Occupancy (September 2005)

3.13 The occupancy profile for ‘large’ car parks (>100 spaces) and long stay facilities is illustrated in Figure 3.5 and Figure 3.6 respectively. It is apparent that peak occupancy rates occur in the mid afternoon period, between the hours 1pm and 3pm. During the AM peak period, occupancy rates for long stay facilities vary from 17% and 75%, indicating that overall there is surplus supply of parking during this period.



0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM MID DAY 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM

Time of Day

Ave

rage

Wee

kday

Occ

upan

cy (%

)

Beaumont Street East

Beaumont Street North

Commercial Street East

Commercial Street West

Town Hall

East Street

Safeway

Chestnut Street

Park Lane

Figure 3.5 – Average Occupancy Rates (September 2005, Car Parks>100 Spaces)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

8AM 9AM 10AM 11AM MID DAY 1PM 2PM 3PM 4PM 5PM 6PM

Time of Day

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Wee

kday

Occ

upan

cy (%

)

Archer Street

Garden Street

Grange Road

Gladstone Street

Chestnut Street

Parkgate

Park Lane

Hird Street

Figure 3.6 – Average Occupancy Rates (September 2005, Long Stay Facilities)



4. Best Practice 4.1 This Chapter summarises the prime objectives and issues to illustrate best practice

with regards to Park-and-Ride.

OVERVIEW

4.2 Park-and-Ride can offer a reduction in traffic and thus congestion into town centres; increasing accessibility and thus supporting and enhancing the viability and vitality of a town centre. Additionally, a quality Park-and-Ride can in of itself provide a positive image and promotion for other forms of public transport.

4.3 To be attractive to car users, Park-and-Ride must be equivalent, or indeed superior, to a journey made by the private car in terms of speed cost and convenience. However, arguably, Park-and-Ride can only be successful when introduced as party of an overall demand management strategy. That strategy should include, amongst others:

♦ Re-allocation of highway space; ♦ Pedestrianisation; ♦ Bus priority measures (real or virtual); and ♦ Restraint in town centre parking (charges/supply)

THE MARKET

4.4 In developing a Park-and-Ride scheme the target market has to be identified to enable the service and facilities to be designed appropriately. Clearly, the target market will comprise of existing car drivers and passengers whom would otherwise use the private car to access the town centre. It is accepted that those people who have access to free parking are less likely to use such a facility as are those who require their vehicles throughout the day.

4.5 However, commuters in particular who have to pay for long stay parking could be persuaded to shift to Park-and-Ride where the conditions described above are introduced. Commuters are in general relatively insensitive to cost while being more sensitive to journey time. Conversely, shoppers for example would likely be sensitive to cost, walking and interchange while being relatively insensitive to overall travel times.

SITE LOCATION

4.6 Sites should foremost optimise and capitalise on the in-scope potential demand for intercepting inbound car trips; whilst being acceptable on planning, accessibility, and environment grounds. Park-and-Ride services should be located conveniently for the user, ideally visible from the radial route. The benefits of this are the service promotes itself by being visible to approaching customers. Sites should also be located outside the congested area to maximise the potential for bus priority measure and where they reduce the potential of abstraction from existing quality bus services



4.7 It is advisable to have, where possible, separate access arrangements for cars and buses.

SERVICE

4.8 The most common form of service provided is that of dedicated low floor buses; with a headway ideally no more than 15 minutes; existing sites generally offer around ten minutes sustained by bus priority.

4.9 Operating times are typically between 07:30 and 19:30 Monday to Saturday. Although, a number of town and cities offer much longer operating hours.

SITE DESIGN

4.10 York City Council specifies the following design issues for a successful Park-and-Ride facility. Specifically, that first and foremost is personal and car security The advice is encompassed in three themes: Clarity, safety and comfort.

♦ Clarity- Timely information must be easily understood. Follow the route from several miles from the site to the journey by bus from the town or city centre at the end of the visit. Ensure roadside signage on site approaches is clear and timely. Design car park layouts that make it easy to find a space. Direct customers to the site facilities and ensure sufficient information is available not only about using the service but also about the town or city centre. A member of staff on site to help with enquiries is an asset.

♦ Safety- Security measures contribute to protecting vehicles from crime and make the customer more confident to leave their vehicle at a Park & Ride site. Whilst York is a comparatively safe city, confidence in personal security is enhanced by effective car park lighting and a comprehensive CCTV system. Early consultation with the local police architectural liaison officer is strongly recommended. Again the presence of a member of staff on site at all times offers customers a higher level of secure access.

♦ Comfort- The comfort of customers who have driven some distance before arriving at the site needs to be considered. In York, toilet and baby changing facilities are provided at every site. Ideally waiting facilities should be inside, heated and equipped with customer information, snack and drink vending machines. Park & Ride car parks in York also provide specialist-parking bays for people with disabilities, families and larger vehicles such as camper vans. The type of customer the site is hoping to attract should influence design. For example, if predominant use is by regular commuters security issues are likely to be the overriding factor. Where the service is more tourist orientated customer comfort factors are important. In York, we have tried to appeal to a broad mix of regular users and tourists. Park & Ride sites are key transport interchange points. In York, a small network of rural bus services operated from the Askham Bar site. Consideration should be given to providing space for feeder bus services. It is common for Park & Ride passengers to be dropped off at the site, "kiss & ride", the road and parking layout will need to accommodate this. Facilities at stops in town or city centre must be considered as well as those



on the site itself. Stops need to be clearly marked and information provided. The nature of Park & Ride means that significant numbers of passengers wait at stops in the late afternoon and evening peak and this needs to be catered for in the design.

4.11 Clearly, costs vary according to prevalent site conditions. In addition to development costs feasibility studies should explore the cost of off site works (i.e. signage, bus priorities, town centre shops etc).

SIZE

4.12 The size of a site will depend on a number of factors including land availability and demand. However, sites that are too small (ie less than 250/300 spaces) are likely to be economic not viable; as well as experiencing problems such as isle and on-street parking where demand outstrips supply. The amount of car parking provided should be made on the projected demand over the first five years of operation with a strategy for further expansion to meet future demand.

CHARGES

4.13 In general, customers park for free and pay to travel on the bus; although in places a parking charge is levied with free travel. The bus fare is generally levied at a lower price than long stay town centre parking.

FUNDING

4.14 There are a number of existing funding streams, for example developer contributions, government grant, off-street parking cross subsidy and TPP/LTP. Although it is likely some form of subsidy will be required. Interestingly in York, in 1995 the council wrote a Park-and-Ride plan that aimed to achieve self-financing service within five years; which has been achieved.



5. Initial Demand Analysis

INTRODUCTION

5.1 During work done previously, it was determined that the Tees Valley Transport Model was not providing a realistic assessment of the trips-making patterns in and around Darlington. Since the initial phase of work was completed, a revised version of the Tees Valley Model has been developed and was made available to revisit the analysis.

5.2 This chapter describes the results of the revised analysis.

METHODOLOGY

5.3 Initial demand estimates of the broad potential for Park-and-Ride have been undertaken by extracting existing car trips by corridor into Darlington town centre from the Tees Valley Multi Modal Model by means of Select Link Analysis. The model was successfully calibrated and validated by MVA on behalf of the Tees Valley Joint Strategy Unit against actual traffic flows on the highway network in the base year (2005) and was subsequently revised by the Joint Strategy Unit in 2008.

5.4 The Select Link Analysis identified the number of car trips (i.e. excluding buses, light and heavy goods vehicles which would be highly unlikely use Park-and-Ride) passing through a screenline on a specified highway link travelling to the town centre. The town centre is defined, at this stage, as broadly the area within the ring road, although the subsequent detailed demand modelling will test a wider area.

5.5 The select link flows were extracted for both the AM peak period (08:00-09:00) and the Inter-Peak period (10:00-16:00), and represent an average hourly car flow on the link during the specified time periods.

RESULTS OF THE INITIAL DEMAND ANALYSIS

Modelled Flows and Counts

5.6 Table 5.1 shows the inbound in-scope or pass-by car traffic at locations on all major radial routes, for an average hour in both the AM and Inter-Peak periods. Comparisons with recent traffic counts are also provided.

5.7 As can be seen, the modelled flows at most sites are reasonably close to their observed counterparts, but some sites show significantly higher modelled flows than observed.



Table 5.1 – Counts and Model Flows Comparisons

AM Peak Inter-Peak

Observed Flows Observed Flows

Screenline

Model

Flows Counts Diff %Diff Min Max

Model

Flows Counts Diff %Diff Min Max

1 A167 Harrowgate – north of North Road/A1150 roundabout 818 988 -170 -17% 735 1259 445 304 141 46% 258 357

2 Bishopton Lane –north of A1150 Winfield Road

3 A66 - east to west link- south of A66

No count data available

4 A67 - south of B6280Yarm Road roundabout 780 482 298 62% 432 521 368 266 102 38% 237 297

5 Neasham Road - south of A66 roundabout 371 354 17 5% 228 391 167 186 -19 -10% 171 202

6 A167 Croft Road – south of Bridge Road/A66 roundabout 520 277 243 88% 211 317 235 172 63 37% 155 197

7 A66(M) - east of A1M slip Jct. 57 No count data available

8 A67 – east of A1(M) 517 414 103 25% 322 466 375 232 143 62% 214 265

9 B6279 Staindrop Road – east of A1(M) 237 392 -155 -40% 263 430 134 98 36 37% 85 110

10 Newton Lane - east of A1(M) 14 24 -10 -42% 11 35 31 21 10 48% 16 28

11 A68 West Auckland Road – east of A1(M) Jct. 58 1106 988 118 12% 735 1259 932 589 343 58% 533 662

12 Whessoe Road- south of Bucktree Lane 578 380 198 52% 313 417 224 131 93 71% 115 150

Totals 5252 4299 953 +22% - - 3148 1999 1149 +57% - -



In-Scope Trips

5.8 Table 5.2 below shows the modelled traffic flows on each of the main radial routes into the town centre, as well as the number of car trips destined for the town centre identified from the Select Link Analysis.

5.9 These are also illustrated in Figure 5.1 and Figure 5.2.

Table 5.2 – Number of Car Only Trips In-Scope

AM Peak (0800:-09:00 Average Hour)

Inter-Peak (10:00- 16:00 Average Hour) Screenline

All Flows

To Town Centre

% To Town Centre

All Flows

To Town Centre

% To Town Centre

1 A167 Harrowgate Village – north of North Road/A1150 roundabout 857 196 23% 666 48 7%

2 Bishopton Lane –north of A1150 Winfield Road 155 45 29% 201 14 7%

3 A66 - east to west link- south of A66 1040 103 10% 813 76 9%

4 A67 - south of B6280Yarm Road roundabout 782 151 19% 347 75 22%

5 Neasham Road - south of A66 roundabout 378 49 13% 171 18 11%

6 A167 Croft Road – south of Bridge Road/A66 roundabout 508 120 24% 231 71 31%

7 A66(M) - east of A1M slip Jct. 57 850 220 26% 521 120 23%

8 A67 – east of A1(M) 515 177 34% 379 126 33%

9 B6279 Staindrop Road – east of A1(M) 219 97 44% 113 16 14%

10 Newton Lane - east of A1(M) 16 0 0% 31 0 0%

11 A68 West Auckland Road – east of A1(M) Jct. 58 1435 150 10% 1078 235 22%

12 Whessoe Road- south of Bucktree Lane 662 120 18% 222 72 32%

Totals 7417 1428 19% 4773 871 18%

5.10 The highest pass-by flows are experienced on the A66 and A68. However, for both sites the proportion of car traffic destined for Darlington town centre is relatively low at around 10%.

5.11 In contrast, around third of car traffic crossing the screenline points on the A66(M) and A67 are destined for the town centre. Additionally, the A167 provides the third largest flows into the town centre.

5.12 Taking all screenlines together, the model only suggests that 19% of AM peak car trips are destined for the town centre. This is higher than the 13% identified in the earlier analysis, but is still suspiciously low. The figure for the Inter-Peak period is similar to that found in the earlier analysis.



Figure 5.1 – Car Trips In-Scope: AM Peak

Figure 5.1

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Car Trips In-Scope - AM Peak

Direction of Flow Select Link Point

Legend:

5

ID All Flows

© Crown copyright 2004. All rights reserved. Licence number 100023728.

Flow InformationTo TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

378 49 13

5

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

378 49 13

4

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

782 151 19

3

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

1040 103 10

2

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

155 45 29

12

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

662 120 18

11

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

1435 150 10

10

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

16 0 0

9

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

219 97 44

8

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

515 177 34

7

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

850 220 26

6

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

508 120 24

1

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

AM Peak

196 23

210

9

8

76

5

4

3

1

12

11

857



Figure 5.2 – Car Trips In-Scope: Inter-Peak

Figure 5.2

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Car Trips in Scope - Inter Peak

Direction of Flow Select Link Point

Legend:

5

ID All Flows

© Crown copyright 2004. All rights reserved. Licence number 100023728.

Flow InformationTo TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

171 18 11

5

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

171 18 11

4

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

347 75 22

3

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

813 76 9

2

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

201 14 7

1

ID All Flows

To Town Centre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

666 48 7

12

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

222 72 32

11

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

1078 235 22

10

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

31 0 0

9

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

113 16 14

8

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

379 126 33

7

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

521 120 23

6

ID All Flows

To TownCentre

To TownCentre (%)

Inter Peak

231 71 31

210

9

8

76

5

4

3

1

12

11



5.13 Table 5.3 illustrates travel to work data based on the ONS Population Census 2001 and shows the origins of trips with a destination to Darlington town centre. It clearly shows the majority of trips to the town centre are made from within Darlington.

Table 5.3 -Travel to Work - Origins of Trips Arriving in Darlington Town Centre

Origin District All Modes

Car (Driving) Total Car Drv

1 Darlington 5116 1815 72.0% 55.9% 2 Sedgefield 566 354 8.0% 10.9% 3 Richmondshire 333 272 4.7% 8.4% 4 Stockton-on-Tees 294 213 4.1% 6.6% 5 Teesdale 208 173 2.9% 5.3% 6 Wear Valley 163 116 2.3% 3.6% 7 Durham 74 49 1.0% 1.5% 8 Middlesbrough 67 46 0.9% 1.4% 9 Hambleton 63 50 0.9% 1.5%

10 Hartlepool 45 27 0.6% 0.8%

5.14 Table 5.4 and Table 5.5 show the destinations of the modelled flows for the AM and Inter-Peak periods passing over the twelve screenlines.

5.15 Similar results to the journey to work data are evident with a majority of trips destined for the urban area surrounding the town centre, where significant amounts of trips for the town centre originate within the borough.



Table 5.4 – AM Peak Modelled Destinations (%)

Screenline Ward/Area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Modelled Town Centre 14 7 3 6 5 14 30 28 28 15 7 17Bank Top,Darlington 0 1 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Central Darlington - (minus modelled town centre) 14 3 0 0 1 4 2 2 2 3 1 31Cockerton East,Darlington 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 12 11 2 Cockerton West,Darlington 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 42 9 4 College,Darlington 0 1 2 1 2 11 14 8 16 8 8 6 Eastbourne,Darlington 0 2 9 11 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faverdale,Darlington 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 30 0 Harrowgate Hill,Darlington 6 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 15Haughton East,Darlington 4 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Haughton North,Darlington 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Haughton West,Darlington 8 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Heighington and Coniscliffe,Darlington 0 0 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hummersknott,Darlington 0 1 5 2 0 2 1 9 11 0 3 0 Hurworth,Darlington 0 2 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lascelles,Darlington 0 2 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lingfield,Darlington 3 5 5 25 13 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 Middleton St George,Darlington 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Mowden,Darlington 0 0 2 1 1 3 4 1 26 0 7 2 North Road,Darlington 18 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Northgate,Darlington 1 0 0 0 3 9 8 1 2 2 6 1 Park East,Darlington 3 4 6 2 2 7 5 23 3 1 1 7 Park West,Darlington 1 3 5 2 1 4 11 21 4 1 2 1 Pierremont,Darlington 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 3 12 7 0 Sadberge and Whessoe,Darlington 5 13 16 16 28 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 OUTER DARLINGTON TOTAL 67 53 76 69 72 50 50 68 69 85 85 80Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scotland / Northumbria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Southern England 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Stockton - on - Tees 11 3 0 0 7 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 Stockton-on-Tees 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tyne and Wear 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yorkshire 4 31 16 15 2 1 3 1 3 0 8 2 Cumbria 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Durham 0 0 2 2 5 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 Greater Lancashire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hartlepool 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Middlesborough 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Middlesbrough 2 3 2 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Redcar & Cleveland 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 EXTERNAL AREAS 19 40 22 25 23 36 20 3 4 0 8 2



Table 5.5 - IP Peak Modelled Destinations (%)

Screenline Ward/Area 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12Modelled Town Centre 14 20 8 9 11 33 45 37 40 2 11 19Bank Top,Darlington 1 3 4 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Central Darlington - (minus modelled town centre) 18 9 1 3 2 3 3 4 8 6 2 13Cockerton East,Darlington 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 15 11 1 Cockerton West,Darlington 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 66 7 1 College,Darlington 2 2 0 2 1 11 8 9 10 1 6 2 Eastbourne,Darlington 1 5 13 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Faverdale,Darlington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 0 Harrowgate Hill,Darlington 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10Haughton East,Darlington 5 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Haughton North,Darlington 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Haughton West,Darlington 9 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Heighington and Coniscliffe,Darlington 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hummersknott,Darlington 0 1 1 2 0 7 5 8 15 0 4 1 Hurworth,Darlington 0 2 2 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Lascelles,Darlington 1 2 9 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Lingfield,Darlington 13 9 14 13 6 0 1 1 0 1 0 3 Middleton St George,Darlington 0 0 6 0 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 Mowden,Darlington 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 10 0 4 3 North Road,Darlington 13 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 1 6 35Northgate,Darlington 0 1 0 1 1 5 3 1 4 1 11 2 Park East,Darlington 2 5 4 4 2 8 7 15 2 0 1 3 Park West,Darlington 0 5 2 2 1 10 12 14 1 0 3 2 Pierremont,Darlington 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 5 5 6 1 Sadberge and Whessoe,Darlington 1 7 13 23 17 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 OUTER DARLINGTON TOTAL 81 69 69 69 54 56 49 56 59 98 85 79Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scotland / Northumbria 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Southern England 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Stockton - on - Tees 2 1 0 1 19 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 Stockton-on-Tees 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tyne and Wear 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yorkshire 1 7 4 9 1 1 0 3 1 0 3 2 Cumbria 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Durham 0 0 6 1 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 Greater Lancashire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hartlepool 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Middlesborough 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Middlesbrough 1 2 10 5 4 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 Redcar & Cleveland 1 1 0 1 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 EXTERNAL AREAS 5 11 23 22 35 11 6 7 1 0 3 2



Potential Demand

5.16 The information presented for car flows destined for the town centre in Table 5.2 has been factored up to represent the AM Peak (07:00-09:30) and Inter Peak (09:30-16:00) periods and is presented in Table 5.67.

Table 5.6 - Factored Number of Car Only Trips In-Scope AM Peak 07:00 to

09:30 Inter-Peak

09:30 -16:00 Screenline To Town Centre

To Town Centre

Total

1 A167 Harrowgate – north of North Road/A1150 roundabout 294 192 486

2 Bishopton Lane –north of A1150 Winfield Road 68 56 124

3 A66 - east to west link- south of A66 155 304 459

4 A67 - south of B6280Yarm Road roundabout 227 300 527

5 Neasham Road - south of A66 roundabout 74 72 146

6 A167 Croft Road – south of Bridge Road/A66 roundabout 180 284 464

7 A66(M) - east of A1M slip Jct. 57 330 480 810

8 A67 – east of A1(M) 266 504 770

9 B6279 Staindrop Road – east of A1(M) 146 64 210

10 Newton Lane - east of A1(M) 0 0 0

11 A68 West Auckland Road – east of A1(M) Jct. 58 225 940 1,165

12 Whessoe Road- south of Bucktree Lane 180 288 468

5.17 The A68 West Auckland Road has the highest level of pass-by flow destined for the centre of Darlington; predicted to be 225 and 940 cars in the AM and Inter-Peak periods respectively. Looking at the AM Peak period alone, the highest number of cars estimated to be destined for the town centre are seen on the A167 Harrowgate and the A66(M).

5.18 Relatively high potential usage figures are seen on the A66(M) (screenline 7), A67 (screenlines 8 and 4) and A167 Harrowgate (screenline 1) corridors. The latter corridor is a key radial into the town centre for settlements located north of Darlington, such as Newton Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland.

Interception Rates

5.19 The likely usage of Park-and-Ride will depend on many factors, as briefly outlined in the previous section. Nevertheless, prior to detailed demand forecasting, this initial assessment uses intercept rates based on previous work undertaken by Atkins (i.e.

7 AM Peak factor 1.5 and Inter Peak factor 4.0



Cambridge Park-and-Ride and Belfast Park-and-Ride) which revealed an approximate intercept rate of around 15%. For more successful Park-and-Ride such as in York, up to 25% of trips “in scope” have been observed to use the facility. This higher figure is likely due to relative low number of long stay public car parking spaces within the City of York and the perceived levels of congestion.

5.20 Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport (2001) asserts that the provision of Park-and-Ride should normally be accompanied by a corresponding reduction in the provision of long stay parking: “Schemes should not be designed to increase significantly the total public parking stock available in a town and care should be taken (for example through tariff structures) to avoid encouraging additional travel, and especially commuting, by car”. (Paragraph 62).

5.21 It is therefore considered reasonable that a “take-up” rate of between 10% and 25% should be used at this initial stage of the corridor demand assessment, to give an indication of viability.

Estimated Park-and-Ride Usage

5.22 In order to assess the potential for each corridor in terms of Park-and-Ride, various take-up rates, ranging from 10% to 25%, have been applied to the pass-by car flows destined for Darlington town centre; as described in the methodology section above.



Table 5.7 – Estimated Usage under Various Take-Up Scenarios

10% 15% 20% 25% Screenline

AM IP Total AM IP Total AM IP Total AM IP Total

1 A167 Harrowgate – north of North Road/A1150 roundabout 29 19 49 44 29 73 59 38 97 74 48 122

2 Bishopton Lane –north of A1150 Winfield Road 7 6 12 10 8 19 14 11 25 17 14 31

3 A66 - east to west link- south of A66 15 30 46 23 46 69 31 61 92 39 76 115

4 A67 - south of B6280Yarm Road roundabout 23 30 53 34 45 79 45 60 105 57 75 132

5 Neasham Road - south of A66 roundabout 7 7 15 11 11 22 15 14 29 18 18 36

6 A167 Croft Road – south of Bridge Road/A66 roundabout 18 28 46 27 43 70 36 57 93 45 71 116

7 A66(M) - east of A1M slip Jct. 57 33 48 81 50 72 122 66 96 162 83 120 203

8 A67 – east of A1(M) 27 50 77 40 76 115 53 101 154 66 126 192

9 B6279 Staindrop Road – east of A1(M) 15 6 21 22 10 31 29 13 42 36 16 52

10 Newton Lane - east of A1(M) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 A68 West Auckland Road – east of A1(M) Jct. 58 23 94 117 34 141 175 45 188 233 56 235 291

12 Whessoe Road- south of Bucktree Lane 18 29 47 27 43 70 36 58 94 45 72 117



DEMAND ASSESSMENT USING TEES VALLEY MODEL

5.23 The latest version of the Multi-Modal Tees Valley Model was used to estimate the usage of a Park-and-Ride facility on those corridors which could support a facility, as indicated during the initial demand assessment.

5.24 Modelling such as this allows the likely intercept rate to be estimated, and also takes account of drivers switching routes to take advantage of a Park-and-Ride facility. In this modelling, the potential usage of a site is not, therefore, restricted to those persons currently passing the site. In particular, a single site can be assumed to serve, and therefore capture trips from, more than one of the corridors identified in the initial assessment.

5.25 At this stage of scheme assessment, it is necessary to make some assumptions regarding the operation of a potential Park-and-Ride facility. After discussions with Darlington Borough Council, the following assumptions have been used for the purposes of this modelling exercise;

♦ The Park-and-Ride site would be served by normally scheduled buses but that a frequency of at least one bus every ten minutes would be achieved;

♦ The single fare for the journey between the Park-and-Ride site and the town centre would be £1 (i.e. a return journey would cost £2);

♦ The cost of parking would be zero; and ♦ No additional bus priority measures would be introduced.

5.26 A Logit-based mode-choice model was used to estimate the usage of each facility. This methodology calculates the generalised cost of travel between a pair of zones in the model by both car and by Park-and-Ride and splits the demand travel for between the options according to the differences in generalised cost.

5.27 The operation of the mode-choice model was restricted to those trips which have an origin outside of Darlington and a destination within the town centre.

5.28 The generalised cost of travel by car was taken directly from the Tees Valley Model.

5.29 In order to calculate the generalised cost of travel Park-and-Ride, the following methodology was used;



♦ The zone containing the Park-and-Ride site was identified, ♦ The generalised cost of travel by car to the Park-and-Ride site was taken from

the Tees Valley Model; ♦ The generalised cost of travel by bus from the Park-and-Ride site to the trip

destination was taken from the Tees Valley Public Transport model; ♦ The generalised cost by park-and-Ride was then found by adding the

generalised cost by car to the cost by bus, together with a consideration for waiting time and walking time between the bus’s city centre stop and the ultimate destination.

5.30 The Mode-Choice model was run for six potential Park-and-Ride sites in turn. It should be remembered that the results are only applicable if the site under consideration were implemented and no other sites were.

5.31 The locations of the six potential sites are shown in Figure 5.3 below. The numbers in the Figure refer to the zone numbers from the Tees Valley Model.

Figure 5.3 – Location of Modelled Park-and-Ride Sites

5.32 As far as the modelling is concerned, the Park-and-Ride site could be located anywhere within the area shown above. In reality, however, the precise location of the Park-and-Ride site would be subject to careful consideration.



5.33 The six modelled locations are as follows;

♦ Zone 470 (screenline 1 in previous analysis)– to the north of the town on the A167. A potential location would be to the north of the built-up area, to the east of the A167;

♦ Zone 591 (screenline 3) – close to the Little Burden junction on the A66(T); ♦ Zone 589 (screenline 6) – close to the Darlington Arena; ♦ Zone 549 (screenlines 6 and 7) – close to the junction of the A66(T) and the

A167; ♦ Zone 567 (screenline 8) – on the A167 radial route into Darlington; and ♦ Zone 617 (screenline 11) – close to the junction of the A68 and the A1(M).

Summary Results

5.34 The results of the mode-choice modelling for the six potential sites are shown in Table 5.8 below.

Table 5.8 – Results of Mode-Choice Modelling (AM Peak)

Estimated P&R Usage Site

AM IP All-day

A167 North Road 85 40 288

Little Burden 101 45 331

Darlington Arena 92 44 315

A66 – A167 junction 97 41 310

A167 62 27 202

A68 – A1(M) junction 58 61 332

5.35 Thematic Maps showing the origins of the trips likely to use a Park-and-Ride facility for each potential site are shown in the Figures that follow.



Figure 5.4 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 470 - A167 North Road



Figure 5.5 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 591 – Little Burden



Figure 5.6 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 589 – Darlington Arena



Figure 5.7 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 549 – A66/A167 Junction



Figure 5.8 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 567 – A167



Figure 5.9 – Park-and-Ride AM Peak Capture Rates for site in Zone 617 – A68/A1(M) Junction



5.36 The Figures above give some indication of the potential success of the various sites – those sites which can capture a relatively high proportion of trips coming from the more populated areas will experience higher levels of demand. For example, the site at Little Burden would be relatively attractive to persons travelling to Darlington from Middlesbrough, whilst the site on North Road would be attractive to persons travelling from Newton Aycliffe.

Annualised Demand and Revenue

5.37 The preceding sections have estimated the daily usage of six potential Park-and-Ride facilities. In order to annualise the demand and estimate the annual revenues associated with each potential site, the following methodology has been used.

5.38 The estimated daily demand has been multiplied by 315 and then rounded to the nearest 1000 to provide an estimate of the annual usage. This is found by multiplying the estimated daily demand by 250 as there are assumed to be 250 typical weekdays in a year, then adding 75% of the estimated daily demand for each of 52 Saturdays, and then adding 50% of the daily demand for each of the 52 Sundays in a year8.

5.39 It has been assumed that a fare of £1 would apply for each leg of the bus journey, giving revenue of £2 per passenger.

5.40 The annualised demands and revenues are shown in Table 5.9 below.

Table 5.9 – Annualised Demand and Revenues

Site Daily Demand Annual Demand Annual Revenue

A167 North Road 288 91,000 £182,000

Little Burden 331 104,000 £208,000

Darlington Arena 315 99,000 £198,000

A66 – A167 junction 310 98,000 £196,000

A167 202 64,000 £128,000

A68 – A1(M) junction 332 104,000 £208,000

8 250 + (0.75*52) + (0.5 *52) = 315



6. Next Steps 6.1 The demand assessments outlined in the previous Section have shown that the

potential usage of a Park-and-Ride facility for Darlington is likely to be limited. This is due mainly to the relatively small number of trips that are destined for the town centre and the difficulty in providing bus services that produce time-savings compared to the private car.

6.2 In addition, the supply of parking spaces within the town centre is plentiful and the cost of such spaces is relatively cheap.

6.3 So, whilst this work has indicated that the scope for Park-and-Ride is quite limited, it is informative to investigate further the potential workings of a facility.

WORKINGS

6.4 It has been assumed during the demand assessment that the ‘Ride’ section of the Park-and-Ride service would be provided by existing services that would be diverted to serve the parking area. Such an approach has one major of advantage - the marginal cost of providing the bus services would be minimal and would be absorbed by the operating costs of the bus operator, leading to low day-to-day running costs for the local authority.

6.5 The local authority would, however, have to provide a safe and secure parking area, and would be responsible for its maintenance. Research undertaken by Graham Parkhurst from the University of the West of England9 suggests that the costs of maintenance at a simple Park-and-Ride facility are of the order of £60,000 per annum.

6.6 If such a system were to be used, it is likely that there would no cost for parking and that passengers would pay to use the bus service. If this were the case, the authority, as owner/operator of the parking area, would receive no income from the facility unless it entered into an agreement with the bus operator regarding some sort of revenue sharing.

6.7 Park-and-Ride facilities where users park for free and then use regular service buses to reach their destinations are not common in the United Kingdom but facilities exist in Stoke-on-Trent and Leeds, for example.

6.8 An alternative approach would be for the authority to provide, through tendering, both the parking area and a dedicated bus service between the parking area and the town centre. This would give the authority more control over the level of service provided by the Park-and-Ride facility, in terms of charging systems, vehicle quality and service frequency, but would have obvious cost implications. These are discussed in the paragraphs that follow.

9 Influence of bus-based Park-and-Ride facilities on users’ car traffic, Transport Policy Volume 7, Issue 2, April 2000, Pages 159-172.



COSTS

6.9 The costs associated with running a Park-and-Ride service can be summarised as follows;

♦ Fixed vehicle costs (purchase price, tax, insurance, etc); ♦ Distance-related vehicle operating costs (fuel, tyres, maintenance, etc); ♦ Staff costs.

6.10 Taking into account the distance between the six potential locations and the town centre, together with the likely journey times, it is possible to estimate the number of buses required to operate a 10-minute headway Park-and-Ride service. The number of buses required is the main determinant in calculating the annual operating costs of the service. The distance between the site and the town centre also influences the operating cost, as the annual variable costs associated with running the service (fuel, tyres, maintenance, etc) and proportional to the annual distance travelled.

6.11 The annual costs of operating a Park-and-Ride service together with the estimated passenger revenue for each of the six potential locations are shown in Table 6.1 below.

Table 6.1 – Costs and Revenues Associated With the Six Potential Sites

Site

Estimated Annual Usage

Annual Revenue

Bus Operating

Costs

Parking Area Costs

Annual Subsidy Required

A167 North Road 91,000 £182,000 £320,000 £60,000 £198,000

Little Burden 104,000 £208,000 £344,000 £60,000 £196,000

Darlington Arena 99,000 £198,000 £227,000 £60,000 £89,000

A66 – A167 junction 98,000 £196,000 £209,000 £60,000 £73,000

A167 64,000 £128,000 £338,000 £60,000 £270,000

A68 – A1(M) junction 104,000 £208,000 £346,000 £60,000 £198,000

6.12 As can be seen, none of the six potential sites generate sufficient passenger revenue to cover their operating costs, so provision of a Park-and-Ride facility would require some level of subsidy.

6.13 The sites at the Darlington Arena and the A66-A167 junctions require the lowest level of subsidy, due to their proximity to the town centre and subsequent relatively low bus operating costs. Each of these sites is estimated to attract around 100,000 passengers per year, so the subsidy required under £1 per passenger.



TRIAL

6.14 This initial study has indicated that there is some potential for Park-and-Ride for Darlington, but that it is unlikely that a service could be run without some level of subsidy. Discussions with Darlington Borough Council have indicated that it may be possible to run a trial service in order to gauge the public reaction to such a service.

6.15 The trial service would utilise the parking areas adjacent to the Darlington Arena. The demand modelling work outlined in the previous Section has indicated that such a site could attract around 300 passengers per day, if an adequate level of service could be provided – assumed to a service that runs between 7am and 7pm with a headway of 10 minutes.

6.16 Clearly, there are many details that would need to be finalised before such a trial could operate, not least, the integration of the service with the use of the Arena. This study has indicated, however, that this site could provide a feasible Park-and-Ride service.

OVERVIEW

6.17 This Report described the local policy, data and information and presented a summary of best practise to provide the contextual background and to inform the study. Initial demand forecasts were also provided

LOCAL POLICY AND MAJOR SCHEMES

6.18 The Report reviewed a number of policy documents which support the potential for Park-and-Ride; and Park-and-Ride also supports the objectives therein.

6.19 With specific regards to parking local policy recognises the need to influence long stay parkers with peripheral town centre charging and higher costs.

6.20 A number of major scheme proposals have been identified which, if introduced, would likely impact on the potential for Park-and-Ride. Specifically, the introduction of the full Bus Network Review proposals and/or the Tees Valley Metro would likely negate the need or Park-and-Ride in borough.

6.21 Key developments are also summarised; the majority of which are located on or close to the major radial routes to the town centre.

TRANSPORT NETWORK AND PARKING

6.22 The town of Darlington is well located close to the A1(M) and the immediate highway enables access to the wider area. However, traffic congestion is evident on a number of routes around Darlington town centre.

6.23 Darlington rail station is located close to the town centre and provides frequent local and national services. Additionally, frequent bus services link the town centre with the main urban areas although the rural hinterlands are less well served.



6.24 Analysis of the existing parking in Darlington revealed that there are over 3000 off-street car parking spaces in the town centre which overall provide sufficient capacity.

BEST PRACTICE

6.25 An overview of Park-and-Ride best practice has been provided. The key themes were that Park-and-Ride can offer a reduction in traffic and thus congestion into town centres; increasing accessibility and thus supporting and enhancing the viability and vitality of a town centre. However, to be successful, it must be a quality product supported by demand management policy initiatives.

darlington park-and-ride feasibility study

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