chapter 14
                                 chapter 14 
                    Transport and Communications
              Developing an effective transport system - to produce a 
             safe and effective transport system that balances the needs 
                                  of all users.
                 Promoting inclusive communities - to reduce social 
                inequalities, renew disadvantaged neighbourhoods, 
              protect the vulnerable and ensure access for all members 
                  of the community to services and opportunities.
                Maintaining a clean and sustainable environment - to 
             create a more attractive environment that is safe, clean and 
                  tidy as well as being a more healthy and diverse  
                              natural environment.
                                                                                                    Transport and Communications
              Transport and communications
              Introduction                                                 Context
              14.1  The city’s communication links are vital to            14.7  The National, Regional and sub-regional 
              its economic prosperity and social wellbeing. In             transport policy agendas are very clear. Successive 
              the past Plymouth’s perceived remoteness from                Government White Papers, the emerging Regional 
              Europe’s core has been felt to be a constraint to            Transport Strategy and the Plymouth Area Transport 
              economic growth. This peripherality can be mitigated         Strategy all carry the same theme of promoting the 
              through investment in faster connections to London           most sustainable modes of travel and discouraging 
              and the continent, through the development of                the least sustainable. The draft Regional Spatial 
              IT infrastructure and by promoting an economic               Strategy sets out some of the key infrastructure 
              strategy that focuses on the strengths of the city.          requirements for the Plymouth sub-region, including:
                                                                           •	     Improvements	to	Plymouth	Airport	including	a	
              14.2  But equally important is the need for good                    runway extension and new terminal facilities
              transport connections within the city and its sub-           •	     The	provision	of	a	road	/	rail	freight	
              region. To improve our quality of life and the city’s               interchange at Tavistock Junction (Plympton)
              economic performance, we need to radically                   •	     The	creation	of	sea	freight	/	cruise	liner	
              improve local accessibility - but in a manner which is              facilities
              sensitive to our unique environment.                         •	     The	provision	of	High	Quality	Public	Transport	
              14.3  For most people, our increased ability to                     (HQPT)	links	on	the	eastern	and	northern	
              travel has been one of the most liberating features                 corridors, and along the waterfront area
              of recent decades. But it has come at a cost to the          •	     The	provision	of	a	range	of	additional	
              environment – and it is a cost that is increasing.                  transport measures in relation to Sherford, 
              Living more sustainably includes reducing car                       including a strategic transport interchange, 
              dependence - enabling us to make more journeys on                   junction improvements and improved links to 
              foot, by cycling or by public transport.                            the A379
                                                                           •	     The	provision	of	a	new	boulevard	link	between	
              14.4  Accessibility affects everybody. People need                  Millbay and the City Centre
              to be able to travel easily and safely in their daily        •	     Improved	links	between	Saltash	/	Torpoint	and	
              lives, whether on foot, by bike, by bus, by car or in               the city, including Park and Ride provision, 
              a wheelchair. It is essential, if we are to reduce car              water transport, ferry and the management 
              dependence, that accessibility considerations are                   of traffic flows through innovative use of ferry 
              integrated into all new developments.                               and bridge tolling.
              14.5  Accessibility lies at the heart of creating            14.8  The main elements of the strategic 
              sustainable linked communities where services,               communication network, linking Plymouth to the rest 
              employment and facilities are provided within                of the South West Region, the wider UK and Europe, 
              easy walking distance of homes. However, it is               include:
              important to recognise that for people with mobility         •	     The	A38	Devon	Expressway	and	the	main	rail	
              impairments there are additional obstacles to travel                links
              - even over short distances. Raised kerbs, steps and         •	     Plymouth	Airport	and	commercial	port
              uneven pavements are all barriers to movement for 
              wheelchair users, people with sight impairments,             The information technology and telecommunications 
              older people, and carers with young children. It             networks.
              is essential that their needs are recognised and 
              planned for in the design of all new development.            Plymouth is also on a major strategic route to 
                                                                           Cornwall (with rail, road and ferry links), which itself 
              14.6  It is the task of this LDF to promote a spatial        is a priority area for economic regeneration. It is 
              plan that delivers the transport infrastructure              therefore important to maintain these through links 
              necessary to enable Plymouth to grow in a                    to a high standard.
              sustainable way, whilst minimising the need to 
              travel, and providing a choice of more sustainable 
              modes of transport.
                                                                                                                   adopted 2007     147
        chapter 14
           14.9  The city’s future prosperity depends, in part,         14.13 Rail also plays a role in the urban public 
           on the continual improvement of these vital links. It        transport network. In addition to the main railway 
           is also important, both socially and economically,           station, there are 5 inner-city stations, which provide 
           to improve the city’s links with its surrounding             a modest level of commuter services for travellers 
           hinterland. Significant numbers travel into Plymouth         living in South Devon, East Cornwall and the 
           from the surrounding towns for work, shopping,               Tamar Valley. The city’s aspiration is to support 
           entertainment, healthcare and education.                     improvements to the network locally, as well as 
                                                                        promote a more ‘joined up approach’ regionally and 
           14.10 A recent report into the future of Plymouth            nationally in order to help the modal shift to more 
           City Airport concludes that it contributes substantially     sustainable transport solutions.
           to the economy of the city and the surrounding 
           area – and would do so increasingly as sustainable           14.14 Plymouth is quite a self-contained city, with 
           economic and population growth is delivered.                 78% of people employed in the city also working 
           However, the current Plymouth Airport layout is              there. However, 12,800 commute from outside of 
           not adequate to accommodate the next generation              Plymouth each day – 46% from the South Hams 
           of turbo prop aircraft. Should no enlargement of             and 14% from Cornwall. To maintain this level 
           the runway and its associated safety areas be                of containment against a backcloth of ever more 
           undertaken in the next few years, the facility itself        comfortable vehicles and subtle marketing, it is vital 
           would probably close on the retirement from service          that the Public Transport alternative is comfortable 
           of the current type of aircraft. This could be during        and cost effective.
           the period covered by the LDF. To achieve a 
           situation where the airport becomes a cost effective         14.15 Traffic growth nationally has proceeded at 
           facility in its own right, passenger numbers would           about 2% per annum, but within the city cordon 
           need to increase from approximately 250,000 today            traffic growth has all but stabilised from a 2000 
           to around 580,000 by 2021. Current trends in air             base – in part due to traffic demand management 
           travel and current economic forecasts indicate that          measures taken pro-actively in the previous decade. 
           this is quite practical.                                     This has resulted in a city, which is - in comparison 
                                                                        to many other towns and cities – relatively free of 
           14.11 The development of the Internet and                    congestion, other than at peak periods on critical 
           Broadband has reduced the perceived peripherality            sections of the northern, eastern and western 
           of the city and it is important to maximise the use of       corridors. The value to the city of maintaining this 
           such emerging technologies to offset the physical            position, in the face of ever growing car ownership 
           transport challenges of this western location.               and usage cannot be exaggerated in terms of its 
                                                                        economic, social and environmental impact.
           14.12 In Plymouth itself, the two main bus operators 
           currently provide a reasonable level of public 
           transport throughout much of the urban area, 
           and the progressive introduction of accessibility 
           measures and Real Time Passenger Information 
           are making some improvements to the public 
           transport offer. However, issues with route coverage, 
           infrastructure, vehicle types, fare structure and 
           reliability have hampered the provision of credible 
           alternatives	to	the	private	car.	Indeed,	since	2002/3	
           there has been a 12% decline in bus patronage. 
           The need to better understand travel patterns as 
           well as upgrade this network to provide a state-of-
           the-art	HQPT	network,	with	modern	rolling	stock	
           and interchanges, is paramount to presenting Public 
           Transport as the attractive alternative to commuting 
           by car.
    148    core strategy