Travel Plan

Transcript

HEALTH CENTRE Draft Travel Plan Contents Contents Content s........... ........................ .......................... .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... ..................... ............. .......... .......... ....... .. 2 EXECUTIVE EXECUTIV E SUMMARY........... ........................ .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... .................. ..... 4 SECTION I: INTRODUCTION INTRODUCT ION............. ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ..................... ............. .......... ........ ... 5 Background Backgro und............. ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... ................... ........... .......... .......... .......... ....... .. 5 Policy ............ ......................... .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ........................ ................ .......... .......... ..... 6 SECTION 2: 2 : EXISTING TRAVEL SITUATION S ITUATION ............. ......................... ......................... .......................... ........................ .............8 Site Assessment........... ........................ .......................... .......................... ......................... ........................ ................. .......... .......... .......... ......... .... 8 Location, Boundar Boundaries ies and Access Acces s Points ............ ......................... .......................... ......................... .................... ............ .... 8 Walking ........... ....................... ....................... ...................... ....................... ....................... ..................................................... .......................................... 8 Cycling ............ ......................... .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ....................... .............8 Public Transport Tra nsport ........... ........................ .......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ......................... ........................ ........... 9 Anticipated Anticip ated Car Use............ ......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... .......................... ................... ........... ......... .... 10 Anticipated Anticip ated Goods and Servicing Movements Moveme nts............ .................... ............. .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......11 Accessibility Accessibi lity for Disabled Travellers Travelle rs............. .......................... ......................... .................... ............. .......... .......... .......... ..... 12 Road Safety............. .......................... .......................... ......................... ......................... .......................... ....................... ............... .......... .......... .......12  Travel Survey........... ...................... ...................... ....................... ....................... ...................... ............................................ ................................. 12 SECTION 3: OBJECTIVES OBJEC TIVES AND TARGETS ............ ........................ ......................... ..................... ............. .......... .......... ......... .... 13 Objectives Objecti ves............ ........................ ......................... .......................... .......................... .......................... ......................... ......................... .................. ..... 13  Targets............ ....................... ...................... ....................... ....................... ...................... ....................... .......................................... .............................. 13 SECTION 4: 4 : TRAVEL PLAN STRATEGY STRA TEGY........... ........................ .......................... .......................... ......................... .................. ...... 17 Management..................................................................................................... 17 Marketing.......................................................................................................... 18 SECTION 5: TRAVEL PLAN MEASURES ...................................................................20 Package of Measures for Employee................................................................... 20 Walking............................................................................................................. 20 Cycling .............................................................................................................. 20 Public Transport ................................................................................................. 22 Car Park Management....................................................................................... 22 Car Sharing, Car Hire and Car Clubs..................................................................22 Optimising Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT1) .....................................23 Business Travel................................................................................................. 23 Delivery and Service Plan.................................................................................. 23 Local Area Initiatives .........................................................................................23 Monitoring Strategy ........................................................................................... 24 Action Plan ....................................................................................................... 24 SECTION 7: CONCLUSIONS................................................................................... 26 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY   This Travel Plan represents a commitment by the NHS South West Essex PCT and the Brentwood Borough Council to promote sustainable travel to and from the Deal Tree Health Centre which has been constructed on Blackmore Road. The development consists of a new GP Practice which will provide GP services to the local community. The Deal Tree Health Centre are currently located in a building adjacent to the site and will move into the new building in August 2012.  The development of this Travel Plan is necessitated by the limited parking onsite but is also in keeping with NHS South West Essex and the BBC commitment to reduce their carbon emissions as set out in their Environmental Policies.  The key objectives for this Travel Plan are that the development will: Address the needs of all site users for access to and from the site, and;  To facilitate sustainable travel behaviour for all site users (employees, patients and visitors).  The targets for this Travel Plan have all been defined as SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) and include a mix of 'Aim-type' targets and 'Action-type' targets, (which are directly linked to the implementation of measures). These include: • • • • • • Reducing employee car use to a level that can be sustained by on-site parking facilities. Providing secure cycle parking for employees and cycle hoops for visitors and patients. Providing employees with showers, changing and storage facilities. Appoint a Travel Plan Coordinator for the practice. Personalised Travel Planning for all employees. Provide site specific sustainable travel information to all patients and visitors.  This Travel Plan looks at a 5 year timeframe against which this evolutionary document can be regularly updated. In this way, the Travel Plan can be reviewed and tailored to take account of ongoing changes in travel patterns and changes in the local environment.  The full details relating to the proposed development can be found in the Accompanying Transport Assessment . SECTION I: INTRODUCTION Background  The new development consists of the Deal Tree Health Centre, which will provide health care services to the local community. The practice has been on this site for many years and is currently being housed in a building adjacent to the site until the new building is ready for occupation. This Travel Plan deals with the patients (and other visitors), the employees and the operational (business) travel related to the site. NHS South West Essex and the BBC have stated that they expect the GP Practice to serve a population of up to 10,000 registered patients. This will equate to 6 GPs supported by locums when required, practice managers, practice nurses, health care assistants and practice administration staff:  The geographic location of the development has been determined by its proximity to the local population, the parking availability and access to public transport . By building the new practice, the opportunities for access to the practice by sustainable modes is high. The site is well positioned in relation to the potential patient catchment areas, and details relating to this can be found in the accompanying Transport Assessment.  The site is also classed as having a Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) rating  TBC, which represents those areas within the Borough of Brentwood with average access to public transport. As already stated, given the site's accessibility to public transport, the redevelopment benefits from a moderately sustainable location in terms of public transport.  This Travel Plan identifies the transport impacts resulting from the redevelopment of the site and indicates a framework for the mitigation measures to be pursued. This includes a package of mitigation measures and methods for monitoring.  The Travel Plan seeks to address journeys to and from the development by employees, patients and visitors.  The accessible location of the proposed practice and the proximity to local residents means that minimal vehicle trip generation will be automatic. Car ownership data from the 2001 Census (National Statistics, HMSO) shows that 56% of households in the Brentwood Borough own a car or a van. As a result of the practice’s sustainable location the draft travel plan will focus on providing information to all site users (employees, patients and visitors) to facilitate their use of sustainable travel modes rather than providing a framework of incentives for site users. The site's high level of accessibility to public transport (Bus and increased services with the creation of additional bus stops outside the Health Centre) as well as by foot and cycle will also be reviewed. Local sustainable transport schemes and promoters will be consulted as part of the production and ongoing development of the travel plan. Some of these consultees will include the Brentwood Borough Council, Stage Coach, local car club operators and  Transport . Policy Central Government established the need to reduce car dependency and increase travel choices in both the Transport White Paper, 'Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997' and then also in PPG13 (Transport). PPG13 sets out how  Travel Plans should be secured through conditions and planning obligations and recommends that Travel Plans be provided for places of work, education, shopping, leisure and health facilities. It states that; "Travel plans should be submitted alongside planning applications which are likely to have significant transport implications... However, unacceptable development should never be permitted because of the existence of a travel plan. "The BBC will work wi th Essex Transport, the gover nment, boroughs and other partners to ensure the integration of transport and development by: • • • • Encouraging patterns and forms of development that reduce the need to travel, especially by car; Seeking to improve public transport, walking and cycling capaci ty and accessibility where it is needed, for areas of greatest demand and areas designated for development and regeneration, incl uding ... town centres and other parts of suburban Brentwood in which improved access is needed; In general, supporting high trip generating development only at locations with both high levels of publ ic trans port acces sibi lity and capacity, sufficient to meet the transport requirements of the development. Parking provision should reflect levels of public transport accessibility...;" "Developments with significant transport implications should include a Transport Assessment and Travel Plan as part of plann ing appl ications. Deve lopers and planning authorities should refer to Transport Assessments. All developments that exceed thresholds defined in the guidance on Workplace Travel Plans and Residential Travel Plans should have a Travel Plan." Will not be required to produce a travel plan of the same com pl exit y as those exceed ing the Standa rd travel plan threshold. Nevertheless, the organisation will be required to produce a travel plan and will be encouraged to produce and implement travel plan packages, with support from Ente rprise . This tra vel plan would not be subject to independent monitoring in the same manner as a standard travel plan." 'Guidance for Workplace Travel Planning for Development' also states that Travel Plans should; "Reflect the local transport network, the operational requirements of  the site, and potential travel patterns of occupiers, including the delivery of goods, supplies and services. Best practice travel plans in tro duc e a package of measures to reduce the need to travel and improve the attractiveness of sustainable travel modes through an array of incentives." SECTION 2: EXISTING TRAVEL SITUATION Site Assessment Location, Boundaries and Access Points  The proposed development site is located on Blackmore Road and close to Outings Lane within the Brentwood Borough. The site is situated in front of a private row of residential properties and adjacent to farm land.  The practice has its own car park for 40 cars (3 disabled bays) and two motorcycle parking spaces. There is secure cycle parking for 14 cycles. Blackmore Road is a minor road and is predominantly a mix of farm land and residential. Walking  The area immediately surrounding the site is well lit and encourages pedestrian activity. Pedestrian accessibility on Blackmore Road is good with wide footpaths and designated pedestrian crossings. Full details of the sites accessibility to local facilities by foot can be found in the accompanying Transport Assessment. In brief, the site is well located for pedestrian access to and from: • • Surrounding Residential Areas Public Bus Transport On-site observations undertaken on the footway adjacent to the site indicated that at present the existing pedestrian facilities provide a good level of service with unimpeded flow possible, the pedestrian access has been improved by the addition of the new zebra crossing created accessing directly into the health centre. Cycling Cycling is becoming more and more popular in Brentwood, with an increase since 2000. Essex County Council has committed to review cycle routes throughout Essex with a view of further dedicated cycle routes. Full details of the site's accessibility to local facilities by cycle can also be found in the accompanying Transport Public Transport  The development site is well served by public bus service. It is located within walking distance of Blackmore. Within the immediate vicinity of the site the Number 261/71 bus route runs along Blackmore Road and bus stop opposite the health Centre. This route allows travel along the route across the East of Brentwood. • Several bus routes across Brentwood which service Blackmore Road. Full details of all the available public transport services accessible from the site are provided within the accompanying Transport Assessment. If the PTAL (Public Transport Accessibility Level) for the site is calculated from first principles based on current public transport information the PTAL score can be seen to be three which agrees with the available Brentwood Borough data. The data used to calculate this PTAL is included within the accompanying Transport Assessment . This equates to the site having average access to public transport and that the proposed redevelopment constitutes a moderately sustainable location in relation to public transport availability. Anticipated Car Use Blackmore Road connects with Ongar Road roundabout giving access to the A128, roads which are major routes through Brentwood for M25 & Ongar for A414. As previously stated the Practice has car parking accessed from Blackmore Road which can provide car parking for 40 vehicles with 3 disabled spaces and two motorcycle parking spaces. The two disabled spaces will be restricted for DDA parking (restricted for use by those with 'blue badges' or 'companion badges'). The secure car park will also include a delivery bay in addition to the parking bays. Within the accompanying Transport Assessment car use is calculated using the  TRAVL database with a sensitivity test also being carried out to reflect the impact of parking restrictions and Travel Planning measures for the site. Anticipated Goods and Servicing Movements  The accompanying Transport Assessment contains a preliminary Delivery Service Plan (DSP) for the practice, based on delivery and servicing information for Health centres and surgeries in Brentwood collected by the CHPCT in June 2008. From this DSP it can be seen that there are a variety of movements required on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to facilitate the operation of the practice. From this data it can be calculated that approximately: • • • • 3 light vehicle movements would be generated daily; heavy goods vehicle movements would be generated weekly; 1 heavy goods vehicle movement would be generated monthly, and; 1 light goods vehicle movement would be generated on a quarterly basis.  This would average out at 3.02 light vehicle movements per day and 0.65 heavy vehicle movements per day. It should be noted that all of these vehicle movements will already exist due to the pre-existing practice, therefore any effort to rationalise the operational vehicle movements to the development will be an improvement on the existing situation  The delivery and waste collection vehicles serving the practice will access the rear of the site via the Blackmore Road to serve the site. Accessibility for Disabled Travellers  The 3 DDA car parking spaces will be situated approximately within 10m of the main entrance. Staff will be available to assist with access if required. Road Safety Accident Data (Personal Injury Accident Data) for the three years up to 31st October 2007 has been acquired from BBC for the area immediately surrounding the site. A detailed examination of this information can be found in the accompanying  Transport Assessment.  This data shows that there had been TBC incidents in the area immediately surrounding the site of which TBC were of slight severity and TBC were of serious severity. This equates to an average of TBC incidents per year, with an average of TBC serious incidents and TBC slight incidents annually.  There are no recorded incidents specifically related to turning movements into or out of the site. Travel Survey  The main purpose of an initial travel survey for this site is to gather site specific travel related information for patient / visitor and employee travel patterns and attitudes. It can also provide a variety of information on the site user groups, the transport capacity requirements and peak travel times It is proposed that full travel surveys be completed in year 1, year 3 and year 5 after implementation of the Travel Plan. This would allow for the linking of survey results with the setting and monitoring of targets for year 3 and 5 after implementation. It is proposed that any travel surveys to be undertaken be 'TRACE compliant. iTRACE is the BBC endorsed web-based database operated and managed by iBASE and used by BBC and the London Boroughs to monitor travel planning across Essex . Planning application documents, and Travel Plan documents as well as accompanying travel survey results are all uploaded on to this database. The Travel Plan Coordinator for the practice will be responsible for uploading some data on to iTRACE, such as travel survey results. SECTION 3: OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS Objectives  The objectives contained in any travel plan should state the high level aims of the plan. The two main objectives of this travel plan are to: • • Address the needs of all site users for access to and from the site, and;  To facilitate sustainable travel behavior for all site users (employees, patients and visitors). Other broader objectives and benefits can be achieved through the introduction of a travel plan. These include: • • • • • • • • •  The enhancement of site user credibility, particularly in the local community, by demonstrating a commitment toward improving the environment; Releasing land and/or buildings for more productive uses by reducing the need for on-site parking; Creating a less congested and more accessible local environment, that enables deliveries and essential car users to move more freely. This in turn can facilitate improved relations with the local community; Creating an improved local environment particularly for pedestrians and cyclists with cleaner air, less noise, reduced congestion and fewer road casualties; Providing economic benefits to the surrounding community by helping to create an environment which attracts investment; Reducing travel related stress for all site users by improving travel arrangements and removing the need for private car ownership; Promoting social inclusion by creating an accessible development which is not dominated by a need for car ownership; Encouraging all site users to be healthier by utilising sustainable travel modes such as walking and cycling to undertake the 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise advised to protect against many forms of ill health; and Creating increased utilisation of local public transport services, which in turn supports their improvement. It is intended that these objectives will be met by: • • • Establishing a Travel Planning Package, for all site users including employees, patients and visitors that will introduce them to all of the available travel options and initiatives. Identifying and implementing initiatives that provide those people, working and visiting the site with a variety of sustainable travel choices; Monitoring the take up of the initiatives and updating them accordingly. By meeting the objectives set out above, the practice management team and the SWE PCT executive will fulfill their desire to achieve consistency with national, regional and local planning policy; facilitate accessibility by all available modes of travel to the site and reduce the carbon emissions as required by the SWE PCTs own Environmental Policies . Targets  To achieve these objectives this Travel Plan needs to set clear targets that encapsulate all site user travel to and from the site. The results of the Travel Surveys will establish the required baselines for improvement and help to identify opportunities for improvement.  The targets for this Travel Plan have all been defined as SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound). They include a mix of 'Aim-type' targets (linked to shifts in the modal split for site users towards more sustainable travel) and 'Action-type' targets, (which are directly linked to the implementation of sustainable travel measures).  The proposed targets include: TARGET 1: Reducing employee car use to a level that can be sustained by on-site parking facilities.  Target Type—Aim Specific — On-site car park utilisation (40 spaces including 3 DDA) will be monitored continuously by the site management team and Travel Plan Coordinator. Car use by patients / visitors and employees (both private and operational) will be monitored via the travel surveys. Measurable — Records should be kept of parking levels and travel survey results. Achievable —  Yes. Realistic — Yes. TARGET 2: Providing secure cycle parking for employees:  Target Type—Action Specific — On-site secure cycle parking for eight bicycles will be provided as part of the practice application. Cycle hoops are provided for visitors Measurable — The installation of the cycle parking will be completed before the practice is made operational and can be checked by officers of the Borough of Brentwood. After this, the utilisation of the cycle parking can be recorded by the site management team and/or Travel Plan Coordinator to ensure that sufficient cycle parking is available to employees (and visitors). Achievable — Yes. Realistic — Yes.  Time-bound — Annual reviews of cycle parking utilisation can be undertaken.  Time-bound — An annual review of staff showers, changi ng and storag e facilities can be undertaken as can the level of utilisation through the employee Travel Surveys. TARGET 4: Appoint a Travel Plan Coordinator for the practice  Target Type — Action Specific — The SWE PCT along with the practice manager will appoint a 'Travel Plan Coordinator' to manage the implementation and ongoing management of the Travel Plan. The Coordinator will act as a central point of  contact for the Statutory Authorities. Measurable — The position of Travel Plan Coordinator can be confirmed by officers of the Borough of Brentwood prior to the practice becoming operational and then regularly throughout the life of the Travel Plan, but this duty is likely to be carried out by one of the existing practice team. Achievable — Yes. Realistic — Yes. TARGET 5: Provide Personalised Travel Planning for all employees:  Target Type — Action Specific — Once the Travel Plan Coordinator for the site has been appointed they will undertake/oversee personalised travel planning sessions for all staff  based at the site. This will be advisory for all permanent employees and offered as optional to all visiting staff members. Measurable — Records will be kept by the Travel Plan Coordinator of all employees who undertake personalised travel planning sessions. These records can be independently verified by officers of the Borough of Brentwood Achievable — Yes. Realistic — Yes. Time-bound Within 6 months of the practice Travel Planning Coordinator being appointed 90% of employees will have completed a Personal Travel Planning Interview with the Travel Plan Coordinator (or similar appointed party). All new employees will complete a Personal Travel Planning Interview as part of their site induction. TARGET 6: Provide site specific sustainable travel information to all patients and visitors:  Target Type — Action Specific — Upon appointment of the Travel Plan Coordinator for the site, they will oversee the production of site specific sustainable transport information for the site. This should include transport literature and information available in various formats. The use of electronic information services (eg: facebook, twitter etc) should be investigated to promote this information to all site visitor groups. Measurable — Records will be kept by the Travel Plan Coordinator of all information made available to visitors. These records can be independently verified by officers of the Borough of Brentwood. It would also be expected that there would be some degree of partnership working with the local authority with regard to the production of any sustainable transport information. 0 Achievable — Yes. Realistic — Yes.  Time-bound — Within 12 months of the practice Travel Planning Coordinator being appointed, sustainable transport information should be available to all site visitors both at the site and electronically (through the website). Within 5 years there should be verifiable evidence that sustainable transport information is available and promoted to all site visitors as part of their appointment booking procedure. SECTION 4: TRAVEL PLAN STRATEGY  Management  To effectively implement and manage the Travel Plan, the SWE PCT along with the site management team will appoint a 'Travel Plan Coordinator' to manage the implementation and ongoing management of the Travel Plan. The Travel Plan Coordinator should ideally have: Good communication skills; Show an interest in environmental issues, and; Have project management experience.  The Co-ordinator will act as a central point of contact for the Statutory Authorities regarding the implementation of initiatives and the ongoing monitoring of the Travel Plan targets.  To date the position of Travel Plan Coordinator for the Deal Tree Health Centre has not been filled, although it is likely that an existing member of staff will take on these duties. Once the position has been established, the full contact details of the nominated person will be provided to the Borough of Brentwood. In addition to managing the Deal Tree Health Centre Travel Plan, the Travel Plan Coordinator may well have other roles and responsibilities within the SWE PCT. The workload involved in implementing this lone Travel Plan will not justify a fulltime position.  The SWE PCT and practice management team will fully support the Travel Plan Coordinator and ensure that funds are available for those initiatives chosen for implementation. As the Coordinator may not be located permanently at the redevelopment site it may be necessary to appoint Travel Plan 'Champions' from among the practice employees. These 'Champions' would be essential in keeping site users involved with the Travel Plan and its initiatives, providing a key interface between the site users and the Travel Plan Coordinator.  The implementation and delivery of the Travel Plan will require help from external organisations such as: Brentwood Council Transport Planning Team; Local interest groups and community groups;  To aid the Travel Plan Coordinator in the initial project management a range of  preliminary objectives and targets are proposed in detail in this report. These objectives and targets can also be selectively refined once the site has been redeveloped and become fully operational. At this point existing travel behaviour can be observed and the management team and all of the stakeholders can be consulted.  The Travel Plan will be managed on a "day to day" basis by the Travel Plan Coordinator for the site. Support will be provided to the Travel Plan Coordinator from the practice Management Team, the Estates and Facilities team within the Primary Care Trust including the Transport Manager. A Steering Group will be set up to oversee the development of the Travel Plan. This group will be facilitated by the sites Travel Plan Coordinator with members to include senior representation from within the Primary Care Trust as well as invitation to join being offered to officers of Brentwood Council Prior to first occupation of the facility a senior representative from the Primary Care  Trust will be named as having ultimate responsibility for the Travel Plan. This person is Kate Halliday.  The GP practice will open in August 2012. Marketing Marketing and awareness raising will be used to promote sustainable travel behaviour to all site users, including both employees, patients and all other site visitors.  Travel information will be provided on the availability of all sustainable travel modes and initiatives offered to employees, patients and visitors. The provision of accurate and up to date information, together with wide ranging publicity, can thus form a fundamental basis for all of the other travel plan initiatives.  The Travel Plan-Co-ordinator in conjunction with Brentwood Council will oversee the production of a Travel Planning Package (for example a site specific leaflet or booklet) to summarise the sustainable travel options and initiatives available to access the site.  This package will include a brief outline of the travel plan objectives and aims, to aid in the communication of the Travel Plan Strategy. This package can then be provided to all employees and be made available to regular visitors as a quick reference guide. An electronic version of this information could be made available on the internet and also on CDrom. This would be particularly useful for patients and site visitors, so that they can be provided with all of the travel options available to the site prior to their visit. Use of the free web-based travel planning service should be promoted to all employees, patients and visitors. The ‘Journey Planner' provides a free personalised travel planning service for travel within Essex. The GP practice’s own webpage should include the free hyperlink to this service. This will then provide the journey planner service direct to all users of the practice webpage. Information on the variety of travel options available to site users can also be displayed on a notice board placed in a prominent location within the practice. The information displayed should comprise of: Name and contact information for Travel Plan Coordinator (and Travel Plan Champions if relevant); Public transport timetable information; Details of safe walking and cycling routes to the site; Information on existing and new travel plan initiatives; Upcoming sustainable travel events; and Details of local car clubs, car hire companies and taxi companies.  The use of a central notice board provides a focal point for site users who then have a fixed reference point that they can access for their travel information. This thus overcomes the issue that some site users may face, if they are not provided with up to date information personally. It is vitally important that the information provided to site users is always kept up to date; ensuring that the credibility of the travel plan is not diminished. It is important that promotional events should be organised on a regular basis, in relation to specific aspects of the Travel Plan or to promote the introduction of any new initiatives. This allows travel awareness to be maintained at a high level among employees and can often be used to raise recognition levels for initiatives that may have become less popular with time. A good example of an existing annual event is 'National Bike Week'.  This is advertised on the PCT intranet to all staff to encourage participation. SECTION 5: TRAVEL PLAN MEASURES As previously discussed in this report, the two main objectives of this travel plan are: • to address the needs of all site users for access, and to facilitate sustainable travel behavior.  To enable these objectives to be met a number of sustainable transport initiatives will need to be implemented. This section of the travel plan sets out a range of these initiatives in detail. All of the initiatives proposed here are only indicative of what may finally be utilised at the site. They are not meant as a prescriptive list of measures that shall all be applied and nor do they form an exhaustive list of the final initiatives that may be required to achieve the travel plan objectives and targets. It may also only be necessary for some of  the initiatives to be partially implemented rather than fully implemented. Package of Measures for Employee Secure bicycle parking will be provided at the practice building for employees with 8 spaces for employees. Employees will also be provided with changing facilities within the practice including showers and storage. As one of the proposed Travel Plan targets, personalised travel planning will be made available to all employees. Once the Travel Plan Coordinator for the site has been appointed he/she will undertake the completion of personalised travel planning sessions for all staff based at the site. (This task may be undertaken by a qualified third party). These sessions will be advisory for all permanent employees and offered as optional to all visiting staff members. All new employees will complete a personal travel planning session as part of their site induction. Walking  The existing pedestrian facilities in the local area are fully examined in the accompanying Transport Assessment .  The area immediately surrounding the site is well lit and encourages pedestrian activity. Pedestrian accessibility on Blackmore Road & Outings Lane is good with wide footpaths and designated pedestrian crossings.  The Travel Plan Coordinator can also encourage walking by liaising with Brentwood Council to promote the creation of new, and the maintenance of existing footways within the vicinity of the site. Cycling  The existing cycle facilities in the local area are fully examined in the accompanying  Transport Assessment. Secure bicycle parking will be provided for employees. Secure cycle parking with 14 spaces is provided for employees. Cycle hoops for visitors to the building are provided at the front of the building close to the main entrance. In addition to these facilities the Travel Plan Coordinator should promote 'National Bike Week and 'Bike2Work' among employees. The project is endorsed by 1st group and Cycling England, and normally occurs in June of each year. Bike2Work specifically looks at promoting the use of cycling for travel to and from work in National Bike Week. Details can be found at www.bikeweek.org.uk.  These national initiatives are also advertised on the Trust intranet and newsletters to encourage staff participation.  The Travel Plan Coordinator can also set up a Bicycle User Group (BUG) for employees. This initiative has multiple advantages and can potentially become selfsustaining if given enough initial support.  The Travel Plan Coordinator can also encourage cycling by: Approaching local bicycle retailers with the intention of negotiating discounts on bicycle purchases and repairs for employees. Advertising of compliant bicycle retailers on notice boards or in travel plan documents may assist in securing such discounts; Investigate the provision of a 'cycle allowance for employees for any journeys made by bicycle on work business, in the same way that a car allowance would be paid; Liaising with the police to identify the potential to offer a security etching service for bicycles; and Liaise with Brentwood Council to promote the creation of new, and the maintenance of existing cycle ways within the vicinity of the site. Public Transport  The existing public transport services are discussed fully in the accompanying  Transport Assessment. The site is also classed as having a PTAL rating of TBC, which represents those areas within the Borough of Brentwood with average access to public transport. As previously stated, given the site's accessibility to public transport, the proposed redevelopment benefits from a moderately sustainable location.  To encourage bus use: Current bus timetables should be made available to all site users in as many media styles as feasible;  The Travel Co-ordinator can liaise with 1st Group (travel provider) to ensure that the optimum service provision is available to site users. Car Park Management In addition to the standard operational car parking bays 3 blue badge holder spaces will be provided for patients/visitors to the practice (i.e. disabled spaces). Car Sharing, Car Hire and Car Clubs Car Clubs Car clubs provide the opportunity for employees and other site users to retain use of a car for occasional use without the need to personally own a vehicle. They reduce the need for people to own their own cars by providing access to conveniently located, high-quality vehicles on an affordable "pay-as-you-drive" basis. Brentwood Council actively supports car clubs within the borough. The nearest existing car club, is Streetcar (www.streetcar.co.uk) which already operates at multiple locations within the immediate vicinity of the site. Car Hire also provides the opportunity for employees to retain use of a car or other vehicle for occasional use. Car-sharing is a relatively easy way to reduce car use among a large number of car users and often occurs on an informal basis without any incentives or encouragement. Optimising Non-Emergency Patient Transport (NEPT1) As previously discussed it is proposed that 3 blue-badge holder parking bays be provided for visitors and a delivery bay be included within the practice car park. The delivery bay will enable ambulance pick-up/drop-off to the practice. Most NHS trusts are obliged to provide BCT services to certain patients. Those who, due to their medical condition, are unable to make their own travel arrangements. With a view to minimising vehicle movements it is more efficient for BCT services to be provided by community ambulance than by private car. The optimisation of vehicle movements related to BCT services should be optimised (with help from the Travel Plan Coordinator if necessary) by careful logistical management Business Travel  The nature of the GP and Community services is such that practice employees will spend their time between the practice, other surgeries and domiciliary visits. It has therefore been requested by the City and SWE Primary Care Trust that a minimum of 10 operational car parking bays be provided for use by employees. Delivery and Service Plan As discussed previously the full details of the Delivery and Service Plan (DSP) are provided in the accompanying Transport Assessment. From the DSP it can be seen that there are a variety of movements required on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to facilitate the operation of the practice however it should be noted that all of these vehicle movements already exist due to the preexisting practice. Therefore any effort to rationalise the operational vehicle movements to the development will be an improvement on the existing situation. Local Area Initiatives It is clear that the potential for some initiatives to succeed (e.g. car sharing) may be restricted as a result of the limited number of employees. Having regard to this, the Travel Plan Coordinator can liaise with other local employers and developers to assess the potential to 'pool' resources and increase the potential for the initiatives to succeed.  There is also scope for the Travel Plan Coordinator to look to the other NHS (South West Essex) facilities within the local area and to liaise with them with regard to promoting and developing joint sustainable travel initiatives. SECTION 6: MONITORING AND REVIEW Monitoring Strategy  The Travel Plan Co-ordinator will act as the central point of contact for the Statutory Authorities regarding the implementation of the Travel Plan initiatives and will be responsible for the ongoing monitoring and review of the Travel Plan targets. As previously discussed in Section 2 the system known as iTRACE endorsed webbased database operated and managed by iBASE and used by Brentwood Borough to monitor travel plans of all types across Essex. This will be used for the completion of  travel surveys at the practice. It can also be utilised to monitor and review the Travel Plan. Planning application documents, TBC documents, and travel plan documents as well as accompanying travel survey results are all uploaded on to the iTrace database. The Travel Plan Coordinator will liaise with the relevant officer at the Brentwood Borough to arrange this facility as the Local Borough Council acts as the local database administrator.  Travel Plan Coordinator for the practice will be responsible for uploading data on to iTRACE, such as travel survey results. Travel surveys should be undertaken in years 1, 3 and 5 following development with "snapshot" surveys conducted at years 2 and 4. The analysis of these future surveys will be undertaken by the Travel Plan Coordinator who can then determine whether the targets set out in the Travel Plan are being met.  The Travel Plan Coordinator will update iTRACE with the results and report the results of the surveys to Hackney Borough Council, the Travel Plan Steering Group and the Primary Care Trust's Board of Directors. Action Plan  The following table contains a draft action plan for the implementation of this Travel Plan. This programme is presented as a basis for discussion at this point in time.  Table 2: DRAFT Travel Plan Action Plan Start Date Duration Nov-Dec 2009 2 months  Jan 2010 1 month Post Permission 1 month & Prior to Construction Spring 2010 1 month Summer 2010 Ongoing 2011 1 month 2011/2012 12 months 2012 1 month 2013 1 month 2014 1 month 2015 1 month Action Comment Drafting of Initial Travel Plan with Scoping of Baseline Completed Agreement of First Draft  Travel Plan Agreed Completion and Analysis of  Initial Site Travel Survey Agreement of Final Draft  Travel Plan Implementation of  Infrastructural Measures as Proposed Year of Opening. Site Occupation and Initial Im lementation of "Action" Preparation and Approval of  a detailed FULL Travel Plan Year 2 'snapshot' survey and review of Travel Year 3 travel surveys and review of Travel Plan Targets. Year 4 'snapshot' survey and review of Travel Year 5 travel surveys and review of Travel Plan Targets. Completed Drafted Completed Progressing Drafted SECTION 7: CONCLUSIONS  This Travel Plan represents a commitment by the owners and managers of the proposed development of Deal Tree Health Centre to promote sustainable travel to and from the GP practice.  This Travel Plan and the proposed redevelopment will help the local area prosper without adding to local congestion and pollution, reduce traffic in the area, make it easier for site users to travel by a wider choice of sustainable modes, and provide economic, environmental and health benefits to the surrounding community.  This Travel Plan has attempted to describe the existing baseline environment for the site and outline the proposed improvements that will be facilitated by the GP practice. It also set out a range of potential initiatives to enable the aims and objectives of the travel plan to be met.  This Travel Plan will be implemented by a Travel Plan Coordinator and the effectiveness of the plan will be monitored at regular surveys. This will establish the modal choice of travel for site users and identify areas of the plan that can be improved upon.