The facts
Client: Cumbria County
Council
Location: Barrow-in-Furness
Services: Project Management, Transport
Modelling, Traffic Counts, Masterplanning, Highway Assessment
Project Value: £30m
Start/Completion: 2004 - ongoing
The project
Announced in 2003 the £30m Masterplan
for Barrow’s Waterfront Development includes homes, offices, retail
units, a 300 berth marina, powerboat racing course, water sports
centre and innovation park.
The ambitious scheme will see the reversal of years
of decline, creating a modern role for the once industrial
site. Capita Symonds was commissioned to provide lead
consultancy services enabling comprehensive transport modelling of
the development site and surrounding urban area of
Barrow-in-Furness.
Capita Symonds was commissioned to undertake a Transport Assessment
(TA) for the proposal. The TA was undertaken in accordance with
relevant Planning Policy Guidance and Cumbria County Council’s own
TA guidelines. National and local transport policy relevant to the
new development was reviewed, including Cumbria County Council’s
Local Transport Plan. The TA assessed access to the
development by non-car based means, and the effect of development
traffic on the local highway network.
An assessment of traffic to and from the new developments was made
by assigning it to the local highway network using the SATURN
program. This was based on existing movements from similar
developments nearby. Existing movements within the SATURN model
were estimated from a series of roadside interviews and junction
surveys, and these were re-calibrated against new traffic counts
and automatic traffic counter readings.
In total, 20 different assessments were
undertaken; 10 each for the AM and PM peak. For each peak period,
the do minimum base flows in 2010 and 2025 were assessed, along
with assessments assuming the completion of Phase 1 of the
Innovation Park in 2010, and in 2025 when it is fully occupied. An
assessment which assumes that Phase 2 of the Innovation Park is
also complete in 2025 was also undertaken.
The highway network considered by the
assessment covered the main through routes in and out of Barrow, in
addition to routes to and from residential and employment areas. A
large number of junctions within the SATURN network showed
increases in flow of five percent of more, so the only junctions
assessed were those along major routes which had a ratio of flow to
capacity of 85% or more within SATURN. These junctions were there
modelled using a combination of ARCADY, PICADY, OSCADY and TRANSYT
software.
The Transport Assessment produced by Capita
Symonds demonstrated where junction improvements would be needed
within Barrow-in-Furness to accommodate this new development.