The Local Transport Plan (LTP) sets out what transport-related improvements we are aiming to achieve over a five-year period and was submitted to the Government on 31 March 2006.
The LTP explains broadly how the authority will meet the needs of the community in terms of better transport. This goes beyond simply increasing the capacity of the road network, but shows how we will make jobs, education, heath and other services accessible by a range of means of transport, and how we will ensure people can move safely around the County.
Better transport can have wide ranging benefits by reducing the ‘social exclusion’ that results from poor access to basic services, contributing towards economic growth, improving the quality of life in our settlements and making a positive difference to the natural environment. There are of course many negative effects of transport such as the frustration caused by congestion in our bigger towns, the effect of pollution from traffic on our health, and the visual clutter that can sometimes result from transport schemes.
The LTP sets out a transport strategy that takes these complex issues into account, and contains a set of targets that enable us to measure whether we are achieving the aims of the strategy as the plan is implemented.
The LTP is also used by the Government to determine our capital funding borrowing approvals to implement transport schemes and initiatives and the document clearly sets out our investment priorities for transport over the next five years.
The Local Transport Plan in Adobe pdf version can be downloaded from the publications section or the html version can be viewed here .
Progress towards meeting our transport targets for the first LTP (2001 to 2006) was published every year over the five year period in our LTP ‘Annual Progress Reports’. An ‘LTP1 Delivery Report’ reviewing our transport achievements over the whole LTP1 period and the LTP2 Year 1 Annual Progress Report are both available to download in the publications section. Preparation for the LTP2 Year 2 Annual Progress Report is underway and is currently due for publication in November 2008. A copy will be available here when approved.
There are four appendix documents for the Local Transport Plan and these can be downloaded from the publications section. The appendices are:
This sets out our evidence base and strategy for providing better access to basic services in Somerset such as healthcare, learning & skills training, food shopping, and employment. The accessibility strategy has been developed in partnership with the providers of those services and currently identifies the areas of the County with poorest access to those services. The strategy also sets out our programme of work over the next five years to look in more detail at the high priority areas and develop action plans for improvement with our partners and local communities.
Pollution caused by transport has exceeded Government health based standards in the following areas of Somerset and ‘Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA’s)’ have been declared:
· Yeovil;
· Taunton - East Reach; and
· Taunton – Henlade.
Air Quality Action Plans have therefore been prepared by South Somerset District Council (covering the Yeovil AQMA), and Taunton Deane Borough Council (covering East Reach and Henlade AQMA’s).
The LTP contains the five-year transport programme for tackling congestion and pollution across the County, and the Air Quality Action Plans have been included as appendices as they contain the detailed evidence base used to determine appropriate solutions to the problems with a wide range of partners.
This document has been prepared primarily to enable the assessors of our plans to identify where in the LTP we have met the various requirements set out in the Governments guidance on preparing LTPs. It also includes a summary of the main changes to the document since submission of our provisional version of the plan in July 2005, and also a set of finance tables required by the Government.
The Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWiP) is the prime means by which we will identify changes to be made to the rights of way service and network for the benefit of walkers, equestrians, cyclists, and those with visual or mobility impairment(s). The new Local Transport Plan integrates the Rights of Way Improvement Plan with wider transport planning for the first time and a draft version of the plan was appended to the LTP. A final version of the RoWIP is available .
Background reports and studies
A range of detailed background reports and studies have been used to develop the Local Transport Plan. These are also available for download in the publications section as they contain a wealth of information on our detailed strategies and the evidence we have used to develop them.
A report on the broad environmental implications of alternative strategic approaches to the second Local Transport Plan, prepared at the outset of the LTP2 development process.
A report setting out the environmental implications of our preferred LTP2 strategy.
Setting out our plans for improvements to rail stations in Somerset along with our aspirations for rail service and infrastructure improvements. The county council is not responsible for rail infrastructure or services but does play an important role in working with the rail industry to seek the required improvements through a variety of processes.
LTP2 Report on Consultation, March 2006
This report summarises the wide range of consultation and involvement activity that we have undertaken in developing the second local transport plan.
This is a technical report setting out the evidence base and outcome of a review of the transport strategy for Taunton.
Bridgwater Transport Strategy Review, November 2004
This is a technical report setting out the evidence base and outcome of a review of the transport strategy for Bridgwater.
This is a technical report setting out the evidence base and outcome of a review of the transport strategy for Yeovil.
This is a technical report setting out the evidence base and detailed assessment of major scheme proposals in Taunton.
This report sets out our Parking Strategy for the County and includes our agreed parking standards for new development. It also includes our framework for agreeing reductions to the parking requirements according to the location and accessibility of the development proposals, once the location of the development has been determined through normal planning processes. This strategy is also a guide to District Councils in terms of the development of their own parking strategies as the County Council is not responsible for public off-street parking in Somerset.
This is a technical report setting out the evidence base and outcome of a review of our approach to delivering passenger transport in Somerset.
This is a technical report setting out the evidence base and outcome of a review of our approach to delivering improvements for cyclists in Somerset.
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