There are ambitious plans for much needed economic regeneration in
Lowestoft, which will, if successful, bring around 4,000 jobs and
about 2,000 new homes to the town by 2021. Most of these new
developments will be located in and around the town centre area.
The car is currently the most popular way for people to travel
to work in Lowestoft and yet one third of people travel less than
2Km to work and two thirds travel less than 5Km. There is
already peak hour traffic congestion in Lowestoft and these
problems are set to increase substantially as the new developments
are built and occupied.
We have carried out traffic studies work which show that if
people continue to travel around Lowestoft by car as much they do
now, there will be very serious congestion over a wide area of the
town by 2022. It is unlikely that we will be able to provide
sufficient additional road capacity to cope with the increased
demand.
Our proposed transport strategy for Lowestoft seeks to address
these problems and to cater for the expected growth in a more
sustainable way. Our aim is to bring about better management
of scarce road space and achieve a step change in the levels of
walking, cycling and public transport.
1. Demand management
This strand will aim to deliver reductions in car travel,
particularly at peak times.
- We will work with Waveney District Council to impose robust
mode share targets for all new residential and commercial
developments, including those within the 1st East Area Action Plan
area;
- We will work with Waveney DC to establish public car parking
policies to restrain the use of private cars for local
trips;
- We will reduce car travel to work by targeted workplace
travel plans;
- We will reduce car travel to school by targeted school travel
plans;
- Working with Sustrans we will carry out a large scale
personalised travel planning project (25,000 households) in
established residential areas of Lowestoft, covering most
households in the town.
2. Sustainable transport infrastructure improvements
Our demand management activities will lead to a reduction in
journeys made by car. Some people may respond by curtailing
travel, for example by greater use of home working. It is likely
however that traffic reduction will result in greater demand for
other modes of transport. The second strand of the strategy
will increase the quality and capacity of the sustainable transport
networks.
- The short journeys typically seen in Lowestoft indicate that
there is a great opportunity to increase the active travel modes of
walking and cycling. Greater take up of these modes will also
benefit public health in Lowestoft. To do this we will ensure
that we provide comprehensive networks of cycling and walking
routes, including reallocation of road space, crossings and where
possible, new links across Lake Lothing to make those journeys more
feasible;
- For longer trips we will provide better public transport
opportunities, building on the recent quality bus partnership
agreement with First, providing better passenger information and
bus priority where there is congestion;
- We will promote better and more frequent train services to
Ipswich and Norwich.
3. Highway improvements
Our medium term strategy will include some essential road
improvements, which should be substantially funded by
developers:
- Cycle/footbridges across Lake Lothing will open up the
possibilities for more short journeys to be undertaken without the
car and will dramatically improve accessibility;
- With the Highways Agency we will assess the feasibility of
creating an additional traffic lane on the Bascule Bridge following
the construction of a new alternative cycle/footbridge;
- Lake Lothing southern access road will unlock development sites
to the south of Lake Lothing and will provide a modern standard
alternative route for Victoria Road incorporating a footway and
cycleway;
- Northern Spine Road Phase V will complete the spine road and
relieve Bentley Drive from A12 traffic;
- A possible improvement to the alignment of Denmark Road,
including better footway/cycleway provision, so that A12 traffic
can be diverted from the town centre.
There is strong local support for a third road crossing of Lake
Lothing. The high cost of a new bridge suggests that this is
unlikely to be achievable in the short to medium term but we will
continue to press the Government to make the necessary funding
available.
Consultation
We will be consulting widely on the proposed strategy over the
coming months.