Transport bid could save millions

Adam Hewitt • Published 15 Feb 2010 08:00 3 Comments

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THE planned Low Emissions Zone could save taxpayers millions, transport experts claim.

The zone, which would force the most-polluting lorries to pay £50 to come into the town centre, could come into force at the end of next year if Reading and its partner councils are successful in their phase one bid to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund (Tif) for £52m and ongoing funding towards public transport improvements.

Planned improvements include more buses, bus fare cuts, a pedestrian bridge linking Christchurch Meadows to Vastern Road and a park and ride at Three Mile Cross.

Reading's head of transport Pat Baxter said: "We're as confident as we can be that we've answered all the questions that the Department for Transport has put to us and we hope for a speedy response. The Tif bid has evolved - we didn't start out looking at a low emissions zone but it's emerged as a very sensible thing to do."

From 2011-2016, the Low Emission Zone's (LEZ) revenue is estimated at £5.2m and operating costs at £2.3m. Fewer HGVs on town centre roads will also mean less maintenance, saving £440,000 over the same period. Signs warning lorries to avoid Reading could go up as far away as Oxford, to try to get them to stick to main roads like the M40, M4 and A34.

Computer transport modelling suggest that time savings through reduced congestion from the LEZ and junction improvements would total £42m for business drivers and passengers, £135m for non-business drivers and passengers and £46m for public transport users over the LEZ's operating life.

Improving air quality is a key aim of the LEZ and the financial value of the expected health improvements from 2011-2030 have been calculated at £8.3m.

The overall benefit to Reading's economy from the LEZ and phase one transport improvements is estimated at nearly £254m from 2011-2070, minus costs of £37.6m.

Reading transport officials are hoping to get an initial decision on the phase one bid by March 12, with conditional approval for the LEZ by July 2. It wants to select preferred contractors by February next year, install the cordon cameras next summer and 'go live' in December 2011 or January 2012.

If phase one is successful, the Tif bid could be extended in the coming months to phase two or three, meaning a potential additional windfall of more than £300m on top of the phase one money. This would pay for many more park and ride sites, a third Thames bridge and many other congestion-busting schemes, but if these fail to unclog Reading's road network, the councils have could have to consider implementing congestion charging from the middle of the decade.

Most of the phase one public transport improvements affect Reading, but those planned for phase two and three would mean many schemes that would also improve transport in Wokingham borough, South Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and Bracknell Forest. West Berkshire has stayed out of the Tif bid because of its concerns about potential congestion charging.

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Sunshine
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Feb 19, 01:01
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Since when has the Council been concerned about air pollution in the town? It is an interesting admission from Mrs Baxter - that the low emission zone was not on the agenda, but became a sensible thing to do because of what - the Government wanting Low Emissions zones no doubt or they have funds for that purpose? So another question is: is this a big fudge?

I am in favour of the bus - it doubles my journey time and I need to do a lot of connecting to get from where I am to where I want to be. Oh yes if I can find where to get on. Hey ho, this has to be a fix. And all the social jollity and pleasantry of an urban ride while I have paid my road tax and my parking and visitor permits for the car to sit idle. And how do I get my shopping home, and in the rain. I'll have to buy less to carry it all myself. I'll become a fair weather shopper.

No, I'll go shop in Basingstoke instead - thank you very much.

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Val
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Feb 23, 00:57
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Are the council really going to inpliment this scheme this was thrown out years ago. When it was seen that all this pay to enter Reading by the lorries would mean them ratrunning through the residentual roads of whitley and shinefield to get into town without paying.The relief road was built to avoid all the heavy lorries doing that now the council propose to bring it back are they mad or what. The shops and business's in the town will still need serving by these lorries so unless we want to pass the cost on to custumors then the lorry companys will have no choice other than avoid paying.Sorry but this is as stupid a idea as the back to front I.D.R scheme.Pat Baxter rides again.

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Howard Thomas
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Feb 25, 01:17
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I'm afraid that this is about as mad as it gets !!

How can anyone begin to work out figures like the ones quoted here. This is council bulls*** at its best! Figures plucked from mid air to try to justify charging people to come into Reading ....all this will do is to drive companies....and employment .....to other places.

I always said that RBC were trying to create traffic in order to justify congestion charging, which we now find is clearly written into the later stages of the TIF bid, this LEZ is just a bonus to them ....at our cost!

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