 |
|
|
| |
Abingdon
Integrated Transport Strategy (ABITS)
The
Current Situation, April 2007
[posted
21/04/2007]
The
Abingdon Integrated Transport Strategy (ABITS)
which is still in its implementation phase, has come
in for a bit of criticism lately as a result of increased
peak time delays experienced mainly by through traffic
trying to cross the town centre. In fact, this was
always an expected outcome of the scheme, which was
never intended to alleviate congestion per se.
A local transport pressure group, Abingdon
Transport 2000, was instrumental in getting
the current scheme adopted, in preference to alternative
schemes that would have been far worse. A spokesman
for Abingdon Transport 2000 explains:
|
|
"The
ABITS scheme was proposed principally as a means of
removing vehicular traffic from the historic town
centre of Abingdon, to make the town a more pleasant
place for other road users, visitors and shoppers.
In this respect, I believe the plan has had a measure
of success. At non-peak times, including Saturdays,
the environments of Stert Street and High Street are
much more pleasant. They are no longer choked with
traffic, crossing the road is now much easier and
safer for pedestrians. Abingdon has become a much
more pleasant place to be in. Driving through the
town at these times is also much less troublesome.
|
| |
A key element
of the scheme is contained in the word "integrated"
in its name. Integrated Transport means making it
better, more accessible and safer for other users,
pedestrians, bus users, cyclists, not just motorists.
One suspects that it is only motorists who are complaining.
|
| |
The downside
is that, due to the inevitable reduction in road capacity,
there has been some increased congestion at peak times,
most particularly at the junctions at either end of
Stratton Way, now two way. Abingdon Transport 2000
originally proposed roundabouts at these junctions,
and did warn that junction capacity could be reduced
by use of traffic lights. However, the planners have
at least followed our advice and installed a traffic
light system with integrated flow control, ie, lights
which operate collectively to control the traffic
throughout the whole town, not just at individual
points. However it is a tall order to expect such
a system to operate automatically and flawlessly from
day one. There may well need to be a substantial period
of adjustment in order to optimise the operation,
assuming, of course, that the system is one that is
capable of working properly at all.
|
| |
A
further point to bear in mind is that it has taken
over 7 years to bring these plans to realisation.
During that time, traffic levels in the town have
risen significantly and the original flow data, upon
which the road design was predicated, are no longer
valid. Traffic levels in the town had reached peak
saturation, and ABITS could only make things worse
for through traffic in the short term.
|
| |
This does
not mean that the town should revert to the old scheme.
That was destined for gridlock anyway, and, at least
the town as regained some of its original pleasant
character, which had hitherto been lost. This will
hopefully be capitalised upon as a result of further
improvements to the street environments in High Street
and Stert Street.
|
| |
|
People
have short memories. There were, in fact, two extensive
public consultations on the scheme, at around the
turn of the millennium. The overwhelming view was
that something had to be done. Doing nothing was not
an option. Traffic consultants, Halcrow Fox, originally
proposed schemes that would have had an even more
draconian effect on vehicular traffic. Under their
schemes, the A415 would have been effectively severed
except for a trickle of exempt traffic. The town might
thus have been rendered traffic-free, but at a price.
If you do not like what is there now, that would have
been a whole lot worse. At the second consultation,
a significant majority of people voted for the current
scheme as the best compromise over an alternative
scheme that would have closed one or other of Stert
Street or High Street to normal traffic completely.
|
| |
|
Abingdon
Transport 2000 was at great pains to point
out that no tinkering with the town centre traffic
was going to solve the problem. They proposed some
additional measures, such as improving access to the
A34, particularly at Lodge Hill, thus easing traffic
congestion in the Fairacres/ Tesco area, another very
congested part of the town. Most importantly, they
showed that one or more new river crossings would
be needed to solve the problem by taking traffic away
from the town centre completely. Council officers
made it clear that Government would not put up money
for a new river crossing unless and until other schemes,
like ABITS, had been tried. If ABITS did not work,
Government would have to consider funding river crossings.
|
| |
That was
7 years ago. ABITS now looks like a case of too little
too late, while a new river crossing still looks as
remote as ever."
|
|
| |
|
|
|
