Transport Accessibility Review

1. Transport Accessibility Review

2. 1. Introduction
DTL Development are proposing to build 150 residential dwellings on land accessed
via Lower Drayton Lane, Cosham near Portsmouth (location as shown in Figure 1).
This report has been prepared to review the accessibility of the proposed development
site by sustainable modes of transport including walking and cycling and examines the
access by these modes to local facilities, amenities and public transport interchanges.
The Department for Transport's Guidance on Transport Assessment outlines the need
to locate good access points and links for pedestrians and cyclists to the local area and
the wider transport network which will also encourage the use of public transport.
Figure 1 - Site Location Plan

3. 2. Walking
The development site will provide a number of access points for pedestrians to
connect to existing road networks and public footpaths. This includes access to the
east of the site via Lower Drayton Lane with the potential to propose improvements by
opening up points to the north of the site to link to the footpath leading to Drayton Park
and the local play area.
The Department for Communities and Local Government's National Planning Policy
Framework highlights that for larger scale residential developments 'key facilities such
as primary schools and local shops should be located within walking distance of most
properties.'
The local area of Drayton provides a range of facilities and amenities within a
reasonable walking distance of 1.6km, which is equivalent to a 20 minute journey time.
These include:
● Drayton local centre which includes shops and restaurants
● Court Lane Infant and Junior School
● Springfield College
● Drayton Park and play area
● Health centre and pharmacy
● Community centre
● Local shops including Co-op
● Sainsbury's
● Business units

4. Site location
1.6km walking catchment
Bus stops local to site
Park and play area
Health centre / pharmacy
Community centre
KEY
School
College
Local shops
Sainsbury’s
Railway station
Figure 2 - Walking Accessibility

5. Figure 2 illustrates the walking catchment from the main entrance of the proposed
development site. As can be seen from the plan the majority of the local amenities and
public transport interchanges are easily accessible on foot.
Although Drayton is the closest centre to the development site, additional facilities not
present locally include a library and post office in the centre of Cosham. However a
walking distance of 1.9km to the nearest library and post office will not be acceptable
to some. Pedestrian links to the south are also limited due to the railway line with only
one current route available within a 1.6km walking distance via a pedestrian footbridge
which might not be easily accessible to some residents.
There are a number of local bus stops with the closest within a walking distance of
400m, which is equivalent to a 5 minute walk, on Grove Road close to the junction with
Lower Drayton Lane. There is good access to the bus stop which can be reached
comfortably on foot via the footways on Lower Drayton Lane, providing public transport
links to other amenities not easily accessible on foot.
The footways on Lower Drayton Lane leading to the proposed development site
appear to be in good condition and are reasonably lit on alternating sides of the road.
The footway is of a width of 2 metres or more along the west side of the road which
allows for sufficient space for pedestrians, wheelchair users and pushchairs to pass
especially where cars have been observed parked partly on the footway. Similarly Old
Manor Way, Grove Road and the adjacent roads have good quality and well lit
footways on both sides thereby giving pedestrians a safe environment to access local
amenities in the north.

6. The footways on Grove Road run along the full length of the carriageway linking the
proposed development site with the college, Sainsbury's and local business units.
There are pedestrian crossing points along the busy Eastern Road dual-carriageway
with the closest at the junction with Grove Road. The crossing point is situated at a set
of traffic lights with an island between the carriageways. However it is not a controlled
crossing point which will severely reduce the safety to pedestrians accessing the
supermarket and make crossing the road more difficult especially at peak times.
There is a 20mph speed limit zone in place along the south perimeter of Springfield
College on Grove Road which will allow for safer crossing for residents of the proposed
development site. This zone could benefit additionally if improvements were proposed
such as traffic calming measures and raised speed cushions to further slow traffic and
improve the overall pedestrian environment for the residents.
The table below shows the approximate walking times to each of the local amenities
by plotting routes from the main entrance to the proposed development site. As can be
seen from the table there is a good number of local amenities within a reasonable
walking distance.
Destination
Approx. walking
journey time
(minutes)
Drayton local centre including shops
and restaurants
10
Court Lane Infant and Junior School 12
Springfield College 3
Health centre and pharmacy 14
Community centre 12
Local shops including Co-op 8
Sainsbury's / Business units 10

7. 3. Cycling
The proposed development site will provide connections to a number of local and
national cycle routes within the surrounding area and offer access to facilities in the
city, including leisure, health, education and employment opportunities.
The Department for Transport's Local Transport Note 2/08: Cycle Infrastructure Design
highlights typical cycle trip distances and notes that 'many utility cycle journeys are
under 3 miles, although, for commuter journeys, a trip distance of over 5 miles is not
uncommon.' This places a significant proportion of the city of Portsmouth within a
reasonable cycling distance connecting residents to the city centre, hospitals, harbour
and the university.

8. Site location
5km cycle catchment
Railway station
KEY
Figure 3 - Cycle Accessibility

9. Figure 3 illustrates the cycle catchment of the surrounding area. As can be seen from
the plan a large area of the city will be within a reasonable cycling distance of 5km of
the development, which is equivalent to a 25 minute cycle.
The site is ideally placed to benefit from the designated National Cycle Route 22
directly north of the site which runs along Old Manor Way and Grove Road. This part
of the route is on road and has no designated lanes for bicycles, but is classed as
cycle-friendly due to the 20mph speed restriction in place along much of the road in
comparison to other parts of the road network.
Directly south of the proposed development site runs the West Coastway railway line
from Brighton to Southampton. This provides an excellent opportunity for cyclists and
pedestrians to travel only 1.6km to catch the train from Cosham station into the centre
of Portsmouth where there are many bicycle parking facilities available.
From the area of Cosham, the cycle route continues south along dedicated off road
cyclepaths which run adjacent to Ports Creek waterway for much of the route. This
connects cyclists to the city centre and provides opportunities for leisure. From Grove
Road, the cycle route links to National Cycle Route 222 which runs north to south on
dedicated off road cyclepaths connecting cyclists to the many business parks off
Eastern Road. These routes will provide residents of the proposed development site
the opportunity to cycle safely and will give a real alternative to the car for journeys to
places of work.