RSS East Of England Plan - Broads Authority

East of England Plan 41
POLICY T4: Urban Transport
Within urban areas, including key centres for development and change and appropriate market towns, Local
Transport Plans, Local Development Documents and other plans or strategies should identify ways to bring about a
shift away from car use to public transport, walking and cycling. This should be achieved through the following
types of measures, in combination as appropriate to local circumstances:
• ensuring urban extensions and other major developments are linked from the outset into the existing urban
structure through safe, well designed pedestrian and cycling routes and a high standard of public transport;
• capitalising on opportunities provided by new development to achieve area wide improvements in public
transport services, footpaths and cycle networks;
• promoting public transport through quality partnerships or other agreements to deliver enhanced services,
improved interchange, increased access, higher levels of public visibility, better travel information, and
appropriate traffic management measures; and
• improvements to local networks for walking and cycling, including increasing the attractiveness and safety of
the public realm.
7.9 Urban areas have the greatest scope for efficient public transport and more use of walking and cycling. Improvements in
public transport provision and ‘soft measures’ to encourage alternatives to the car should be coupled with further traffic
management to ensure traffic levels are at least stabilised. New peripheral development should be focussed on
sustainable links with the rest of the urban area and not simply connections to the road network. Parking policy is an
important tool, see Policy T14. Congestion problems are likely to grow in smaller towns and local authorities should be
preparing strategies for traffic management here as well.
7.10 Park and ride schemes in conjunction with parking controls and other demand management are an important means of
reducing traffic in urban areas. To date they have been mainly used in relation to individual larger towns. They also have
potential as strategic interchange points for moving across the region by bus or rail.
7.11 There are wide variations in the form and size of urban areas across the region and the measures identified must be
appropriate to the urban area and other nearby settlements. To achieve the required modal shift packages of
complementary measures will normally be required.