Highways Agency

A30 Penzance to Exeter

The Strategy - Introduction

Route Management Strategies have been devised by the Highways Agency to enable the effective and efficient management of the motorway and trunk road network. Each individual strategy will concentrate on investigating the current problems associated with the route and tackle them on an individual basis.

All Route Management Strategies will culminate in the production of a ten-year Management Plan, which will be reviewed and updated during the lifetime of the strategy. The Management Plan will include the problems, which have been highlighted by local authorities and organisations, and anyone who uses or is affected by the route.

Parsons Brinckerhoff, has undertaken the A30 Penzance to Exeter RMS in consultation with the local authorities, regional planning authorities, transport organisations and the police.

Investigation of the route functions and objectives has brought to light the route problems and a plan of action has been developed.

Policy Objectives

Policy Objectives, set out future roles and aims for the A30. They were derived from the Government's objectives for transport, the Highways Agency Strategic Plans, as well as from Regional and Local Plans. In examining the A30, Policy Objectives provided the direction and guidance needed in developing the Route Management Strategy. A summary of the key Policy Objectives is provided below under the Government's five National Transport objective headings:-

Safety:

• To improve safety for all travellers, reduce the number of accidents (Killed and Seriously Injured by 33% & slight injury by 10%), lessen the severity of accidents and passenger injuries. Reduce risk to motorcyclists.
• Ensure safer and more accessible transport and make aware of poor driving consequences.
• Ensure strategies support integrated transport policy, particularly with reference to cycling and walking. Make road users more aware of all vulnerable road users.
• Safety measures to target higher-risk age groups and people with reduced mobility.

Environment:

• Minimise the effect on the natural and built environment.
• Support the protection of species and habitat, protect the landscape and safeguard the countryside.
• Reduce emissions and reduce noise.
• Promote biodiversity enhancement, manage watercourses and drainage, minimise effect on urban areas and protect historic environment.

Economy:

• Reduce congestion and improve journey time reliability.
• Make better use of the Network and promote walking, cycling, public transport and freight via rail and water.
• Integrate with the regional planning process and support development and regeneration.
• Maintain the Trunk Road minimising 'Whole life' costs, optimising, preserving safety of users, minimising disruption and gaining greater value.

Accessibility:

• Operate Network making best use of infrastructure, provide more accessible interchanges and improve journey information.
• Improve access to jobs and services, address community severance and improve access to public transport.
• Support non-motorised user travel, improve facilities for pedestrians, mobility impaired people, cyclists and horse riders.

Integration:

• Contribute to sustainable development and provide a high quality local transport.
• Encourage modal interchange schemes, such as 'Park & Ride' and ensure there is a smooth transition between different modes of travel and purposes of travel.
• Foster facilitation of policy integration and integrate within wider planning policies.

Route Functions

Route Functions were developed for each section of the A30 between Penzance and Exeter to describe the role that the A30, either serves now, or is envisaged to serve in the future. The Route Functions were used in the analysis and evaluation of Route Problems and Performance Issues. The general Route Functions for the route have been summarised below:

Strategically, the route:

• Forms Part of The Trunk Road Network.
• The A30 between Penzance and Exeter forms part of the Trans-European Road Network.
• Strategic Route Corridor to the South West.
• Main route for tourist traffic into Cornwall and some parts of Devon.

The Regional Role of the route is to:

• Provides regional access to Exeter International Airport with the trunk road and motorway network.
• Provides for east-west movements between communities and supports agriculture, commerce, supply and distribution.
• Provides a major public transport route with buses providing links to rail services.
• Serves as a regional commuting route throughout the area.
• Supports economic activity, providing access for developments.
• Serves regional regeneration through the provision of access.
• Provides regional access to the regional airports, seaports, railway and bus stations.

The routes Local Role is to:

• Provides a route linking local communities.
• Provides pedestrian and cycle routes within local areas, particularly along parts of the route in the far southwest.
• Provides access to local services including shops, education, healthcare facilities, public transport, HGV movements for quarries and local freight.
• Provides for agricultural access to individual fields and between parts of severed farms particularly along parts of the route in the far southwest.

Route Problems and Performance

Route problems and performance issues were identified from London to South West and South Wales Multi Modal Study, raised during the consultation process for this study or identified by data collection exercises. These problems and performance issues were then analysed as part of the Route Management Strategy. Each issue raised was assessed against the main Route Functions and the Government's Five National Objectives. The main problems identified by Stakeholders during this process have been summarised below:

Safety:

• The number of personal injury accidents occurring at junctions or clusters along the route.
• The severity ratio of personal injury accidents at junctions or cluster sites along the route.
• Problems associated with turning and emerging manoeuvres at gaps in the central reserve.
• Problems associated with emerging or rear end collisions at direct access points onto the A30.
• Problems associated with drivers travelling in the wrong direction on dual carriageways.
• Problems due to be addressed under major schemes that may be temporarily addressed in the short-term prior to the implementation of the major schemes.
• Accident issues related to junctions with geometric constraints and compact junctions.
• The safe operation of sub-standard lay-by layouts and spacing.
• Safety problems identified along the Newtown to St Erth section.
• Problems associated with the mobile snack facilities operating along the route.
• Problems with an inconsistent marker post system.

Economy

• Congestion and operational problems associated with the Newtown to St Erth section of the A30.
• Capacity, congestion and operational problems that may be associated with development proposals at several locations along the route.
• The congestion and operational issues related to the sections of two-way single lane carriageway between Exeter and St Erth.
• The operational issues associated with directional signing and marker post system.
• Congestion issues at Alphington and Pearce's Hill junctions.
• The implementation of changing roles from the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary to the Highways Agency Traffic Officer for the operation of the Network.
• Operational issues associated with directional signing and destination strategy.
• Issues with tourism signing.
• Maintenance issues to be addressed include review of network resilience, incident management plans, provision of hard standing areas, review of diversion routes, provision of maintenance compounds, requirements for night-time working and meeting policy objectives.

Environment:

• The Highway Agency Biodiversity Action Plan covering both habitats and endangered species should be continued, in addition Water Management Plans, Cultural Heritage, Noise, Air quality and Lighting Plans should be developed.
• Road accidents and incidents involving deer and other animals.
• Noise issues related to concrete surfacing.

Accessibility:

• Shortfalls associated with the interaction, communication and information supplied to the general public.
• Problems associated with the inadequate facilities at service areas and picnic sites.
• Numerous identified issues with non-motorised users locations along the whole route.

Integration:

• Problems associated with the Public Transport facilities at interchanges.
• Land use and development issues and their impact on the A30.
• Problems with limited movement junctions.

Route Outcomes

Over one hundred separate issues were identified during the Route Management Strategy analysis. These were subsequently grouped and, as a result, 22 Route Outcomes were developed to address identified problems and performance issues. A further assessment of these Route Outcomes has allowed the identification of 13 Key Route Outcomes, which have been re-evaluated against the Policy Objectives, Route Functions, development control issues and Route Problems. The outcomes have then been identified as either a Route Wide Outcome (RWO) or a Location Specific Outcome (LSO).

The 12 Key Route Outcomes are shown below:

No.	Route Outcome Title
RWO 01	Continue route-wide accident investigation, analysis and assessment. Identify trends and accident problem areas. Prioritise locations for treatment.
LSO 02	Continue route-wide accident monitoring, analysis and assessment at junctions, including roundabouts and 'T' junctions. Identify trends and accident problem areas, prioritise locations for treatment.
LSO 03	Work in partnership with Local Authorities, Developers and other Stakeholders to encourage sustainable development. Negotiate and secure developer contributions to associated mitigation measures, including network improvements.
LSO 04	Identify problems associated with gaps in the central reserve and develop mitigation measures.
LSO 05	Identify problems associated with direct access onto the network and develop mitigation measures.
RWO 06	Develop a route strategy to incorporate current standards and spacing of service facilities. Recommendations to consider encouraging a reduction of the need for mobile snack facilities.
RWO 08	Develop a strategy for the road between Newtown and St Erth both in the short-term, giving consideration to traffic calming facilities, and in the longer term, determining the sustainability of the road for predicted traffic volumes.
RWO 09	Develop a route wide strategy for treatment and improvements at locations where there are safety concerns related to road geometry.
RWO 11	Refine the direction signing strategy. Agree a hierarchy of signed destinations, consistent junction identification and consider the adequacy of diversion route signing in recommending solutions.
LSO 14	Prioritise and implement recommendations of improvements to facilities for non-motorised users identified in previous studies. Include consultation with user groups.
RWO 15	Minimise the impact of the A30 on the adjacent environment in terms of noise, water quality, light pollution and visual impact. Develop and review Landscape Management Plans, Biodiversity Action Plans and Cultural Heritage Management Plan.
RWO 16	Work in partnership with local Stakeholders to improve accessibility to public transport.
RWO 17	Support programmed major schemes to upgrade the A30, from Exeter to Camborne, to two-lane dual carriageway.

The remaining Route Outcomes. essential to address particular issues, yet are considered to have less positive impact on the assessed criteria, are as follows:

No.	Route Outcome Title
RWO 17	Continue to identify the location and standard of existing lay-bys. Develop a strategy to upgrade lay-bys to current standards and spacing requirements and produce prioritised programme.
LSO 10	Identify and evaluate measures to address limitations at limited movement junctions.
RWO 12	Undertake a comprehensive review of tourism signing including the implications of the new trunk road tourism signing standard and the provision of tourist information boards in lay-bys and picnic sites.
RWO 13	Investigate current trials of new marker post systems. Develop a strategy to improve, provide a consistent system and produce implementation programme.
RWO 18	Continue to improve the safety environment and network resilience of highway operations and maintenance
LSO 19	Investigate traffic movements at various locations on the A30 where operational issues have been identified.
LSO 20	Implement designs from existing studies that will provide short-term benefits on single carriageway sections of the A30, prior to construction of programmed major road schemes.
RWO 21	Support implementation of changes to Police and Highways Agency network operator roles.
RWO 22	Identify methods of improving the interaction and communication with, and information provided to, the public.

Subject to funds being available, the Route Outcomes set out what the Highways Agency will seek to achieve for the route over a 10-year period. Some of the Route Outcomes may point towards individual projects and investigations, which will subsequently be developed by the Highways Agency.

10-year Route Management Plan

The Route Outcomes are summarised in a 10-year Route Management Plan intended to be a working document that will be rolled forward each year. The Plan will be used to support the funding process, however the progress of the Route Outcomes will still depend on the availability of funds.