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5. Environmental Assessment -15
5. Environmental Assessment (continued)
5.15 Vehicle Travellers
5.15.1 Introduction
This chapter assesses the impact of the A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton ImprovementScheme on Vehicle Travellers in terms of journey ambience. Journey ambiencerefers to the quality of the journey and can be affected, positively or negatively bytravellers themselves and by the journey surroundings.
Traveller care refers to the facilities that improve en-route ambience including laybys,service areas and travel information along the route. The proposals do notinvolve construction of these en-route facilities and the impacts here would beneutral. The two issues which are examined include views from the road and driverstress.
'Views from the road' have the potential to make a journey more interesting due tothe different types of scenery through which a route passes. Aspects to beconsidered relate to the extent to which travellers may be able to view the scenery,the various types of scenery, quality of the landscape and features of particularinterest.
'Driver stress' is defined as the adverse mental and physiological effectsexperienced by a driver traversing a road network. Factors influencing the level ofstress include road layout and geometry, surface characteristics, junctionfrequency, and speed and flow per lane. The extent of stress will depend on thetravellers driving skills and experience, temperament, knowledge of the route andstate of health.
5.15.2 Method of Assessment
The assessment is predominantly a qualitative one and has been undertaken inaccordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, Volume 11, Section 3,Part 9, Vehicle Travellers.
5.15.3 Existing Conditions
Landscape quality is a term used to indicate value based on character, conditionand aesthetic appeal which is informed by various landscape characterassessments and guidance notes. These include the Countryside Agency'sguidance 'Landscape Character Assessment' April 2002, HuntingdonshireLandscape and Townscape Assessment June 2003, Cambridge Greenbelt StudySeptember 2002 and the Cambridgeshire Landscape Guidelines. The majority ofthe study area, south of the existing A14 consists of good quality landscape with itsundulating landform, frequent vegetation, small villages and hamlets. Thelandscape north of the A14 is considered to be of ordinary quality due to its flatopen and unchanging nature with little vegetation. The landscape in the vicinity ofthe River Great Ouse is considered to be of Attractive Quality.
The Cambridgeshire County Councils publication 'The Cambridgeshire LandscapeGuidelines' indicate that the options mainly fall within two landscape characterareas; the Western Claylands' and 'Ouse Valley', with the improvement sectionnorth east of Cambridge falling within the 'Chalklands' and 'Fenlands' characterarea. The Huntingdonshire Landscape and Townscape Assessment sub-dividesthe overall Cambridgeshire designations of the study area within Huntingdonshireinto Southern Wolds, Ouse Valley and South East Claylands.
5.15.4 Effect of Proposed Routes on the Traveller
TRAVELLER VIEWS
The extent to which the options would augment travellers' views is difficult toassess, even on a subjective basis, until more detail is known about the design ofthe scheme. This assessment is undertaken in a west to east direction.
All options between Ellington and Fenstanton would contribute to the enhancementof travellers' views as they traverse open countryside, thereby facilitating views of arural nature, to the south of the existing A14. There would be no change of views atthe Trinity Foot junction and Fen Ditton junction.
Blue and Purple Options
The Blue/Purple/Orange options which runs from Ellington to the A1 BramptonInterchange is in deep cutting (-15m) and would not provide any significant views ofthe surrounding landscape. Both A1 Blue and Orange Alternative Routes would beon embankments between 7m and 13m, and would allow for views of thesurrounding landscape. This landscape is assessed as good quality.
The Blue/Purple option would provide views of the River Great Ouse and adjoiningCounty Wildlife Site as it crosses on a viaduct of 13m in height. The landscape inthis area is assessed as being of attractive quality.
The Blue/Purple dashed option runs through Offord Hill ridge and would not provideviews of the surrounding landscape.
East of the A1198, the blue option would cross open arable farmland in deepcutting, providing limited views of the surrounding landscape. The existing minorroads and tracks would be re-aligned and cross the proposed road on embankmentat 9m above existing ground level, providing for some views. South of FenStantonthe road would be on embankment, which would provide for limited views towardsConington.
The Purple option follows a similar alignment as the blue option, in deep cutting for2km, until south of Hemingford Abbots, where it moves northeast, continuing incutting across farmland. The majority of this section would be in cutting and wouldnot provide any views of open landscape.
Orange Options
The Orange option is located south of the blue/purple option. It passes over theRiver Great Ouse on a 13m high viaduct, providing views of the surroundinglandscape, which is assessed as being attractive and good quality. East of theA1198, the scheme would be on an embankment of 3m, thus providing for new andattractive views to the south of the South Cambridgeshire plateau.
The majority of this scheme running west of A1198 is in deep cutting or lowembankments of 2m. It would not open up any significant views of the surroundingcountryside.
DRIVER STRESS
All Options
All options would reduce driver frustration, which contributes to traveller stress, asthe new road would help to increase the average speed of vehicles and increaseopportunities for over-taking of slower moving vehicles. All options would reducethe fear of accidents which can also contribute to traveller stress and reducepotential pedestrian/vehicle conflict and turning movements. Although theproposals would increase flow and speed of traffic which are factors resulting infear, the widening of the road would produce better and safer opportunities forovertaking, would be built to a superior design standard, and would offer a betteralignment and a higher quality road surface.
Each of the route options incorporates a number of structures. These include majorroad crossings at A14/M11 interchange, A14/Bar Hill, Trinity Foot, Brampton (A1)and Ellington. In addition there are numerous overbridges, river and watercoursecrossing, East Coast Main Line railway crossing and footpath/accommodationcrossings.
These structures will generate a degree of route uncertainty, which is also a factorin assessing traveller stress. However, this will be alleviated by route specific andgeneral road signage, which will be provided in accordance with the DETR'sguidelines for road building. In the short term the orange and blue options wouldlead to the greatest uncertainty because they deviate the most from the existingA14. However, this perception should quickly dissipate as travellers becomefamiliar with the new road layout.
5.15.5 Summary
The provision of a high quality road; the reduced potential for accidents andreduction in traveller stress would contribute to enhancing the quality of the journeyfor the travellers.
Therefore, the proposals are assessed as neutral in accordance with the TAGmethodology, in terms of the Journey Ambience sub-objective.
