Leicestershire Local Transport Plan

APR3 is available in Portable Document Format (pdf) files
These can be downloaded, saved and printed.

       Help with file formats used on this website

INTRODUCTION
1. This document is the third Annual Progress Report (APR) for the Leicestershire Local Transport Plan (LTP). It outlines key achievements and progress towards delivering the objectives and targets of the LTP during the financial year 2002/03. Significant progress has been made during the year in making improvements to the transport system both in terms of how the money has been spent and what has been achieved. This executive summary provides an overview of the progress that is reported through the APR.

2. A key requirement of the APR is to demonstrate how LTP money has been spent, what it has achieved and how this contributes to delivering LTP objectives and targets.

3. In 2002/03 Leicestershire spend was 100% of the budget (£13.288m). A slight overspend of £433k in the Leicestershire LTP area was matched by a corresponding underspend in Central Leicestershire. There were some variations within the programme but the spend and schemes delivered were broadly in line with expectation. For the few exceptions to this, explanations of the variances are provided in Chapters 2 and 4.

4. Chapter 2 also gives examples of schemes delivered during the year. Many show encouraging outcomes which demonstrate how work on the ground is helping to deliver both national and local targets. Key outcomes are:

5. The £6m developer funded Epinal Way Extension opened to traffic one month early in July 2003. This has given much needed relief to residents on the A6 and Shelthorpe Road in the south of Loughborough and provided some traffic relief in the town centre.

6. A reappraisal of the A47 Earl Shilton Bypass has been undertaken following the cost increases reported last year. This shows the scheme still provides excellent value for money, paying for itself four to five times over in its lifetime. Construction is expected to start in autumn 2005 subject to the Department for Transport (DfT) continuing its provisional acceptance and satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures.

7. Core performance indicators (PIs): of the nine core PIs which relate to national targets, five are on track, two are not and there is no clear evidence for the remaining two. This can be summarised as:

Killed and seriously injured (KSI) casualties
Child KSI casualties
Rural households with good access to hourly bus services
Principal road maintenance
Non-principal (unclassified) road maintenance.

User satisfaction with bus services
Bus passenger numbers.

Level of cycling
Non-principal classified road condition.

8. Of the five PIs on track, particularly good progress was made on road safety with an 11% fall in KSI casualties in 2002 (compared with 3% nationally) and a dramatic 41% fall in child KSI casualties compared with 7% nationally.

9. Excellent progress is being made on rural bus access where the Government target for 2010 will be more than exceeded by 2004/05.

10. In 2003/04 and 2004/05 DfT is allocating the County Council significantly more maintenance funds and this will ensure all maintenance targets are kept on track.

11. A review of the County Council's programme development procedures will seek to tackle the cycling target, but this is an extremely challenging national target which most authorities are finding difficult to measure and achieve.

12. A robust new baseline has been established to measure bus patronage and the outcomes of schemes in 2002/03 are very encouraging. User satisfaction with bus services will be measured in autumn 2003 as part of the County Council's corporate user satisfaction surveys.

13. Non Core PIs: Very good progress is being made on the 32 non-core PIs with 24 (75%) on track and only two not on track, with no clear evidence for the remaining six PIs. Chapter 3 explains the current position and steps being taken for those PIs not on track or where there is as yet no clear evidence.

14. The County Council continues to make excellent progress in delivering its LTP spending programmes. All funds allocated to Leicestershire by the DfT in the first four LTP settlements (including the provisional LTP) have been, or are being, spent on transport. In addition very significant non-LTP sources of funding continue to be obtained to supplement the LTP programmes to help deliver the LTP objectives and targets. Table S1 sets out the County Council's overall LTP spend in 2002/03.

15. Chapter 4 also includes details of transport investment that is funded from a range of sources other than the LTP. The County Council has a particularly good record of working with developers to ensure the integration of land use and transport planning. Each year around £1.6m of transport improvements are funded by developers. This is in addition to major new schemes or specific major projects valued around £16m that will help to achieve LTP objectives and have either recently been funded or will be funded in the next few years.

16. Chapter 5 contains the Pro-forma C table which sets out the County Council's response to comments made in the DfT settlement letter of December 2002.

17. The County Council recognises the importance of consultation in delivering the LTP. In particular, improving the effectiveness of the measures and ensuring individual schemes meet local needs and receive local support. Chapter 6 outlines eight different aspects of consultation carried out in 2002/03 which can be summarised as:

18. Sharing best practice is a fundamental part of the County Council's policy of continuous improvement. The DfT considered the County Council's approach to be of a very high standard last year and Chapter 7 with Appendix E shows how this has been taken forward in 2002/03.

APR3 is available in Portable Document Format (pdf) files.
These can be downloaded, saved and printed.

       Help with file formats used on this website