West Midlands Red Route Package One Monitoring

West Midlands, UK

Project outline

The development of a comprehensive conurbation wide Red Route network is one of the key elements of the West Midlands Local Transport Plan (LTP). The intention is to create a 450 kilometre network across the region. Faber Maunsell is responsible for managing a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and review programme. The results of this work support both the ongoing major scheme business case work and provides feedback for use in refining and optimising scheme design.

The results of the before and after implementation monitoring were used to support the Summer 2004 Annex E submission for further funding. This submission was successful and now the West Midlands has secured funding to implement 130 kilometres of Red Route network, known as Package One.

‘Before and after’ monitoring of the Red Routes is a key part of the process and the surveys are aimed at collecting sufficient data to accurately determine whether the objectives of the Red Route have been achieved and the extent of the change. Early results for the A34 route through Shirley demonstrated significant decongestion benefits and helped to secure a national transport award.

Contract value

0.85m

Key features

‘Before and after’ monitoring using:

• GPS journey time surveys with linked GPS event recording
• Bus punctuality, reliability and journey time monitoring
• Significance testing throughout
• Customer Satisfaction surveys
• Moving and Continuous Observer parking surveys
• Accident data
• Background surveys for bus patronage, traffic volumes and area audits.

Skills utilised

• Monitoring Programme Management
• Customised satisfaction surveys and tender specification
• Scheme Evaluation
• Data analysis, interpretation and reporting

Project detail

Since it would be prohibitive to monitor the entire Package One network, a sample of routes were selected based on the nature of problems they experience, their carriageway type as well as bus route coverage and the nature of the anticipated improvements. The sampling process and the design of the monitoring surveys ensures that the sampled routes reflect all elements of Package One.

The aims of Red Routes are to:

• Improve safety
• improve bus service speed and reliability
• improve general traffic average speed and reliability
• provide better conditions for pedestrians and cyclists
• provide better conditions for people with disabilities
• provide parking enforcement and compliance

The monitoring surveys are designed to gather sufficient detail to determine whether any changes can be attributed to the Red Route rather than other factors. Faber Maunsell incorporated lessons learnt from the ‘before and after’ monitoring of the Demonstration Red Routes to refine the Package One surveys.