HULL FREIGHT STRATEGY - s3.amazonaws.coms3.amazonaws.com/zanran_storage/ has been recognised as a key element of the UK Governments Northern Way Growth Strategy. This report presents

HULL FREIGHT STRATEGY

Draft for Consultation

December 2005

Job No: 43212 Reference: Date created: Dec 2005

Telephone: 0161 927 8200 Fax: 0161 927 8499 Website: http://www.fabermaunsell.com

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HULL FREIGHT STRATEGY DRAFT FOR CONSULTATION December 2005

Prepared by: ............................................ Approved by: ............................................ Phil Bullock Jonathan James Consultant Regional Director Reviewed by: ............................................ Geoff Clarke Principal Consultant Rev No Comments Approved / Reviewed Date 1 Draft G Clarke June 2005 2 Second draft M Ibbotson/P Robinson October

2005 3 Consultation draft M Ibbotson/P Robinson December

2005

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Freight makes a very important contribution to the economy and the community of Kingston upon Hull. Hull is an historic waterfront city with a proud maritime heritage, modern port complex, busy shopping centres, as well as an efficient chemical and industrial sector including many well-known manufacturing companies. Hull’s port is growing fast and this trend looks set to continue as congestion issues and high land prices in the South of England make the region more attractive to freight operators and major manufacturing companies. The City and Port of Hull has been recognised as a key element of the UK Governments Northern Way Growth Strategy. This report presents a 5-year vision for sustainable freight transport and distribution in Hull. The strategy presents an overview of how freight operates now, what impact it currently has on the community and what steps can be taken to reduce these impacts and make Hull a better place to live and work. The following provides an overview of the key findings and recommendations of the strategy. Strategic Routeing and Signage Most companies do not experience any problems with vehicle routing in and around the city, which is not surprising given the tendency for many companies to locate themselves strategically along the A63 and A1033 Hedon Road. With this aside however, there are some low cost actions the Council could take to ensure drivers can access routing information when necessary, such as: • Erecting information boards at 3 key strategic locations around the city to provide

information about routing, retail parks, industrial estates and lorry parking facilities; and • Ensuring that Ordnance Survey data on the location of low bridges is made available to

computer mapping companies. No major issues were reported in relation to signage, however there are several localised problems that need attention, notably lorry symbols used on some signs on the western side of the city which are now defunct, additional signing to Priory Park Lorry Park and general signage to the National Avenue Industrial Estate, which was reported to be a problem by a number of operators and drivers. The proposed Variable Message Signing (VMS) system proposed for Hull could potentially be very useful for freight. Congestion The A63, and specifically Castle Street, represents the single largest constraint on freight movements within Hull and was universally reported by businesses as a major problem. At present traffic on Castle Street flows reasonably well outside the morning and evening rush hours, however significant congestion occurs during peak periods and it is not uncommon for a three-mile journey on the A63 to take around 30 minutes. This situation is likely to get worse as port related traffic continues to grow in the future and because the A63 is effectively the main freight route into Hull. Continued congestion could discourage companies from locating themselves in the city, and may have long term repercussions on the economic development of the region. There are essentially 3 types of strategy that can be adopted to improve flow at this bottleneck - short term measures to minimise the effects of pedestrian crossings, junction and bridge delays, secondly longer term infrastructure projects to remove points of delay altogether, and thirdly the prioritisation of road space on trunk roads. These strategies could include: • Establishing a Bridge Freight Quality Partnership (FQP)

Group to reduce bridge openings during peak hour; • Review the need for a pedestrian footbridge over Castle

Street; • Examine the feasibility of introducing a scheme that reduces both delays and accidents at

the traffic signals at the intersection of Market Place and Castle Street; and • ‘Cut and cover’ Castle Street section of the A63 to cope with forecasted traffic growth. This

section of the A63 was featured as part of the Hull Multi-Modal study.

Congestion on the A63/Castle Street was highlighted as a major problem

Minimising bridge openings during peak hours is likely to be most beneficial short-term strategy for achieving improvements on the A63. It has been found that an act of Parliament would be required to give the road users precedence over waterway traffic, however a non-legislative cooperative arrangement between freight road users, waterway authorities and companies operating along the River Humber could help reduce the impact that bridge openings have on traffic on the A63. A bridge specific FQP represents the ideal forum to address this issue. City Centre Delivery Issues

No significant delivery issues were reported by the operators, businesses and retailers surveyed as part of this study. The position of illegal parking does however cause some delay and driver frustration particularly if delivery drivers cannot access their unloading point. There could be more delivery problems as the city centre is redeveloped over the next 5 to 10 years. There is an opportunity to look ahead and examine initiatives that may help minimise the potential for problems in the future, such as: • A city centre consolidation centre; • No car lanes; • Review City Centre Bus Gates; and • Further promotion of evening and night deliveries

on a 7 days a week basis, to make better use of the road infrastructure which is quieter at night.

Accidents A review of data for a five-year period (2000 to 2004) revealed that the majority of HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents occur on the A63. However, the ratio of accidents to total freight movements suggests that comparatively speaking, this route is safer than other primary routes. While in relative terms there were fewer accidents on the A63 compared with other major routes, there are nevertheless a number of areas that need to be looked at further, such as; • Daltry Street Flyover; • Mytongate; • Great Union Street and Mount Pleasant; • Hedon Road and Southcoates Lane; and • Hessle Road. A disproportionately high number of accidents between HGVs over 7.5 tonnes involved bicycles and motorcycles. Considering Hull’s large cycling community, it is suggested that cycle training schemes in the future teach riders of the specific dangers associated with HGVs particularly when lorries are making turning manoeuvres. Lorry Parking The lorry park at Priory Park is secure, well run and drivers staying there generally speak very highly of it. There is a unanimous view however that it suffers from a lack of adjacent facilities, most notably a café. This problem could be largely addressed by providing drivers with information about facilities nearby (e.g. a flyer given to drivers on their way in), and working with businesses to negotiate extended opening hours to better cater for drivers and possibly providing a ‘meal deal’ to help them attract new customers. It is also suggested that improvements be made to the signing for Priory Park. Some drivers reported a lack of signing coming from the East. This situation has been noted and is going to be rectified as part of a Highways Agency upgrade to signs on the A63.

While some localised city centre issues were reported, generally there were no significant problems

Training schemes can teach riders to stay safe around HGVs

There is extensive unauthorised parking on the east side of the city near the docks, however at present it does not appear to be causing significant problems. Improved utilisation of Priory Park is unlikely to eliminate the need for an authorised parking facility on the east side of the city and it is recommended that a new lorry park (possibly privately run) be developed on a site on Littlefair Road currently used for unauthorised parking. Education There is a need for an ongoing working relationship between the Council and business partners like the Humber Trade Zone and the Chamber of Commerce to

portray the buoyant port and logistics industry in a positive light which should help to bring extra jobs and prosperity to the city. The Council could also work with the new Logistics Department at the University and possibly the Army School of Transport based at Leconfield in encouraging training to meet the needs of logistics employers in the city. In addition the Council should continue to operate its own fleet of vehicles in a sustainable way that demonstrates many examples of best environmental practice that could be adopted by other operators. It is possible to model exhaust emissions from the actual traffic mix using the A63 and compare the figures to the national standard to establish the actual contribution that HGVs make to poor air quality. Wider transport measures designed to curtail the growth in domestic car use could help with the smooth flow of essential freight movements. It might be possible to make use of national or regional funding to take action. It is also worth encouraging operators to make use of the free information available through the DfT’s Freight Best Practice Programme which is an educational programme designed to improve the efficiency of the road freight industry. Multi Modal Rail Capacity For many years the Hull to Doncaster/Selby railway has operated on a 16-hour basis (6.30AM until 10.30pm) mainly because there has been no demand from freight or passengers operators. This situation has changed over the last year, and with the planned port developments, the problems affecting road freight operators and a more customer focused rail freight industry, there is a real prospect of sustained growth in rail freight, for example the growth of imported coal. Targeted improvements to increase capacity are urgently needed otherwise the future growth of rail freight will be affected. There is a need for Hull City Council (HCC) to continue to lobby Network Rail and actively source funding from government for urgent capacity and gauge enhancements. This work is currently ongoing with ABP Network Rail, Yorkshire Forward, Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and Humber Trade Zone. It is hoped that proposals for capacity enhancements will be brought forward following the results of a detailed study by Corus Rail. It is important for the future of the rail industry around Hull to work towards opening 24 hours a day, on a full 7 days a week basis. The City and the Port potentially generate sufficient tonnage to warrant the development of an “open access” rail freight terminal that could cater for both port and non-port traffic. If need can be demonstrated and commercial support is in place then the planning process should support terminal provision. For rail freight to be truly competitive with road it needs to allow for disruption to service and make alternative arrangements. Although there is no practical alternative to the Hull to Gilberdyke line for rail freight, support for the needs of railfreight operators in the event of unexpected disruption and planned maintenance should be considered. Multi Modal Water Freight and Pipeline Issues The Port of Hull has ambitious but realisable growth targets looking to grow tonnage from 10 to 21 million tonnes per year over the 15-year period from 2001 to 2016. It is suggested that the Council should continue to promote the use of shipping and in particular short sea shipping and encourage the future development of facilities to maintain current levels of growth. The Council should continue to actively work with Humber Trade Zone and ABP to encourage future

Vacant land on Littlefair Road is an ideal location for a second Lorry Park

developments. Supporting improvements to road and rail links to the Port recognising its importance in the context of sustainable transport objectives. There is a renewed interest in the role that estuarial and inland water freight can play. The current barge traffic which is mainly of liquid products is already saving road movements and is of environmental benefit. The Council should promote the use of Freight Facility Grants (FFG) and the new Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) to assist with infrastructure development. The Council should have dialogue with various stakeholders to ensure the region benefits from any national funding available. It should also work with partners to identify suitable land/wharves for future water freight development and consider the removal of charges for bridge opening on Sundays to help shift more barge freight to the quietest day of the week. Although generally only suitable for liquid products, pipelines are extremely useful for regular flows of bulk product between two fixed terminals. Once built pipelines operate very effectively at low variable cost with minimal environmental impact. The Council should encourage the use of existing pipelines to the maximum potential and ensure pipelines are considered favourably in the planning process in the future. Contingency Planning In the future with major infrastructure schemes planned and further regeneration in prospect it is important to have good contingency plans. It is essential to minimise disruption to the smooth flow of port and non-port freight traffic during construction if major upgrades to A63 Castle Street and the Hull Docks Branch railway go ahead. With any major scheme it is necessary to make the best possible use of any available transport infrastructure. Representatives from all modes of transport should meet together with the Council and the Highways Agency to discuss ways of minimising disruption. It is likely that a switch of modes and much night time working will be required to keep freight moving during major construction projects.

Impact of Freight on Communities Freight transport does impact on communities in various ways. The freight industry is the supplier of goods for the positive benefit of consumers, but it does contribute to poorer air quality, noise and visual intrusion. The A63 does carry more freight traffic than many dual carriageways and the “platooning” effect of HGVs coming from the port following the arrival of a ferry can add to these problems. This platooning if it occurs during rush hour can significantly add to congestion and it might be addressed by speaking to ferry operators about disembarkment times. A full Action Plan is featured at the back of the report featuring costs and benefits.

The Council should continue to promote shipping to maintain current port growth

1. Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2. Structure of the Report................................................................................................................. 1

2. General Freight Issues..................................................................................................................... 4 2.1. Hull’s Place in the Logistics Industry............................................................................................ 4 2.2. Issues from the Regional Freight Strategy................................................................................... 5 2.3. Local Issues................................................................................................................................. 8

3. Council and General Consultation................................................................................................ 11 3.1. General Consultation ................................................................................................................. 11 3.2. Council Consultation.................................................................................................................. 13

4. Specialised Goods Vehicle Surveys ............................................................................................. 18 4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 18 4.2. Summary of all Sites .................................................................................................................. 18 4.3. Site HU1 West – A1033 Hedon Road........................................................................................ 21 4.4. Site HU1 East - A1033 Hedon Road.......................................................................................... 23 4.5. Site HU2 – Marfleet Avenue ...................................................................................................... 26 4.6. Site HU3 East – A63 Castle Street ............................................................................................ 29 4.7. Site HU3 West – A63 Castle Street ........................................................................................... 32 4.8. Site HU4 – A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road ........................................................................... 35 4.9. Site HU5 – A1033 Stoneferry Road ........................................................................................... 38 4.10. Site HU6 – Sutton Road at River Hull Bridge............................................................................. 41

5. Business Consultation................................................................................................................... 44 5.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 44 5.2. Congestion................................................................................................................................. 44 5.3. City Centre Delivery Problems................................................................................................... 46 5.4. Lorry Routeing ........................................................................................................................... 49 5.5. Operator Efficiencies ................................................................................................................. 49 5.6. Partnership Arrangements ......................................................................................................... 50 5.7. Driver and Skill Shortages ......................................................................................................... 50 5.8. Other Freight Issues .................................................................................................................. 50 5.9. Summary ................................................................................................................................... 51

6. Lorry Parking and the Views of Drivers........................................................................................ 53 6.1. Lorry Parking Issues in Hull ....................................................................................................... 53 6.2. Visits to Unauthorised Sites ....................................................................................................... 53 6.3. Driver Surveys ........................................................................................................................... 53 6.4. User Profile – Priory Park and Unauthorised sites..................................................................... 53 6.5. General Driver Views on Overnight Parking in Hull ................................................................... 56 6.6. User Views on Priory Park ......................................................................................................... 56 6.7. Non User Views on Priory Park ................................................................................................. 57 6.8. General Traffic Issues and City Centre Interviews..................................................................... 58

7. Accidents ........................................................................................................................................ 61 7.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 61 7.2. Hull HGV Traffic Accident Analysis ............................................................................................ 61 7.3. HGV Traffic Flow and Accident Comparison.............................................................................. 62 7.4. Vehicles Involved In Accidents with HGVs Greater than 7.5 Tonnes......................................... 62 7.5. Street Lighting............................................................................................................................ 63 7.6. Accident Black Spots for HGV’s Greater than 7.5 Tonnes......................................................... 64

8. Multi Modal Transport .................................................................................................................... 66 8.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 66 8.2. Rail............................................................................................................................................. 66 8.3. Pipelines .................................................................................................................................... 73 8.4. Air Freight .................................................................................................................................. 74 8.5. Barge Traffic .............................................................................................................................. 75

TABLE OF CONTENTS

9. Port Traffic ...................................................................................................................................... 78 9.1. Background................................................................................................................................ 78 9.2. Tonnage and Commodities........................................................................................................ 79 9.3. Short Sea Shipping; Containers versus Trailers ........................................................................ 82 9.4. Road Haulage and Port Traffic .................................................................................................. 83 9.5. The Port and Road Traffic.......................................................................................................... 84 9.6. Future Developments................................................................................................................. 85

10. Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 87 10.1. Improving Strategic Routing....................................................................................................... 87 10.2. Addressing Signage Issues ....................................................................................................... 87 10.3. Short Term Highway Improvements .......................................................................................... 88 10.4. Medium to Long Term Highway Improvements ......................................................................... 89 10.5. Addressing City Centre Delivery Issues..................................................................................... 90 10.6. Partnership ................................................................................................................................ 91 10.7. Reducing Accidents ................................................................................................................... 92 10.8. Lorry Parking: Improving the Use of Priory Park........................................................................ 92 10.9. Lorry Parking: Addressing Unauthorised Parking ...................................................................... 94 10.10. Multi Modal Rail Capacity ....................................................................................................... 94 10.11. Multi Modal Water Freight and Pipeline Issues ...................................................................... 95 10.12. Education ............................................................................................................................... 96 10.13. Recommendations Against LTP Objectives ........................................................................... 98

Appendix A – Key Policies of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Freight Strategy ...................... 105 Appendix B – General Maps .................................................................................................................. 109 Appendix C – Operator Specific Maps.................................................................................................. 111 Appendix D – Companies Contacted for Business Survey ................................................................ 113

1 INTRODUCTION

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1.1. Introduction Freight makes a very important contribution to the economy and general community of Hull, but as is the case in many cities it is often taken for granted. As a prerequisite to developing a realistic and deliverable freight strategy, Faber Maunsell were commissioned by Hull City Council (HCC) in April 2005 to deliver a report detailing an understanding of the nature of freight transport in Hull. Kingston upon Hull is an historic waterfront city with a proud maritime heritage, modern port complex, busy shopping centres, as well as an efficient chemical and industrial sector including many well-known manufacturing companies. Hull has a population of just under 250,000 but a wider surrounding community of about 400,000. Hull is a busy city acting as the dominant central business district for the Humber Region. Although some of the freight traffic is port related the city has a remarkably diverse industry base, which includes food and drink, chemicals, construction (plumbing, mobile homes) and manufacturing (medical/healthcare /furniture/general) sectors. In addition there are the food and non-food retail deliveries associated with servicing a large city. The city itself lies on the North Bank of the Humber with a dense network of roads in the Old Town and radial routes feeding in from the west, north and east. The approach used by many visiting lorry drivers to the city is along the A63 Clive Sullivan Way from the west, either from the M62 or south from the Humber Bridge. Because the main part of the port is on the east of the city, much of the dock related freight has to drive straight through the city along Castle Street and Garrison Road. The majority of lorry drivers entering Hull on most of the other radial routes are likely to be doing local work and tend to be more familiar with the area. This has implications for signing and driver information. This report presents a 5-year plan for sustainable freight transport and distribution in Hull. The strategy aims to present an overview of how freight operates now, what impact it is currently has on the community, and what steps can be taken to reduce these impacts and make Hull a better place to live and work. In some cases, the report focuses on activity specifically within Hull itself, and in others the wider role-played by freight operations in the UK and beyond. The strategy aims to provide information to decision makers to help them better understand how the freight industry supports economic activity in Hull, how and when to positively prioritise freight and assist the industry to become efficient. Ultimately the strategy aims to offer direction, advice and guidance. 1.2. Structure of the Report The structure of this report is as follows: Section 2: General Freight Issues This section examines a wide range of general issues that directly and indirectly impact on freight in Hull. The section begins by looking at Hull’s place in UK and European supply chains to provide a broad picture of the importance to freight and logistics to the regional economy. Issues are also examined from the wider Yorkshire and Humber Regional Freight Strategy developed in 2004. The section also examines a range of general local issues such as congestion, strategic routing and traffic information. This section also examines the incidence of bridge strikes at rail-over bridges north of the city centre. Section 3: Council and General Consultation Section 3 presents the findings from Council and other general stakeholder consultation undertaken in the early stages of the project. Key contacts in the Council were consulted on a wide range of topics such as air quality, economic development and signage matters. Views were also sought from the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce and the Shipping Committee.

1. Introduction

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Section 4: Specialised Goods Vehicle Surveys Section 4 presents the results from specialised goods vehicle counts conducted by the project team, as well as analysis of additional traffic count data provided by the Council including the use of a video count conducted by Sky High. A brief overview is presented on the methodology and a summary is presented of the commercial vehicles observed at each site. Section 5: Business Surveys This section discusses information obtained from transport operator and retail surveys conducted during April and May 2005. Responses are discussed in terms of specific freight-related topics, such as traffic congestion, city centre deliveries, lorry routing, operator efficiencies, partnership and other freight issues in the city. Section 6: Lorry Parking and the Views of Drivers Sufficient information emerged to treat lorry parking as a separate section. This includes a discussion of current provision and usage of lorry parking spaces, and presents the findings from a survey of lorry drivers parked overnight at authorised and unauthorised locations. The section also presents the views of professional drivers on traffic and transport issues in Hull. Section 7: Accidents This section presents analysis of HGV specific traffic accidents in Hull from 2000 to 2004. Accidents are compared between key freight routes, and potential black spots are highlighted. Section 8: Multi Modal Transport This section focuses mainly on rail in Hull, and discusses issues relating to gauge, capacity, and current and potential future freight flows. While some of this work reflects work already done as part of Intermodal Freight Village (IFV) project, the section also provides a commentary on barge traffic, airfreight and pipeline freight. Section 9: Port Traffic This section reviews port traffic and flows by commodity and considers changes in the shipping market and the likely impact these will have on traffic levels. Again this will use some of the information gained from the IFV but will also build on new information including data on foreign lorries and Ro-Ro traffic from P&O ferries. Section 10: Recommendations The chapter brings information from the previous chapters together and builds a case for action based around a number of different themes. These are developed into a summary chart showing how the actions will contribute to LTP Objectives of Integration, Environment, Safety, Economy and Accessibility. Recommendations are coded, and assigned a cost, benefit and target output. Appendix A: Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Freight Strategy Objectives Appendix B: General Maps Appendix C: Operator Specific Maps Appendix D: List of consultees including operators, businesses and retailers

2 GENERAL FREIGHT ISSUES

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2.1. Hull’s Place in the Logistics Industry The freight and logistics sector is the fifth largest in the UK economy and is worth £60 billion and employs 1.7 million people. Freight transport is vital to the UK economy and domestic freight has tripled in the past 50 years. Creating a better transport system is vital if the quality of life in the area is to be improved. Good transport networks enable people and goods to move around conveniently and efficiently, creating a more socially inclusive society and encouraging business growth. Over the past decade, there has been considerable regeneration in Hull. The city has developed into a significant logistics and distribution hub between Britain and Europe, offering transhipment opportunities of water, road and rail freight. The quality of connections to locations and markets outside the area is essential to the continued regeneration of the region. The following sections look at Hull’s position in the global supply chain, and examine a range of issues that are likely to impact on the region and city in the future. 2.1.1. The European Supply Chain As the volume of manufacturing in the UK decreases, the import of consumable products from worldwide destinations assumes an ever more important role. At present, UK imports have been growing at between 6% and 8% per annum without a corresponding increase in exports. This trend is likely to remain as container ships continue to become larger and more companies shift production to low wage economies. The degree to which Hull’s ports can adapt and attract an increasing proportion of inbound freight will play an important part in the regions future. While expansion of the European market may encourage some manufacturers to move offshore, a number of developments have positive implications for the continued growth of Hull as a freight and logistics hub: • A recent report, European Distribution, found that land prices around London are the

highest in Europe and that this is now working against relocation to the south of England. It was also found that there has been renewed interest from third-party logistics contractors looking to lease land in the North.

• Hull is on the east side of Britain, has direct links to key European logistics centres of Belgium and Holland, and land is both available and relatively cheap in the area.

• The importance of the Humber has been recognised through the North European Trade Axis (NETA), which is a £2,250,000 (3 million euros) European project. The NETA corridor is a trans-national initiative linking Ireland, Northern England, the Netherlands and Germany. The UK section comprises the Trans-Pennine axis, which includes the Humber ports. The report published in 2001 says “selective investment in rail, road and water transport facilities could improve certain key routes: A detailed feasibility study should examine the feasibility of a high-gauge freight line between Liverpool and the Humber. There should be a major upgrade of the existing Transpennine rail line, with signalling, stock and gauge improvements that could facilitate greater utilisation of the route. This should go hand-in-hand with demand management schemes for the M62 motorway, to relieve congestion and make better use of the resource.”

2.1.2. Hull’s Strategic Assets The strategic transport networks serving freight in the region also act as a key component of broader national and international networks, which is particularly true for the road and rail networks. Specifically: • The A1 and M1 provide long distance corridors up and down the East of England with the

M62 crossing the region and the country East West between Liverpool and Hull. These routes are part of the Trans European Network with the M62 serving as a particularly important international role providing a land bridge between Ireland, and Northern Europe.

• The rail network in the region also forms a core part of the national network for freight, with the East Coast Mainline and the Trans Pennine being very important. The capacity constrained Brigg line at the Eastern end of the South-Trans Pennine route currently serves an important but mostly regional role servicing power stations with coal. The gauge

2. General Freight Issues

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constraints over the Pennines current limit the amount of national and international traffic that can be carried between Hull and Liverpool. In addition to the gauge problem there is the lack of capacity and restricted operating times of the railway between Doncaster/Selby and Hull. It is our understanding that there is currently only capacity for one freight train an hour on the Hull Mainline and the line is only open for 16 hours a day.

• The region’s airports have not played an important role in freight movements and instead companies have relied on road connections to airports in other regions to access international air freight networks. However with the opening of Doncaster Robin Hood (Finningley) Airport and its ability to handle the largest type of air freighters there is a real possibility of having an international air freight hub only just an hour’s drive from Hull.

• The natural waterway assets of the region mean that flows of aggregates, coal and mineral oils transported within the region are much higher compared to other areas.

2.1.3. Industry Sectors and Major Companies in Hull Hull is home to companies from a wide range of industrial sectors including chemicals, food production, construction and manufacturing. Hull is also the home of a number of major companies that are recognised as market leaders in their sectors, such as Arco Group (safety clothing and equipment), Smith and Nephew (medical supplies), Humber Airfix (model and hobby company), Reckitt Benckiser plc (world no.1 in household cleaning) previously Reckitt & Colman, Seven Seas (fish oils) and BP (chemical plant). It is understood that BP is constructing an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer plant at their Hull site, and both Smith and Nephew and Arco are also expanding their facilities. 2.2. Issues from the Regional Freight Strategy Appendix A shows the thirty key policies developed as part of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Freight Strategy. Most of these are relevant to Hull and are discussed under the most obvious section throughout the report for example the multimodal sections cover rail and water freight. The following sub-sections provide an overview of strategy areas that are relevant to Hull but do not get further analysis elsewhere in the document. 2.2.1. Measuring Economic and Environmental Impact Transport mode and route decision-making by the freight industry is a complex process driven by a range of factors. One of the most important is that of cost, although this is supported by other factors including availability, reliability, flexibility, speed and security. Environmental impact is not normally at the forefront of the process and it is generally left to European, national, regional and local mechanisms to influence mode choice. To measure the economic impacts of mode choice an Intermodal Comparative Framework (ICF) can be used. This does not indicate how mode choice is made, merely its impact. The example is designed to compare economic and environmental costs and does not reflect other factors in modal choice decision-making, such as reliability and security, and has been chosen deliberately to be competitive across three modes. Other examples with different product characteristics, origins and destinations would often reveal that road is the only realistic option. The example chosen is for the movement of a 40 feet deep-sea container that has arrived at Felixstowe Dock and needs to move to the customer in York. There are several alternatives available to the shipper or freight forwarder: moving the box by road (directly from Felixstowe to York), using rail for the trunk haul to Leeds Stourton Terminal and then road for the final leg or Using a notional short-sea feeder service (to bring the box to Hull Container Terminal with the final leg by road). Table 2.1 ICF for Mode Choice: Felixstowe to Hull Cost Components Road Rail Sea Lift on to Feeder vessel 30 Shipping movement 120 Lift on to train 30 Rail movement 130 Lift on to lorry 30 30 30 Lorry movement 300 120 120 Economic Cost (£) 330 310 300

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This clearly shows that in this case there is little significant difference between the three modes of transport, but it does illustrate the relatively high cost of the final leg by road. If the customer is based on or near a container terminal this cost could be dramatically reduced. Journey times are another important factor for most consignments. Using an example of moderate road congestion, average rail and sea transit times. As can be seen the journey time by sea is the longest (11.47 hours) however if this is done at night there would be little difference in meeting a next morning delivery window. Table 2.2 Comparison of Journey Times: Felixstowe to Hull Journey time (Hours) Road Rail Sea Road 4.76 Driving break 0.75 Sea Felixstowe - Hull 9.52 Rail Felixstowe - Leeds 4.66 Transhipment time 1.00 1.00 Lorry Leeds - York 0.53 Lorry from Hull - York 0.95 TOTAL TIME (HOURS) 5.51 6.19 11.47 Assuming similar travel conditions to the journey time comparison the energy usage and environmental impact for each mode is shown below. Table 2.3 Comparison of Energy Use: Felixstowe to Hull Mode Energy Environment

Cost Road 18g/tkm. £100 Rail 8.9g/tkm £58 Sea 3.08g/tkm £62 There is very little overall difference in the economic costs between the modes for this journey however both the energy consumption and environmental impact is substantially lower for rail and sea than by road. The example is for illustrative purposes only; the process would gain its true value when used across a number of situations. This strategy therefore rightly supports policies that allow non-road modes to be advantaged in marginal modal decision situations because of energy saving and environmental benefits. However it appreciates that in many situations road will continue to serve as the most appropriate modal choice. 2.2.2. Strategic Routing Map 1 in Appendix B shows the primary route network (PRN) for Hull which was last comprehensively reviewed in the late 1980’s. The most heavily trafficked route running through the study, the A63, Clive Sullivan Way and Hedon Road, is the primary route to and from the Port of Hull and is used to access to the main urban areas of Hull when approached from the West. The road links Hull’s ports with the A63 over Myton Bridge, an 800 tonne opening swing bridge that carries 40,000 vehicles daily including a considerable number of HGVs. Port and other commercial traffic feeds on to Hedon Road on the eastern side of the city which was recently upgraded at a cost of £43 million. West from the docks this road carries 34,000 vehicles a day, of which 18% are HGVs. Many companies leave the choice of route to individual drivers who may make their decision on a wide range of factors including past experience, local knowledge, traffic information on the day, satellite tracking, word of mouth, maps, road signs, traffic news on the radio, VMS, SMS messages, two way radio and mobile phones. A small proportion of companies prescribe the exact route drivers should use and issue them with computer scheduled print outs or hand held data processors that show the route. Whatever the means of determining the route, it is important that the heaviest freight traffic is kept on the most appropriate roads for the type and weight of lorry – i.e., motorways and trunk roads - as far as possible. The Council needs to specify their preferred freight route network in consultation with key stakeholders and neighbouring authorities, and then map these options in

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a clear and understandable manner. Routing strategies can and do work, especially if businesses, the Police and representatives of the freight industry are involved. 2.2.3. ‘No Car’ Lanes for HGV Use One potentially useful way of dealing with congestion and pollution caused by inner city freight movements is to develop special ‘no car’ lanes. A no car lane is a bus lane that is opened to HGV’s to help facilitate better movement of freight. Improved freight movements should not come at the expense of existing public transport traffic however, and it is therefore important to ensure that the addition of HGVs to bus lanes does not have a negative impact on bus travel times, or does not lead to other problems that have sometimes been reported such as: • Use by unauthorised cars; • Confusion caused to car drivers; • Design leading to conflict at entry and exit points; and • Accident risk through extra lane swapping. With these issues aside, no car lanes have been successfully implemented in a number of UK cities and may be worth further consideration. 2.2.4. Lorry Road User Charging The Lorry Road User Charging Scheme (LRUC) has been under consideration for some time but the Government recently announced that they are no longer planning to take this scheme forward in 2008. Indeed the scheme which was cautiously welcomed by industry as a method, by which foreign hauliers could be made to pay more towards the cost of UK roads, provided it is tax neutral for UK operators looks unlikely to ever happen. It is anticipated that a complete road user charging scheme covering all classes of road vehicles is now more likely but not until at least 2015. Depending on the level of charge per mile and the differential between motorways and other roads, the impacts on the region will be to a great extent shared on a basis with other regions. While the intention may be to introduce a scheme that is tax neutral, the reality is that any road user charging system may increase operating costs for some parts of the network, and reduce them in others. For this reason, it is necessary for HCC and the broader region to actively participate in the debate about road user charging, and understand how it might impact on local freight operators. 2.2.5. Freight Consolidation Scheme in Bristol The primary objective of a Freight Consolidation Scheme is to reduce the number of delivery vehicles operating in a particular area, and to improve local air quality and amenity. Consolidation centres can also improve delivery services to retailers, reduce the conflict between vehicles in loading areas and delivery bays, and provide value-added services to retailers such as packaging collection and remote stock storage. In 2004, a six-month city centre trial of a consolidation centre was undertaken in Bristol involving 20 retailers in response to city centre congestion and delivery problems. The initial pilot scheme was found to be successful, and it was subsequently extended to 46 retailers in 2005. As a result of the scheme, delivery movements have been reduced by 65% leading to a sizable reduction in total vehicle kilometres (20,350). The freight consolidation scheme has reduced Carbon Dioxide emissions by 2,470kgs, Nitrogen Oxide by 399grams and Particulate emissions by 5.4kgs. A retailer satisfaction survey found that so far there has been a very positive reaction to the scheme. It will be worth observing this trial over the next year to see if it is relevant to Hull. 2.2.6. HGV Crimes HGV related crime does not receive a high profile from the media, but can dramatically affect the lorry drivers and operators. Truckpol, an intelligence unit in the Metropolitan Police, estimated that the cost of HGV related crime in the first three months of 2005 was more than £19million (up from £17 million for the same period in 2004).

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There are 43 police force areas in England and truck crime is tabulated into a league table of the worst hit regions of the country. In 2004, West and South Yorkshire were the 3rd and 6th worst regions, with Humberside ranked in 14th position. A charity known as Truckwatch has recently been established in South Yorkshire to disseminate information about a lorry crime. It is the largest scheme of its kind, and it could be rolled out to include Hull and the rest of the Humber region. 2.2.7. University of Hull The creation of a Logistics Institute at the University of Hull means that it can capitalise on its existing academic expertise and its unique position within the Humber. It can contribute positively to the success of the Humber Economic Development Action Plan through freight and logistics awareness events, short courses, consultancy services and information and technology facilities. 2.2.8. Driver Rates of Pay The objective of the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) truck drivers’ agenda is to discuss ways of developing pan-European trade union co-operation with Germany, Poland, Sweden and Estonia among others, to address the problems associated with cheap labour. In Sweden and Denmark, the minimum wage for truck drivers is far higher than most other European countries, starting at about £16/hr, whereas the T&G’s minimum across the board target for truck driver wages is £10/hr (£25,000). According to the T&G, if foreign drivers (Eastern European) are not helped to raise their salaries to UK rates, then truck driver rates across the board will be driven down as well1. The exact impact of these potential changes is not known as this time however it is they would not be expected to impact on Hull any differently from other regions in the UK. 2.2.9. Working Time Directives (WTD) The Freight Transport Association have put the cost of imposing the recently introduced “Working Time Directives” on mobile workers as £1billion (2-15% increase on wage bill, plus an extra 12,600 vehicles). This equates to a 10% loss of productivity and results in the need for an extra 21,900 drivers (5% of current workforce). It is too early to assess the full impact but the advice is that if drivers work in partnership with their employers on the concept of “periods of availability” (POA) then the WTD implications might not be too bad. But the FTA is concerned that there might be a Trade Union problem if employers work round the legislation. The expected cost impact differs among hauliers and so remains uncertain – however, assuming typical annual running costs of an articulated lorry to be of the order of £90,000, then the WTD may increase operating costs in the order of 5 - 15%. The full impact on operators based in Hull cannot yet be determined with certainty although the impact may be similar nationwide. It is worth noting that some organisations believe that the WTD is a good thing and will result in fresher more alert drivers that have a better standard of living. 2.3. Local Issues 2.3.1. The Humber Bridge and Bridge Tolls The Humber Bridge opened in 1981 at a cost £151 million. The Humber Bridge spans 1410m and is the second longest single span bridge in the world. In 2003/04, 6.3 million vehicles of all classes crossed the bridge. A study recently looked at whether tolls should be kept on the bridge (4 axle lorries are currently charged £17 each way, which equates to approximately £1 per tonne for medium to large loads), and recommended they be retained for the foreseeable future. This outcome means there will not be any significant change in freight traffic currently using this route. While removal could increase the attractiveness of Hull as an operating centre, it is difficult to determine by how much. It is worth considering the fact that tolls are often seen as obstacles that prevent drivers using diversionary routes when there are problems on the network. Viewed strategically, the Humber

1 Commercial Motor, 19 May 2005

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Bridge could help address problems that can sometimes occur on other parts of the network, e.g. establishing an agreement with the Humber Bridge Board to waive the tolls for a short period of time during severe congestion on the A1/M1/M18/M180. 2.3.2. Bridge Openings and Weight Limits At present, North Bridge is closed for major maintenance repairs for 8 months and is due to re-open in November 2005. The next bridge up-river is Scott Street Bridge which has been closed for some years because of structural problems, without any complaints (the Council does not have any intentions of replacing this bridge). Sculcoates Bridge has recently been restricted from 17 tonnes to 3.5 tonnes. A scheme to replace or add a new bridge at this location is being considered, however the Highway Authority is reluctant to invest in its repair because even with North Bridge closed, the impact on traffic does not appear to have been significant. Although there have been few complaints made to the Council on these issues, there is still the need to examine the issue of bridge crossings and times of bridge openings in more detail. 2.3.3. Bridge Heights and Bridge Strikes There are twelve rail over-bridges with restricted heights located in Hull. The heights of these bridges vary from 11 feet to 16 feet (3.35-4.88metres) and are shown in Map 2 and Appendix B. The majority of the rail bridges in Hull are below the standard height levels specified by the Highways Agency, which is 16 feet 9 inches (5.1metres). According to the Bridge Strike data supplied by Network Rail for the period April 2003 to March 2004, there were a number of incidents in the East Riding of Yorkshire which affected the rail services to and from Hull. The total time lost to trains was 2526 minutes, with an unquantifiable amount of lost time to road traffic as a result. Lorries or boats striking rail bridges caused many of the incidents. However, there was only one bridge strike in Hull that resulted in delays to trains and this delay was just 19 minutes. Most bridge heights in England are only marked with Imperial Measurement signs but in an area where there is a significant proportion of foreign drivers it is suggested that bridges should be marked with both Imperial and Metric dimension signs. Table 2.4 Bridge Strikes Affecting Rail Services To Hull (April 2003 - March 2004)

Date Location Cause

Time Lost To Trains (minutes)

14/08/2003 Ferriby Double Deck Bus 395 06/08/2003 Selby Boat 11 22/11/2003 Goole Boat 34 25/11/2003 Goole Boat 40 09/04/2003 Goole Lorry 181 21/01/2004 Goole Boat 45 01/04/2003 Hull Lorry 19 17/09/2003 Scarborough Unidentified Road Vehicle 8 30/05/2003 Selby Lorry 472 07/07/2003 Selby Lorry 402 30/12/2003 Selby Lorry 902 28/11/2003 Goole Boat 17

Total time lost to trains: 2526

3 COUNCIL AND GENERAL CONSULTATION

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3.1. General Consultation 3.1.1. Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping Castle Street and the A63 is seen as a major problem by members and the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping (HHCC) and they support actions to improve the route. In particular they are strongly in favour of the proposal for a ‘cut and cover’ tunnel development proposed as part of the Northern Way, which would allow traffic to move through the city uninterrupted and to open up the city centre to the waterfront. It was acknowledged that this would be an expensive development, but that it would have a positive impact on the redevelopment of the city centre. HHCC identified tensions between traditional river traffic and road users as an issue. While there are still a significant number of barges using the river, it was suggested that the river use is evolving, and that there may be future pressures for redevelopment of land in the area. A range of other issues were raised, including: • HHCC members have recently reported a double figure downturn in city centre retail

business. It is believed that traffic problems resulting from the closure of North Bridge have had an impact on top of the national downturn;

• Ports are only likely to get busier. Feeder services to the port are likely to increase which will lead to an increase in through traffic;

• From the point of view of the HHCC, rail is not yet a truly cost effective option for transport through the area. There is a lack of flexibility and the lack of slots and early closure needs to be addressed;

• The proposed Quay West development (2009) is likely to create push towards the Western part of the city; and

• HHCC were disappointed by the recent report on the Humber Bridge Toll that recommended that the toll be retained. The Hull/Immingham/Goole area would be a much more attractive transport hub, or ‘logistics box’ (i.e. the M180 on one side and the A63 on the other) if the bridge toll was scrapped.

3.1.2. Shipping Committee In general, it was felt by the committee that the Local Transport Plan (LTP) needs to reflect the economic realities of the city and that it should be made as business friendly as possible. Some specific ideas included: 3.1.2.1 Trade • Transhipment of containers is likely to increase, hence more feeder vessels will come to

Humber ports from Rotterdam and also from other UK ports. The refusal of the Dibden Bay proposals in Southampton would assist Hull as a container destination for transhipment, but lack of deep water and cost of diversion away from English Channel mean that larger global vessels will not be attracted.

• There will be more paper freight arriving at the ports over the next 5 years as many paper mills move north. This change in volume will affect the supply chains of certain companies. Although it is expected that most of the additional tonnage will go by road this is not a certainty.

• Newly built distribution centres should be located to the west of the city to reduce congestion.

• New developments such as Quay 2005 and reclaimed land at Salt End are likely to increase the capacity of Hull’s port which is likely to grow significantly over the next 5 years in terms of tonnage. Most of this increase will need to be carried on lorries by road through the city.

• The feasibility of aiding River Hull operators to transfer their operations to other areas of the city should be looked at.

3. Council and General Consultation

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3.1.2.2 Rail While many policy makers would like more freight to be moved by train, the committee feels this is unlikely because: • The cost of rail freight at present is one inhibitor to the use of rail; and • There is a lack of infrastructure in the ports for rail and a lack of slots on existing track. The cost of rail freight from Hull was seen as the main problem – this would still be a barrier even if capacity issues in the city and beyond were resolved. 3.1.2.3 Road Pressures • To ease Castle Street A63 traffic, the ring road around Hull needs to be significantly

improved to help transport flows, involving reshaping of parking provision and removal of speed humps etc;

• Extra shopping areas e.g. proposal for Quay West, will again mean more transport is likely to use the city centre; and

• Work needs to be done between the Council and the Highway’s Authority to develop a faster system for resolving accidents on the A63.

3.1.3. The Northern Way The Northern Way originated from a desire by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, to capitalise on the North’s newfound confidence and energy, and to speed up the rate of change. Their aim is to establish the North of England as an area of exceptional opportunity with a world-class economy and a superb quality of life. The Northern Way is being led by the three Northern Regional Development Agencies (RDAs): Yorkshire Forward, One NorthEast and the Northwest Development Agency. By collaborating with Government and regional stakeholders, they will develop a long-term vision for growing the economy of the whole of the North. The Northern Way strategy will build upon the North’s assets to create more opportunities for everyone up until the year 2025. These assets include: • Key urban centres, including the five core cities; • World-class universities and centres of excellence; • Airports, ports and river estuaries; • ICT infrastructures; • Cultural assets, Capital of Culture; • Tourism, image and marketing assets: National Parks; and • Cluster strengths, i.e. building on existing chemicals collaboration. By working together to integrate land use planning, environmental enhancement and economic development, the Northern Way recommends that regions should make best use of existing strategic transport corridors: East and West Coast Mainlines and Trans-Pennine rail routes, the rich network of waterways and the M62/ M1/A1M/A1 and M6. The strategy also recommends that northern regions seek greater government input for investment in measures to reduce traffic levels, such as quality standards for bus and rail services, cycle friendly road networks, grants for rail freight projects and increased the funding for local public transport, particularly in rural areas. The potential cumulative impact of numerous local schemes is too frequently overshadowed by larger prestige infrastructure projects. Opportunities for inter regional demand management measures should also be explored.

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3.2. Council Consultation Faber Maunsell were commissioned to develop and deliver a realistic freight strategy detailing an understanding of the nature of freight transport in Hull. In order to achieve this, the project team consulted with the following key Council contacts: • VMS - Vali Birang; • Mapping - Phil Reay; • Accident data - Eric Wragg; • Air Quality Department of Hull City Council - Stuart Ashton/Dave White; • Fleet Manager - Garry Middleton; • Road signing - Tim Binnington; and • Economic development - Helen Stinson. 3.2.1. Signage In 1987 a Traffic Management scheme was devised to divert traffic away from the A63 Trunk Road in periods of disruption resulting from accidents, bridge openings or other incidents. The system uses road signs with triangles showing the easterly diversion and squares for the westerly diversion. Following several changes in ownership of parts of the road network around Hull, the system is now incomplete and hence defunct. There are flap signs on the A63 Highways Agency route that were designed to close when Myton Bridge opened but apparently these have not been used for a number of years. They did not show an alternative route, but merely that the through route was no longer available. There have been two diversionary routes one via Lowgate, Drypool Bridge and Great Union Street and the other was via Freetown Way and Ferensway, which are not ideally suited to heavy traffic. The Ring Road is a series of connected urban roads some of which are not suited to large volumes of traffic. Indeed particularly in the North and Western parts of Hull there is a lot of residential housing on the route and hence any increase in traffic volumes can create complaints from local residents. Unlike many cities the Ring Road is not part of the primary route network and hence its signing is not high profile. Although it is appropriate for freight traffic requiring certain destinations towards the north of the city to use the ring road, the Traffic Department do not really want to encourage much additional freight traffic to use the Ring Road. Most of the other industrial estates are either directly off the A63 or the A1033 Stoneferry Road and Hedon Road and are generally well signed. Indeed with the upgrade of Hedon Road many of the locations on the east of the city including the docks have recently received new road signs. In general the Port is very well signed but of course it is spread over a long distance from St Andrews Quay in the west to Kingston Bulk Terminal and the Salt End jetties in the east. If a lorry driver is unfamiliar with the city one of the most difficult Industrial Estates to reach is that on National Avenue. There have been a number of reports of foreign drivers ending up on the wrong side of the railway bridge for their intended destination, in the Chanterlands Avenue and Perth Street West area. The railway bridge has several advance warning signs showing it to have an 11 feet 6 inch height restriction. However several of these vehicles end up having to reverse significant distances before they can turn around. Satellite navigation may help with bridge heights in the future but clearly they do not at the moment. Ordnance Survey are in the process of surveying these to show on their next version of electronic maps. This may then be made available to the sat-nav companies. The idea of a lorry specific lay-by for the western approach to the city was also discussed. This would include an information board to provide information on industrial estates, lorry parking etc. It was thought this would be a good idea but would need to be agreed by the HA and might be quite expensive. This board would show the locations of all the docks, industrial estates, retail parks and city centre pedestrian streets.

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3.2.2. VMS In early 2005 a study was undertaken by Atkins consultancy investigating the justification of a Variable Message Signing (VMS) system to be developed in the city. The report recommended a 3 tier system be developed: • An Enhanced Message System (EMS) Cordon extending beyond the Ring Road; • An intermediate EMS on the periphery of the city centre; and • A Car Park Guidance System (CPGS) within the city centre. While the introduction of GPGS in the city centre would probably not benefit freight traffic directly, it could provide indirect benefits through improved traffic flow into and out of the main shopping area, and easing congestion on the A63 EMS, which provides information planned and unplanned road disruptions, is potentially very useful for all road users, especially freight. EMS could advise HGV drivers of bridge openings as they occur, which would give them the option (as long as the information is received some distance from the bridge itself) of taking alternate routes to avoid congestion. Advance warning of bridge openings would also be very useful, and would allow operators to better plan journeys and avoid delays. In this respect VMS would be a very positive development for freight, and to some degree could be used to circumvent the (legislative) issue of bridges having priority over roads. 3.2.3. Economic Developments and their Impact on Freight Following a successful bid for the Urban Regeneration Development Company (URC) status, Hull is to create and deliver a dynamic and coherent physical regeneration strategy for the city focusing on the city centre and West Hull. The key objectives for Hull’s development will be related to creating a unified city centre that is re-united with its Humber Estuary waterfront. Hull will see £1.5 billion of commercial investment over the next 15 years, creating 5,200 new offices, retail and leisure jobs. The strategic development areas will be concentrated around the city centre at the following locations: 1) Humber Quays; - a mixed-use area on the Humber Estuary waterfront. The £135 million

redevelopment project will re-unite the city centre with the waterfront and include a major new public plaza on Island Wharf providing restaurants, cafes and speciality retail that face onto public space and the waterfront. The area will also be supported by residential developments.

2) Fruit Market Area - The Fruit Market Area will have a range of conversions and new build

property in the southern half of the Old Town, providing a mix of residential, workspace, leisure and speciality retail uses as well as a new public space. Wellington Street will be the key pedestrian/cycle link to Humber Quays will be the focus of ground floor retail and leisure activity to include boutique shops, hotels, restaurants, cafes and bars.

3) East Bank of the River Hull - The strategic development plan for the east bank of the river

Hull is for innovative housing and riverside development for water recreation and transport. The East Bank of the River will accommodate a major new residential community and provide educational and health facilities.

4) Albion Square and Heart of the City - Albion Square and the heart of the city will be

transformed into a mixed-use quarter that spans office, residential, leisure, and cultural and civic use. Albion Square and other areas of the city will be accessible and having a range of cafes, restaurants and bars to boost the evening economy.

5) Quay West - The strategic development plan for Quay West will extend and open the area

to the west of Princess Quay. The retail scheme will be developed around a new public plaza making it possible to create a circuit between Prince’s Quay, the department stores along Ferensway, the new St. Stephens’s development, the Prospect Centre and King Edward Street.

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By 2016 it is proposed that Hull will have a net gain of 2,100 office-based jobs in the city centre, and an addition of 3,100 retail, hotel and catering jobs. The residential population is expected to increase by 4,500 in the city centre that will be well connected with the Humber Estuary and the River Hull waterfronts. 3.2.4. Hull’s Environmental Fleet Operation Hull City Council recognises the importance of continuously improving sustainable development of their vehicles and transport infrastructure. Hull has qualified its green fleet agenda by being committed in the pursuit of realisable excellence within the field of environmental transport logistics and reduction of vehicle life cycle emissions. The Council’s own in-house vehicle fleet has been recognised for its use of environmentally friendly vehicles and sustainable fuels. It was awarded first prize in the environmental category of the 2002 Motor Transport Awards. HCC was the only authority to make the awards shortlist, alongside national companies. Hull’s fleet of 810 vehicles are mostly owned or leased. 93% of the fleet runs on bio-diesel supplied locally by Rix, 6% are electric vehicles and 1% petrol. HCC carries out extensive research into the cost and best value analysis associated with the operation of a green vehicle fleet strategy that takes into account environmental (for example fuel delivery infrastructure), operational (weights/volumes) and financial considerations (for example insurance, residuals, maintenance). Hull’s culture of continuous environmental improvement for its vehicle fleet operation is being achieved by adopting procurement (for example optimum weight/volume vehicles, LGV air deflectors), and operational procedures (for example corporate fleet, vehicle utilisation strategy) that best meets with the Authority’s ethos of best practice in terms of ecological and operational improvement. Alternative fuelled and green diesel technology vehicles have been made available to the Authority including LPG, CNG, LNG, Common Rail Green Diesel and Electric. The Authority has committed to the operation of the latest diesel and electric traction technologies utilising green diesel/sustainable electric fuels. The procurement of bio-diesel fuel benefits the environment, hence it is Hull’s front line environmental low carbon fuel choice. The use of bio-diesel is not only slightly better for the environment but it conserves oil stocks as 5% is from renewable sources i.e. vegetable matter. The fleet operates the latest diesel and electric traction technologies, which use greener bio diesel and sustainable electric fuels. It has Britain’s largest electric fleet of 50 cars and vans. In the past three years, the fleet has won manufacturing awards from Eminox; the Green Fleet Manager of the Year Award; Fleet News Environmental Manager of the Year Award and the European Environmental Transport Award from Dinex. Hull also keeps their lorries for a varying amount of time depending on application. The specialist vehicles with hoists, and waste tanks are kept for about 10 years, refuse vehicles for 7 years and standard fleet for 5 years. The Council’s latest acquisition is a Mobile Library that has solar panels fitted into its roof in order to generate power to run the on-board computers and systems whilst the vehicle is stationary awaiting custom. The vehicle has batteries that can be charged at night if there is insufficient power for the next day. The company has retrofitted special Eminox exhaust treatment systems a number of years ago to help improve air quality. Another development is the use of electric exhaust emission control which ionises the particulates and prevents them being emitted to the atmosphere. The Fleet Manager has signed up to the purchase of electricity for the workshop and vehicles from renewable sources, which at the moment are mostly wind farms. Vehicle tracking and telemetry technologies have been fitted on core vehicles which has provided a better understanding of movements and operational utilisation. Vehicles are also subject to a full re-cycling process at the end of their operational lives. The current vehicle replacement programme 2004/2005 is set to replace a further 73 vehicles utilising the latest in environmental technologies. Hull City Council has also recently completed a £6.5 million inward investment plan to relocate its transport and engineering based services to a conjoined site which will more ably provide a more focused approach to Hull’s operational and logistical transport belief.

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It is anticipated that green vehicles will continue to be expanded, thereby eliminating virtually all of the emissions that internal combustion counterparts would have produced. The Council will invest extensively towards fulfilling their obligation in the protection of their economic, social and environmental future. 3.2.5. Air Quality Hull City Council have recently declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) probably for an area centred on the A63 Castle Street running from Myton Bridge in the east to Rawlings Way in the west and up to Anlaby Road. The reason for the declaration is concerns that nitrogen oxide emissions caused by road traffic do not meet Government targets on air quality. As mentioned elsewhere in the document Castle Street is the main road through the City and carries significant volumes of traffic. At certain times of the day the traffic is stationary, slow moving or stop/starting. These situations that include vehicles accelerating in first or low gear cause larger volumes of emission than if the traffic was free flowing at 30 miles per hour. In fact a recent report (Feb 2005) for the DfT by Transport Research Laboratory entitled “The effects of traffic management schemes on emissions from heavy-duty vehicles” concluded from physical trials, that vehicles driven at a constant speed of 30mph tend to produce far lower emissions especially for Nitrogen Oxide and Carbon Dioxide. The presence of two busy traffic light controlled junctions, two traffic light pedestrian crossings and the not infrequent opening of Myton Bridge all within a short distance all contribute to interruptions to traffic flow. These all have an additional effect on local air quality. The next stage in the AQMA process is to develop an action plan to address the issues. There are a variety of actions proposed in other parts of the country some of which may be applicable in Hull, for example promoting public transport and cycling and diverting traffic. One of the main problems in Hull is that the A63 is the major trunk road and there is little opportunity to divert traffic elsewhere. Clearly if the idea to rebuild the dual carriageway road using a cut and cover tunnel technique with grade separated junctions is introduced then this will help to improve local air quality because through traffic should flow better. However this scheme is not in any existing Highways Agency programme and could well be a longer term proposal. The Council’s Air Quality team are going to take some of the information from the Castle Street traffic count and insert the details of vehicle age by vehicle size into their model. This reflects traffic actually using the route (admittedly on a snapshot basis) and it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to the outcome of the model.

4 SPECIALISED GOODS VEHICLE SURVEYS

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4.1. Introduction This chapter presents analysis of the specialised goods vehicle surveys conducted at 5 locations in Hull, from April 19 to April 25, 2005, and additional traffic count data provided by Hull City Council (HCC). Counts were conducted from 07.00 to 10.00. A description of each site is provided which includes comments on the road type and situation, operation, traffic flow and any other relevant information including general observations made by survey staff. Information is then presented on the following key areas. Traffic Flow The direction of travel of traffic and percentage flow in each direction. Analysis of vehicle types The various vehicle types observed have been aggregated according to vehicle size, 7 tonne, 18 tonne, 26 tonne, 32 tonne and 40/44 tonne. Analysis of industries associated with vehicles Industries have been classified into the following 8 main groups: • General distribution/containers; • Building; • Food/drink/agriculture/market; • Retail; • Automotive/vehicles/fuel; • Waste/utility/emergency; • Parcels; and • Manufacturing. Analysis of Vehicle Ages The registration numbers for each vehicle have been analysed and grouped according to the years in which European engine legislation was applied, i.e. • Pre-legislation period (pre 1992) - A-J; • Euro 1 (1992- 1996) - K-N; • Euro 2 (1996-2001) - P-Y; and • Euro 3 and Euro 4 (2001 onwards) 51-05. 4.2. Summary of all Sites 4.2.1. HCC HGV Traffic Count Data The figure below shows HGV counts for at 3 sites along the A63, for 2002 to 2004. For Clive Sullivan Way, traffic volumes increased by 8.6% from 2002 to 2003, and 4.5% from 2003 to 2004. Volumes at Myton Bridge increased by 8.6% from 2002 to 2003 and decreased by 1.2% from 2003 to 2004. The large increase for Hedon Road from 2002 to 2003 is attributable to changes in the number of count sites. After Hedon Road was rebuilt the number of count sites was increased from 1 to 3 to capture traffic using slip roads to access the new road. As a result, the new configuration now captures some additional through traffic. Disregarding this year for Hedon Road, the average annual increase in traffic volumes was 4.8% per year over the 3 years.

4. Specialised Goods Vehicle Surveys

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Figure 4.1 HGV Counts on A63: 2002 - 2004

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200220032004

Traffic count data were also obtained for the railway line cordon north of the city centre. The figure below shows counts for selected key sites over the 3 year period, and the combined total for all cordon sites. As a result of building works on Hedon Road, there was a significant increase in counts at all sites from 2002 to 2003. Volumes decreased from 2003 to 2004, but were still considerably higher than 2002 figures. However it is difficult to draw too many conclusions from these figures because of the impact of drivers choosing alternative routes during periods of disruption due to road works. Figure 4.2 HGV Counts along Railway Line Cordon: 2002 - 2004

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)

200220032004

4.2.2. Specialised Goods Vehicle Counts The table below shows the number of commercial vehicles counted at each of the survey sites, as well as the total number of all foreign and Dutch lorries. Castle Street was the busiest of all sites with a combined 2 way total flow of 1449 vehicles over the 3 hour period. Hedon Road also very busy, however it is clear that a number of lorries enter the A63 from the A1033, A1165 and industrial estates west of King George Dock, which then increases the flow through the city centre. There was a noticeable difference in the volume of freight vehicles using routes other than the A63. Stoneferry Road is used by only around half the number of the HGVs that use Castle Street, and counts on the A1079 (Ferensway), Marfleet Avenue and Sutton Road were all relatively low. The difference between the count sites highlights the strategic importance of the A63. The A63/Hedon Road corridor was the most common route used by foreign lorries, however it interesting that there is such as large discrepancy between Castle Street and Hedon Road, because volumes recorded driving North on Marfleet Ave and the A1033 do not appear to fully account for this difference. This may have been influenced by the differences in ferry loads, and the possibility that some foreign lorries may travel to a depot (e.g. Tunderman, which is located adjacent to the Dock) before continuing on their journey.

20

For all but one site, Dutch lorries accounted for the majority of foreign vehicles. Other foreign vehicles came from a range of different counties including Germany, Austria, Italy and a number of Eastern European countries. Table 4.1 Summary of Specialised Goods Vehicle Counts

Survey Area Total HGVsTotal Foreign

HGVs Foreign as % of Total

Total from Netherlands

Netherlands as % Total

Castle Street 1449 55 4% 30 55% Castle Street (East) 728 18 2% 13 72% Castle Street (West) 721 37 5% 17 46% Hedon Road 1201 101 8% 76 75% Hedon Road (East) 601 24 4% 16 67% Hedon Road (West) 600 77 13% 60 78% Stoneferry Road 730 7 1% 6 86% Marfleet Ave 272 7 4% 6 86% Ferensway 258 8 4% 6 75% Sutton Road 166 - - - - The following general findings also emerged: • While port traffic makes a significant contribution to overall traffic levels on the A63/Hedon

Road corridor, it is by no means the largest contributor. A diverse set of vehicles from a wide range of sectors including (non port) general haulage, chemicals, building and waste disposal also use this key corridor. The road is operating at near maximum capacity and additional port traffic will exacerbate existing congestion problems.

• During the am peak, there is a noticeable difference between the number of chemical vehicles travelling west as opposed to East, which highlights the general importance of this sector on the East side of the city

• Only a very small number of high-sided vehicles were seen on Marfleet Avenue, which suggests that there are only a small number of commercial vehicles that cannot use the main A1033/A1165 approach from the north, or that they use non signed alternative route, such as Southcoates Lane/Avenue.

• Like other sites, much of the eastbound commercial vehicle traffic on Castle Street was made up of articulated vehicles from general haulage companies, or vehicles taking containers to the port.

• Generally speaking, a broader mix of vehicle types and sizes were observable at sites away from the A63. Retail, waste and building sectors were generally better represented at these sites.

The table below shows the top 10 companies observed at all survey sites. It should be noted that this does not represent a definitive set of numbers because it was not always possible to obtain company details, particularly for busy sites such as Castle Street and Hedon Road. The top 4 companies are all involved in transporting containers. It was interesting to note that there were sufficient Geest Line containers moving in a three hour period to justify considering running them as a train load depending on final destination and costing. Table 4.2 Top 10 Companies Observed at All Sites Company Count Geest 47 AR Lunn 35 Rob Hatfield 18 Bulmers 16 Ready Mix 14 Tunderman 13 Suttons 11 Mightyhire 9 Abbey 9 Stoneledge 7

21

4.3. Site HU1 West – A1033 Hedon Road Site Description The count site was on the A1033, at the roundabout junction with King George Dock. This dual carriageway runs from the roundabout at the entrance of King George Dock and feeds into the A63. This route is heavily used by traffic leaving the Port and Salt End area, which then go on to the M62, or south over the Humber Bridge. The speed limit on the section of road surveyed was 40 mph. Traffic moved freely and congestion problems were negligible throughout the count period. Occasionally there was a small tail back of HGVs emerging from the port wanting to join the A1033 and this seemed to correspond with the arrival of a Ro-Ro ferry. Traffic Flow On average 200 HGVs travelled through the site every hour. The traffic flow was relatively consistent throughout the survey period except during the second hour (8am-9am) where 60 vehicles disembarked from two separate ferries and travelled west from the port. A significant number of these were foreign vehicles. Overall, over a third of freight traffic at this site exited from the main port gate. While some queuing occurred on the road out of the port, this did not have a major impact on general traffic flow. Table 4.3 Traffic Counts on A1033 Hedon Road (West) Direction Count % Through Traffic (East-West) 373 62% Port Traffic (Port-West) 211 35% Other Directions 15 3% Total 599 100% Vehicle Sizes Articulated vehicles were overwhelmingly the most common type of HGV on this route, comprising almost three quarters of the total. Six axle vehicles were the most common, which is expected on this type of strategic road. The majority of foreign operators were running five axle articulated vehicles. Figure 4.3 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on A1033 Hedon Road (West)

72%

10%

8%

7% 3%

40-44T (72%)

18-26T (10%)

10-18T (8%)

7.5T (7%)

26-32T (3%)

Industry Types Over half the number of HGVs travelling east on the A1033 were in general haulage or container transport. It should be noted that it would be likely that for other sites, some vehicles classified as general haulage would have actually come from the port. The traffic flow figure above however, reflects all vehicles that left the port during the 3 hour period, regardless of industry type. Building accounted for slightly over 10% of the total volume of traffic. Chemical, food and drink, agriculture and vehicle related industries were represented between 6% and 8% each. This highlights the diversity of industry types on this side of the city.

22

Figure 4.4 Industry Types on A1033 Hedon Road (West)

4% 2% 1%6%

6%

7%

8%

11% 20%

35%

GENERAL (35%)

CONTAINER (20%)

BUILDING (11%)

CHEMICALS (8%)

FOOD & DRINK (7%)

AGRICULTURE (6%)

VEHICLE (6%)

WASTE (4%)

STEEL (2%)

TIMBER (1%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in each Euro engine category: • 51% under 2 years; • 34% at 2-4 years; • 11% at 4-8 years; and • 3% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles There were 77 foreign vehicles, which equated to 13% of the total volume of lorries observed passing the count site. More than three quarters of these were from the Netherlands. As previously mentioned, a large number of freight vehicles left the port in the second hour of the surveys, especially between 8.00 and 8.30am. Figure 4.5 Foreign Vehicles on A1033 Hedon Road (West)

79%

3%

6%

3% 1%1% 1%

6%

Nethelands (79%)

Austria (3%)

Belgium (6%)

Germany (6%)

Switzerland(3%)

Lithuania (1%)

Turkey (1%)

Portugal (1%)

Companies Geest and AR Lunn were the most commonly sighted operators using this route.

23

Figure 4.6 Companies Observed on A1033 Hedon Road (West)

0

5

10

15

20

25

GEEST LUNN MIGHTYHIRE ABBEY HATFIELD

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Site Summary • While the majority of HGVs originated from industrial sites further East, more than 200, or

around one third of the total vehicles left King George Dock between 7.00 – 9.00. • There were a significant number of Chemical tankers travelling west, which highlights the

general importance of this sector to the East side of the city • There were a significant number of Vehicles loaded with containers. The most commonly

sighted containers were from Geest, which were transported either by Geest itself, AR Lunn, Hatfield or Bulmers.

• The foreign vehicles represented a significant proportion of the total flow, and most of these were from the Netherlands. The main flow of the foreign vehicles occurred in two thirty minute bursts between 07.50 and 09.25.

4.4. Site HU1 East - A1033 Hedon Road Site Description This count site was on the opposite side of the roundabout described in section 4.3. As with the western side of the A1033, no traffic problems were seen during the survey period. Traffic Flow As with western traffic, around two thirds of HGVs travelled through the roundabout to industrial sites further west, however few vehicles entered the port than exited during the survey period. A significant number of vehicles turned into Littlefair Road where there is a café and depots for a number of hauliers (e.g., Bowker and Abbey and Tunderman). On average, 194 HGVs passed the site every hour. Table 4.4 Traffic Counts on A1033 Hedon Road (East) Direction Count % Through Traffic (West- East) 377 65% Port Traffic (West-Port) 127 22% Other Directions 79 14% Total 583 100% Vehicle Sizes Again, articulated vehicles were the most common type observed on the road, however interestingly the percentage was noticeably lower than for westbound traffic. This may have been influenced by the fact that fewer vehicles were travelling into the port than out. There was a much higher percentage of 10-18t vehicles travelling East, which may suggest a greater number of local delivery vehicles travelling out of Hull than into Hull during the morning peak period.

24

Figure 4.7 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on A1033 Hedon Road (East)

61%

20%

11%

5% 3%

40-44T (61%)

10-18T (20%)

18-26T (11%)

7.5T (5%)

26-32T (3%)

Industry Types More than half of all commercial vehicles were involved in general haulage or moving containers. There was a greater proportion of building related vehicles travelling east than west. Only 2 chemical vehicles were seen during this period (less than 1%), which highlights the tendency for BP and other companies operating at Salt End to schedule all outbound movements, to destinations outside the local area for the morning. Figure 4.8 Industry Types on A1033 Hedon Road (East)

39%

16%

16%

8%

8%

7%6%

GENERAL (39%)

CONTAINER (16%)

BUILDING (16%)

FOOD & DRINK (8%)

VEHICLES (8%)

WASTE (7%)

AGRICULTURE (6%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in the main Euro engine categories: • 46% under 2 years; • 38% 2-4 years; • 13% 4-8 years; and • 3% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles There were 24 foreign vehicles, which equated to 4% of the total volume of lorries observed at this count site. Again, the majority were from the Netherlands. The main movement of foreign vehicles occurred between 08.00 and 09.15. This 4% foreign compares to 13% going in the other direction during the same time period.

25

Figure 4.9 Foreign Vehicles on A1033 Hedon Road (East)

66%

21%

13%

Netherlands (66%)

Lituania (21%)

Germany (13%)

Companies Tunderman, a Dutch based Haulier with a depot on Littlefair Road, was the most commonly observed company using the route. Figure 4.10 Companies Observed on A1033 Hedon Road (East)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TUNDERMAN HOYER GEEST D&P BULMER

Num

ber o

f Veh

icle

s S

ight

ed

Site Summary • There were a significant lack of Chemical tankers travelling east and this appears to be the

result of the vehicles making outbound deliveries in the early morning, but not returning until later in the day;

• There were a significant number of vehicles loaded with containers. It was not possible to determine whether these were laden or empty;

• There were significant numbers of unladen car transporters seen travelling to the caravan manufacturers further along Hedon Road; and

• A higher number of tractor units were seen travelling east, either returning to base or collecting unaccompanied trailers from the port.

26

4.5. Site HU2 – Marfleet Avenue Site Description Marfleet Avenue is a single carriageway, which joins the A1033 (Hedon Road) with the A165 (Holderness Road). The route was of interest because it is intended to act as a diversionary route for high sided vehicles that cannot pass under the rail over bridge on Stoneferry Road (i.e. vehicles are directed to turn around and go back up the A1033 and then go down Sutton Road, through the A165 and on to Marfleet Lane/Avenue). HCC indicated an interest in finding out if this route is used by port traffic, or whether it is mainly just local vehicles. At the point of the survey the speed limit was 30 mph. The area contains a mixture of residential and small industrial estates. The traffic was observed to be moving freely in both directions at the time of the survey. Traffic Flow Overall, there was a fairly equal proportion of HGVs travelling in both directions on this road during the survey period. The average combined two way flow was 91 vehicles per hour. Table 4.5 Traffic Counts on Marfleet Avenue Direction Count % North – South 142 52% South - North 130 48% Total 272 100% Vehicle Sizes Articulated vehicles were the most commonly vehicle type on this route, however the proportion was noticeably lower than was observed on the A1033, where they accounted for 60% to 80% of all commercial traffic. The only high sided vehicles seen on the route were a number of waste collection vehicles however no more than 5 of these passed during the 3 hour period. Figure 4.11 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on Marfleet Avenue

43%

23%

17%

13%4%

40-44T (42%)

18-26T (23%)

7.5T (17%)

10-18T(13%)

26-32T(4%)

Industry Types Vehicles involved in general haulage were the largest group observed at the site, which was broadly consistent with counts conducted outside the port. It is interesting to note however that compared with counts on the A1033, a much higher percentage of vehicles were from the building industry, and a much lower percentage were carrying containers. Collectively, almost 40% of the lorries were involved in building or waste transport, which suggests a much higher percentage of commercial vehicles are involved in local work than on the main trunk road.

27

Figure 4.12 Industry Types on Marfleet Avenue

38%

31%

1% 1%1%2%3%

3%

5%

7%

8%

GENERAL 38%)

BUILDING 31%)

FOOD & DRINK (8%)

WASTE (7%)

CONTAINERS (5%)

CHEMICALS (3%)

VEHICLES (3%)

AGRICULTURE (2%)

RETAIL (1%)

PARCELS 1%)

MANUFACTURING (1%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in the main Euro engine categories: • 54% under 2 years; • 35% 2-4 years; • 8% 4-8 years; and • 3% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles There were only 7 foreign vehicles observed during the 3 hour period, which equates to 3% of the total flow. Six out of 7 were from the Netherlands. Figure 4.13 Foreign Vehicles on Marfleet Avenue

86%

14%

Netherlands (86%)

Lithuania (14%)

Companies Three out of the 5 most commonly sighted companies were serving the building industry.

28

Figure 4.14 Companies Observed on Marfleet Avenue

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

READY MIX ROB HATFIELD STONELEDGE MKM BUILDING FREIGHT WAYS

Num

ber o

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s S

ight

ed

Site Summary • Only a very small number of high sided vehicles were seen on Marfleet Avenue, which

suggests that there is only a small number of commercial vehicles that cannot use the main A1033/A1165 approach from the north, or that they are using an alternative route, such as Southcoates Lane/Avenue; and

• A large percentage of building and waste vehicles were seen in the area.

29

4.6. Site HU3 East – A63 Castle Street Site Description The site was 20metres east of the Mytongate roundabout on the A63, just before the pedestrian crossing. The speed limit along this section of road is 40mph. Traffic was heavy for the entire 3 hour period, and at times the traffic tailed back from the traffic lights before Myton Bridge to the first pelican crossing on Castle Street. Although traffic was very heavy, vehicles were not stationary for periods of greater than 20 or 30 seconds. On average 243 HGVs passed the site each hour. Traffic Flow In total, 714 commercial vehicles passed the site, and the flow was relatively constant over the 3 hour period. According to HCC traffic count data, the morning peak is the busiest time for HGVs for both sides of the A63. Vehicle Types Articulated vehicles made up around 57%. While very high in its own right, this was not as great as the proportion of artics on Hedon Road, which is to be expected because a lot of other (often local) commercial vehicles enter the trunk road at junctions west of the main entrance to the docks. Figure 4.15 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on A63 Castle Street (East)

57%24%

11%

5% 3%

40-44T (57%)

10-18T (24%)

18-26T (11%)

26-32T (5%)

7.5T (3%)

Industry Types Collectively, general haulage and containers accounted for half the industry types, however what is noticeable is that compared with other sites closer to the port, a much wider range of sectors were represented at Castle Street. For instance, a significant number of retail and parcel vehicles were seen, along with vehicles from other sectors such as building, food and drink, vehicles and waste collection. As was the case with eastbound traffic on the A1033, only a low proportion of chemical vehicles were seen.

30

Figure 4.16 Industry Types on A63 Castle Street (East)

1%1%3% 2%

5%

5%

7%

7%

9%

9% 11%

40%

GENERAL (40%)

CONTAINER (11%)

BUILDING (9%)

FOOD & DRINK (9%)

VEHICLES (7%)

WASTE (7%)

RETAIL (5%)

AGRICULTURE (5%)

PARCELS (3%)

CHEMICALS (2%)

STEEL (1%)

FUEL (1%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in the main Euro engine categories: • 51% under 2 years; • 38% 2-4 years; • 7% 4-8 years; and • 2% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles There were 18 foreign vehicles observed, which was equal to 2% of the total volume. The majority of these were from the Netherlands. Many of these travelled through at 08.00, presumably en-route to the port to board the ferry. Figure 4.17 Foreign Vehicles on A63 Castle Street (East)

71%

6%

11%

6%

6%Netherlands (72%)

Germany (11%)

Italy (6%)

France (6%)

Austria (6%)

Companies Unfortunately the very high volume of traffic observed at this site made it very difficult to record company names consistently. There were also a number of unmarked vehicles seen along this section of road. The figure below shows some companies that were seen on at least 2 or 3 occasions.

31

Figure 4.18 Companies Observed on A63 Castle Street (East)

0

1

2

3

4

5

Bowker Ascot transport Bulmers John Deere TNT

Num

ber

of V

ehic

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Sig

hted

Site Summary • Like other sites, much of the eastbound commercial vehicle traffic on Castle Street was

made up of articulated vehicles from general haulage companies, or vehicles taking containers to the port; and

• Other industries were better represented on this part of the trunk road than further towards the port, which is expected given that it is the key arterial into and out of the town for all freight traffic.

32

4.7. Site HU3 West – A63 Castle Street Site Description The count site was on the opposite side of the Castle Street site, as described in Section 4.6. Like the eastbound side of Castle Street, traffic was very heavy for the entire 3 hours of the survey period. At times, traffic tailed back from the lights at the roundabout, to Myton Bridge. However vehicles were not stationary for a significant length of time, and traffic speeds appeared to increase considerably after Mytongate roundabout. Traffic Flow Traffic flow was relatively constant and a total 721 HGVs travelled through area during the 3 hour period. It is interesting to note that the number of vehicles travelling west was almost equal to those travelling east. This again highlights the overwhelming strategic importance of the A63 to freight in Hull. On average 240 vehicles passed the site each hour. Vehicle Sizes The breakdown of vehicle sizes for west bound traffic was broadly similar to the mix seen for traffic moving east, although a slightly higher proportion of articulated vehicles Figure 4.19 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on A63 Castle Street (West)

63%14%

10%

9%4%

40-44T (63%)

10-18T (14%)

18-26T (10%)

7.5T (9%)

26-32T (4%)

Industry Types The proportion of general haulage and container vehicles for westbound traffic was similar to that observed eastbound traffic, however a noticeably higher proportion of vehicles in the building industry were seen on this side of the street. A higher number of chemical vehicles were headed west, which is consistent with the trends identified and discussed earlier. There were also significant numbers of caravan carriers and these were travelling along the A63 from the caravan manufacturers on Hedon Road.

33

Figure 4.20 Industry Types on A63 Castle Street (West)

1%2%3%3%

5%

7%

9%

13%

17%

40%

GENERAL (40%)

BUILDING (17%)

CONTAINER (13%)

WASTE (9%)

CHEMICALS (7%)

VEHICLES (5%)

AGRICULTURE (3%)

FOOD & DRINK (3%)

RETAIL (2%)

FUEL (1%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in the main Euro engine categories: • 58% under 2 years; • 32% 2-4 years; • 7% 4-8 years; and • 3% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles There were 37 foreign vehicles which equated to 5.1% of the total volume of lorries were observed on this count site, the majority being from the Netherlands. A very discernable influx of foreign vehicles occurred at between 08.40 - 09.00, which based on comparisons with the counts done at the A1033, suggests that it takes lorries somewhere between 20 and 40 minutes to reach Castle Street from the port, assuming ferry docking time is consistent each day. It was surprising that the number of foreign vehicles seen at this site was only around half of those seen leaving the port on the A1033 because it was expected that most of these would travel west along the A63. It must be noted however, that counts that these 2 sites were conducted on 2 different days, and this may have influenced the discrepancy. Figure 4.21 Foreign Vehicles on A63 Castle Street (West)

47%

11%8%

8%

5%

5%

5%

5%

3%3%

Netherlands (47%)

France (11%)

Italy (8%)

Germany (8%)

Hungary (5%)

Slovenia (5%)

Turkey (5%)

Lithuania (5%)

Poland (3%)

Czech Rep (3%)

Companies Traffic was generally stopped for longer on the west side of Castle Street which made it easier to record company details. Like the A1033, Geest and AR Lunn were the most commonly seen operators, both of which are principally involved in moving containers.

34

Figure 4.22 Companies Observed on A63 Castle Street (West)

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GEEST LUNN SUTTONS BULMERS TUNDERMAN

Num

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f Veh

icle

s Si

ghte

d

Site Summary • Broadly speaking the number of commercial vehicles and industry types observed on the

westbound side of Castle Street was similar to east bound traffic. While docks are a significant generator of freight traffic, vehicles using the west side of the A63 represent a wide range of industries; and

• A large number of foreign vehicles passed through the site between 8.30 and 9.00, which when compared with data collected from the A1033, suggests the average travel time from the port to Castle Street during the AM peak is 20 – 40 minutes. It was not clear why the number of foreign vehicles counted at this site was much lower than at the A1033.

35

4.8. Site HU4 – A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road Site Description The count site was on the A1079 Ferensway approximately 200metres north of the railway station. The road is a dual carriageway and is a key route from York to Beverley and South to the A63. The count was conducted opposite the entrance to Brooke Street to enable vehicles loading and unloading at the Prospect Shopping Centre to be counted. Only 6 vehicles made deliveries to the centre during the survey period, which was lower than expected. No congestion was observed during the survey period and traffic flowed freely. Vehicle Flow A higher number of vehicles were seen travelling north than south during the survey period, which suggests that many vehicles making retail deliveries access the city via the A63. The average 2 way combined flow was 86 vehicles per hour. Table 4.6 HGV Traffic Flows on A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road Direction Count % North – South 153 60% South - North 104 40% Total 257 100% Vehicle Size A much lower percentage of articulated vehicles were seen on the A1079 compared with other routes, which is consistent with the fact that smaller vehicles tend to be used for deliveries directly to retail outlets. Figure 4.23 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road

33%

28%

25%

10% 4%40-44T (33%)

7.5T (28%)

10-18T (25%)

18-26T (10%)

26-32T (4%)

Industry Types Like other sites, a large number of vehicles from general haulage companies were seen, although to some extent these may have been overestimated because a large number of unmarked delivery vehicles were likely to be making deliveries to retail outlets. Even with this aside, there were still significant numbers of vehicles from industries which were not as prominent at other sites, notably, food and drink, waste, manufacturing and retail.

36

Figure 4.24 Industry Types on A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road

30%

15%

14%

12%

10%

6%

5%

4% 2% 1% 1%General (30%)Building (15%)Food&Drink (14%)Waste (12%)Retail (10%)Manufacturing (6%)Parcels (5%)Containers (4%)Chemicals (2%)Agriculture (1%)Vehicles (1%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in the main Euro engine categories: • 61% under 2 years; • 30% at 2-4 years; • 5% at 4-8 years; and • 1% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles Eight foreign vehicles were counted, 6 of which were from the Netherlands Figure 4.25 Foreign Vehicles on A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road

74%

13%

13%

Netherlands (75%)

France (13%)

Hungary (13%)

Companies The 5 most commonly sighted companies were notably different from those observed at other sites, and again highlight the fact that most vehicles were making retail deliveries.

37

Figure 4.26 Companies Observed on A1079 Ferensway/Beverley Road

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Michael Burgh HCC TNT Wisemas Baylis

Num

ber

of V

ehic

les

Sig

hted

Site Summary • The proportion of general haulage companies was higher than expected, but this may have

been influenced by unmarked vehicles making deliveries to retail outlets. • Despite this, the overall mix of vehicle sizes and types highlight the importance of this road

for city centre deliveries and other local traffic • Many of the heavy articulated vehicles observed travelling north were from industrial sites

on the west side of town (e.g., several vehicles were seen from Ideal Standard/Edwards Logistics)

38

4.9. Site HU5 – A1033 Stoneferry Road Site Description The count site was on the roundabout that connects Stoneferry Road with A1033 Mount Pleasant to the south east and A1165 Cleveland Street to the southwest. Stoneferry road forms part of the Primary Route Network that is used to access Sutton Fields Industrial Estates, and allow northbound traffic to access the A63 corridor and the ports. There is a low bridge just north of the roundabout on Stoneferry road that restricts high sided vehicles above 15ft. To the west of the site there was a Council depot for refuse collection vehicles and to the east there was a household refuse collection point. The speed limit on this road was 30 mph. The average hourly combined flow was 243 vehicles per hour. Traffic Flow There was a constant flow of traffic north and southeast, however some congestion was observed on lanes used by traffic heading into sites on the access road to the southwest of the roundabout, which meant that vehicles sometimes encroached onto the roundabout itself, and delayed the main flow of traffic. The majority of vehicles were travelling to and from Mount Pleasant and the A1033. Table 4.7 Traffic Counts on A1033 Stoneferry Road Direction Count % South East – North 231 32% North –South East 176 24% South West - North 83 11% North – South West 73 10% North - East 24 3% East - North 23 3% Other Directions 115 16% Total 610 100% Vehicle Sizes Articulated vehicles only accounted for 34% commercial vehicles counted at the site, which was lower than other areas. Similarly, there was a much higher percentage of 10 – 18tonne vehicles, which reflects the high number of smaller waste collection vehicles seen in the area. Figure 4.27 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on A1033 Stoneferry Road

34%

35%

16%

9%6%

10-18T (34%)

40-44T (35%)

18-26T (16%)

26-32T (9%)

7.5T (6%)

Industry Types As was the case at other sites, general haulage vehicles accounted for around one third of the total flow during the survey period. What is very noticeable however was the relatively high proportion of waste collection vehicles operating in the area. Like many other sites, building related vehicles also represented a significant proportion of the total. Commercial transporters (vehicles category) represented 6% of the total however these vehicles were all un-laden because they would be unlikely to be able to clear the low bridge on Stoneferry Road when carrying abnormal loads.

39

Figure 4.28 Industry Types on A1033 Stoneferry Road

32%

19%18%

8%

6%

5%

4%

4% 2% 1%1% General (32%)

Waste (19%)

Building (18%)

Food and Drink 7%)

Vehicles (6%)

Agriculture (5%)

Retail (4%)

Containers (4%)

Parcels (2%)

Fuel (1%)

Steel (1%)

Vehicle Ages The following proportion of vehicles were observed in the main Euro engine categories: • 45% under 2 years; • 39% at 2-4 years; • 12% at 4-8 years; and • 3% over 8 years. Foreign Vehicles Only 7 foreign vehicles were seen on the route, 6 of which were from the Netherlands. Figure 4.29 Foreign Vehicles on A1033 Stoneferry Road

86%

14%

Netherlands (86%)

Czech Rep (14%)

Companies Unfortunately the very high volume of traffic observed at this site made it very difficult to record company names consistently. There were also a number of unmarked vehicles seen along this section of road. The figure below shows some companies that were seen on at least 2 or 3 occasions.

40

Figure 4.30 Companies Observed on A1033 Stoneferry Road

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Iso tank RT Keedwell Royal Mail Nigel Rice Cobley

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icle

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Site Summary • While some port bound traffic was seen, most commercial traffic tended to be local in

nature; and • In particular, a large number of waste vehicles were seen travelling to and from the

household waste depot to the east of the roundabout.

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4.10. Site HU6 – Sutton Road at River Hull Bridge Site Description The count site was on Sutton Road, part of the ring road near the River Hull Bridge. There is a Council depot for household refuse, a Royal Mail depot and Sutton Fields Industrial Estate is nearby. Unlike the other sites surveyed, HGV counts for Sutton Road were observed from a video produced by Sky High Traffic Data on 3 March 2005. It was possible to determine vehicle size, body type and industry sector from the video, but vehicle age (number plates were not visible, hence nationality was also difficult), and some company names where difficult to capture due to poor screen visibility. The traffic was observed to be moving freely in both directions with minimal congestion. However, as the morning progressed, traffic from East to West of the Roundabout onto Sutton Road slowed and small queues formed. Traffic flowing from the West to the East flowed freely towards the roundabout. At the point of the survey the speed limit was 30 mph. Traffic Flow An equal proportion of HGV traffic traveled in both directions. Overall, Sutton Road had the lowest count of commercial vehicles of all the sites surveyed. Table 4.8 Traffic Counts on Sutton Road Direction Count % East – West 83 50% West – East 83 50% Total 166 100% Vehicle Types 7.5 tonne vehicles were the type seen at the site (60%), followed by 20% for vehicles up to 18 tonne (20%). Majority of the HGV traffic were rigid vehicles, and one possible reason for this is the high number of building and waste related industries in the vicinity. Articulated vehicles only accounted for 6% of the total HGV traffic, which was very low compared to other sites. Correspondingly, light commercial vehicles represented a much larger proportion of the total flow than other sites. Figure 4.31 Percentage of Vehicle Sizes (Tonnes) on Sutton Road

60%20%

10%

9% 1%

7.5T (60%)

10-18T (20%)

18-26T (10%)

40-44T (9%)

26-32T (1%)

Industry Types Around one third of vehicles were involved in general haulage which is consistent with other sites. There were a high percentage of building vehicles observed at this site. When combined with waste, these two groups comprised almost half of all vehicles. This reflects the fact that a landfill site is situated near this road.

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Figure 4.32 Industry Types on Sutton Road

36%

29%

11%

10%

1%1%3%4%

5% Building (36%)General Haulage (29%)Waste (11%)Manufacturing (10%)Food/Drinks (5%)Parcels (4%)Vehicle (3%)Retail (1%)Chemical (1%)

Companies Companies commonly using this road included Royal Mail, TNT, Securicor, Biffa, MKM, Travis Perkins and Jewson. There were also many unmarked builders vehicles for the building, construction and waste industry sectors seen. Figure 4.33 Companies Observed on Sutton Road

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1

2

3

4

5

Royal Mail Alko NKN Securicor

Num

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of V

ehic

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Sig

hted

Site Summary • Vehicles in the building industry were one of the most commonly sighted groups on the

route; • The number of 5 to 6 axle vehicles was very low in comparison to other routes, indicating

that this is not a main route for heavy goods traffic; and • The lack of branding on significant numbers of vehicles meant that some of the company

names could not be logged, especially the smaller builder vehicles and 7.5 tonne vehicles.

5 BUSINESS CONSULTATION

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5.1. Introduction This section discusses information obtained from the operator and retail premises surveys that were conducted during April and May 2005. Twenty surveys were carried out with major businesses and transport operators and twenty surveys were carried out with retail businesses in Hull. Appendix D shows a complete list of the companies contacted. In order that this section is informative and concise, individual consultations are not examined; rather responses are discussed in terms of specific freight-related topics. The following topics are discussed: traffic congestion, city centre deliveries, lorry routeing, operator efficiencies, partnership and other freight issues in the city. Transport operators surveyed have fleet sizes ranging from 1 to 75, the average fleet size being 20. 5.2. Congestion Congestion was reported as an issue by a substantial proportion of operators and retail premises, although those retail premises located to the west of Hull reported significantly less problems than those premises and operators who make or generate trips into the centre of Hull or out to the east of the city centre. From the survey responses obtained, congestion was reported as one of the most significant issues, and was pinpointed at a handful of key locations: the A63 particularly, around bridges in Hull, and to a lesser extent around National Avenue and on the A1033. This is concurrent with the fact that the port is on the east side of the city and most traffic generated by the port has to use the A63 for inbound and outbound journeys. Since the Port of Hull is expected to carry on growing, mainly relying on road freight (currently road freight transports around 80% of port tonnage), there is likely to be continual increases in congestion on the A63. Typically a 44 tonne articulated lorry costs about £35 per hour to operate. If it sits in congested traffic for an hour each working day this amounts to a cost to an operator of around £9,000 per year, per vehicle, with no payback. When consulted, one operator complained that delays result in a heavier fuel consumption than planned, which has cost and environmental implications and that the Working Time Directive will be hard to adhere to when drivers can spend up to an hour attempting to get from the east to the west of Hull. 5.2.1. A63 Most congestion problems reported in the surveys concerned the A63, particularly in the Castle Street area. These findings accord with those recorded from transport operators in the Hull Area during the development of the East Riding of Yorkshire Area Freight Strategy in 2003. One respondent stated that it is not uncommon for a three-mile journey on the A63 to take around 40 minutes e.g. a random tachograph reading showed a typical journey timing leaving King’s Dock at 08:03 getting to Garrison Road as 08:41. Variability in journey times on the A63 resulting from congestion was stated as being problematic as was the scheduling of multi-drop trips, the journey times for which were stated as difficult to predict. Such variability significantly impacts on the quality of service that an operator can provide. The area on the A63 from B&Q at St Andrews Quay to the Mytongate roundabout at Castle Street was identified as a major bottleneck. Also, the pedestrian crossings between Ferensway and Myton Bridge were stated as causing “endless problems” to the flow of traffic on the A63. Access to the M62 from Hull was considered to be difficult at times; one operator reported on occasion drivers returning to base without completing journeys involving access to the M62 because their hours had been used up in congestion around Hull. The closure of North Bridge has reportedly increased congestion on Castle Street and Myton Bridge. One operator reported that the closure is having a major impact on the operation of his business. Despite improvements being made on Hedon Road (A1033), it has been stated that traffic grinds to a halt around Myton Bridge and Castle Street, especially when vehicles are coming off the docks. Additionally, although improvements made on Hedon Road are seen as a

5. Business Consultation

Congestion on the A63 can on occasion stretch back as far as St Andrews Quay

45

positive improvement, they are reported as “only taking you more rapidly to the congestion on Castle Street”. One respondent commented that congestion particularly on the A63; is “putting off” would be customers. For instance, it was stated that Toyota were considering using either Hull or Immingham and “it is known” that one of the main reasons for which they chose Immingham was because of the delays getting through Hull. Two operators reported using measures to attempt to mitigate the impact of congestion on the A63 on their businesses for instance one operator loads vehicles the night before transportation in order to get an early as possible start the following morning. Similarly, another operator starts his AM shifts at 05:30 but then does not put any other vehicles on the road until after 09:30. Even so, this operator states that local deliveries leaving at 05:30 often encounter problems on the A63 if they return early to base. One major business feels that a lot of Hull’s traffic problems could be solved if the A63 was connected with English Street, but is not sure how this could be done, although siphoning off traffic for the centre from the A63 much earlier than is currently the case was for put forward as an idea. It was felt by this respondent that the extension of the shopping centre will only worsen congestion on the A63. Using the A63 HGV count data presented in Section 4 and standard lorry operating costs (£35/hour for 40-44t HGVs, and £20 for all other HGVs), it is possible to estimate an industry wide cost for congestion on this route. Assuming a half hour delay for commercial vehicles using the A63 over a 3 hour period each working day (i.e. all days excluding weekends and public holidays), the total cost to industry amounts to just over £20,000 each day, or £5.2 million per year. While 30 minutes may be a slight overestimation of peak hour congestion, this estimate is nevertheless a conservative one because it assumes no congestion ever occurs outside peak periods. 5.2.2. Bridges in Hull

Myton Bridge carries the A63 over the River Hull. When Myton Bridge is open “it brings Hull to a standstill”. Bridge openings can often cause problems at the beginning and ends of shifts, but are felt to be worst late in the day. Presently, for one operator, bridge openings result in it taking up to 45 minutes for drivers to get from Castle Street to plant, which for the particular respondent has an impact on time and profit. This situation is currently compounded as the closure of North Bridge has resulted in there being no options for re routing deliveries to/from certain locations in the city. Another respondent reported that the closure of North Bridge has resulted in staff travelling from the east side of the city doubling their travel to work time from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

There is a view that would like to see changes made to bridge openings. One respondent feels that the bridges should never open during peak travel times. While it is understood that bridge openings need to coincide with the tide, it is felt that openings could “wait an hour” to avoid the congestion. Princes Quay Shopping Centre feels that control of bridges over the River Hull needs to be improved to keep traffic flowing on the A63. However Rix Petroleum, which operates a tank farm, barges, ships, lorries and a biodiesel plant in Hull stated when consulted that if the current priority that is given to water traffic over road traffic is reversed, then their tank farm would go out of business. In general, very few operators reported having difficulties with low rail over bridges north of the city centre. 5.2.3. National Avenue Area A few respondents reported that the National Avenue area of Hull is congested at peak times and during most of the day. Vehicle delays in the evening peak for those returning to base on and around National Avenue can be up to 30 minutes. There is severe congestion in the evenings at the intersection of National Avenue and County Road North – it was reported that it often takes 20 minutes just to reach the top of the street. Several new leisure facilities are

The closure of North Bridge has compounded problems on the A63

Low bridges were not reported to be a significant problem

46

opening up on the estate on National Avenue that appear to be drawing extra traffic into the area.

The lighting sequences at the intersection between National Avenue and County Road North are stated as being poor and the traffic lights at Bricknell Avenue seem to be out of sequence with County Road North, causing traffic to back up. Cycle lanes on Bricknell Avenue restrict the carriageway to a single lane and are perceived to create congestion. 5.2.4. A1033 Some operators see the newly implemented roundabouts on Hedon Road as problematic. One respondent stated that the camber of some of the roundabouts westbound on Hedon Road

was a problem for some of their vehicles, whilst another stated that there have been instances where lorries have negotiated the roundabouts on Hedon Road too quickly, causing them to nearly roll over. One roundabout on Hedon Road, near to the prison, is seen as causing congestion as it has a three lane approach but only two lanes on the roundabout. The traffic light sequence at junction between Mount Pleasant and Holderness Road is seen to be poor causing long queues on the Primary Route Network. 5.3. City Centre Delivery Problems The city has a number of pedestrianised streets that have restricted delivery times. There are several one-way streets and limited unloading times in other roads all of which are known by the regular delivery drivers but are unfamiliar to new or infrequently visiting drivers to the city. Hauliers need to plan their deliveries around the restrictions. Of the retail businesses surveyed, three (15%) take deliveries at night, and four (20%) take deliveries on a Saturday instead of or in addition to weekday deliveries. No retail premises surveyed take deliveries on a Sunday. Included amongst the retail businesses surveyed were the two major shopping centres in the centre of Hull, Princes Quay Shopping Centre and Prospect Shopping Centre. Neither shopping centre reported any major problems with deliveries. Expansion is planned at Princes Quay Shopping Centre - Quay West Development; currently, planning permission is being sought for this development. If this new development goes ahead it will result in a very large extension to the existing centre, including sixty new shops and two thousand additional car parking spaces. It is intended that cars and delivery vehicles will be routed off the A63 and lorries will have their own lane that will lead directly to a delivery bay below the shopping centre. Although there do not appear to be any major issues in Hull relating to city centre deliveries some particular issues were raised by retailers. These are considered in the remainder of this section under the following headings: unauthorised and disabled parking, delivery times and days, delivery point problems and traffic regulation. 5.3.1. Unauthorised Parking Prospect Shopping Centre reported that the only issue affecting deliveries to its premises is cars often parking illegally in the bus lane on Brook St. When this occurs, larger vehicles such as articulated lorries are prevented a sufficient turning circle to access the centre. Instances of this are reported to probably occur at some point each day. Whilst on some occasions this issue may be created by a delivery van that can be moved straight away, other times drivers have to wait for someone to return to their car. The shopping centre feels that this problem could be solved through better enforcement of the bus lane. Next reported that cars park around their delivery area and make it difficult for delivery vehicles to park. If vehicles have to park away from the store and are left open for deliveries to be made it is easy for people to attempt to get into the rear of the vehicle to steal the goods.

The intersection of National Avenue and County Road North was identified as a problem

47

At the time retail business surveys were conducted in Hull, a police car was parked in Walmsleys loading bay preventing a delivery vehicle from obtaining proper access to the shop for unloading. This meant that the rear end of the delivery vehicle was encroaching into the road making it difficult for vehicles passing on Paragon Street. Because of unauthorised parking at this location, it was reported that at times delivery vehicles have to be unloaded on Chapel Street, rather than on Paragon Street and moved 30 yards to the shop premises. Vehicles delivering to Staples have to reverse into their delivery yard from a side street off Myton Street. Vehicles are driven up from Castle Street and past the entrance to the side street in order to reverse; from this area drivers can see any unauthorised cars parked in the street. These parked cars cause difficulty to drivers reversing into the side street, it was reported that sometimes lorries have to be unloaded from

Myton Street, which blocks the flow of traffic. Staples feel that double yellow lines on the side of the road nearest Castle Street would stop the unauthorised cars parking and would allow delivery vehicles to turn safely without any hazards. Similarly, there is a no entry street opposite the delivery area and Staples feel that it would be beneficial if vehicles could use this to turn into in order to be able to reverse straight. The Superpound store in the centre of Hull also reported delivery problems associated with cars being parked in the delivery area. Superpound staff are permitted to park in the delivery area as cars can be moved if necessary when a delivery arrives, however it was reported other drivers, including disabled drivers, park unauthorised in the delivery area. The public see employee’s cars and therefore assume it is alright to park there. Meanwhile the lorry may be unloaded from the road to avoid moving staff cars. The TJ Hughes store is located on Ferensway. Disabled badge holders are entitled to park for limited periods on the double yellow lines around the TJ Hughes delivery bay. However it was reported that drivers often “abuse” the system and remain parked around the delivery bay all day. 5.3.2. Delivery Times and Days Princes Quay Shopping Centre reported that there tend to be some seasonal delivery problems around Christmas time, but these are mitigated by additional Saturday and Sunday deliveries that help to reduce problems with weekday deliveries. The shopping centre has always allowed deliveries to be made at any time during the day or week however, until recently few retailers took advantage of this flexibility. Centre management are currently actively promoting delivery over 24 hours, seven days a week and there now appear to be more retailers taking advantage of the arrangement. Prospect Centre also encourages deliveries at night, and a number of their tenants have been doing this for several years. Wilkinsons, who only take deliveries at night, reported that they have no delivery issues. However, Next reported conflict between their delivery vehicles arriving at around 08:00 – 08:30 on Paragon Street and waste collection vehicles run by a number of different companies that operate in the area at the same time of day. 5.3.3. Delivery Point Problems In addition to problems with unauthorised car parking, TJ Hughes reported that skips are sited on the pavement outside their loading bay because there is insufficient room for them elsewhere. This causes problems for delivery vehicles. Also, there is an awning on TJ Hughes delivery bay that is too low for certain lorries. This means lorries have to park along side it or partially on the opposite pavement and either way it may partially block pedestrian or traffic access. TJ Hughes reported that generally there is not a great deal of room to manoeuvre outside their delivery area, a situation which is made more difficult by the fact that it is one way only and lorries can only turn left on to Ferensway.

Cars parking inappropriately can create difficulties for unloading lorries

48

Paul Adams reported that they generally don’t have delivery point problems however their loading bay is relatively small which can sometimes cause problems, particularly with articulated lorries. When this happens, and if there is no space for delivery at the front of the premises, vehicles have to be sent to a warehouse. Walmsleys stated that their loading bay is incorrectly situated for their shop and the public house nearby being too near a street corner. For instance, when two vehicles are delivering simultaneously, they take up the entire loading bay and are positioned right on the street corner. Cars coming round the corner can easily hit the parked vehicle or knock someone down who is hand-bawling the goods from the rear of the vehicle. Walmsleys’ staff have to be particularly vigilant in these circumstances in order to avoid incidents. Walmsleys stated that deliveries would be made easier for their premises and for the public house if the loading bay was moved a further 10 metres from the street corner. Currently, the public house has to accept deliveries in the lane that separates its own building and the retail premises. If a large vehicle arrives to deliver to the public house, it creates a barrier on the pavement, which stops Walmsleys offloading immediately onto the pavement. Walmsleys suggest that this causes a safety issue, as they have to move furniture in the road. Access to the rear of the Next store is “virtually impossible”. There are two arches at each entrance to the access and a 60 yard lane to reverse along to the rear of the store. Next reported that articulated lorries have to park on Paragon Street to deliver.

Woolworths don’t have a marked loading bay. In accessing Woolworths’ delivery point, lorries are unable to turn around anywhere to be able to enter West Street and reverse so that the rear end of the vehicle is aligned with the ‘goods-in’ door. Rather, vehicles, in particular articulated lorries, access the delivery point over a pedestrianised road toward the Prospect Shopping Centre passing parked cars. Outside Woolworths, at the delivery point, goods have to be taken into the store by the fire exit, as the rear of the vehicle is not aligned with the ‘goods-in’ door.

To exit Woolworths’ delivery point, vehicles have to reverse to the end of the building and turn. However, the location that vehicles turn in is behind TJ Hughes and Argos where deliveries also take place. In addition to potential conflict between delivery vehicles, there is also street furniture in the area that creates obstacles for drivers attempting to manoeuvre. It was reported by Woolworths that parking for disabled drivers is becoming a problem for deliveries. Woolworths suggested that their delivery problems could be addressed by making West Street a one-way street, with drop down bollards managed by retailers. Lorries delivering to Princes Quay Shopping Centre use an entrance that is also used by cars. Mostly, this does not cause any problems however it was reported that when the car park is full, delivery vehicles have to queue with cars. The shopping centre management maintains strict control over retailers’ cars to make sure they park in the right places and don’t block delivery bays. 5.3.4. Traffic Regulation Booker Cash and Carry reported two specific instances where traffic regulations impact on deliveries. In the first instance it was reported that vehicles delivering to May Som Chinese restaurant are liable to be clamped. In the second instance it was reported that deliveries to Spring Bank wines where deliveries have to made whilst vehicles are parked on double yellow lines. Next reported that when their delivery vehicles are late to drop i.e. after 08:30, and are parked in Paragon Street, traffic wardens are quick to move vehicles on even if they have not completed their deliveries.

Delivery difficulties near TJ Hughes

Delivery Area at Woolworths

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5.4. Lorry Routeing NR Burnett – timber merchants - one of the businesses surveyed has a ‘nominated day’ delivery pattern that dictates which group of roads the company uses on any given day. Robson’s undertake careful selection of jobs to minimise journey delays. For example, they do not like to accept deliveries to Birmingham and the West Midlands on a Monday or Friday because of the severe traffic delays that can be incurred. They do not offer a before 9am delivery to Birmingham because of traffic congestion. 5.4.1. Route Mapping Of those respondents who specified that they are involved in route planning and mapping, five companies stated that they do this manually, of which one stated that they are looking at acquiring a computer-aided planning system. The other four respondents, including Robson’s, who undertake route planning, use different computer aided systems. Air Products use a system called LB Shell. They stated that this package is not very good at scheduling but that they use it because it links with their Sales Ordering, Processing and Invoicing System (SAP). Suttons use an old version of Roadrunner scheduling system and Edwards Logistics use Paragon. Edwards don’t use Paragon extensively but similarly to Air Products, they use it because it interfaces with SAP. 5.4.2. Route Information and Way Finding Only 3 respondents to the transport operators and major business survey said they might be interested in offering incoming drivers maps for way finding purposes. Five respondents stated that their drivers rely on previous knowledge of routes and customers for route information and way finding. This is primarily due to low staff turnover, a loyal and steady customer base or the employment of staff who have resided in the local area for a long time and as such have a high degree of familiarity with the area/s served. Some respondents state that maps are used on occasion, and one respondent stated that its drivers independently plan their own routes using delivery notes. In addition to prior knowledge, three operators use MS Autoroute for new destinations or if a driver is unsure of a particular route. Edward’s Logistics use Dynafleet, which is Volvo’s transport information system, although they are not completely happy with it and feel that they could use it more often. Finally, Robson’s have introduced a tracking and reporting device onto all its vehicles called Cybit’s Fleet Star, which they use for time sheet verification, waiting time claims, knowledge of delays and routes used. They intend to use this system for the calculation of driver’s hours for compliance with the Working Time Directive. 5.5. Operator Efficiencies 5.5.1. Backloading Of the major businesses and transport operators surveyed, seven back load at least some of their vehicles where possible. Factors affecting the ability to back load include trip destinations, customer locations and the nature of product being transported. Some operators only backload on trips to certain destinations, whilst others back load empty cages and containers. One business stated that it does not back load due to controls exercised over the movement of sterile goods. 5.5.2. Communication Method Of the transport operators and major businesses surveyed, just under half of respondents use mobile or cab phones for base to driver communication. One respondent uses both phone and a tracker system for base to driver communication. Not all respondents stated base to driver communication methods as several of the businesses surveyed use a third party operator for their freight movements.

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5.5.3. Double Shifting Double shifting is the use of a single vehicle during the day and at night, with two drivers sharing the vehicle that can be used around the clock. Double shifting has a number of benefits for operators: • It enables operators to have a smaller overall fleet; • Night deliveries are not as likely as day deliveries to be affected by traffic congestion as the

road network is quieter; and • At night, delivery points are less likely to have a queue of lorries waiting to be tipped. Three respondents (20%) to the transport operator and major business survey use double shifting on a regular basis, one other respondent uses double shifting but not often. 5.6. Partnership Arrangements Respondents to the survey were asked if they would be interested in finding out more about becoming involved with the Council in a partnership arrangement to improve understanding of each others’ needs and to look for ways of changing for the better. Five out of twenty respondents stated that they would be interested in finding out more about partnership arrangements. 5.7. Driver and Skill Shortages One operator in Hull has recently taken on foreign labour at the same wages as British drivers. The staff have been found to be are more reliable, enthusiastic and harder working compared to their British counterparts. It was considered that this issue is a time bomb as there will be fewer prospects for local people in the future. Another company interviewed said they employee three Polish staff and include accommodation as part of the remuneration package. Clearly the drivers are happy for the work and at about £16,000 their wages are much higher than what they would earn in Poland. They work a flat rate, which includes weekend work, and are keen to work and learn. The drivers go out with a British driver for a week learning the job before being allowed out on their own. They are provided with free accommodation and time off to visit family and friends. The English drivers are earning between £20,000 and £22,000. The net saving to the operator of £8,000 per year is reported to be helping profitability. 5.8. Other Freight Issues Two respondents raised the impact of the Humber Bridge on their businesses. Air Products stated that the Humber Bridge toll imposes a “huge” cost on their business. Currently, they spend £60,000 per annum, which has a noticeable impact on their profitability. Similarly, another respondent raised the cost of using the Humber Bridge, in terms of toll, additional driver hours, fuel and demurrage charges when the A63 is closed. Similarly, Rix Petroleum stated that the charge that is levied for bridge openings on the River Hull on a Sunday (approximately £200 each way) is counterproductive since bridge openings on this day cause least disruption to road traffic. Rix feel that it would be beneficial to make as many movements upstream as possible on a Sunday but feel prohibited by the cost of individual bridge openings. Smith & Nephew suggested that an alternate route is needed for access around and to and from Hull. Although they are located on the west side of the city and so avoid much of the central congestion, they point out that when there is a problem on the A63 “the whole system grinds to a halt”. Smith & Nephew used to have a storage facility near The Deep but considered it to be too hard to get to and so removed it. Princes Quay Shopping Centre feels that the A63 should be the main priority for any transport improvements in Hull. They believe that the Highways Agency has not made sufficient effort to look at the problems on the road. One respondent stated that the sailing time from the Port of Hull to Holland has been changed to 21.30, therefore easing the impact of traffic for this sailing on peak periods. However, the

51

sailing to Belgium is loaded for 17:30, which impacts heavily on the congested A63 in the evening peak. NR Burnett’s stated that they would be interested in knowing more about Biofuels. 5.9. Summary Traffic congestion was the most frequently cited problem for operators, retailers and businesses alike. Even those businesses that are not directly affected by congestion due their location were sufficiently mindful of the problem to cite its effects on other businesses and the area as a whole. The parts of the network identified as most problematic were the A63, bridges over the River Hull, the A1033 and National Avenue. Of these, the A63 is seen as worst affected by congestion, particularly the Castle Street and Garrison Road section, incorporating Myton Bridge. In terms of deliveries in the city centre, there do not appear to be any major problems although some specific issues were reported through the surveys. These concerned unauthorised parking, individual delivery points and traffic regulation. Five of those consulted have expressed interest in becoming involved in a partnership with the Council. These are: • N R Burnett Ltd; • E Robson & Son; • Booker Cash & Carry; • Suttons; and • H&P Freightways Ltd.

6 LORRY PARKING AND THE VIEWS OF DRIVERS

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6.1. Lorry Parking Issues in Hull Hull City Council have developed a dedicated secure lorry park at Priory Park “Park and Ride” site, west of the city centre (with previous sites being at Stoneferry Road and Brighton Street). Priory Park features various security features and a shower block, and was the first facility in the region (and one of the few nationally) to be approved by Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the British Parking Association (BPA) in the “secure by design” category. Despite the high standard of the facility, patronage has generally been lower than anticipated, and parking at unauthorised sites has continued, mainly on the eastern side of the city near King George and Queen Elizabeth docks. This section describes the results of visits to unauthorised sites and driver surveys that were conducted with the intention of: • Developing a better understanding of overnight parking overnight practices in Hull; • Seeking drivers views on the Priory Park site, and looking at ways it can be improved; • Understanding why drivers park at unauthorised locations, and assessing the need for an

additional site; and • Seeking drivers’ views on general transport issues in and around Hull. 6.2. Visits to Unauthorised Sites Unauthorised overnight parking audits were undertaken at the following 7 locations from April 19 to April 25, 2005: • Priory Park (in the Aldi Supermarket car park, opposite the lorry park itself); • Kingston Retail Park; • Wellington Street (near Hull Marina); • Lee Smith Street and old Hedon Road (near the Sportsman Pub); • Littlefair Road (opposite the entrance to King George Dock); • Burma Road (off Hedon Road); and • Somerden Road (off Hedon Road). Over the 4 nights, unauthorised overnight parking was found to be overwhelmingly concentrated around the dock area on Hedon Road. In particular, there were a substantial number of vehicles parked around the Sportsman Pub, and on a vacant block of land on the corner of Hedon Road and Littlefair Road. On the Wednesday, Thursday and Monday nights, there were around 15-20 vehicles parked around the Sportsman Pub (mainly on Lee Smith Street), and 10 to 15 vehicles on Littlefair Road. These vehicles were a mostly a mixture of curtain siders, containers, and tractor units (preparing to pick up trailers from the port). There were generally few than 1 or 2 vehicles seen at other sites during the survey period. 6.3. Driver Surveys Overall, a total of 33 drivers were interviewed during the survey period, 13 of which were at Priory Park. Ten interviews were completed at Littlefair Road and an additional 2 at Kingston Retail Park and the Aldi Supermarket car park. Although the survey was mainly designed to look at overnight parking, 8 interviews were also conducted with drivers making deliveries in and around the city centre. Table 5.1 summarises the locations in which the surveys were completed and some key characteristics of the sample. 6.4. User Profile – Priory Park and Unauthorised sites Table 6.1 shows the vast majority of drivers were male, English speaking full time workers for third party transport operations. The majority of lorries were also involved in general haulage, with the remainder from food and non-food retail industries and parcels. Almost half of lorries were 6 axle artics, which reflects the general predominance of this vehicle class in long distance haulage.

6. Lorry Parking and the Views of Drivers

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Table 6.1 Overview of Survey Sample Question Category %

Priory Park 39% Littlefair Road 30% Other Unauthorised Locations 6% Survey Location

Town Centre and Other Retail 24% Male 100% Gender Female - English 82% Language* Non-English 18% Full Time 97% Part Time - Employment Status Self Employed 3% Own account 9% Operator Category Third party 91% Food retail 15% Non food retail 12% Manufacturing - Construction - Parcels 6% General haulage 52%

Industry Sector

Other 15% 6 axle artic 48% 5 axle artic 15% 4 axle artic 3% 3 axle artic - 8 wheeler - 6 wheeler 6% 4 wheeler 15% 7.5 t 3%

Vehicle Class

Other 9% Figure 6.1 shows the origins and destinations of trips made by drivers at overnight parking sites (i.e., Priory Park and unauthorised locations). Drivers were asked where they had started their journey that day, and where they would make their first stop the following day. Drivers were interviewed from all parts of the country however the majority had come from Yorkshire and Humberside, the North West and the Midlands. Unsurprisingly, Humberside was the most common destination for first collections/deliveries. The North West, Midlands and Scotland were also common destinations. It is interesting to note that very few drivers had come from, or were going to the South of England. The majority of drivers indicated that they drove their current route once a week or more often. Figure 6.1 Origins and Destinations of Drivers Parked Overnight

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Starting Point Today Next Stop Tomorrow

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Figures 6.2 and 6.3 show the frequency of driver visits to both Priory Park and Littlefair Road/other unauthorised sites. What is immediately noticeable is that half of the drivers parked at Littlefair Road stopped at the site once a week or more often, while a similar proportion at Priory Park said that it was their first time at the site, or that they visited less than once a year. The high proportion of new users at Priory Park can be partly explained by the fact that it is relatively new and not widely known among drivers. While Priory Park attracted vehicles serving a range of industries, most, if not all drivers parking in unauthorised sites on the East side of the city were making collections and deliveries at nearby Ports. Figure 6.2 Frequency of Visits to Priory Park

23%

15%

15%

47%

Once a week or more often

1 - 3 times a month

Once or twice every year

Less than once a year/firsttime

Figure 6.3 Frequency of Visits to Unauthorised Sites

50%

10%

10%

30% Once a week or more often

1 - 3 times a month

Once or twice every year

Less than once a year/firsttime

Drivers were asked what factors influenced their decision to stop at their chosen site. Figure 6.4 shows the percentage of respondents that nominated each category (note respondents could nominate more than one factor). Three factors were clearly important to drivers at Priory Park – proximity to route/destination, security and shower facilities. These results are broadly consistent with findings of previous driver surveys conducted by Faber Maunsell, however there are several points of difference worth highlighting. Firstly, very few drivers said food had influenced their decision to stay, and from other surveys, this has been found to be one of the most important factors to drivers. Secondly, the proportion of drivers that said security was important was higher than levels found in other surveys. For drivers at Littlefair Road/other unauthorised locations, proximity to route/destination was the most important factor to influence decision-making. Compared with other surveys however it is unusual for this one factor to stand out well above others. It is also interesting to note that compared to Priory Park, a larger number of drivers at Littlefair Road said that driving time had influenced their decision to stop. Although drivers using the Sportsman Pub on Lee Smith Street could not be interviewed formally, observations and discussion with the managers suggest that food and showers are also an important attraction for this group.

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Approximately 2-3 drivers in each group nominated a variety of other reasons for staying at the sites, including the availability of a tank wash nearby (Littlefair Road), because parking was free (Littlefair Road), and because there was nowhere else to go (Littlefair Road and Priory Park). Figure 6.4 Reasons for Visiting Site

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Closeness toroute/destination

Good food Secure parking Shower facilities Company Instructions Run out of driving time

Factor Influencing Decision to Stop

Perc

enta

ge o

f Sam

ple

Priory Park Unauthorised Locations 6.5. General Driver Views on Overnight Parking in Hull Figure 6.5 shows that the vast majority of drivers considered that there are insufficient overnight parking facilities in Hull. This was the case for both groups of drivers. More than half of the drivers interviewed said they knew of locations used for unauthorised parking in Hull, however no specific sites were revealed beyond Littlefair Road and Kingston Retail Park. Figure 6.5 Views on Parking Facilities in Hull

YesNoMissing/Don't know

6.6. User Views on Priory Park Table 6.2 shows drivers views on signage, value for money and potential improvements that could be made to Priory Park. On the whole, most drivers felt that signage to the site was good or very good, although at least one driver complained about the fact that signs to one of the original lorry parks Brighton Street had not been removed. This meant that he had made a trip only to discover the site was no longer used for parking. The majority of drivers interviewed at Priory Park felt the facility was good value for money, and only a small percentage of drivers said that is was poor or very poor. When asked how the site could be improved, almost all drivers said there was a need for a café or some other type of food outlet. Many drivers suggested the site would be much better utilised if there was somewhere to eat nearby. While the Sainsbury’s near the site has it’s own café, this closes at 6 p.m. (and does not open until 8.30 a.m.) which prevents many drivers from using it.

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There is a pub (Norland) and several restaurants on Hessle Road, however very few drivers were aware of these. A small number of respondents also said more entertainment, for instance a TV lounge, could be provided on the site, along with improved washing facilities. At present drivers must pay 20p for a 3 minute shower and one driver argued that this should be free after entry has been paid. Table 6.2 User Views on Priory Park Question Category %

Good or very good 62% Neither good nor poor 15% Poor or very poor 8%

Quality of Signage

Don't know/Missing 15% Good or very good 54% Neither good nor poor 23% Poor or very poor 15%

Value for Money

Don't know/Missing 8% Entertainment 23% Food 92% Better signing to parking - Better shower facilities 8% Closer to city centre - Closer to port - Cheaper - Late buses back to the city -

How could Priory Park beImproved?*

Other - * Respondents could choose more than one option On the whole, most drivers interviewed at Priory Park felt the facility was of a very high standard and was generally good value for money. Several drivers commented that in terms of security it was one of the best sites they had stayed at, however one comment that summed up the views of many drivers: ‘great site, but there is nothing else here and nowhere to eat.’ 6.7. Non User Views on Priory Park Half of the drivers (6 out of 12) interviewed at unauthorised locations had heard of Priory Park, 3 of which had stayed there. One of these drivers was parked directly outside the lorry park itself and said he had used the site before, but did not have enough money to park there that night. The other 2 drivers were at Littlefair Road and said they would not use it again – one because he felt it was too expensive (only willing to pay £6 to park somewhere overnight) and the other because there was a lack of food and entertainment. One of these drivers also commented that there was insufficient signage to the Lorry park for westbound traffic on the A63 and suggested that this should be improved. The 3 drivers that had heard of the site but not stayed there suggested it could be improved mainly by developing a food outlet. Drivers parked at unauthorised locations were asked what factors would encourage them to use an authorised site as opposed to an unauthorised one (Figure 6.6). Unsurprisingly, costs and availability of food were seen as the most important factors among this group. On average, drivers parked at unauthorised sites said they were willing to pay up to a maximum of £8 for overnight parking, which is below the present £10 charge. The corresponding figure for drivers using Priory Park was £13, and several of these drivers indicated that they would be reimbursed irrespective of the cost. Drivers were also asked how far they would be willing to travel, and in both cases around two thirds were not willing to travel more than 11-20 km to find a suitable facility.

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Figure 6.6 Factors Encouraging Use of Authorised Facility

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Convient toroute/destination

Cost Food Security Shower facilities Run out of driving time

Factor encouraging stop at authorised facility

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6.8. General Traffic Issues and City Centre Interviews In addition to the 25 drivers interviewed at overnight sites, 8 drivers were interviewed while making deliveries in and around the town centre. Five of the 8 drivers were from parcel companies, 2 from food wholesalers and 1 was a foreign driver making a delivery in the city centre. The drivers working for parcel companies reported making anywhere between 20 to 40 drops in and around the city centre. While all 33 drivers were asked if they had ever experienced problems on particular roads or routes in and around Hull, the drivers making deliveries generally had more insight than long distance drivers who tended to only use the primary routes, and in many cases only the A63/Hedon Road corridor. As such, just over half (56%) of drivers parking at overnight sites said they had experienced problems while the corresponding figure for city centre drivers was 88% (7 out of the 8 in total). Out of the 21 drivers that said they experienced problems, 8 (38%) said that bridge openings and closures were an issue. This mainly related to the closure of North Bridge and openings of Myton Bridge on the A63. Only one driver said that height restrictions or other bridges were a problem. Interestingly, one driver making a large number of deliveries to the city centre said that he felt the closure of North bridge had actually led to a reduction in traffic, either because more people were using park and ride facilities, or because a greater number of vehicles were diverted on to the A63. Eight drivers (38%) also said they experienced problems with congestion on Castle Street and the A63 in general. The section of road from the western end of Clive Sullivan Way through to the eastern end of Garrison Road was viewed as the worst area. Several drivers complained about the fact that it can take them 35 – 40 minutes to get through this area during peak hour. Parking and route restrictions in the city centre were also raised by a number of drivers. Some specific problems discussed were: • Problems accessing the delivery area for TJ Hughes on Mill Street behind the Prospect

Centre; • Turning restrictions into High Street from Alfred Gelder Street; • A lack of parking spaces on Market Street/Lowgate. Several drivers reported problems with

being booked by traffic wardens in this area; • Restricted access for delivery vehicles Jameson Street. One driver said that when he

makes deliveries on Dock Street and is then required to make another north of the area, he is forced to take a circuitous route down Castle Street and back up Ferensway;

• A general shortage of parking spaces in the northern part of the city centre; • Interruptions caused by road works and the construction of the new bus interchange. One

driver mentioned problems at the intersection of Ferensway and Anlaby Road, where there is now only one through lane; and

• Illegally parked cars in the city centre.

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It is worth noting that while a wide range of problems were mentioned by drivers, many said that these were not that severe, and that on the whole they did not experience too many major problems when driving in Hull.

7 ACCIDENTS

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7.1. Introduction Although the number of HGV’s on UK roads is increasing, roads are generally getting safer. Both the number of people killed and accident rates are in decline, although the risk of being killed or seriously injured are much higher when an accident involves a HGV that is greater than 7.5 tonnes, due to the mass and inertia of a moving lorry. Britain has one of the best road safety records in the world. Nevertheless the Government's road safety strategy ‘Tomorrow's roads - safer for everyone’ reported how road accidents still result in some 300,000-road casualties on Britain's road each year, including 3,500 fatalities and 40,000 serious injuries. This strategy has set a target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in road accidents by 40% by 2010. 7.2. Hull HGV Traffic Accident Analysis Table 7.1 to 7.3 show HGV accident data provided by HCC over the past 5 years (2000/2004). The data shows that there were 407 accidents involving commercial/freight vehicles from the year 2000 to 2004. It should be noted that the accident data apply to Heavy Goods Vehicles (all class types) and do not include other traffic (cars, motorcycles, public transport vehicles, coaches). 7.2.1. Severity of Accidents Accident data have been classified according to three categories, vans up to 3.5 tonnes, small lorries up to 7.5 tonnes, and HGV’s greater than 7.5 tonnes. The highest number of accidents involved 3.5 tonne vehicles (218) followed by HGV’s greater than 7.5 tonne at 143 accidents. There were fewer accidents involving 7.5 tonne vehicles (46) but more of these accidents were more fatal (4.3%) compared with 3.5 tonne (1.4%) and HGV’s greater than 7.5 tonnes (2.8%). Table 7.1 HGV Accidents (3.5 tonnes): 2000 - 2004

Severity Year

Number of Accidents Slight Serious Fatal

% Slight

% Serious

% Fatal

2000 40 35 5 0 87.5 12.5 0.0 2001 32 29 3 0 90.6 9.4 0.0 2002 61 53 8 0 86.9 13.1 0.0 2003 55 46 9 0 83.6 16.4 0.0 2004 30 24 3 3 80.0 10.0 10.0 Total 218 187 28 3 85.8 12.8 1.4

Table 7.2 HGV Accidents (3.5-7.5 tonnes): 2000 - 2004

Severity Year


% Slight

% Serious

% Fatal

2000 9 7 1 1 77.8 11.1 11.1 2001 9 7 2 0 77.8 22.2 0.0 2002 6 6 0 0 100.0 0.0 0.0 2003 7 6 1 0 85.7 14.3 0.0 2004 15 14 0 1 93.3 0.0 6.7 Total 46 40 4 2 87.0 8.7 4.3

Table 7.3 HGV Accidents (>7.5 tonnes): 2000 - 2004

Severity Year


% Slight

% Serious

% Fatal

2000 30 25 5 0 83.3 16.7 0.0 2001 22 20 1 1 90.9 4.5 4.5 2002 34 28 6 0 82.4 17.6 0.0 2003 33 24 7 2 72.7 21.2 6.1 2004 24 16 7 1 66.7 29.2 4.2 Total 143 113 26 4 79.0 18.2 2.8

7. Accidents

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7.2.2. Comparison of HGV Accidents on Main Routes in Hull The HGV accidents that occurred on major routes in Hull have also been compared over the five-year period. As shown by Table 7.4 below, non-trunk routes have the largest percentage of accidents for all the HGV class types. 3.5 tonne and 7.5 tonne vehicles had the greatest number of accidents were on non-trunk routes (other) routes. A substantial number of >7.5 tonne vehicle accidents also occurred on non-trunk (other) routes, however the proportion of accidents on the A63 and A1033 were also relatively high. These figures do not take account of relative traffic flows, and hence cannot be interpreted as an indicator of road safety. They are probably more of a reflection of the fact that smaller commercial vehicles to be involved in local deliveries on smaller roads, while articulated vehicles to be concentrated on primary routes. Table 7.4 HGV Accidents on Major Routes: 2000 - 2004

3.5 tonne 7.5 tonne >7.5 tonne ROUTE No. of Acc. % of Acc. No. of Acc. % of Acc. No. of Acc. % of Acc.

A63 13 6.0 7 15.2 42 29.4 A1079 15 6.9 2 4.3 8 5.6 A165 16 7.3 1 2.2 12 8.4

A1033 11 5.0 4 8.7 26 18.2 B1237 10 4.6 2 4.3 1 0.7 A1165 3 1.4 1 2.2 2 1.4 B1233 1 0.5 0 0.0 0 0.0

Other Routes 149 68.3 29 63.0 52 36.4 TOTAL 218 46 143

7.3. HGV Traffic Flow and Accident Comparison Table 7.5 compares the number of accidents on four major routes in Hull with traffic flows to provide a broad picture of relative safety levels on each. The table shows the ratio of accidents to annual 12-hour HGV traffic flow figures derived from HCC HGV Cordon and Screenline count data. The average accidents per year was calculated by totalling the number of accidents that occurred on each route over the five year period, and divided them by the number of years. For example, the total number of HGV (all classes) accidents that occurred on the A63 over the past five years was 62, giving an average of 12.4 accidents over the five-year period. Table 7.5 Annual 12 Hour Traffic Flow for Selected Routes (2004) Route Average HGV accidents/year HGV 12 Hour Traffic Flow Ratio A63 12.4 10873 0.0011

A1079 5.0 767 0.0065 A165 5.8 914 0.0063

A1033 8.2 3842 0.0021 The ratio shows an average of HGV (includes 3.5 tonnes, 7.5 tonne and greater than 7.5 tonnes) vehicle accidents based on the 12 Hour traffic flow figures of 2004. In this case, the higher the ratio, the higher the relative number of accidents occurring on that particular route. The ratio was worked out by dividing the average HGV accident per year by the HGV 12 Hour traffic flow figure. For example for the A63, 12.4 was divided by 10873 gave a ratio of 0.0011. By looking at the above ratios and considering the traffic flow figures on the various routes, the A63 can be considered as a relatively safer route for HGV’s (all classes) than non trunk routes. Even though the absolute number of accidents on the A1079 and A165 are lower than the A63, in real terms they are higher because HGV flows on these roads are much lower, and hence there is a greater likelihood of HGV accidents occurring. 7.4. Vehicles Involved In Accidents with HGVs Greater than 7.5 Tonnes Figure ‘A’ below shows the types of vehicles involved in accidents with HGV’s greater than 7.5 tonne vehicles. As expected HGV’s greater than 7.5 tonnes were mainly involved in collisions with cars/taxis (62%). 9% of accidents were with other HGVs and public sector vehicles. Over the five-year period, 16% of HGV accidents involved bicycles and 5% involved motorcycles.

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Figure 7.1 Vehicles in Accidents with HGVs > 7.5 tonnes

16%

5%

62%

6%

3%

8%

Bicycle

Motorcycle

Car / Taxi

Other HGV's

Public Sector Vehicle

No other vehicle

While the accident rate for bicycles and motorbikes is much lower than the accident rate for cars, they are a concern because they have a higher chance of leading to serious or fatal injuries. The figure blow shows the types of vehicles involved in serious or fatal accidents involving HGVs greater 7.5 tonnes over the 5 year period. Worryingly, bicycles and motorbikes were involved in almost half of all serious or fatal accidents. 2004 was a particularly bad year, with 2 fatalities and 2 serious accidents both involving bicycles. Figure 7.2 Vehicles in Serious and Fatal Accidents with HGVs > 7.5 tonnes

31%

14%17%

38% Bicycle

Motorcycle

Car / Taxi

No other vehicle

Overall, a disproportionately large number of accidents involving motorbikes and bicycles appeared to occur on the A1079 (Beverley Road) towards the junction of A1165 and B1233. The junction around Mount Pleasant roundabout that joins the A63 and A1033 also appeared to be accident black spot for these road users. DfT statistics reveal that almost three quarters of accidents in England involving bicycles occur because cyclists entered junctions without checking the road or assumed that a road vehicle would give way to them way or overtake them. Given the large number of cyclists in Hull, these findings highlight the importance of educating this group on some the dangers associated with large HGVs. 7.5. Street Lighting By looking at the commercial/freight vehicle accident data provided by Hull City Council, the amount of light on the road also contributed to some HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents during the periods 2000 to 2004. Poor light (either a lack of natural light or inoperative street lights) was a factor in 16% of HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents. However this is likely to be consistent with broad national trends.

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7.6. Accident Black Spots for HGV’s Greater than 7.5 Tonnes As noted previously a substantial number of accidents for HGVs (greater than 7.5 tonne) occurred on the A63 over the past 5 years. As shown in Map 6 in the appendix 2, a relatively high number of accidents appeared to occur on roundabouts, and just before/after junctions that lead onto/off the A63. In particular, there have been accidents involving HGV’s greater than 7.5 tonnes every year on Daltry Street Flyover near Rawling Way Roundabout and Mytongate roundabout leading onto Garrison Road. There was also a rise in accidents on this stretch of road in 2004. Great Union Street Roundabout and Mount Pleasant Roundabout that joins the A63 with A1033 was also a common spot for HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents in the years 2002/2003, but it had a drop in accidents in 2004. Accidents involving HGV’s (greater than 7.5 tonne) also occur occasionally on non-trunk routes. This is probably due to lorry drivers using these roads as ‘short cut’ routes. Every year, there appears to be an accident involving a HGV (greater than 7.5 tonnes) on Hessle Road and around junctions leading onto Hessle Road. Articulated vehicles often have accidents on roundabouts/junctions, because of turning difficulties and because they are often cut off by cars drivers who are unaware of the amount of space required for turning vehicles. With this aside however, it may be possible to improve road safety at the areas discussed above through a review of road design and signage features.

8 MULTI MODAL TRANSPORT

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8.1. Introduction In this chapter we discuss several non-road modes of transport including rail, airfreight, pipelines and barge traffic. Shipping and port traffic is discussed in the following chapter. 8.2. Rail 8.2.1. Rail Freight Industry Rail freight has served, and in many cases continues to serve, a great many customers efficiently and economically. This has traditionally involved the transport of bulk materials such as coal, aggregates or steel to and from purpose built sidings over a greatly varying range of distances. The location of production, consumption, import or export of product has generally dictated the location of the rail terminal facilities. The most notable alternative to these flows of bulk products followed the introduction of ISO containers for international transport and the transport from port to its hinterland. The majority of journeys undertaken by goods in the UK are not to or from rail connected locations. If rail is simply used to replicate the road journey this necessitates additional transfers of product between modes, from road to rail and back to road again. The obvious problem that this creates over and above any loss in time is the expense incurred. Each lift of product between road and rail can cost between £30 and £45 per container. For this simple reason when freight is being moved, a single road journey is usually cheaper than a rail journey with the associated product transfers from and onto road vehicles. Where decision makers in the supply chain can effectively reduce the separate transport movements and therefore the costs of loading/unloading product they are likely to do so. However, reliance on the road network is causing severe environmental and operational problems. There are inevitably limits to the road network capacity and the major players in industry are looking to minimise future transport risks, when relocating premises for instance the possibility of using rail freight would be of considerable value. Road congestion is constraining the freight industry and which impacts directly on economic development. The effect of prohibitively long and unreliable journey times could have severe implications for the local economy of affected regions. For these reasons, the Government, regional and local authorities are actively promoting the use of rail freight. Rail freight has been one of the successes of privatisation, becoming more efficient, more competitive, improving productivity, improving performance and attracting considerable private sector investment, and growing by 50%. Continued growth, investment and private sector involvement in rail freight depends on the continuation of independent economic regulation and the existence of a credible long term strategy for the railway to provide the requisite degree of assurance about the extent and functionality of the network and the capacity available for freight. The private rail freight companies are now offering a significantly improved package of efficient services with an enhanced customer focused service in a spirit of competition. This is important in attracting new potential customers. There are several examples of "good practice" in the industry where customer focus is all important, and a realism to not promise what cannot be delivered. The intermodal trains run by the Malcolm Logistics Group from Daventry to Scotland, the Mediterranean Shipping service from Felixstowe to Selby and the 110 miles per hour express parcel trains from the Midlands to Scotland are examples of successful train services that have been introduced in recent years. 8.2.2. Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) The Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) process was started by the SRA in March 2004 with the publishing of the Midland Main Line Strategy, but the work to compile the one for the route east of the Pennines to Hull is likely to start late 2005 and last about a year. These RUSs are to be continued by Network Rail, following the demise of the SRA in June 2005, review every issue

8. Multi Modal Transport

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relating to each stretch of line including capacity, bottlenecks and signalling on the network. One of its aims might be to create regular slots for freight trains throughout the day. 8.2.3. Current Freight Services and Train Paths There are approximately twelve slots a day given to freight on the route from Selby or Doncaster to Hull. Seven of these are taken by imported coal for power stations coming into the Kingston Bulk Terminal at the east end of the port. The remainder of rail traffic in the area consists of scrap metal to Liverpool, steel to Wolverhampton, aggregates from Skipton and an Enterprise mixed traffic train to Doncaster. Table 8.1 Current Rail Freight Paths (2005) Total freight paths allocated by Network Rail mainline (12), dock branch (10)

Actual trains: Coal 7-8 Steel 1 Scrap 1 (per week) Enterprise 1 Hull Docks Branch Total 10 Plus Stone/Box wagons to Dairycoates 2 Total Hull-Gilberdyke Mainline 12 8.2.4. Potential Need for Rail Freight Paths 2008 The following sections set out the prospects for the varying product flows relevant to multi-modal solutions in the future with their possible requirements for train paths if known. Table 8.2 Potential Need for Rail Freight Paths (2008-2016) Existing demand on Docks branch 10 Additional demand possible: Coal 2 Container* 2-6 Paper* 2-3 Steel* 1 Train Ferry* 2 Hull IFV additional* 1 Hull Docks Branch Total Low 11, High 24 Plus Additional Aggregate/Construction 2 Possible Total Mainline Low 12, High 27 * = Estimate of likely demand for rail services should potential plans go ahead. Coal There are 16-20 coal fired power stations in Britain and UK Coal cannot fully supply these, and hence the move to imported coal. Following the closure of the Selby Coalfield in 2004 there is increased pressure on sourcing coal particularly for the Aire and Trent Valley Coal Fired Power Stations. In terms of proximity to these stations the Humber is well placed to service the demand for imported coal. Some comes in very large vessels to the likes of Immingham but some comes from Russia in handy size 30,000 tonnes ships to ports like Hull. Imported coal is at an all time high and it has been said that Hull and Immingham are turning coal away. Hence the recent application for 2 additional train paths from Hull took demand to the current path supply. Containers The main issue with rail freight is obtaining sufficient critical mass travelling from point to point to justify a full trainload. With the increasing tonnage of containers arriving on coastal feeder vessels there are provisional plans to start new rail services possibly wanting 2 train paths in the autumn serving the existing terminal. Geest Line brings a large volume of containers into Hull and many of them are destined for the North West and currently move by road. But there is a need to consider the implications from 2007 when the terminal moves to the planned Quay 2005 and the throughput of boxes increases significantly. There are issues about long term access to the rail network from Quay 2005, which need to be resolved/investigated including possible effect of running 40 tonne+ vehicles across a public road.

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Train Ferry Provisional plans to run a train ferry from Rotterdam to Hull exist. Although uncertain that this will happen, it could need 2 freight train paths. There are gauge issues associated with running a train ferry which need to be resolved. Finland Terminal (Paper/Timber) The Finland terminal is looking for further storage for their forest products of timber and paper. Additional storage space will come available following the relocation of the container terminal. It is possible that some of this product could go by train to Sheffield and beyond with estimates of between one and two train loads. Steel/Scrap Metal The world market for steel has grown with the increased manufacturing need for raw materials in the Far East pushing the price of steel up. This in turn means it is economic to move the product over larger distances and hence the need for longer journeys for which rail is suited. The movement of steel is planned to increase from Hull and could possibly require one or two additional trains daily. In addition the weekly scrap metal train to Liverpool may increase in frequency as the price of scrap continues to rise. Inter-modal Train It is unclear if there is demand for a dedicated inter-modal service from a rail served warehouse in the freight village. This question is dependent on many factors depending on the type of demand. Options might include palletised goods in conventional rail wagons, swap bodies and curtain sided containers that have been stored or reloaded at Hull. This type of service might dovetail into the Enterprise Wagonload service operated by EWS offering a national network of destinations from a hub at Doncaster. Alternatively some of this type of traffic could travel on other services for example container trains especially if there is a common destination. 8.2.5. Rail Passenger Services Passenger services are run by the following four train operators; Transpennine Express (First Group) to Leeds and Manchester; Northern franchise run most local trains including services to Bridlington, York and Sheffield; Hull Trains run four daily services to London and GNER runs one daily service to London. Hull trains would like to run extra services to London from Hull which could conflict with freight capacity. 8.2.6. Rail Network in Hull Hull is at the eastern end of the busy Trans-Pennine railway line which links Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds to Hull via Selby. At Selby there is a choice of routes with a link to York and south to Doncaster both via the East Coast Main line. There is also the route via Goole to Doncaster and Sheffield. Both the Selby and Doncaster routes run from Hull Paragon Station together as a twin track railway until diverging at Gilberdyke. The third route is the coastal route from Hull to Beverley, Bridlington and Scarborough which is double track until Bridlington when it becomes single track to Seamer. In addition there is the freight only Hull Docks Branch Line which runs six miles from the west of the city in a loop through the conurbation to the east end serving Hedon Road sidings, Kingston Coal Terminal, King George Dock and has a disused spur into BP Chemicals at Salt End. There are also sidings available near Paragon station, near Priory Park and at the Dairycoates Stone Terminal operated by Tarmac. Just outside Hull but worthy of note are the freight sidings at Melton run by Omya. 8.2.7. Operational Issues 8.2.7.1 Capacity There are currently twelve freight paths on the Gilberdyke to Hull main line and ten paths on the Hull Docks Branch. From a situation in the 1990s when few of the freight train paths were used the current situation is that capacity has been reached. There are several additional flows of freight likely in the future and particularly if the Hull Docks Branch does not get improved it is likely that capacity issues will prevent any possible expansion of rail services. Although Network Rail, Corus and others have been reviewing various scenarios for a staged improvement to the line there is the problem of funding sources. There are plans for a modest improvement to the signalling to the line by introducing electronic signalling which might allow the number of train paths to the port to increase from 10 to about 16 which approximates to a train an hour. The cost of this upgrade is quoted from a recent study as being £2.5/£3 million. But the potential

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number of train paths required might be as high as 24 and this would need major refurbishment work. This major improvement to the Hull Docks Branch would include relaying double track and some other upgrades to signalling and infrastructure. This major work would cost £8/9 million according to recent Network Rail estimates. 8.2.7.2 Gauge Some of the priorities for infrastructure improvements include loading gauge improvements to allow 9' 6" containers to be carried on standard wagons between the major container ports and inland freight terminals. The route capability for high cube boxes to travel by rail from the Humber to the North West must be a high priority for the region. There is a need to promote gauge improvements on strategic freight routes including a Trans-Pennine route so that the Humber ports could use rail as an option for the movement of high cube containers. These are now representing over 20% of the national import market and indeed this figure is nearer 50% through the Hull Container Terminal. There is currently no route capable of carrying this height container across the Pennines on the industry standard flat wagons. If the Humber is going to see a 6% growth in container traffic then the need for train services able to handle this type of traffic is important otherwise the additional growth in tonnage may have to go by road. Depending on the mix of traffic using a wagon solution to the high cube box problem may be uneconomic because special wagons may not carry enough, cost more to buy and earn less. The standard container trains take about 50 units (teu) but the majority of the boxes requiring moving to Liverpool and North West are the newer 45 feet long 9’6” high cube containers. It is anticipated only getting about 23 of these on a train and it may not be economic to run trains at this load factor. The options are either to invest in special wagons to cater for these larger boxes or a larger commitment to increase the loading gauge across the Pennines to enable conventional wagons to run. The SRA suggested this upgrade would be tactical but gave no indication of if or when it would ever happen. 8.2.7.3 Times of Day The Hull line from Selby and Doncaster is constrained both physically and operationally because it is closed at night to any rail traffic. There are a number of manned signal boxes on the Main Line into Hull and on the Docks Branch with the most westerly being at Barlby near Selby. As there has not been demand from train operators to run trains at night the railway has not been open between 22.30 and 06.30. This has saved Network Rail employing signalmen on the night shift. Although little freight traffic came out of Hull in the 1990s with several “freight paths” unused in the daytime this situation has changed and there will be increasing pressures on train path availability especially with planned port expansion. There is potential for additional traffic possibly imported coal, forest products, containers, train ferry wagons etc. A consequence of the demand for freight is that the Kingston Bulk Terminal is now running 4 trains on a Sunday and the coal company wants 5 trains. Although it is recognised that Network Rail need to get access to the line for maintenance purposes and there is no point wasting valuable resources employing signalmen and operational staff if there is little or no demand for trains at night, a review of 24 hour track access may now be warranted. There is a need to get an appropriate balance between access for maintenance and train operation. It might be possible to extend opening hours a little to create a few additional paths, perhaps by an hour using overtime for existing staff. This would be cheaper than going for all night opening. However it would only allow an extra one or two freight services to run. The cost to allow 24-hour operations would mean having to man 7 signal boxes all night at an annual cost in the region of £500,000. Apart from the need to find extra train paths for freight there may be mutual benefits for passenger train operators. The Spring 2005 Timetable last passenger service from Leeds to Hull leaves Leeds at 21.54, which is not particularly late when compared to other main destinations across the north. Indeed it is noteworthy that a City of Hull’s size does not have a late train service. At a recent meeting in Hull both Hull Trains and Transpennine Express said that they might be interested in running a later train from London and Leeds respectively if that is made possible but Northern said they would probably not.

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8.2.7.4 Bottlenecks and Speed Restrictions There are bottlenecks on the National Network, which will eventually impede growth, but the most serious bottlenecks are not physically in the Yorkshire and Humber region, although they may affect traffic to/from Hull. There is a need to assess capacity issues from a freight point of view and suggest solutions. Freight operators and customers had suffered from the poor performance of the network. The large number of ‘temporary’ speed restrictions undermined the efficiency and productivity of freight operations, limiting the freight operators’ ability to invest and grow their businesses. Serious bottlenecks in the rail freight transport infrastructure occur due to the Port being on the East side of Hull. Although the Hull Docks Branch line is only six miles long it is only single track and with the speed restrictions it takes a comparatively long time for each train to traverse this section. The line is not ideal with speed restrictions of 10 mph in parts especially over Hull Swing Bridge. There is also a low operating speed (5mph) of the railway through the ABP site. 8.2.8. Other Factors Affecting Viability of Rail Traffic 8.2.8.1 Diversionary Routes It is important to establish a network of diversionary rail lines to provide alternatives to freight customers both for periods of planned maintenance and times of unplanned incidents for example landslides, train breakdowns, blocked lines etc. The ability to reroute trains to ensure they reach their destination is fundamental to providing a good and reliable customer service. This is very difficult in the case of Hull because there is no practical alternative to the stretch of line from Hull to Gilberdyke. Although it is possible for trains to travel via Beverley, Bridlington and Scarborough this route does not normally carry freight and apart from being a long way round has some axle weight restrictions on rail wagons. Beyond Gilberdyke the route splits into the Selby route and the Goole route, which do provide a diversionary route to each other as, used following a bridge strike on Goole Bridge that closed that route. 8.2.8.2 Strong Competition Although the prospects for an increasing level of trade through Hull are good, if some of the international traffic that is suitable for rail uses the Channel Tunnel in preference to entering the UK via ship and the Humber then this would limit developments. The Channel Tunnel is becoming more reliable for rail freight with 1.9 million tonnes being moved in 2004 following the disastrous period of disruption in 2001/2 when almost all the traffic was lost because of the “illegal immigrant crisis”. The Channel ports remain very competitive resulting in distribution continuing to be concentrated in the South. It is reported that 60% of the volume going through Southampton Docks is destined for the Midlands and North and this is clearly a target market for the Humber ports. The growth of intermodal distribution centres in inland locations with links to the South Eastern ports is strengthening the traditional routes. The success of Hams Hall is to be followed by another one or two Midlands sites at Birch Coppice, Staffordshire and Telford. Another factor influencing potential rail flows through Hull is the strong competition from other ports including Immingham, Felixstowe and Teesport that already have large container operations and well used intermodal rail services from their ports. In addition Hull will never be able to accommodate the largest container vessels because of water depth. However with careful customer focused planning there is scope for rail freight services catering particularly for traffic on an east-west axis supplying core markets in the North West, North Midlands, Ireland and Scotland. 8.2.8.3 Risk There is a need to consider the extra risk when considering rail because of the extra investment needed and requirement for regular flows versus the possible financial benefits and also the environmental benefits. Starting a new rail service is far more risky than commencing road operations because of the need to achieve regular significant volumes. Some freight trains do not run if there is insufficient payload. It is important to try and obtain high load factors in both directions. For example the Freightliner container service from Hull Docks to Manchester started in 1998 failed to achieve the payload level required and was axed within six months. In order to maximise the chances of tempting potential users to rail, it is important to have visible access to the rail offer. As margins are very tight on intermodal rail services it is important to market the services well. An example of a new, open access, intermodal train service is the planned Felixstowe to Doncaster Railport train which is being launched this

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summer by a partnership under a memorable slogan of the “Maid Marion.” In the past train services have been restricted to certain users and many terminals have not been “open access”. Train services are only likely to run if major volumes are attracted to rail. Ad Hoc one off trips make the commitment to a service hard to secure, so tonnage needs to be regular and predictable. In order to make any transport service viable it needs to have a high average load factor and ideally the operator must seek to fill the train in each direction. Some shipping lines charter a complete train and although the potential exists to buy a train in this case, often the risk remains with the train operator. 8.2.8.4 Environmental Issues Environmental pressures have not been the main factor in business decision-making however this is slowly changing. The very fact that road freight creates about 8 times more exhaust emissions than rail per tonne/kilometre hauled may have an important bearing on modal choice in the future. Now Hull has declared an Air Quality Management Area, an action plan is to be developed to address the problems of poor air quality. One of the actions might be encouraging modal switch of freight traffic. A further environmental issue is that of noise and vibration. This can be addressed by upgrading to continuous welded track and noise abatement measures where necessary. Residents near the Hull Dock Branch Line will have got used to a resurgence of freight trains and although this may have caused some comments it has probably not been too significant. However assuming 24 hour opening of the railway, there is likely to be more objections from residents to freight trains passing through the night. However in total terms it is far better environmentally to have more freight on the rail than on the already congested roads. 8.2.8.5 Additional Volume Growth in global shipping means more volume for ports wanting to expand. The promotion of Hull and the Humber as a focal point for trade through HTZ initiatives like the Hull and Humber/Rotterdam Alliance will also attract new trade to the port. This port expansion will create more tonnage and more opportunities for rail. There is a need for a sufficiently large critical mass of tonnage to make rail viable. Changing patterns of trade flow with the rise of European wide logistics is resulting in goods being manufactured in a smaller number of factories to cater for the whole of Europe. This inevitably means that the distance goods are transported goes up. This may be beneficial to rail as its relative cost advantage over road improves with distance. Rail is relatively uneconomic if the trunk distance is under about 100 miles on intermodal freight. The growth in containers assuming Quay 2005 is built will bring additional tonnage; the number of boxes could grow from 120,000 to 200,000 per annum. 8.2.8.6 Competitiveness of Rail Over Road Road transport is very flexible and cost competitive preventing shippers changing modes. But roads are increasingly congested, resulting in unreliable journey times. Use of rail could help relieve this situation, indeed anything that encourages road freight to go by rail or water will help ease the Hull Castle Street traffic problem. Rail may become relatively more competitive because of increasing pressures on road freight industry, for example, Working Time Directive, Lorry Road User Charging and increasing price of fuel. 8.2.8.7 Funding and Partnership It is likely that public subsidy of at least the part of the infrastructure costs of new rail facilities will form a crucial part of their viability. There is little chance of Central Government money in the absence of Freight Facilities Grants (FFG). Development funds might be available but needs to tie in with an integrated development plan. The primary source of funding other than ABP is likely to be through Humber Trade Zone, through Yorkshire Forward, the Northern Way initiative and ERDF monies. There is a need to develop in partnership with other schemes and not to act in isolation so it would be advisable to work with the Chamber of Commerce and hence businesses. The growth in coal imports could effectively pump prime rail infrastructure improvements on Hull Docks Branch. The Port of Hull is a good location and with solutions available to remove many of the barriers to train capacity and gauge clearance it remains to be seen whether the interested parties can work together to get these resolved. This may be possible with key support from: • Yorkshire Forward and Northern Way; • Humber Trade Zone/Hull City Council; and • Private sector including ABP, PD Ports.

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8.2.8.8 Freight Terminals According to the recently published “SRA Freight Interchange Policy” guide there are enough large strategic multimodal type freight terminals in Yorkshire & Humber, but some expansion may be needed in Leeds. This SRA assessment was based on the fact that its strategies address the Government 10 year planned target. The more traditional commodities tend to develop as single occupier facilities in response to specific customer demand. There are probably enough terminals at which to transfer containers but there is scope for new “added value” terminals that offer a range of other services including warehousing, picking and deliveries. If the region really wants to expand rail freight it needs to support the growth of terminals where this is demand led and appropriate, for example in new distribution parks. 8.2.9. Inter-Modal Freight Village (IFV) The concept of an IFV aims to provide a common user road/rail interchange terminal able to be accessed by the majority of businesses in Hull as well as catering for the port traffic. The idea would involve several freight flows of different commodities and different businesses co-operating together to make a successful transport interchange which would have the option of warehousing, box handling and added value services. If the concept were to go ahead the chosen site for this terminal is most likely to be at the eastern end of Hull on ABP land. The IFV would be equipped with road and rail access, and thus its facilities will include an access road and a straight length of railway, with a paved area connecting the two for transfer of freight between road and rail. The minimum railway infrastructure would comprise a spur from the lines serving Hull Bulk Handling into the IFV site, with a maximum length of straight track for loading and a passing loop for loco reversal. The access road will need to negotiate the railway lines, either via a barrier-controlled level crossing or via a longer route around the railway infrastructure. An engineering assessment has investigated the opportunities and cost implications of including container storage, plus value-added facilities such as warehousing. The goods may need processing and there may be one or more steps of consolidation, merchandising, storage and packaging. 8.2.9.1 Market Research Market Research has found interest from a range of stakeholders with a good proportion of contacts supporting the concept of an IFV but whether this has reached a critical mass needs to be determined. It might be that the service will cater for an amalgam of a number of smaller operators. Demand for port based warehousing is there as shown by PD Ports expanding their facilities at Teesport recently. Value added services are attractive to certain freight forwarders needing easy access to both the port and the UK transport network. Not all the market research was positive, with the decline in manufacturing in the Hull area it was commented that it was unclear who the industrial and commercial users are that might make use of rail, as many have relocated elsewhere. Another stated that the lack of rail network capacity, shortage of rolling stock, conflicts of interest and other investment priorities may hold back the ability of rail freight to provide a reliable, scheduled, door to door service. It was commented that there have been some mistakes made in land use going back over many decades with the port and transport port in the wrong place and there is still a big problem of traffic problem on Castle Street partly caused by port traffic. 8.2.9.2 Financial Case There were a number of operators that commented that they can’t see the financial case for having a new rail terminal as they thought the port is trying to get goods away from the dock as quickly as possible. Some respondents view is that customer’s already have their requirements and can‘t see where the new customers will come from, and its difficult for road and rail haulage to get backloads into Hull because of imbalance of trade. Hull IFV will be good for deliveries in that area but these goods would be delivered by road, so can’t see the benefits of rail. Being pragmatic contacts wondered how much would actually go by rail from this terminal and thought it would probably attract more road vehicles to Hull Port. An intermodal operator commented that he was not saying it won’t work in the long run but it is probably not a runner as it takes a lot of effort to start up. In order to help rail be competitive the container terminal operator, would need to put the box on the train for the same price as putting it on a lorry. Terminal operators get their revenue from

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moving boxes through the port, the higher the volume the higher the revenue. A new terminal will encourage extra volume but it is essential to move boxes as economically as possible and this is where road can be more flexible and competitive. The concept of an IFV aims to reduce the transfer costs by integrating the transfer into the supply chain. 8.2.9.3 Advantages of the Port Site The site near the Kingston Bulk Terminal is relatively flat, so is readily developable. Existing road and rail infrastructure can be utilised and modified to allow good connectivity to the site. The basic rail and road infrastructure requirements are sufficient for a considerable range of services. The scale and type of infrastructure development can be tailored to suit demand and available funding, which is essential with an evolving market. A phased approach to development would allow demand driven growth so that future expansion can be achieved with minimal disruption to or conversion of earlier phases. 8.2.9.4 Disadvantages of the Port Site The ground conditions appear to be poor and site drainage may prove difficult, which will increase costs. The adjacent Humber Bulk Handling facility is not an “attractive” neighbour to potential investors and/or users because of the associated coal dust pollution. The value-added facilities, if required to generate sufficient market interest, require significant additional investment. To run this type of operation needs a lot of land, when the land is parcelled up there might not be as much as anticipated. Viability is dependent on other developments/proposals being implemented for example rail requires infrastructure improvements to increase the number of train paths available. Also the port operator may need to have a port road closed to the public to give operational flexibility e.g. to allow heavier boxes to be carried through to the rail sidings. This is not possible on a public road. The Council transport and highways department officers are supportive of this concept in principle. 8.3. Pipelines 8.3.1. Background There are over 100 chemical companies in the Humber sub-region employing more than 10,000 people with a gross value added (GVA) of about £800 million per annum. There is a concentration of such companies on the South Humber bank and close to the Port of Hull. More than 14% of UK chemicals move to or from the Humber Region. £1billion of investment has gone in during last 5 years of which BP invested £300m at Salt End. A significant proportion of freight is sent by pipeline and this reduces the need for road tankers. There were plans to build the Humber Bundle, twelve pipes grouped together to send freight to the South Bank but it is uncertain as to progress with this scheme. Near Hull there are a number of very significant pipelines, including the network of pipelines that transport aircraft fuel from the oil refineries at Immingham to London’s airports. The region’s network of pipelines is operated by a number of different companies, across a range of different sectors. Products transported include natural gas, liquid gas, ethylene, water, sewerage and oil based commodities including fuel and lubricants for the automotive industry and aircraft fuels. 8.3.2. Advantages of Pipelines There are a number of advantages of transporting commodities through pipelines. Operationally pipelines are a low maintenance and very reliable mode moving a large volume of product very economically. Once the pipelines there is also little environmental risk when compared to other modes of transport. Although most pipelines are dedicated to one particular product this specialisation is no longer necessary. There has been a trend to using pipelines as multi-product lines where different products can be transported along the same line. Pipelines do not contribute to traffic congestion and hence are beneficial to the economy and it would have required a lot of land transport to move the 146 million tonnes of oil products that went by pipeline in 2002. 8.3.3. Constraints of Pipelines There is a high initial capital cost of building pipelines and these have increased because of stringent requirements to avoid possible contamination of the ground and water courses. There is also more modal competition for the movement of oil by pipelines in the UK. Road transport

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has improved its efficiency and capacity and rail transport has developed with better payloads on rail tankers and longer, heavier trains run more reliably by private freight companies. Inland waterways and coastal shipping also offer competition for certain flows. All these modes offer more flexibility than fixed pipelines that represent a very fixed investment in particular sites and routes and this inflexibility makes them less attractive to certain operating companies. In addition, not all oil-based products are suitable for moving through pipelines without the use of heat and insulated pipe work. The light oils such as petrol, diesel and aviation fuel are generally suitable while the more viscous heavy oils are harder to move without the use of additional energy. 8.3.4. Encouraging Further Pipeline Development in the Future It is suggested that the use of existing pipelines be encouraged to the maximum potential by ensuring a presumption in the planning process in favour of pipelines. Pipelines are very effective at moving large volumes of goods economically and safely over a fixed route with little operational impact on the environment and the minimum use of energy resources. However, since pipelines are a fixed link they are generally only economically viable for traffic that is likely to continue for the medium to long term. The future of pipelines is currently seen as very commodity specific, i.e. suitable for large volumes of mainly liquid or gas products. As such the movements by pipeline are relatively static year on year. The information on volumes of water and gas moved are not recorded in the same way as oil products and hence it is difficult to appraise those flows. They are also unlikely to be available for transport by other modes. The prospect of using pipelines for different product flows is a possibility. Building further spurs off the existing pipeline network could feed additional substations and terminals and help to remove traffic off the roads. New “trenchless technology” that does not use conventional construction methods may help reduce the prohibitive initial costs of construction. 8.4. Air Freight 8.4.1. Background The UK airfreight sector has experienced sustained growth in the decade to 2002. In terms of freight lifted, nationally, the sector currently lifts in excess of two million tonnes per annum. Nationally, airports in and around Yorkshire and Humberside move only a small proportion of this total, as shown in Figure 8.1. Figure 8.1 Percentages of Freight Lifted at UK Airports

243, 11%

1,235, 56%

205, 9%

188, 9%

335, 15%

Gatwick 11%Heathrow 56%Oth London 9%Other UK 9%Y&H or Neighbour 15%

Airfreight generally caters for urgent high value low volume goods, which does not always suit the traditional industries of Hull’s region. This is one of the explanations why airfreight has not been developed here as much as in other regions. With the new development of high technology with both computer and bioscience technology, there is likely to be more demand for airfreight in the future.

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Until 2005, the two main airports in Yorkshire and the Humber have been Leeds-Bradford and Humberside International. Leeds-Bradford is principally a passenger airport and has no scheduled freight services currently operating. Freight lifted through Leeds-Bradford is either carried as belly-hold cargo on scheduled passenger flights or is carried by chartered cargo services. Most freight operators located at Leeds-Bradford provide consolidation services for onward journeys to major airports elsewhere in the UK. Humberside International Airport carries both significantly fewer passengers and less tonnage per year than Leeds-Bradford, although it plays an important role in serving the region’s offshore oil and gas industries. As is the case for Leeds Bradford, freight lifted through Humberside International is carried either as belly-hold cargo on scheduled passenger flights or is carried by chartered cargo services. 8.4.2. Freight Future for the Region’s Airports The region supports the offer of new and developing direct freight services from the region enhancing direct and indirect economic opportunities. However services offered by airports outside the region are likely to continue to prove to be a valuable service for the regions businesses. The most likely growth potential is at Doncaster (Finningley), South Yorkshire where the new Robin Hood Airport has started receiving both passenger and freight flights. Freight forwarders are already operating at the site of the airfield, albeit mainly transporting goods by road to airports outside the region. But the runway at this facility, at over 2.5km, is capable of catering for dedicated Boeing 747 Jumbo Freighters and as such at the time of writing, has already catered for four of these flights bringing in fine wines. Although realistically, the first step is to make successful use of the belly-holds of passenger services for freight there are already weekly flights by dedicated Boeing 737 Freighters so the airport is likely to become an international airfreight hub. The potential benefits of the new development are two fold. Firstly, through the provision of more accessible freight services, flown direct out of the region and via the concentration of service providers based at or near the airport. Increased choice for freight users within the region should be an asset to the region in its overall position as a desirable location for freight related business. Secondly the direct and indirect economic benefits of the airfreight service providers which may be substantial. Whilst this economic benefit may be considerable to the region the environmental impact of airfreight is considered by many to be the greatest of all modes. It is not appropriate to make direct comparisons between the environmental impact of road trips and airfreight as direct airfreight routes are likely to be international rather than national. An enquiry into the economic and environmental impacts of the new airport has been carried out. However it should be recognised that there is still concern over the potentially damaging effect on a local Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI). 8.5. Barge Traffic 8.5.1. Background The natural waterway assets in Yorkshire and the Humber means that the region plays host to one of the most important sections of the waterway networks in the UK. The main waterways of Yorkshire and Humber carry a quarter of all waterway traffic in the UK. The most important inland navigations associated with the Humber are the River Trent and the Aire and Calder Navigation. There is a variety of freight traffic that uses these waterways including edible and fuel oils, aggregate, steel, rice and abnormal loads. Most of this travels in conventional barges which carry 400-750 tonnes. There are other types of barge including LASH barges which are unpowered boxes that sit aboard a mother ship, an example of this moves between USA and the Humber and about 15 boxes of rice are unloaded at Immingham or Hull and pushed by a tug up the River Ouse to Selby, returning via Scunthorpe with steel for America. There is the possibility of moving other bulky products by barge in the future including coal, waste and containers. 8.5.2. Companies using the River Hull for Freight Locally the only navigation within Hull City Council boundary is the River Hull which joins the Humber by the Deep Submarium. There are several companies that use the River Hull for water

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freight, Cargills move edible liquid oil, IBL bring up product on ships for storage, Calshaws bring edible oil and Rix move fuel oil. Maizecor although they have a wharf do not currently use barge traffic. There is opportunity for more liquid oils to move by barge. This is an illustration of a local operator, Rix have 7 barges and move the following: • 100,000-150,000 tonnes per annum of fuel from the Immingham refinery to the tank farm on

the River Hull using barges that carry between 400-600 tonnes. • Tall oil (a by-product of the paper industry) from Immingham to Drax Power Station where

they have an underutilised jetty used significantly during the miner’s strike in 1984. Drax also uses wood pellets and various other solids but these require mechanical handling whereas the liquid barges are more cost effective because they are self-discharge vessels, which can either pump off, or gravity feed off the load.

• 3 barges are on delivery of marine fuel to the ships in the dock. This floating fuel station saves what would have to be many road tanker journeys if these barges didn’t operate. P&O don’t tend to fuel in Britain but bunker in Holland.

8.5.3. Bridge Openings and Tides Many of the barges do not require bridges to be opened when they are full, only when empty. However in neither case do Rix’s barges require the Myton Bridge to open, just the other three up river. The current closure of North Bridge illustrates the traffic implications which bridge openings cause and that the City can work round it. Every two weeks the tide clashes with the rush hour and the boats only have a limited amount of time to come down or back up on the flood tide. The barges have to point into the tide after discharge. At the moment the water traffic takes preference over road traffic because of the problem of the tides. If either this was reversed or charges to use the river are introduced then it would finish the tank farm because the economics of the operation are already tight. 8.5.4. Charges There is an issue with the Council charging barge owners for opening the bridges on a Sunday. The charge is about £200 each way but this is the quietest day and bridge opening then causes the least disruption. This charge doubles the freight rate. Therefore it was suggested that this practice of charging is counterproductive as it would be beneficial to move as much as possible upstream on a Sunday when it’s quiet. If weekday charges are brought in then the barge operation will be finished. 8.5.5. Grants There used to be some freight grants towards the cost of new barges but now it is only possible to get grants for the infrastructure. This means that there are few new barges about, able to take up possible new opportunities. Before the change in policy, Rix did get a grant to build the RIX OWL which takes 550 tonne loads of TOTAL fuel up to Castleford from Immingham which equates to 60,000 to 100,000 tonnes a year. In addition 20,000 tonnes of base oil is taken up to Castleford. The lock size determines the maximum size of the vessel, which is 63 metres long by 6 metres wide. There is renewed interest in inland water freight following many years of the industry being in the doldrums. Examples of new barge freight are occurring on the River Thames and Trent and extra traffic to Drax and other power stations is a possibility.

9 PORT TRAFFIC

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9.1. Background The ports of Yorkshire and Humber hold strategic importance for the UK as a whole as more than 60% of the country’s manufacturing capacity is situated within a four-hour drive. Together, they handled almost 80 million tonnes of sea freight in 2002, representing 22% of sea freight to/from ports in England. The Humber ports provide good links to Europe, the Middle East, and the USA and offer an important competitive advantage to the region. The River Humber is one of the busiest trade routes in Europe and has over 40,000 international shipping movements every year. Hull is the region’s second largest port handling 10 million tonnes (2,500 ship movements) a year. Hull handles containers, dry bulk, forest products, fresh produce, general cargo, liquid bulks, passenger and cruises, Ro-Ro, steel and other metals. 9.1.1. The Northern Way The Government initiative ‘The Northern Way’ underlines the importance of Hull’s location to both the regional and national economy. Hull and Humber Ports is one of eight key city regions identified in the Growth Strategy as having capacity and assets to boost prosperity across the North and bridge the output gap with London and the South East. It is imperative that transport bottlenecks such as the A63 (Castle Street) and the Hull Docks branch Line are addressed with immediate effect to enable the city and port of Hull to take advantage of the predicted growth of European Short Sea feeder services and global traffic. 9.1.2. North European Trade Axis The importance of the Humber is also recognised through the North European Trade Axis, which is a £2,250,000 (3million euros) European project. The NETA corridor is a trans-national initiative linking Ireland, Northern England, the Netherlands and Germany. The UK section comprises the Trans-Pennine axis, which includes the Humber ports. One of the key objectives of NETA is to: "Enhance significantly trade and prosperity along this west-east corridor as both an alternative to the traditional north-south orientation of the EU—and to do this in a more sustainable manner through increased use of short sea and rail transport." 9.1.3. Humber Trade Zone (HTZ) The Humber Trade Zone is a body established to promote the Humber as a focal point for trade through initiatives like the Hull and Humber/Rotterdam Alliance. This was a marketing initiative to promote the advantages of Anglo-Dutch short sea shipping services. The Humber ports are in competition with other southern and east coast ports for the handling of both European and global trade. The changing patterns of trade flow with the rise of European wide logistics and the growth in global shipping means the goods are travelling further and more imports means increased volume for ports wanting to expand. A growth in containers and Ro-Ro traffic has been notable at Hull as new terminals enhance capacity. Quay 2005 if built will bring additional tonnage and help enhance Hull’s image further. The HTZ actively promotes the need for a good road and rail infrastructure to service the growth of the port. Roads are increasingly congested, resulting in unreliable journey times. Although the £43 million Hedon Road scheme is now open and has improved the road network leading to King George Dock there is still a bottleneck on Castle Street. Use of rail could help relieve this situation. Rail may become relatively more competitive because of increasing pressures on road freight industry, eg. Working Time Directive, Lorry Road User Charging, increasing price of fuel. With Hull having declared an Air Quality Management Area there are environmental pressures because road freight creates about 8 times more exhaust emissions per tonne kilometre than rail.

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The HTZ is keen to attract major port and logistics groups to Hull to create new employment opportunities. It wants to build on the major multinational industrial clusters in the city including Ports and Logistics, the chemical sector, food processing, storage and packaging industries. Land is available and relatively cheap (25% cheaper than near Leeds), but there is a need to have a phased approach to industrial development which would allow demand driven growth. Development funds might be available but they need to tie in with an integrated development plan. One of the growth areas in international logistics is that of value added services needing to be applied to customise the product near the local market. 9.1.4. Trade B&Q attracted much publicity in 2001 for recognising that the Humber could act as a main entry point to the UK. It focused northern distribution on Immingham, stimulating feeder traffic from Rotterdam, and other retailers are now following in its footsteps. Ikea built a big warehouse in Doncaster, well placed for the northern motorway network, around two years ago and Next have completed work on a big distribution facility close by. Among manufacturers of consumer goods importing into the region, Alba Electronics is believed to be moving 200 containers a week into Humberside for national distribution. Although B&Q chose to use Immingham, Hull is equally well placed to benefit from this migration from south to north. 9.1.5. Employment The port is a major employer in the Hull area and has attracted several large haulage companies and numerous small contractors to establish a base in the city. In addition there are several sizeable warehouse operations to service international trade both within the ABP port and in other areas of the city. The decline of traditional industries means that land, people and development cash are available to fuel future economic expansion. 9.1.6. Northern Way Implications for the City The Draft Northern Way Business Plan has highlighted a number of relatively small but potentially significant investments in terms of their economic impact and support for Northern Way connectivity priorities, which would not go ahead as quickly without some funding from the Northern Way Growth Fund. In particular these are rail projects that could improve access to the ports, airports and within or between Northern city regions. Included in this list is rail access to Hull Docks which currently has a capacity of 8-10 trains per day. This is inadequate and it is known that traffic is either being lost or using road, adding to congestion. The port operator is confident that they can potentially attract over 20 trainloads by 2008 should there be sufficient rail capacity. A relatively small upgrade to the line costing about £3million could realise 16 paths per day. But a larger scheme, which would reinstate double track throughout costing in the region of £8/9million, may be needed by the end of the decade. Discussions are taking place with Network Rail, ABP, HTZ about how YF (or the Northern Way) and other possible sources of funding can help to improve access to the docks. The Northern Way highlights the role of A63 in serving the port but also acting as a barrier to the continued regeneration of Hull and its waterfront. This conflict of roles causes serious delay and unreliability for port traffic and is undermining efforts to regenerate the waterfront. Work is already ongoing on this project and, in the short term, traffic management solutions are being progressed with the Highways Agency to reduce this conflict. In the medium term, a major investment solution, currently being discussed, will be required to both improve port access and stimulate regeneration. 9.2. Tonnage and Commodities Major companies on the Continent are looking to import their products into the UK; these include the likes of B&Q and Ikea who have already seen the benefits of using Humber ports. Table 9.1 shows the volume of handled cargo at the various ports on the Humber. Grimsby and Immingham is the Highest Ranking Port in the UK. Hull handled 10.5m tonnes in 2003. Table 9.2 shows the tonnage moved through the combined Humber Ports, which includes the ports of Hull, Goole, Grimsby and Immingham as a comparison with Hull Port. Figure 9.1 shows the split of tonnage by commodity at Hull.

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Table 9.1 Tonnage at Humber Ports (All cargo, ‘000 tonnes, 2003) Grimsby & Immingham Hull Goole Rivers Hull & Humber River Trent

55,931 10,529 1,913

10,025 2,309

Total 80,707 Table 9.2 Cargo Breakdown at Hull and All Humber Ports (‘000 tonnes, 2003) Cargo Type Hull Humber (Total) Liquefied gas 0 249 Crude oil 0 17,708 Oil products 570 13,854 Other liquid bulk products 1,955 3,365 Ores 0 6,209 Coal * 154 9,721 Agricultural products 344 2,136 Other dry bulk 936 2,909 Container traffic 2,218 3,505 Roll-on / Roll-off 2,858 14,702 Forestry products 1,045 2,457 Iron and steel products 328 2,977 General cargo 121 913 Total 10,529 80,705 Source: Humber Forum * In 2004, coal made up around 2 million tonnes per year, compared to 0.15 million tonnes in 2003. Figure 9.1 Percentage Breakdown of Cargo at Hull

5%

19%

1%

3%

9%

22%

28%

10%3%

Oil Products

Other Liquid bulk products

Coal

Agricultural Products

Other Dry Bulk

Container Traffic

Roll On/Roll Off

Forestry Products

Iron and steel Products

Hull has developed its facilities and is now a leading ferry and container port and is growing handling 10.5 million tonnes in 2003 and 12.7 million in 2004. The commodities handled at the port include almost 3 million tonnes on Roll on-Roll off (Ro-Ro) services, 2 million tonnes in containers, 2.5 million tonnes of oil and liquid products, 2 million tonnes of coal, a million tonnes of forest products and sizeable amounts of steel and agricultural produce. 9.2.1. Ro-Ro Ro-Ro traffic represents the largest single proportion of the port’s throughput. Facilities have been expanded and there are 11 Ro-Ro berths in the enclosed docks and the new riverside berth serving the new super ferries operated by P&O to Rotterdam. The volume of traffic handled on the new 60,000 tonne vessels is larger than on traditional ferries and means there is a larger burst of traffic shortly after the vessels have docked. These ferries are capable of carrying 1,360 passengers, 250 cars and 400 freight units.

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9.2.2. Containers Hull is ideally located to provide short-sea and feeder-service options to importers and exporters. Hull Container Terminal handles containers at Queen Elizabeth Dock. Operators calling at Hull Container Terminal include Geest (now owned by SAMSKIP), North Sea Line, ESF Euroservices, The United Baltic Corporation jointly with EuroAfrica Shipping Line, and Finnlines. Hull Container Terminal offers: • The capability of handling ro-ro and lo-lo (lift-on lift-off) traffic simultaneously; • Storage for all types of container, including refrigerated units and hazardous goods

containers, and facilities for container repairs; and • Groupage facilities are available and Full Container Loads (FCL) and Less than Container

Loads (LCL) can be accommodated. 9.2.3. Dry Bulks Hull is an important centre for the dry-bulk trade, and this traffic has become much more diversified in recent years as a result of the port’s flexible working practices. In recent years, the port has taken advantage of the economies of scale that are possible in this market, and much of the additional dry-bulk traffic flowing through the port is being imported directly from deep-sea vessels. Hull offers facilities for the following commodities: • Aggregates; • Cement; • Chemicals; • Coal and coal products; and • Grain. 9.2.4. Liquid Bulks Facilities are provided for clean products and vegetable oils. There is capacity for up to 150,000 tonnes to be stored, with many tanks being insulated, coiled and heated. Liquid-bulk cargoes continue to be an important component of the port’s traffic and include chemicals, acids, edible oils and molasses. Facilities are available for bulk liquids to be discharged directly to road tankers or tanker barges 9.2.5. Steel and Other Metals Hull Steel Terminal is the UK’s first fully enclosed steel-handling facility, where metal cargoes can be handled entirely undercover to allow for all weather working, with vessels being able to berth inside the covered cargo-handling and storage shed. Steel is also handled by a number of other operators. Large volumes of steel traffic are also exported through Hull for Corus to destinations including the Middle East and the USA. 9.2.6. Forest Products Hull has for many years been the UK's largest softwood timber port, handling well in excess of one million cubic metres every year. Its northern location in the UK has made the port a convenient gateway for this booming trade with Scandinavia and the Baltic states. 9.2.7. Chilled, Frozen Produce and Perishables The cold storage on King George Dock has a capacity of 10,000 one-tonne pallets for perishable products, while an additional 193,000 cu m lies adjacent to the port. 9.2.8. Fish Hull's fishing fleet is based at Albert and Wm Wright Docks, and continues to play an important role in the nation’s fishing and fish-processing industries. Albert and Wm Wright Docks are also the site of the new Hull Fish Auction Market. This facility opened in 2001 and utilises the latest IT networking to link with other European markets and will open during 2001. The new market will assist over 60 merchants and processing companies who handle the primary and secondary processing requirements of the Hull fish trade.

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9.2.9. General Cargo General cargo commodities handled include: project cargo; casework; palletised cargo; bulk and bagged cargo; steel; metals; and food products. 9.2.10. Passengers and Cruises About one million passengers pass through the Port of Hull every year on passenger services operated by P&O Ferries. The port also regularly welcomes cruise vessels. 9.3. Short Sea Shipping; Containers Versus Trailers The use of trailers, accompanied and unaccompanied, had grown steadily over the past four decades, fuelled by the growth in intra-European trade that the development of the EU has encouraged. Containers have at times struggled to compete for business, partly due to slower transit times but mostly because road haulage has been sold so cheaply. Geest believe there is a great future for container transportation in the intra-European trades. The drivers for this container renaissance are several. They include: • Faster transit times; • More customer friendly and competitive equipment; • Increasing road transport costs favouring multi modal alternatives; and • An increase in the distance goods are being transported within Europe. It is unusual for Geest to find that it can’t match with its containers the transit times offered by unaccompanied trailer operators. Import containers can be on the road within an hour of the ship arriving if that is what the customer wants. Export containers can arrive at the dock gate less than one hour before the ship is sailing. When it comes to the inland transportation legs, the container operator has a choice of modes. By and large, the trailer operator doesn’t. Of the containers that arrive by sea at Geest’s Rotterdam hub, 70% then move by road directly to the customers. 10% leave on inland waterway barges and 20% are transported by rail. Of the containers that arrive at Hull Container Terminal all of them currently continue on their journey by road. Although there are possibilities for using rail and barge in the future. Short sea operators have introduced 2.5m wide containers which are much more pallet friendly and they have replaced their 40 ft containers with 45 ft units that are able to carry the same number of pallets as 13.6m trailers. 45ft hi cubes offers 89.1m 3 and 33 pallets, similar to a standard trailer. The cost of road haulage is going up with Governments keep raising the tax on fuel, the world fuel price escalating and now we have the London Congestion charge and the German Maut with the prospects for the introduction of a Lorry Road User Charging system in the UK in 2008. With Germany having introduced its Maut system of road tolling in January 2005, shippers and forwarders are seeking alternatives to trucking through Germany. One answer is short sea shipping from the Baltic to East Coast Ports. Since the acquisition of Geest North Sea Line by Samskip. Geest will be a major player in the Baltic trades as they merge the North Sea activities with the Baltic operations of Samskip. Of course container operators mainly have to move their boxes by road and so too face the increasing road haulage costs, but at least there are alternatives. For example, in the UK, Geest now uses four ports in the UK east coast, Grangemouth, Teesport, Hull and Tilbury – and this allows them to bring in containers as close as possible to the final destination, thus reducing the haulage bills. It is worthy of note that the only port from the above list that does not have a container service by rail is Hull. Geest are introducing larger ships and now have ships of 800-1000 (twenty feet equivalent unit) TEU on some of the longer short sea routes, indeed there are two 800 TEU vessels designed specifically to carry 45ft containers to operate on the short shuttle between Rotterdam and the UK East Coast.

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There are several other reasons in favour of using containers over standard trailers. By allowing containers to be used as mobile warehouses, operators can save money on storage costs. The containers can be shipped and held near their ultimate destination until the customer sends an instruction for delivery. Because containers are relatively cheap when compared to trailers and they can be block stacked, it is much cheaper to hold products in containers than in trailers. 9.4. Road Haulage and Port Traffic 9.4.1. Cost of Container Transport A 44 tonne tractor unit costs about £60,000 and a skeletal trailer about £15,000. Many operators use a trailer to vehicle articulation factor of about 1.5 to 1, that’s 1½ trailers for every truck. So the total cost of the equipment is £82,500. Depreciation, servicing, tyres and insurance can amount to £30,000 per annum. If the tractor unit travels about 80,000 miles a year it will use about 9,000 gallons of derv at a cost of £4/gallon equating to £36,000. As an assumption the cost of employing a driver including employer costs is about £30,000 a year - £600 a week. So the total cost of running a 44 tonne truck is rapidly approaching £100,000 per year depending on the operation. Quite simply a haulier needs to earn £400 a day to make a 44 tonner pay. Typically the driver clocks up about 65 to 70 hours a week, but is only actually driving for about 38 hours – a little over half of his working week. The remainder of the driver’s time at work is spent in three areas – at the ports, on slower journeys, or waiting too long to be loaded or unloaded. It is not a very efficient use of the assets in a business. 9.4.2. Port Congestion Port congestion is having a growing impact on the road haulier. In the last five years, port turnaround times at deep-sea ports have increased from an average of 1½ to 2½ hours at peak, from August to December – at some ports, even longer. To put it another way, this represents a loss of over 8% of the driver’s working day at peak. This has tended to help some of the northern ports like Hull as it does not suffer the same kind of delays. Whatever the reason; capacity issues, lack of resources, priority given to ships, too many empty containers on the terminal or the convergence of hauliers at the ports at four o clock every afternoon, port congestion leads to truck delays, failed deliveries, rebookings, and a great deal of stress resulting in lost productivity, poor service and frustration for drivers, staff and customers. So how can road hauliers respond, some have started operating overnight shunting to spread the arrival of trucks at the ports throughout the night. The short sea operators became door-to-door transport companies and took responsibility for meeting their competitors, the international road hauliers, head on. They accepted the tight delivery demands by minimising merchant haulage and working in a more intense “hands on” style with their terminal operators. Rarely is a vehicle working for Geest North Sea Line or Seawheel on the quay for more than 45 minutes. There is a need to move to ‘seven day’ deliveries as most trucks currently work 5 to 5.5 days a week only and there is a need to mirror the activities of the port by utilising our assets for the entire week. In trying to improve the port operations it would be good to have some landside targets as to measured service levels. There are several Waterside Targets for example: • Berth availability; • Crane/vessel moves/hour; and • Vessel turnaround time. 9.4.3. Road Congestion In the 1980’s a driver working for a container transport company would have driven 2,000 miles a week. Today, the figure is more like 1,400 to 1,500 miles per week. Regionalisation of container ports and container volumes, has contributed to an almost 30% drop in mileage, but road congestion is the biggest factor and a well-respected container haulier predicted that vehicle mileage would fall even further in the future. Going forward as an industry, there is a need to encourage off peak journeys, where the trucks are not competing with rush hour traffic. Spreading deliveries over a 24-hour period will help to avoid congestion hotspots. The number of warehouses that can receive goods at night is still very limited. As an indication only 2% of the work of a 300 vehicle fleet container haulier is

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currently undertaken at night. Another measure of the impact of road congestion is journey time. The average journey time from Felixstowe to Manchester for an 8am booking is now nearly 6 hours. Ten years ago this was under 5 hours. Having said that road haulage is still responsible for 75% plus of all container deliveries in the UK and will continue to lead the way. Road still remains the most flexible, responsive, innovative and cost effective solution for container transport. Congestion issues and delays at the ports, on the road and at the receivers need to be addressed to maintain efficiency. Better design for new warehouses with sites for drop and swap trailers would help. 9.5. The Port and Road Traffic The most heavily trafficked route running through the study, the A63 (Garrison Road, Castle Street and Clive Sullivan Way), has special significance for freight traffic, being the primary route to and from the Port of Hull as well as access to the main urban areas of Hull when approached from the West. The road links Hull’s ports with the A63 over Myton Bridge, an 800 tonne opening swingbridge that carries 40,000 vehicles daily including a considerable number of HGVs. Then the port traffic feeds on to Hedon Road going out to the east of the city which has been recently upgraded at a cost of £43 million. This road carries 34,000 vehicles a day of which 18% are HGVs. A traffic census was conducted in April 2004 at the security gates of the Port to establish the number of vehicles leaving the dock area over a 24-hour basis. It was found that 9,000 vehicles exited the port and this included 3,000 lorries representing a third of the total. This figure has been grossed up for the year to give 3 million vehicles including 1 million lorries. The Port handled 12.7 million tonnes in 2004 of which about 2 million tonnes went by pipeline, 50,000 tonnes by barge and 1.8 million tonnes went by rail leaving 9 million by road. If you divide the port tonnage by the number of lorry movements this equates to about 9 tonnes of payload per vehicle. This appears to be on the low side as the expectation is that an average payload would be more like 20 tonnes. This suggests that the other vehicle movements are connected with other industries on port land and empty lorry manoeuvres. ABP’s instruction to industry is that they should use the nearest gate to their port destination. This means that the type of commercial traffic coming through the Queen Elizabeth (eastern) Dock Gate consists of containers, paper and timber from the Finland Terminal, timber from Aalmans and Jewsons, steel, aggregates and coal from HBH. The commodities through the Main Gate include the P&O Ferry traffic, Anglia Oil, Cold Store, Grain silo, steel and some Alexandra Dock tonnage like timber. 9.5.1. Port Tonnage Implications on Traffic This table uses some basic assumptions but is designed to show the need to increase capacity on the Hull Docks branch line and be aware of the role pipelines and barge traffic can play. For the purposes of the table it is assumed that pipeline and barge traffic remain static at their 2001 levels of 2 million and 50,000 tonnes per annum respectively. Rail traffic dipped in 2003 when the coal imports from Russia temporarily stopped but this traffic is now growing fast. The assumption made is that capacity on the Hull Docks branch will be increased from 10 train paths this year to 12 by 2007, 16 by 2011 and 24 by 2016. Using a standard discussed with Network Rail it is assumed that each train path represents 250,000 tonnes per year. This is calculated from an assumption that each train carries approximately 1,000 tonne payload and these trains run 250 days per year. Clearly freight trains vary from container trains that might have a payload of 700 tonnes to coal trains that might have a payload of 1,200 but this is only an average for forecasting. An assumption has been made that each HGV carries a payload of 20 tonnes. It is assumed that road freight runs on 300 days a year. As can be seen even with rail expanding in line with capacity improvements there is still a growth in road transport volumes required. Indeed the number of HGV movements would need to grow 92% between 2001 and 2016 (1,125 to 2,158). The importance of this is that it confirms the need for both road and rail improvements to accommodate port growth expectations.

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Table 9.3 Port Tonnage Implications On Traffic Year 2001 2003 2004 2005 2007 2011 2016 Tonnage (in millions) 10.1 10.5 12.7 13.5 15 18 21 Pipeline million tonnes 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Barge million tonnes 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 Rail million tonnes 1.3 0.1 1.8 2.5 3 4 6 Road million tonnes 6.75 8.35 8.85 8.95 9.95 11.95 12.95 Road ( tonnes per day) 22,500 27,833 29,500 29,833 33,167 39,833 43,167Number of HGVs per day 1,125 1,392 1,475 1,492 1,658 1,992 2,158 % growth of HGVs (no. years) n/a 24% (2yr) 6% (1yr) 1% (1yr) 11% (2yr) 20% (4yr) 8% (5yr)Rail Freight Paths 6 2 8 10 12 16 24 Rail % 13% 1% 14% 19% 20% 22% 28% Road % 67% 80% 70% 66% 67% 67% 62% Pipeline % 20% 19% 16% 15% 13% 11% 10% If rail does not grow beyond 2005 levels then by 2016 road will have to cater for 54,833 tonnes per day or 2,742 HGVs instead of 43,167 tonnes and 2,158 HGVs. This represents a difference of 584 HGV movements each way on a daily basis. Port related HGV traffic would have to grow by 244% between 2001 and 2016 to accommodate the required growth. 9.6. Future Developments A series of possible future developments are likely to affect the viability of the Port including: • Quay 2005 – The government is minded to approve the development of Quay 2005 and this

will mean the Hull Container Terminal will relocate and allow an increase in container movements. Provisional plans exist to start container trains in the next year serving the existing terminal. But there is a need to consider the implications from 2007 when the terminal moves to Quay 2005. There has been a 15% increase in short sea feeder vessel movements in 2004. Several are coming in to Humber ports from Rotterdam and Antwerp and also from other UK ports. The refusal of the Dibden Bay proposals in Southampton does assist Hull as a container destination for transhipment, but lack of deep water and cost of diversion away from English Channel means larger global vessels will not be attracted.

• The Finland terminal that handles timber and paper is currently looking to expand. The growth could make use of the current container terminal and this will give them easier access to a link.

• Intermodal Freight Village – There is the possibility of establishing a “common user” freight terminal offering added value services. This may bring extra trade to the port.

• Train Ferry – Provisional plans to run a train ferry from Rotterdam to Hull. Although uncertain this will happen, it could need 2 freight train paths.

• Coal Imports – The increasing coal volumes handled by HBH are moved onward from the port by rail. This growth has prompted a recent application for 2 additional train paths this takes demand near to the current supply of freight train paths. Since 2003 there had been a resurgence of coal volume through Hull Bulk Handling. The terminal currently handles 2 million tonne of coal each year and wants to expand.

• Other developments may include using the reclaimed land at the east end of the port and this may ultimately become a complementary site for container operations to those planned at Quay 2005 but in any event any plans for this site are likely to be in the longer term. The move to riverside berths will enable much bigger ships to operate and it is expected that this will offer the best long-term future for container movements at Hull.

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10.1. Improving Strategic Routing The majority of transport operators and other major companies contacted said that they did not experience any significant problems with vehicle routing in and around the city. In many respects, this is not surprising given the tendency for many companies to locate themselves strategically along the A63 and Hedon Road. Because of this, many drivers are able to enter Hull and find their final destination without actually leaving the trunk road. This was confirmed by comments from drivers most of which tended to travel to known destinations on or around the A63. The majority of city centre drivers knew the city centre very well because they made deliveries there everyday. The companies that were contacted showed little interest in having maps developed for incoming drivers, for these very reasons. While it would not appear to be useful to develop company specific maps, 2 maps have been created for information purposes showing the routes utilised by major companies operating in Hull (see Appendix C). 10.1.1. Information Boards With these issues aside, there are a number of relatively low cost actions the Council can take to ensure drivers can access routing information when necessary. It is recommended that information boards are erected at 3 key strategic locations around the city to allow drivers to stop and check their route, and to provide information about the location of major retail parks, industrial estates and other freight specific facilities such as Priory Park. The A1079 (on the northern approach to the city), ABP ferry terminal and A63 (between Humber Bridge and Hull) are probably the most appropriate points for these to be erected. It is recommended that the signs are multi-lingual and suitable for foreign lorry drivers. The development of a new lay-by on the western approach of the A63 could encourage drivers to look at this information. 10.1.2. O/S Data for Height Restricted Bridges Hull has a relatively high number of weight and height restricted bridges. While most drivers in Hull know the whereabouts of these, there will always be drivers unfamiliar with the city. As computer routing and scheduling systems become more widely used by transport operators, it is likely that many drivers will be notified of hazards via in-cab computer systems. As these systems continue to be developed and new companies enter the market, it is important that they can access information that is precise and up to date. It is therefore suggested that the Council take some simple, low cost steps to ensure mapping companies have up to date O/S data. This could be done be meeting representatives of Ordnance Survey and developing a brief report that could be provided to computer mapping companies at no charge. 10.1.3. Actions R1: Develop information boards to be erected at 3 locations into the city R2: Ensure mapping companies have correct O/S data on the location of hazards 10.2. Addressing Signage Issues 10.2.1. Lorry Symbols In 1987 a Traffic Management scheme was devised to divert traffic away from the A63 Trunk Road in periods of disruption because of accidents, bridge openings or other incidents. The system used road signs with triangles showing the easterly diversion and squares for the westerly diversion. The system is now incomplete and should be reviewed. It is recommended that these symbols are removed as and when signs are replaced. 10.2.2. National Avenue Industrial Estate While most businesses and drivers did not report major problems finding their destinations in Hull, several drivers reported having difficulties reaching the National Avenue Industrial Estate and said that they have ended up the wrong side of the Perth Street West railway bridge for

10. Recommendations

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their intended destination. The railway bridge has several advance warning signs showing it to have an 11 feet 6 inch height restriction. However several of these vehicles end up having to reverse significant distances before they can turn around. Better signage for the industrial estate itself may help address this issue. 10.2.3. Freight Specific VMS Messages In early 2005 a study was undertaken investigating the justification of a Variable Message Signing (VMS) system to be developed for the city of Hull. Such a system is potentially very useful for freight, and could advise HGV drivers of bridge openings (either in real time or in advance) and other problems as they occur. This would give them the option of taking alternate routes to avoid congestion and to some degree could be used to circumvent the (legislative) issue of bridges having priority over roads. 10.2.4. Actions S1: Review signing for lorry routes and delete lorry symbols when signs are replaced S2: Improve signing to National Avenue Industrial Estate S3: Develop freight specific messages as part of the VMS implementation 10.3. Short Term Highway Improvements 10.3.1. A63 Congestion The A63, and specifically Castle Street, represents the single largest constraint on freight movements within Hull and this will continue to be the case into the future. At present traffic on Castle Street generally flows well outside peak hour, however significant congestion occurs during the peak period and it is not uncommon for a three-mile journey on the A63 during the morning peak to take around 30 minutes. This situation is only likely to get worse as port related traffic continues to grow in the future. This congestion impacts on transport operators (particularly those on the East side of the city) in a variety of ways. Firstly and most importantly it increases the cost of operations in the form of increased fuel consumption and is unproductive time for drivers. Variability in journey times is also problematic because it creates difficulties in scheduling of multi-drop trips, makes operations less flexible, and impacts on the quality of service that an operator can provide. The environmental and social impacts of this congestion also need to be highlighted and considered. Because the A63 is effectively the only route into Hull, continued congestion could discourage companies from locating themselves in the city, and may have long term repercussions on the economic development of the region. There are essentially 2 types of strategies that can be adopted to improve flow on this bottleneck - short term measures to minimise pedestrian crossing, junction and bridge delays, and long term infrastructure projects to remove points of delay altogether. 10.3.2. Pedestrian Crossings It is understood that the Highways Agency has already made a number of modifications to the pedestrian crossings on Castle Street in recent years to improve traffic flow. For instance, pedestrian crossings have been upgraded to puffin crossings to avoid unnecessary red lights. Pedestrian crossings have also been phased to match traffic signals at major intersections to avoid unnecessary stops, however this has had only a limited effect due to the distance between lights. It may be worth considering whether any other modifications can be made to improve the flow of traffic. 10.3.3. Bridge Openings Minimising bridge openings during peak hour is likely to be most beneficial short term strategy for achieving improvements on the A63. Faber Maunsell recently undertook a feasibility study looking at this issue which concluded that an act of Parliament would be required to give the road precedence over waterway traffic. As already noted, the issue of bridge openings on the River Humber is complicated by the fact that opening times are influenced by tidal movements (although fully laden barges can often pass underneath without the bridge opening).

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With these issues aside however, a non-legislative cooperative arrangement between freight road users, waterway authorities and companies operating along the River Humber could help reduce the impact that bridge openings have on traffic on the A63. A bridge specific FQP represents the ideal forum to address this issue. A number of strategies could be developed through the FQP to foster a better working relationship between road and river users encourage a greater number of bridge openings during non peak periods. This would also provide an opportunity to address issues freight transport operators have with other Bridges over the River Humber. There may well be many simple measures that taken to achieve this. For instance, one river user has already reported to us that they avoid moving freight on Sundays because they are charged for bridge openings on this day (whereas weekdays are free). It may also be possible to introduce other measures to provide information to road users about bridge opening times, such as VMS (assuming it is developed), dedicated information signs near Myton Bridge, or even a section of the HCC website. As part of this project, 5 companies have expressed a potential interest in actively working with the Council to address freight issues, and these would represent a useful starting point for setting up a Bridge FQP. There are at least 6 different companies currently operating barges on the River Humber, and it is suggested that these are contacted in due course. 10.3.4. Other Measures Congestion problems were not reported at many other sites aside from the A63, however several operators reported problems at the intersection of National Ave and County Road North. In particular it was felt that the intersection could not cope with large numbers of HGV movements into the site because of the residential traffic also using the area. In addition, it was also felt that cycle lanes and phasing of lights at this location many not be appropriate. It is suggested this intersection be examined to see if it can be improved. As discussed in the signage section, it is also recommended that a new facility is developed on the western approach of the A63, somewhere between Humber Bridge and Priory Park. This represents an ideal point to provide information to Lorry drivers about industrial areas, retail parks and lorry parking facilities. Signage for the layby should include an information symbol to advise drivers about the information boards. Actions H1: Review phasing of lights and location of pedestrian crossings on Castle Street H2: Establish a Bridge FQP Group to reduce bridge openings during peak hour H3: Review intersection of National Ave and County Road North for improvements H4: Develop lay-by between Humber Bridge and Priory Park 10.4. Medium to Long Term Highway Improvements 10.4.1. Reconsider the provision of a Pedestrian Footbridge across Castle Street In the medium to long term there are a number of more significant infrastructure improvements that could be undertaken to eliminate several points of congestion altogether. It is understood that the Council have previously examined the feasibility of building a pedestrian footbridge, but that the design was ruled out mainly on aesthetic grounds. It may well be worth re-examining this issue. A larger scale development e.g. an enclosed footbridge with elevators may make a positive improvement to the city centre (and could eventually be linked to Quay West), and would result in the “at grade” crossings being less used thus improving the flow of traffic. While the cost of such a development may seem significant on face value, it may well be appropriate given the financial and environmental costs of congestion on the A63, and the likelihood that these will continue to rise in coming years.

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10.4.2. Market Place and Garrison Road In addition to pedestrian crossings, the intersection of Castle Street and Market Place is another significant point of congestion on the A63. It is understood that the HA intend to remove the right turning movements to reduce delays at this intersection. While this would prevent traffic from crossing Garrison Road itself, traffic could still access Market Place and Queen Street by using the roundabouts at Great Union Street and Mytongate. The modification of this intersection If combined with the introduction of the footbridge mentioned above, could improve traffic flow substantially. 10.4.3. “Cut and Cover” Tunnel While these measures may help ease congestion in the medium term, it is likely that a ‘cut and cover’ tunnel type development represents the only effective longer term solution to the constraints on the A63. An additional and important benefit of such a development is that it would effectively open up the city centre to the river and improve amenity. The reclassification of the A63 from the National to Regional HA network has slowed progress on this development. It is strongly recommended that HCC push forward and continue to progress this development with the HA. 10.4.4. Reducing the Reliance on the Private Car An alternative to making provision for the increasing number of cars on the road is to encourage passenger modal switch and persuade car users to transfer to public transport. There are a number of town and cities in Britain that have managed to reverse the decline in bus patronage by various positive measures. These include improving conventional bus services and encouraging the use of Park and Ride sites to remove unnecessary private cars from the Trunk Road and Primary Route Network. This measure is a legitimate strategy as it frees up road capacity for freight movements that do not have the feasibility of changing mode. Actions H5: Reconsider provision of a pedestrian footbridge over Castle Street H6: Examine feasibility of removing right turns at the traffic signals at intersection of Market Place and Castle Street H7: Lobby for ‘Cut and cover’ Tunnel scheme for Castle Street. H8: Promote improvements in public transport including investigating the need for additional Park and Ride services. 10.5. Addressing City Centre Delivery Issues As discussed in Section 5, few significant delivery issues were reported by the operators, businesses and retailers surveyed as part of this study. However, a number of retailers did highlight particular delivery point issues relating to the size and location of loading bays, the height of canopies in delivery areas and problems relating to the manoeuvrability of delivery vehicles in city centre streets. Company specific issues such as these are probably outside the responsibility of the Council, however there are a number of general steps that could be taken to continue to minimise delivery problems in the city centre. It should be kept in mind however that problems on the A63 are far more significant, and highway improvements should probably take precedence in the short term. 10.5.1. Enforcement of Parking Restrictions It is suggested that parking restrictions are enforced as much as possible on streets that attract a significant number of deliveries, such as the areas around the Prospect Centre (Brook Street and Mill Street) and Princess Quay Shopping Centre (Waterhouse Lane and Osborne Street). These areas are particularly important because inappropriately parked cars can have a negative impact on not just one delivery but many because all vehicles need to access the areas at the same location. It is understood that decriminalised parking may be introduced during 2006 and this may have a positive effect through controlled enforcement.

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10.5.2. Consideration of a Consolidation Centre In the longer term, it may be necessary to look at ways of reducing the number of articulated vehicles entering the city centre. For this reason it is recommended that within the next 5 years, a feasibility study is undertaken to examine the potential for a consolidation centre that serves retailers and businesses in Hull. A facility like this would not only potentially address many delivery point issues but also help to address current and future issues associated with traffic and retail growth in Hull. 10.5.3. Promotion of Night Delivery Princes Quay and Prospect Shopping Centre operate and actively promote a policy whereby deliveries can be made to retailers within its premises at any time. Recently, a handful of retailers have taken up this opportunity, for instance one retailer only takes deliveries at night because this causes less disruption. There may be a role for the local authority to assist in promoting the benefits of night time deliveries. 10.5.4. No Car Lanes Another potentially useful way of dealing with congestion and pollution caused by inner city freight movements is to develop special ‘no car’ lanes. Although there does not appear to be significant problems with inner city freight deliveries in Hull, the planned major commercial and retail developments in Hull, it may be worth trialling a ‘no car’ lane to explore it’s usefulness in the medium to longer term. The A1079 (Beverley Road) could be a trial site. Traffic counts data observed for this route suggest there will not be an adverse impact on bus journey times because buses comprise only 3% of all traffic, and HGVs 3%, hence there is plenty of available capacity on the present bus lane. An alternative is to experiment with a “no car lane” on the Trunk Road network perhaps the A63, to see if this improves the flow of freight traffic to and from the docks. Clearly this would need to be carefully planned in conjunction with the Highways Agency. Actions D1: Enhanced Enforcement of Parking restrictions, particularly around shopping centres. D2: Examine the feasibility of creating a consolidation centre to serve city centre retailers. D3: Consider supporting promotion of 24/7 deliveries to Princes Quay and Prospect Shopping Centres. D4: Examine the usefulness of a no car lane. 10.6. Partnership When surveyed all major businesses and operators were asked if they would be interested in becoming involved in a partnering arrangement with the Council to improve understanding of each others needs and to look for ways to change existing conditions in Hull for the better. As stated in Section 4, five respondents expressed interest in this type of arrangement. The most appropriate and beneficial ways of taking forward these expressions of interest need to be identified in terms of the Council’s existing partnering and consultative processes, however a useful starting point might be to invite these businesses to participate in a FQP. It is known that both York City Council and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council are both keen to establish FQPs and it seems eminently reasonable to have a combined FQP to cover matters of mutual interest with at least the East Riding Council. Action PA1: Consider how to take forward interest expressed by operators/businesses in becoming involved in a partnership arrangement

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10.7. Reducing Accidents 10.7.1. The Hull Ring Road A review of data for a five-year period (2000/2004) revealed that the majority of HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents occur on the A63. However, the ratio of accidents to total freight movements suggests that comparatively speaking, this route is safer than other primary routes. The A63 should continue to be promoted as the safest and most appropriate route for freight in the city. On the whole, the ring road is not well suited to large volumes of HGVs and should not be promoted as an alternative to the trunk road unless there is an accident or other problem causing serious congestion. But the ring road is the appropriate route for traffic coming from the south and west and wanting to access western and certain northern Hull destinations. 10.7.2. HGV Accident Blackspots Although in relative terms there are fewer accidents on A63 compared with other major routes, there a number of areas on this road that appeared to have a disproportionately higher number of accidents. From 2000 to 2004, there appeared to be a relatively large number of accidents involving HGVs greater than 7.5 tonnes on Daltry Street on the flyover by Rawling Way Roundabout and Mytongate roundabout leading onto Garrison Road. Great Union Street and Mount Pleasant Roundabouts that join the A63 with A1033 were also a common spots for HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents in the years 2002/2003. Although articulated lorries are in some respects more likely to have accidents on roundabouts or at road junctions than other vehicles, it may be worth conducting safety audits at some or all of these sites to ensure they are as safe as possible for HGVs and other road users There also appeared to be a high number of HGV (greater than 7.5 tonne) accidents on and around junctions leading onto Hessle Road. Several companies reported problems with roundabouts on Hedon Road, and said that in particular a large number of loads have been lost at the roundabout on Hedon Road and Southcoates Lane. Drivers reported that there is very little room to manoeuvre on this roundabout which is presently 3 lanes. To allow HGV move space to negotiate this turn, it is suggested that the number of lanes be reduced from 3 to 2. 10.7.3. Cyclists Given the large number of cyclists in Hull, it would also be worth increasing the levels of training to educate cyclists on the dangers of lorries. 10.7.4. Actions A1: Reduce number of lanes on roundabout on Southcoats Lane and Hedon Road from 3 to 2 A2: Examine potential blackspots identified by the HGV accident review. A3: Increase training on cycling safety and the dangers of especially turning lorries 10.8. Lorry Parking: Improving the Use of Priory Park 10.8.1. Improving Facilities The lorry park at Priory Park is secure, well run and drivers staying there generally speak very highly of it. There is a unanimous view however that it suffers from a lack of adjacent facilities, most notably a café. This problem could be largely addressed by providing drivers with information about facilities nearby (e.g. a flyer given to drivers on their way in), and working with businesses to negotiate extended opening hours to better cater for drivers and possibly providing a ‘meal deal’ to help them attract new customers. Preliminary discussions with managers at Sainsbury’s and the Norland pub suggest they would be interested in working with the Council or other representatives to look at ways of better meeting the needs of drivers. At present, the Norland stops serving food at 8 p.m., but said they would be happy to take orders by phone to allow this to be extended by half an hour. This pub offers reasonably priced food and is only a 7 minute walk from the lorry park.

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10.8.2. Improving Signage It is also suggested that improvements are made to the signing for Priory Park Lorry Park. Some drivers reported a lack of signing coming from the East. There is only one late reference to it on the A63 which for new drivers to the area is probably too late. It is understood that the Highways Agency are undertaking this work as part of a signing review of the A63. In addition, signs to the old site at Hessle need to be removed to avoid confusing drivers. The lorry park could also be promoted through information boards at key locations on the way into the town. 10.8.3. Actions P1: Improve information on facilities near Priory Park P2: Improving signing to the site P3: Provide Information about Priory Park on message boards outside the city P4: Improve provision of services for users of Priory Park

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10.9. Lorry Parking: Addressing Unauthorised Parking 10.9.1. Unauthorised Parking Issues There is extensive unauthorised parking on the east side of the city near the docks, however at present it does not appear to be causing significant problems in terms of road damage, environmental issues (as seen in other parts of the country such as Kent) or complaints from local residents. The Sportsman pub provides showers for drivers, opens as a café early in the morning and provides reasonably priced meals for many drivers on this side of the city. It is also worth noting that the road outside the pub (old Hedon Road), is in many respects like a layby. Very little traffic uses the road at night when lorries are parked there and by early morning most vehicles are gone. While, there are some potential problems with security and theft around the vacant lot opposite King George dock, it is worth keeping in mind that there are also a number of facilities around this area that cater for drivers (a café, and drivers going into the port can also use showers and toilets at the ABP office). Improved utilisation of Priory Park will not eliminate the need for an authorised parking facility on the other side of town. Although a lack of facilities was cited by many drivers as a reason for not using Priory Park, the fact is that it is simply too far away from the main port to be used by some drivers. In peak hour it may take 25-30 minutes to get from Priory Park to the docks, and this cuts directly into drivers working time. 10.9.2. New Lorry Park The development of a (possibly privately run) lorry park on the east side of the city would not compromise the Council’s investment in Priory Park for several reasons. Firstly, the long term growth in freight traffic using the port will justify an increase in capacity (Priory Park only has 30 spaces, which is relatively small). At least one party has indicated an interest in turning the vacant block on Littlefair Road into a lorry park. This land is very well suited to this use and would require minimal investment on the part of the Council or Highways Agency. A new lorry park could be developed in conjunction with a park and ride similar to the current 703 service. The development of an authorised parking facility on the east side of the city would give the Council more control over parking in the area. Although drivers would be likely to continue to use Old Hedon Road near the Sportsman (which at present does not appear to cause many problems and can probably continue into the immediate future), having an authorised site would at least give the Council enforcement options should problems arise and they decide it is no longer appropriate for vehicles to use the area. In any case, it would be difficult to enforce a ban on parking in this area at present because drivers do not have anywhere else to go. 10.9.3. Actions P5: Allow unauthorised parking near King George Dock to continue for the immediate future, but monitor the situation to ensure environmental and social problems do not arise P6: Develop an additional lorry park on the vacant block on Littlefair Road, opposite King George Dock 10.10. Multi Modal Rail Capacity 10.10.1. Need for Additional Capacity The bottlenecks and capacity constraints on the rail network around Hull are well known. For many years the railway has operated on a 16-hour basis mainly because there has been no demand from freight operators and little interest from passenger operators either. Therefore with 7 signal-boxes that require manning there has been no point in wasting resources by employing staff on a night shift. However the situation has changed over the last year mainly due to the importing of coal and now all the train paths available for freight are used. With the planned port developments, the problems affecting road freight operators and the now customer focused privatised rail freight industry there is a real prospect of growth in rail freight. Targeted improvements to increase capacity are urgently needed otherwise the future growth of rail freight will be affected. The Council should lobby Network Rail for urgent capacity enhancements. The Council should also continue to actively source funding in order to deliver

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on the priority improvements of rail capacity. Gauge enhancements to allow “high cube” container boxes to travel by rail are less critical and may be solved by small wheel rolling stock solutions. 10.10.2. “Open Access” Terminal The City and the Port potentially generate sufficient tonnage to warrant the development of an “open access” rail freight terminal that could cater for both port and non-port traffic. If need can be demonstrated and commercial support is in place then the planning process should support terminal provision. This could include gathering evidence of need, bringing together interested parties, lobbying for regional, national and European support and assisting with applications for developments. 10.10.3. Disruption to Rail Services Customers need reliability of transport and it is important to ensure goods are delivered at the right time to the right place regardless of interruption. In order for rail freight to be truly competitive with road it needs to allow for disruption to service and make alternative arrangements. Although there is no practical alternative to the Hull to Gilberdyke line for rail freight, support for the needs of railfreight operators in the event of unexpected disruption and planned maintenance should be considered. For example if the Goole Bridge needs to close then extra capacity via Selby should be made available. There is a need to understand the extent and cost of the problem of bridge strikes and level crossing disruption. Although Network Rail data for the period March 2003/04 does not show a bridge strike problem in the city there is disruption caused by level crossing closures. 10.10.4. Actions M1: Lobby Network Rail for urgent capacity enhancements of the local rail network and in particular the Hull Docks Branch to accommodate increasing demands for more rail freight. This may be through 24 Hour Access, better signalling or other capacity enhancements to the Rail Network. M2: Support through the planning process for an open access Intermodal Terminal for the City to cater for both port and non-port traffic. M3: Lobby to Secure Adequate Funding Support for Multi-modal projects. M4: Diversionary Routes to cater for the needs of railfreight operators in the event of unexpected disruption and planned maintenance. M5: Identify the worst locations of Rail Disruption and Safety and implement an action plan to improve safety and reduce road and rail disruption. 10.11. Multi Modal Water Freight and Pipeline Issues 10.11.1. Shipping The Port of Hull has ambitious but realisable growth targets looking to grow tonnage from 10 to 21 million tonnes per year over the 15-year period from 2001 to 2016. It is suggested that the Council should continue to promote the use of shipping and in particular short sea shipping and encourage the future development of facilities in the Port of Hull to maintain the growth that the Port is currently enjoying. In order to accommodate this growth it is necessary to support the improvement of road and rail links to the Port recognising the need for sustainable transport objectives. As discussed in section 9 even with a major rail upgrade to the Hull Docks Branch, HGV road freight will have to grow by 92% between 2001 and 2016 to accommodate port tonnage projections. 10.11.2. Barge and Waterways There is a renewed interest in the role that estuarial and inland water freight can play. The current barge traffic which is mainly of liquid products is already saving road movements and is of environmental benefit. The Council should promote the use of Freight Facility Grants (FFG) and the new Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) to assist with infrastructure development. It should work with partners on identifying suitable land/wharves for future water freight

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development and safeguard them from housing developers. In addition the Council should consider the removal of charges for bridge opening on Sundays to help shift more barge freight to the quietest day of the week. 10.11.3. Pipeline Although generally only suitable for liquid products, pipelines are extremely useful for regular flows of bulk product between two fixed terminals. Once built pipelines operate very effectively at low variable cost with minimal environmental impact. Therefore the Council should encourage the use of existing pipelines to the maximum potential and ensure pipelines are considered favourably in the planning process in the future. Although it is likely most of the flows are from the neighbouring Council (East Riding of Yorkshire) area support would still be important. 10.11.4. Good Contingency Planning It is important to minimise disruption to the smooth flow of port and non-port freight traffic during construction if major upgrades to A63 Castle Street and the Hull Docks Branch railway go ahead. With any major scheme it is essential to make the best possible use of all transport infrastructure which is likely to include some modal switch and more use of available road and rail capacity at night. It is recommended that the Council calls together the many interested stakeholders to examine the best ways of minimising disruption. 10.11.5. Actions M6: Encouraging the use of existing pipelines and their development where practicable in the future. M7: Promote Water Freight within the Humber and on Inland Waterways by recognising the role current barge traffic plays, safeguarding important wharves for possible future developments and considering the removal of charges for bridge opening on Sundays. M8: Support the Growth in the Port of Hull that is bringing increased prosperity and additional jobs to Hull. M9: Promoting Improved Access to the Port with enhanced road and rail links. M10: Develop contingency plan for upgrades to rail line/Castle Street to minimise disruption to freight traffic. 10.12. Education 10.12.1. Information Dissemination Part of a freight strategy is one of general education to assist organisations like the HTZ promote freight routes through the city. Hull is a good strategic location for UK and European cargo distribution with 40million people within a four hour driving time. Hull is nearer the European centre of gravity of trade than most other parts of the British Isles. Hull is a well-developed port trading in the UK’s busiest commercial estuary and ABP have invested heavily in the Port of Hull with a new river berth for P&O offering increased Ro-Ro capacity. Hull is the northern most point in UK within a 12 hour sailing time of Europe (Rotterdam) and this is important because of overnight rest implications for drivers. A buoyant port and logistics industry brings extra jobs to the city. 10.12.2. Training Although the port did suffer a downturn in 1980s and 1990s it is now growing again. There is still an available pool of labour with operational port expertise. The new University of Hull Logistics Institute will be complementary to developments at the port as it will bring renewed interest in the city and potentially help to train the next generation of port and logistics managers. In addition there is the Army School of Driver Training nearby at Leconfield, near Beverley, which does train a large number of people in HGV Licences each year. It could mean that a partnership including Hull Council, East Riding Council and the army could be established to make best use of the local training facilities at Leconfield and perhaps attracting staff when they leave the forces to take up local driving jobs in the area.

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10.12.3. Energy Conservation The Council already shows best practice in the way their Fleet Manager operates the fleet of 800 vehicles. Many vehicles run on alternative fuels and some run on bio-diesel. The new mobile library even uses solar power to run its on-board computers whilst parked up dispensing books. Bio-diesel is a generic term covering a range of blends of diesel with a proportion being made from renewable sources like vegetable oil. The commonest blend is 95% standard derv and 5% vegetable oil and this not only extends the life of existing oil stocks but is also approved by several engine manufacturers for use in standard engines whilst maintaining their warranty. Rix Oils plan to increase production of bio-diesel locally. There are fleet operators in Hull that might switch to the use of bio-fuels if more information is made available and they can be convinced that there is no risk of damage to their vehicle’s engines if they use a bio-diesel blend. 10.12.4. Air Quality National Government sees the production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and their contribution to global warming as a major worldwide problem. With the recent declaration of an AQMA, the issue of poor air quality has gone up the local political agenda. Road transport is a major contributor to poor air quality particularly on busy roads with large volumes of stop-start traffic and a high percentage of HGVs. In order to further examine the impact that freight traffic has on air quality on Castle Street it might be appropriate to model exhaust emissions from the actual traffic mix using the A63 and compare the figures to the national standard. This local knowledge may help with the development of parts of the local air quality action plan. 10.12.5. Wider Transport Measures A good freight strategy benefits from wider transport measures designed to encourage more people to switch from reliance on their car to using bicycles, walking, catching the bus or using new Park & Ride services. This requires not only the provision of good services and attractive facilities but one of education. If the number of cars can be reduced it does help essential traffic like commercial HGVs reach their destination quicker and thus become more efficient. Therefore the provision of the cycle network, the building of the new transport interchange and new Park & Ride facilities are complementary to a freight strategy. 10.12.6. Actions E1: General education working with partners like the HTZ and Chamber of Commerce to portray the buoyant port and logistics industry which will bring extra jobs and prosperity to the city. E2: Work with the University and possibly the Army School of Transport in encouraging training to meet the needs of logistics employers in the city. E3: Continue in the way the Council’s own Fleet Manager operates the Council’s fleet of vehicles which already demonstrate many examples of best practice that could be adopted by other operators including the use of bio-diesel. E4: Model exhaust emissions from the actual traffic mix using the A63 and compare the figures to the national standard to establish the actual contribution that HGVs make to poor air quality. E5: Wider transport measures designed to curtail the growth in domestic car use help with the smooth flow of essential freight movements.

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10.13. Recommendations Against LTP Objectives The matrix below shows which of the 5 objectives of Integration, Environment, Safety, Accessibility and Economy are covered by each of the recommendations.

Strategy Area Action Integrtn Environ’t Safety Accessibility EconomyInformation boards Strategic

Routing O/S data on location of road hazards

Removal of lorry symbols Improved signage to National Ave Signing

Freight specific VMS messages Review Castle Street lights and pedestrian crossings

Bridge specific FQP Review intersection of National Ave and County Road North

Layby between Humber Bridge and Priory Park Pedestrian footbridge over Castle Street Feasibility of banning right turns at the intersection of Market Place and Castle Street

Highway Infrastructure Issues

‘Cut and cover’ tunnel for Castle Street

Improve bus services and examine need for additional Park & Ride services

Enforcement of Parking restrictions Feasibility of creating a consolidation centre Promotion of 24/7 delivery

Delivery Issues

Examine no car lane

Partnership Consider partnership arrangement Improved information on facilities for Priory Park Improving signing for Priory Park Lorry Parking information on information boards.

Improved provision of services for Priory Park New lorry park for east side of Hull

Lorry Parking

Monitoring authorised parking on east side of Hull

Reduce lanes on roundabout on Southcoats Lane and Hedon Road

Examine potential HGV accident blackspots

Accident Issues

Training for cyclists

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Strategy Area Action Integrtn Environ’t Safety Accessibility Economy

24 Hour Access, Capacity and Gauge Enhancements

Open access Intermodal Terminal Lobby to Secure Funding Support for Multi-modal projects

Diversionary Routes

Rail

Rail Disruption and Safety Relating to Other Modes

Encouraging Pipeline Development in Future Other Multi

Mode Promote Water Freight Support Growth of the Port of Hull

Ports Promoting Multimodal Access to the Port

Contingency Planning Contingency Planning

General education with HTZ and Chamber of Commerce

Work University and Army School of Transport for driver and logistics training

Continue best practice in Council fleet operation

Model exhaust emissions from actual HGVs using the A63

Education

Wider transport measures to curtail growth in car use

Summary of Recommendations – Action Plan This report has outlined a number of recommendations, and the extent to which they meet LTP objectives has been mentioned in the previous section. However it is recognised that to carry out all of the recommendations might be cost prohibitive, and the benefits gained from each recommendation would also vary. An action plan has been produced comparing the cost of implementation of each recommendation, along with the benefit gained from implementing the recommendation. Rather than a financial cost, a simple ‘High, Medium or Low’ rating has been given to cost. As an approximation a low cost has been assumed to be under £50,000, medium between £50,000 and £100,000 and high above £100,000. A similar rating has also been given for benefit. The action plan also gives information on targets to be met from implementing each recommendation. It shows the parties that will be involved, and importantly the timescale envisaged for each recommendation to be implemented. Naturally the timescale is dependent on the availability of resource. The action plan splits recommendations into issue groups, with a code number, which can be used as a reference so as to avoid confusion when discussing the recommendations in the future

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Issue Code Details Cost Benefit Target Output Partners Timescale

R1 Information boards to be erected at 3 key locations for drivers to stop and check their route.

LOW HIGH

Information boards on A1079, ABP ferry terminal and between Humber Bridge and Hull (A63)

Highways Agency Lorry Parking Owners

Local Authority 2 Years

Strategic Routing

R2 Ensure mapping companies have correct O/S data on location of road hazards

LOW LOW

Meeting with Ordnance Survey and report for mapping companies showing location of hazards

Vehicle manufacturers

Ordnance Survey Freight Industry

6 months

S1 Review signing for lorry routes and delete lorry symbols when signs replaced

LOW MEDIUM

Removal of lorry squares/circles that are on some parts of the network but not others

Highways Agency Local Authority 3 years

S2 Improved signage to National Ave industrial estate LOW HIGH

Increased level of signage on main routes used to access estate

Local Authority Freight Operators Highways Agency

2 Year Programme

Signing

S3 Develop freight specific legends as part of VMS implementation MEDIUM MEDIUM

Messages on bridge openings and available spaces at Priory Park

Local Authority Hull Bridge FQP 3 years

H1 Review phasing of lights and location of pedestrian crossings on Castle St MEDIUM MEDIUM Modified signal phasing Local Authority

Highways Agency 1 year

H2 Establish a bridge FQP group to reduce openings during peak hour LOW HIGH Develop strategy with topic

specific FQP group

Local Authority Freight Operators

Waterway Authority 1 year

H3 Review intersection of National Ave and County Rd North for potential improvements

MEDIUM MEDIUM Report on measures to ease congestion and review of safety

Local Authority Businesses on

National Avenue 2 years

H4 Development of an Information facility between Humber Bridge and Priory Park

HIGH HIGH Layby on western approach with information boards

Local Authority Highways Agency 3 years

H5 Develop pedestrian footbridge over Castle St HIGH HIGH Pedestrian bridge

Local Authority Highways Agency Local Businesses

2 years

H6 Examine feasibility of removing traffic signals at intersection of Garrison Rd and Castle St

LOW MEDIUM Feasibility report Local Authority

Highways Agency Local Businesses

2 year

Highway Infrastructure Issues

H7 ‘Cut and cover’ Tunnel for the Castle Street section of the A63 to cope with forecasted traffic growth

HIGH HIGH Develop strategy to move development forward in the long term

Local Authority Highways Agency

Chamber of Commerce

10 years

H8 Improve bus services and examine need for additional Park and Ride services

HIGH HIGH Increased use in Public Transport


Chamber of Commerce

5 years

101


D1 Enforcement of Parking restrictions LOW HIGH

Improved enforcement of parking restrictions, particularly around entrance to Prospect Centre and on Mill St

Local Authority Police 1 Year

D2 Examine the feasibility of creating a consolidation centre to serve city centre retailers

LOW MEDIUM

Report with review of consolidation centre in Bristol and usefulness to Hull

Local Authority Bristol Council 2 years

D3 Consider supporting promotion of 24/7 delivery by Princes Quay Shopping Centre

LOW MEDIUM

Meeting with managers of Prospect Centre and Princess Key to offer support and assistance

Local Authority Prospect Centre Princess Quay

1 year

Delivery Issues

D4 Examine the usefulness of a no car lane for the city centre LOW MEDIUM

Report examining no car lanes in other UK cities and their applicability to Hull

Local authority City centre businesses

2 years

Partnership PA1 Consider how to take forward interest expressed by operators/businesses in becoming involved in a partnership arrangement

LOW MEDIUM

Improve communication and mutual understanding of needs. Increase opportunities for change

Operators/business Local Authority 1 year

P1 Improved information on facilities for users of Priory Park LOW HIGH Flyer for incoming drivers

Local Authority Sainsbury’s Norland Pub

3 months

P2 Improving signing to Priory Park LOW MEDIUM Additional signs on the A63 in both directions

Local Authority Highways Agency 6 months

P3 Lorry Parking information to be provided at message boards at 3 sites described in R2

MEDIUM MEDIUM 3 Information boards at 3 key locations (see R5)

Highways Agency Lorry Parking Owners

Local Authority 2 years

P4 Improved provision of services for users of Priory Park LOW HIGH Extension to opening hours

of nearby food outlets

Local Authority Sainsbury’s Norland Pub

6 months

P5 Development of an additional lorry park on the east side of Hull MEDIUM HIGH

Private or public lorry park at Littlefair Rd, opposite King George Port


Adjacent businesses and transport

operators

3 years

Lorry Parking

P6 Monitoring of authorised parking on east side of Hull for potential social and environmental issues

LOW MEDIUM 6 monthly reviews of unauthorised parking Local Authority On going

A1 Reduce number of lanes on roundabout on Southcoats Lane and Hedon Rd from 3 to 2

MEDIUM MEDIUM Redesigned lanes on roundabout

Local Authority Highways Agency 1 year

A2 Examine potential blackspots identified by the HGV accident review LOW MEDIUM Road Safety report Local Authority 2 years Accident Issues

A3 Training on dangers of accidents between HGV and cyclists LOW MEDIUM 4 Primary schools Education Authority

Police 1 year

102


M1 24 Hour Access, Capacity and Gauge Enhancements on Rail Network

HIGH HIGH Agreed enhancement scheme

Network Rail Local Authority

Yorkshire Forward ABP

2 years

M2 Open access Intermodal Terminal for the City HIGH MEDIUM

Planning permission agreed for open access terminal



Terminal Operator

3 years

M3 Lobby to Secure Adequate Funding Support for Multi-modal projects MEDIUM HIGH Fully funded projects



Terminal Operator

3 years

M4 Diversionary Routes MEDIUM MEDIUM Agreed contingency plans



Terminal Operator

3 years

Rail

M5 Rail Disruption and Safety Relating to Other Modes HIGH MEDIUM Improvements where

necessary Local Authority Network Rail On-going

M6 Encouraging Pipeline Development in the Future LOW MEDIUM Planning permission

approved Local Authority 5 years

Other Multi Mode M7

Promote Water Freight within the Humber and on Inland Waterways by Safeguarding Important Sites

MEDIUM MEDIUM Report produced on status of existing wharfs

Local Authority ABP

British Waterways 3 years

M8 Support the Growth in the Port of Hull LOW HIGH Continuing dialogue with port operator and Humber Trade Zone

Local Authority ABP

Humber Trade Zone On-going

Ports

M9 Promoting Improved Multimodal Access to the Port MEDIUM HIGH Programme of work

Local Authority Network Rail

Yorkshire Forward Highways Agency

5 years

Contingency Planning M10 Good Contingency Planning LOW MEDIUM Contingency plan

Local Authority Network Rail


Terminal Operator Highways Agency

3 years

Education E1 General education with HTZ and Chamber of Commerce LOW MEDIUM Greater public awareness

Local Authority Humber Trade Zone

Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce

On-going

103


E2 Work with University and Army School of Transport for driver and logistics training

LOW LOW Better publicity of training options

Hull University Local Authority

Army Training School Skills for Logistics

On-going

E3 Continue best practice in Council fleet operation LOW MEDIUM Continuing best practice in

own fleet

Local Authority Local Government

Association Vehicle

Manufacturers

On-going

E4 Model exhaust emissions from actual HGVs using the A63 LOW MEDIUM Completion of emissions

model Local Authority 1 year

E5 Wider transport measures to curtail growth in car use MEDIUM HIGH Wider transport measures

taken through LTP Local Authority On-going

APPENDIX A - KEY POLICIES OF THE YORKSHIRE AND HUMBER REGIONAL FREIGHT STRATEGY

105

Section Policies and Actions Applicable to Hull Freight Strategy?

2.1 Background The Regional Freight Strategy seeks to understand and deliver the interventions that support the economic and efficient movement of freight in a way that minimises the negative impact on the transport infrastructure, environment and the people of the region.

YES

2.4 Lorry Road User Charging

The region should engage as an active consultee in the process of implementation of Lorry Road User Charging and form a long term view of its role in the promotion of efficient but well managed road freight in the region. This should be set against the background of the ongoing debate on the wider introduction of road user charging. The city will be consulted at regional level.

POSSIBLY

2.5 Measuring Economic and Environmental Impact

Policy development for freight transport management and support should be informed by an understanding of the impacts of differing modes and journeys on the environment as well as the economy.

YES

3.2 Lorry Routeing

The routeing of goods vehicles should take into account the high proportion of trips within the region by provision of guidance as to the preferred lorry routes. These routes should be the subject of regional discussion and agreement and should provide the lead for goods vehicle specific signage and mapping. We have considered primary route network including the Ring Road.

YES

3.3 Lorry Routeing Management

Lorry routeing restrictions should be considered within the context of the regional lorry routeing strategy and seek to fairly balance the interests of residents, communities, the environment and efficient freight movements through a consistent, robust and standardised assessment process. We have considered the city routes and the map for 12 existing operators.

YES

3.4 Driver Rest Areas and Lorry Parking Facilities

Authorities should play a responsible role in the provision of adequate driver rest and lorry-parking facilities, both through direct provision and through appropriate planning support and partnership working with the Highways Agency and the freight industry. This should be undertaken with the aims of promoting road safety, freight efficiency, security, and reducing unauthorised lorry parking that leads to environmental intrusion. We have conducted driver survey into use of priory park and have made suggestions.

YES

3.5 Consolidation Centres

Authorities to undertake practical steps to promote consolidation centres serving retail locations though dissemination of best practice and where appropriate take a practical management role. This may include new start up centres or the use of currently dedicated facilities by other retailers.

YES

3.6 Lorries in Urban Areas

Goods vehicles delivering into urban areas are often appropriately sized and many are scheduled to make retail deliveries outside peak shopping and traffic hours. Authorities should ensure a coordinated management approach to allowing efficient deliveries whilst minimising impact on the environment, residents and shoppers. We have reviewed the urban delivery problems and have made recommendations.

YES

3.7 Improving Traffic Condition Information

Authorities should work with each other and particularly with the Highways Agency to ensure that the increased availability of data on real time traffic conditions is used to best effect for all road users travelling cross boundary and to and from the Highways Agency Network. We have spoken to the Highways Agency on traffic information matters. We have also reviewed plans for VMS.

YES

3.8 HGV Crime Co-ordinated action to lower HGV related crime should be undertaken by different agencies and authorities in the region. We have commented on concerns over truck crimes from driver survey.

YES

3.9 Road Safety Appreciating the serious nature of many road traffic accidents involving goods vehicles, the region should investigate locations where goods vehicle accidents are particularly high, with a view to remedial action. We have liaised with the Highways Agency and have researched accident data for the past 5 years (2000/2004). We have also commented on traffic black spots.

YES

3.10 No Car Lanes

Consideration should be given to the priority afforded to goods vehicles in situations where congestion is causing delays for goods

YES

Appendix A – Key Policies of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Freight Strategy

106


vehicles carrying goods with no sensible alternative mode or route. Such consideration should take place within an objective and structured assessment within the framework of wider traffic management policies. Where priority for goods vehicles is supported this may be delivered through joint bus and lorry lanes or No Car lanes. We have observed if a car lane might be appropriate.

4.2 Promoting Water Freight

Encourage the increased use of short sea shipping and inland waterways where practical and promote further use of Freight Facility Grants (FFG) and the new Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG) to assist with infrastructure development. Such that investment in new infrastructure should be based on a multimodal approach delivering a safer, more efficient and integrated transport network. We have reported on the latest situation with WFG

YES

4.3 Supporting the Region’s Ports and Dock Facilities

Promote the use of shipping and the future development of facilities in the region’s ports to maintain the prominent position that the region enjoys of having Britain’s biggest port. We have spoken to HTZ about dovetailing policy.

YES

4.4 Safeguarding Potential Development Sites for Port or Waterway Activity

Safeguard suitable land/wharves for the possible future developments of multimodal terminals including protection and where appropriate provision of road and rail links to facilitate such developments.

YES

4.5 Promoting Multimodal Access

Support improved road and rail links to the regions’ ports and multi-modal terminals recognising the need for practical support for sustainable transport objectives. We have referred to regional studies. We have reviewed the A63 Castle Street and capacity on the Rails.

YES

5.5 Encouraging Further Pipeline Development in the Future

Encourage the use of existing pipelines to the maximum potential by ensuring a presumption in the planning process in favour of pipelines. We have checked the latest on Humber Bundle and other work.

YES

6.2 Capacity and Gauge Enhancements on Rail Network

Identify bottlenecks and capacity constraints likely to affect future growth of rail freight and lobby for targeted improvements. We have commented on the latest situation with Network Rail and Gauge / Capacity.

YES

6.3 Intermodal Terminals for the Region

The region should support the development of further opportunities to enhance current or develop new rail freight terminals in the region where need can be demonstrated and commercial support is in place. The planning process should support terminal provision in the following priority order; rail connected developments with committed business, sites with protected rail connections, non-rail connected sites. We have referred to Hull IFV work.

YES

6.4 Securing Adequate Funding Support for Northern Way

The region should continue to actively seek to source funding in order to deliver on the priority improvements of rail gauge and capacity in the region. This may take the form of gathering evidence of need, lobbying for national and European support and assisting with applications for private terminal developments.

YES

6.6 Diversionary Routes

Continued support to be given to an improvement in the network of diversionary routes for freight trains in the event of unexpected disruption and planned maintenance. We have commented on Goole versus Selby Lines.

YES

6.7 Rail Disruption and Safety Relating to Other Modes

Understand the extent and cost of the problem of bridge strikes and accident related level crossing disruption in the region, identify the worst locations and implement an action plan to improve safety and reduce road and rail disruption. We have used a years worth of Network Rail data for the period March 2003/04.We have highlighted bridge strikes and bridges affected.

YES

7.2 Freight Future for the Region’s Airports

The region supports the offer of new and developing direct freight services from the region enhancing direct and indirect economic opportunities. However services offered by airports outside the region are likely to continue to prove to be a valuable service for the regions businesses.

YES

8.2 Local Authority Role

Local Authorities should view freight as an integral part of their transport and economic responsibilities and ensure active co-operation between departments in order to more effectively manage

YES

107


freight transport. We have reviewed work of other departments in Hull City Council.

8.5 Partners in Freight

The region must actively seek, through partnership, to action, manage and monitor the implementation of the regional freight strategy. We have also reported on company names that are interested in partnership.

YES

8.6 Improving Freight Efficiency and Reducing Environmental Impact

Authorities within the region should seek to encourage industry best practice by various means including leading by example within their own vehicle fleets as a practical working demonstration to others. We will provide examples of Best Practice.

YES

8.7 Local Authority Best Practice in Fleet Operations

Authorities within the region audit their own commercial vehicle fleet environmental and efficiency performance within the context of transport policy objectives and disseminate best practice examples to private industry. We have highlighted efficiency of Hull’s own fleet.

YES

8.8 Logistics Skills Shortages will be supported by University of Hull’s Logistics Institute

Ensuring the region has a sufficient number of suitable qualified and experienced staff is fundamental to the well being of the regions freight industry. Support should be sought from European, national, regional and local sources to support co-ordinated and active initiatives in partnership with the freight industry in order to deliver new entrants to the industry, raise skills levels within the industry and investigate high level research in freight operations. We have reviewed the local shortage of drivers and transport staff form business interviews.

YES

8.9 Local Sourcing

The benefits to the region of an increase in local sourcing and consumption are consistent with the overall strategy where this can be achieved without economic disbenefits. The region should, where possible, seek to encourage positive opportunities to increase local competitiveness building on the efficiencies of reduced freight transport requirements.

YES

8.10 Air Quality Increase the awareness of the general public and freight users about the impact of poor air quality and continue to give long term priority to freight related air quality management area actions in order to minimise areas of poor air quality. Within air quality management areas seek to understand closely the contribution of goods vehicles to poor air quality. This may be through improved understanding of the nature of freight, through random testing of goods vehicle emissions and by promoting public participation in emission help lines. We have spoken to the air quality team and Highways Agency and have made suggestions for local modelling.

YES

8.11 Noise Impact

Freight related ambient noise should be a particular focus of noise mapping and subsequent action plans within the region. In many cases noise related issues specific to freight will be raised and properly dealt with on a case-by-case basis. We have identified the worst areas including Ring Road vibration and 24-hour trains.

YES

Abbreviations used; YHA Yorkshire and Humber Assembly LAs Local authorities YF Yorkshire Forward HA Highways Agency FTA Freight Transport Association RHA Road Haulage Association HTZ Humber Trade Zone DfT Department for Transport SRA Strategic Rail Authority

APPENDIX B – GENERAL MAPS

109

Map B1: Primary Route Network Map B2: Current Freight Traffic Restrictions Map B3: Bridges Across the River Humber Map B4: Freight Traffic Generators and Attractors Map B5: Traffic Count Locations Map B6: HGV (>7.5 t) Accidents, 2000 – 2004 Map B7: Problems and Issues

Appendix B – General Maps

APPENDIX C – OPERATOR SPECIFIC MAPS

111

Appendix C – Operator Specific Maps

APPENDIX D – COMPANIES CONTACTED FOR BUSINESS SURVEY

113

Major Businesses and Transport Operators ABP Air Products APD Communications Arco Ascots Bill Draper Haulage Booker Edwards Logistics (Ideal) FTC H&P Freightways NR Burnett Paneltex Paragon Pressings Rix Oils Smith and Nephew Spears Services Suttons Tunderman Watsons Haulage Willoughby Caravans

Retail B&Q Burger King Debenhams Halfords House of Fraser (Hammonds) Next Paul Adams Princess Quay Prospect Centre Sainsbury’s Savers ScS Silver Cross Staples Super Pound T J Hughes TopShop Walmsleys Wilkinsons Woolworths

Appendix D – Companies Contacted for Business Survey

Documents

HULL FREIGHT STRATEGY - s3.amazonaws.coms3.amazonaws.com/zanran_storage/ has been recognised as a key element of the UK Governments Northern Way Growth Strategy. This report presents