Transport

Issues relating to poor accessibility can negatively impact on health inequalities, lack of opportunity for active travel and poor air quality. This is overlaid by the carbon problem that has potential to impact on climate, sea levels and humans. Specific issues include: 

• Poor connectivity hinders access to health, support, leisure services, employment, training opportunities, and contributes to isolation. All the more true for rural communities 
• Improved infrastructure helps foster local growth, improves employment opportunities and increases prosperity for residents 
• Increased opportunities for active travel has significant physical and mental health benefits 
• Poor air quality and pollution from transport contributes to poor health outcomes, such as increased risk of respiratory conditions 
• Poor road safety contributes to high numbers of deaths and injuries on Lincolnshire’s roads 
• Deprivation may affect access to transport or reduce the likelihood of owning a car 

Lincolnshire’s Local Transport Plan (LTP) seeks to address these issues by outlining short, medium and long-term ambitions for improving local transport and highways. In the short term, the LTP has a focus on reducing emissions, supporting sustainable growth, and COVID-19 recovery. In the medium term, the LTP will support infrastructure requirements within Local Plans, particularly for rail travel. Longer term, the plan seeks to identify issues, trends and opportunities which await the county up until 2050.  

• National and regional strategies, including National Infrastructure Strategy 2020, The Inclusive Transport Strategy, 10 Point Plan for a Green Revolution 2020, Midlands Connect Business Plan 2021/22 
• Greater Lincolnshire plans, including Greater Lincolnshire LEP Strategic Economic Plan 2016 Refresh, Greater Lincolnshire Tourism Action Plan 2021-2025, Investment Strategy for Greater Lincolnshire 2020 – 2022, Local Industrial Strategy 2020 
• Lincolnshire plans, including Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Lincolnshire 2018, Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership Road Safety Strategy 2015-2025, Lincolnshire Safeguarding Adults Board (LSAB) 2018 – 2021 Strategic Plan, Corporate Plan Success Framework, Green Masterplan 
• Local Plans, including Central Lincolnshire Local Plan 2012-2036, East Lindsey Local Plan Core Strategy Adopted 2018, South East Lincolnshire Local Plan 2011-2036, South Kesteven District Council Local Plan 2011-2036 
• Local Transport Strategies, including Sustainable Modes of Travel to School Strategy 2020-2023, Boston Transport Strategy 2016-2036, Gainsborough Transport Strategy 2022-2036, Grantham Transport Strategy 2007-2021, Lincoln Transport Strategy 2020-2036, Sleaford Transport Strategy, Spalding Transport Strategy 2014 – 2036, Skegness Towns Fund,  Mablethorpe Towns Fund Proposal 2020 and Boston Town Investment Plan (October 2020)  

As a result of this broad policy base, 6 key and interwoven themes and objectives have been identified within the (LTP). These include:  

1. Supporting Economic Growth – Improved connectivity to employment opportunities and between communities, using a resilient and reliable transport system 
2. Future Ready Green Transport (Climate Change) – Reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and the need for travel whilst supporting more sustainable modes of transport 
3. Promoting Thriving Environments – enhancing the natural environment, reducing waste and providing sustainable access to Lincolnshire’s environment and heritage. 
4. Supporting Safety, Security and a Healthy Lifestyle – Improved safety and air quality, reduced noise and pollution, increased provision for active travel 
5. Promoting High Aspirations – Improve connectivity and access to education, healthcare and leisure. Encourage community co-production of transport services 
6. Improving the Quality of Life – reduce negative impacts of transport on people’s lives 

Each year the Transport Policy Team produce an Annual Monitoring Report to outlines trends across a variety of transport related subjects. Key points highlighted by the report: 

Growth of Traffic 

Between 1993 and 2019, vehicle kilometres travelled in Lincolnshire rose by 60.5%. This is substantially greater than that for England (38.8%) and the East Midlands (47.2%) over the same period. Traffic levels grew steadily until 2007 then plateaued until 2012, reflecting economic conditions at that time. There was a similar trend nationally and regionally. Since 2012, growth in vehicle kilometres travelled in Lincolnshire has resumed with an increase of some 21.4% between 2012 and 2019. This is slightly above the corresponding national figure of 15.6%. Lockdown measures, introduced during 2020, saw significant decreases in travel. 

Cycling 

The proportion of people cycling at least once a week in Lincolnshire is equivalent to the rest of England, but slightly higher than levels in the East Midlands. There is considerable variation at district level.  

The proportion of people making a walking trip in Lincolnshire is generally equivalent to regional and national levels. ‘Journey purpose’ percentages have remained fairly static over the last four years. 

Bus patronage 

Passenger journeys in Lincolnshire grew by almost 31% between 2005/06 and 2008/09. The growth in England over the same period was just 8%. An element of this growth was no doubt due to the introduction of the national concessionary fares scheme, but the extent of its impact is unclear. However, since 2010/11 there has been a 28.9% reduction in bus passenger journeys in Lincolnshire. 

For the first four years of the concessionary fares scheme, the number of concessionary journeys remained fairly constant at around 5.7 million. Since 2014/15 numbers have reduced, year by year, to 4.3 million (2019/20) – a reduction of just over 1.4 million passenger journeys in six years. It is worth noting that eligibility for the scheme has changed, bringing it in-line with the state pension age for women, meaning less people will be eligible. Concessionary fare journeys represent approximately 35.8% of all bus journeys in the county. 

Rail passenger usage 

The trend in the number of people using Lincolnshire’s rail stations over recent years has been generally upwards. Passenger rail usage grew by 36.3% between 2004/05 and 2018/19. However, the picture varies widely at individual stations. 

There has been a slight reduction in figures for 2019/20, largely due to lockdown policies during the COVID-19 outbreak, where use of public transport was massively reduced. 

Annual statistics on the number of vehicles licensed 

Following a slight fall in the number of vehicles licensed in the county during 2010, strong growth has resumed in recent years. The number of vehicles licensed in the county has grown by 36.9% between 2001 and 2019. This is higher than that both nationally (30%) and in the East Midlands (34.5%). 

Mode of travel to work 

The proportion of people travelling to work by car (either as  driver or passenger) in Lincolnshire has risen from 54% in 1981 to 72.4% in 2011. This is slightly higher than the figure for the East Midlands 

(71.4%) and substantially above the figure for England (62.1%). 

At the same time, the percentage of people walking to work has fallen from 16.7% to 12.2% (although this latter figure is up slightly on the 2001 figure of 10.9%) and those cycling have fallen from 9.6% to 4.1%. Bus use has also declined steadily (from 6.6% to 2.5%). 

Lincoln City shows the lowest percentage of car use at 62.3% compared with the county average 

of 72.4%. Lincoln City has the highest proportion of people walking to work (19.6%), but the lowest working from home (3.4%). 

Car ownership 

The proportion of households in Lincolnshire without a car has fallen steadily from 31.1% in 1981 to 18% in 2011. The proportion of one car households also fell from 51.9% to 44.8%. 

Over the same period, the proportion of households in the county with two cars almost doubled from 14.3% to 28.4%, whilst households with three or more cars rose from 2.7% to 8.7%. 

In 2011, the proportion of non-car households in Lincolnshire (18%) was lower than the East Midlands (22.1%) and England (25.8%). The City of Lincoln has the highest proportion of non-car owning households at 29.6%. 

The proportion of households with access to a single car is fairly constant, between 42% and 47%. 

Transport related carbon emissions 

Road transport emissions in Lincolnshire (per capita) have fallen slightly since 2005, mirroring the picture for total emissions. Transport emissions per capita in Lincolnshire (1.93 tonnes) are lower than those in the East Midlands (2.21) and are slightly higher than England (1.88). 

Road safety 

In 2003, 104 people died on Lincolnshire roads. Since then, there has been a downward trend in the number of fatalities. 2017 saw a large rise in the number of serious casualties, although the overall number of casualties fell to just under 2,600, the lowest on record. 2020 saw a reduction in the overall number of serious/fatal incidents from the previous three years, possibly due to the reduction in vehicular movement seen during lockdown. Regionally, Lincolnshire has a higher level of road casualties, than neighbouring authorities, such as Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. Lincolnshire reports a high proportion of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles. Policies to counter this trend are being developed. 

Decarbonisation 

Achieving net-zero carbon by 2050 is recognised as essential and challenging. Transport will play a significant role in achieving this target as it is a significant contributor to carbon emissions. For Lincolnshire, 38% of total carbon dioxide emissions are attributed to transportation. 

In line with the DfT’s LTP guidance, the LTP will include two identifiable sections, the first, Strategy; the second, an Implementation Plan. 

The Implementation Plan consists of elements for all modes of transport, Route Action Plans (RAPS), Local Area Transport Strategies (LATS) and Highway Infrastructure Asset Management Plans (HIAMP). Modal Implementation Plans form a series of frameworks to inform future development of the LATS and RAPS as well as providing actions for the county as a whole. 

The bus Implementation Plan (in line with the National Bus Strategy) will take the form of the Bus Service Improvement Plan and will be delivered through an Enhanced Quality Partnership. Details of this will be reported in future LTP documents. 

This Implementation Plan will develop and change in line with funding streams and the LCC’s success in project bids. It is hoped that longer term funding arrangements in some areas, notably active travel and public transport, will be subject to longer-term financial settlements, enabling clear, timetabled delivery plans to be drawn. 

LTP consultation was completed using web-based facilities – the most appropriate form of consultation in the circumstances of a pandemic. 731 surveys were completed by residents, councillors, businesses, transport operators and employees. Several written responses were received from district and parish councils, and special interest groups such as the Community Rail Partnership and cycling groups. 

In addition to the online survey, more substantive comments were welcomed via email and a virtual LTP conference was held. All District Council Leaders and Chief Executives from Greater Lincolnshire were invited. 

Respondents were overwhelmingly supportive of LTP objectives, particularly, ‘Ensuring a resilient and reliable transport system for the movement of people, goods and services’. ‘Supporting the introduction of low carbon technologies and thus reduce reliance on fossil fuels’, had least support of the options offered, but still gained overall approval of 80.7%.  

Respondents were asked to consider a range of possible interventions. The greatest support was for creative and innovative solutions in personal and public transport; support for the Bus Service Improvement Plan; and the introduction of electric buses. Interventions relating to Heavy Goods Vehicles and freight were less well supported. This may be unsurprising, given responses were primarily from members as the public as opposed to businesses. 

Following consultation, the following observations were drawn, regarding the unmet needs of participants: 

• Improvements to bus services, including greater levels of service, extended operating times, use of technology for tracking and booking services and improved integration with rail, exploration of park and ride, and review of fare levels and bus sizes on certain routes. 
• Greater investment improving and maintaining existing highways for all road users and investment in alternatives so that cars are not seen as the default option.  
• Improvements to rail services, including greater service levels and exploring feasibility of reopening / establishing new stations and routes. Also, a preference to shift freight from road to rail. 
• Need for additional walking and cycling provision, including safer routes, additional networks and training for cyclists.  
• Greater investment in Electric Vehicle charging points and E-bus solutions would generally be welcomed 

We are seeking a fair and equitable share of investment for connectivity, both digital and physical, for broadband, transport and highways. 

We want change to rules and regulations to allow greater innovation in rural areas, particularly where the markets have failed. We want to make Lincolnshire a pathfinder to tackle the challenges of electric vehicle technology, a modernisation of public transport provision thus supporting the green industrial revolution. 

We want to have a greater say in setting transport fares, and pricing that reflects different characteristics of a large rural area without a mass urban centre. 

We wish to promote a greater appreciation of rurality and the challenges it presents. 

We will commit to maintaining and improving local connectivity both virtual and physical. 

We support infrastructure that unlocks local sustainable development and provides improved access for all. 

We plan to support the commitment to Net-Zero Carbon by 2050. 

We will provide for transformed transport networks and services for walking and cycling, rail and bus networks, electric vehicle charging and digital provision and digital services. 

We will encourage private sector investment to help meet net-zero and step in to stimulate growth and investment in electric vehicle charging and other innovations. 

We will focus on a place-based approach supporting local needs and identifying local solutions. 

For further detail around our ambitions and plans please refer to the Local Transport Plan Implementation Plan