Improving public transport accessibility
Accurate information on the range of services and travel initiatives accessible at The Trafford Centre will be a critical element of our successful Travel Plan. After all, it is no good providing new and improved services if people are not aware that they are available! Easy access to information and publicity will therefore be a fundamental principle of the Travel Plan, and will reinforce awareness of the opportunities for the use of alternative modes.
Improving public transport accessibility...
The Trafford Centre already enjoys good public transport access, acting as a public transport ‘hub’ and interchange for west Manchester. In addition, we have worked to provide dedicated connections to other travel modes such as Metrolink.
Travelling by bus...
The bus is currently the most popular mode of public transport used to access The Trafford Centre, with over 10% of visitors and 25% of staff using it for their journey. Far from resting on our current success, the Travel Plan will look to improve existing provision to make it even more attractive to use for journeys to The Trafford Centre. In particular we will investigate the following measures:
Improving route corridors to The Trafford Centre...
We will continue to encourage the provision of high quality bus routes to and from the Centre to deliver a reliable and frequent service throughout the day. In particular we will seek to develop more quality partnership routes with local bus operators and highway authorities to deliver cleaner, more easily accessible vehicles and improved bus stop facilities on key routes. In addition to scheduled bus services, we are constantly liaising with coach operators to provide longer distance group travel opportunities to The Trafford Centre.
Delivering reliable ‘off peak’ services...
The Trafford Centre is now a ‘round the clock business’, open from 10am Monday-Saturday until up to 11pm during seasonal periods. Although shopping hours are more restricted on a Sunday, demand for travel to The Trafford Centre on this day is still very high. One of the aims of the Travel Plan is therefore to deliver a public transport service which reflects this continuing demand for travel, whatever the hour of day, or day of week. Our surveys and experience have highlighted that both staff and visitors require the confidence that late night or early morning bus services are reliable and at a sufficient frequency to encourage their use. We have already begun to address this issue with the bus operators at the Centre with considerable improvements in bus timetables made. In addition, The Trafford Centre is also seeking to encourage the provision of additional evening bus services serving key destinations within Greater Manchester which are not currently served. These services will be deliberately scheduled to ensure that staff have access to reliable public transport at important staff travel times. We will continue to target bus reliability and frequency of service as a key area of the Travel Plan, with continued monitoring by the new Travel Coordinator.
Improving bus accessibility to the Centre...
As part of our commitment to bus services we will also seek to work with local bus operators, GMPTE and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council to investigate a range of further measures to make bus journeys to The Trafford Centre quicker, easier and more efficient.
Improving bus interchange...
A number of important routes begin and end at The Trafford Centre and also the bus station is a key interchange stop on longer distance cross-Greater Manchester services. We will therefore continue to work with operators to help coordinate services to maximise interchange possibilities at The Trafford Centre.
Maximising existing Metrolink and rail connections...
The Trafford Centre is currently not directly served by rail or Metrolink services, although discussions are taking place with GMPTE and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council to progress a new Metrolink line through Trafford Park to The Trafford Centre. In addition to this major scheme we are also investigating other options to encourage rail and Metrolink connections.
Developing Trafford Centre ‘Gateways’...
The Trafford Centre shuttle bus service has already proved particularly successful, with almost 2% of all journeys to The Trafford Centre using this service. The Travel Plan will seek to build on this idea of a ‘Gateway’ location to The Trafford Centre by promoting other assured ‘Gateway’ connection points. The local rail and Metrolink stations at Urmston and Eccles provide connections to the local rail and tram networks respectively, and are also directly served by frequent bus services direct to The Trafford Centre. Currently, however, integration between bus and rail services does have room for improvement. The Travel Plan will therefore seek to maintain and improve rail stopping services and existing interchange facilities at these stations and also target major improvements in service information. This ‘Gateway’ concept could also be supported by specific promotional information such as detailed timetables, map information, branded station signs and awareness campaigns. We are already speaking to public transport operators about developing these measures and therefore ensuring guaranteed connection points to The Trafford Centre for rail passengers. The development of ‘Gateway’ stations will benefit not just local bus and rail users, but also longer distance travellers to The Trafford Centre from locations such as Warrington, Liverpool and St Helens.
Encouraging frequent public transport trips to The Trafford Centre...
In addition to providing new and improved public transport services and connections, we have also identified the need to develop new ticketing systems to encourage regular public transport use. In partnership with the transport operators and GMPTE we will investigate options to develop the following measures:
• The development of a branded ‘Trafford Centre Travel Card’ for employees at the Centre to encourage regular public transport use to / from The Trafford Centre.
• The promotion of ‘day out’ bus journeys from longer distance destinations within Greater Manchester.
Improving walking and cycling access...
Walking and cycling are healthy, cheap and convenient methods of transport and are particularly useful for short distance, regular trips. The Trafford Centre is already located within a dedicated network of walking and cycling paths across Trafford Park and beyond. Indeed, the first ever dedicated cycle lane in Greater Manchester was constructed in Trafford Park, along Barton Dock Road close to The Trafford Centre. Almost 42% of both staff and visitors live within five miles of The Trafford Centre - well within an easy cycling journey. To encourage increased use of walking and cycling modes at The Trafford Centre, we will work with Trafford and Salford Councils, and other local interest groups, to improve walking and cycling measures such as:
• Developing new dedicated routes to local areas through Trafford and Salford Councils’ local transport plans.
• Ensuring safety on existing paths through improved lighting and security features, and the promotion of dedicated safe crossing points at busy road junctions.
• Providing dedicated facilities for cyclists at The Trafford Centre by ensuring secure cycle parking opportunities at the main access points for both staff and visitors.
• Encouraging the development of a Trafford Centre User Group to promote awareness of cycling initiatives.
• Developing a Trafford Centre Walking and Cycling Guide and improved footpath signage to encourage greater access to and use of the dedicated facilities.
• Organising agreements with local cycle shops to provide discounted goods and services for Trafford Centre staff to encourage increased cycle use.
• Investigating opportunities to provide a new cycle shop within The Trafford Centre site, ideally with workshop facilities to provide opportunities for cycle repairs or improvements.
Encouraging More Efficient Car Use...
Despite the fact that The Trafford Centre already provides a range of attractive opportunities for the use of alternative travel modes, we recognise that the private car will still be the preferred method of transport to the Centre for many visitors and staff. The Travel Plan, therefore, seeks to implement measures that will encourage more efficient use of the car.
Developing a staff car sharing scheme...
We have already set up and launched a website based car sharing scheme, ‘Trafford Centre Car Share’, available to all employees who work for either The Trafford Centre directly, or within the Centre’s many retail and catering outlets. The Trafford Centre Travel Coordinator will play a central role in coordinating this car share scheme. In support of the car sharing scheme, we are also investigating the use of reduced staff taxi rates for late night workers and a minibus / people carrier scheme to provide a ‘travel safety net’ for staff using the car sharing service who may occasionally be asked to work late at short notice, or have to leave the Centre quickly due to a personal emergency situation. This service will ensure opportunities exist for staff to get home in such cases where a shared lift option becomes unavailable. As noted elsewhere, The Trafford Centre is also considering the introduction of a staff bus scheme to directly service those areas where existing bus access to The Trafford Centre is limited, particularly in the evening.
Maintaining excellent highway access...
The continued need for car travel to the Centre for many of our staff and visitors also reinforces the need for us to maintain good road access to The Trafford Centre at all times. We will therefore continue to work with Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council and the Highways Agency to ensure continued excellent road access. Our programme of monitoring and analysis of traffic flow patterns will also be used to identify any opportunities for improvements in the operation of the local road network, our variable message signs and state-of-the-art traffic management and car parking systems.