Sustainable Transport Policy - Status Update - November 2020

STATES OF JERSEY

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT POLICY – STATUS UPDATE – NOVEMBER 2020

Presented to the States on 7th December 2020 by the Minister for Infrastructure

STATES GREFFE

2020  R.137

1. Introduction and context

Introduction

In March 2020, the States Assembly approved a new Sustainable Transport Policy[1] (STP). The STP sets out an ambitious vision to be delivered over the coming 10 years:

The STP commits to further work in several areas, including new research and policy development and the implementation of sustainable transport projects and improvements, which is set out in the strong start programme.

Specific deadlines were set for some of these commitments which, due to the impacts of COVID- 19, cannot now be achieved.

This report therefore updates States Members on the delivery of the STP, explaining the impact of COVID-19, what progress has been made to date and the forward plan for delivering the commitments made in the STP.

CONTEXT

The further development and delivery of the STP is closely aligned to the decision of the States Assembly, on 2 May 2019, to declare a Climate Emergency (P.27/2019) and the Carbon Neutral Strategy that was subsequently agreed in February 2020 (P.127/2019). This work has also been delayed by COVID-19, but is now on track to begin, in the New Year, a people-powered approach to developing a long-term climate action plan for Jersey[2].

A series of related propositions have also recently been adopted by the States Assembly. Section 4 sets out how these propositions will be taken forward within the STP work programme.  

2. Summary – Impact of COVID-19 Impact on travel

The impact of COVID-19 on travel in Jersey has been significant. Monitoring has shown changes in transport patterns and behaviours across all modes over the past 8 months. Car travel initially reduced by over 70% but has since returned to pre-covid levels, with a small reduction in peak hour travel. An initial increase in cycling levels has been sustained in leisure cycling but has not yet translated into an increase in cycle commuting. Bus ridership levels have dropped by around 50% which, if sustained, would pose a significant challenge to the sustainability of the public bus service.

It is likely there will be ongoing fluctuations in transport patterns over the coming months as we all continue to respond and adapt to new ways of working and living. The implications of these changes will be considered as part of the further STP policy development to support the future resilience of our travel and transport network across the Island.

Impact on delivering the STP

COVID-19 has also had a significant impact on delivering the STP.

Responsibility for developing and delivering STP is shared between the Department for Strategic Policy, Planning and Performance (SPPP), and the Department Infrastructure, Housing and Environment (IHE).

From mid-March 2020 there was the necessary redeployment of policy and IHE operations staff to emergency COVID-19 response work, which lasted until the Summer. The majority of the team working on the STP have now returned to their substantive roles although some are still working on the COVID-19 response. From March to August, all non-COVID-19 related capital spending was also put on hold, including the funding available to implement the Strong Start programme.

As a result, progress on the implementation of both policy development and STP projects has been delayed. Sections 3 and 4 explains these delays and the forward plans for delivery in more detail.

3. Expenditure summary

The 2020-23 Government Plan established a Climate Emergency Fund, and agreed that funding for sustainable transport would be made available from that Fund once a strategic plan was agreed by the States Assembly. The STP provides that plan, and hence additional funding has been available to support the STP since March. Unfortunately, this period coincided with the substantial disruption outlined in section 2.

As set out in sections 4 and 5, some progress has been made, both with further policy development and STP projects. Relevant expenditure to year end is set out in the table below.

Where funded projects are delayed into 2021, the funding allocated from the Climate Emergency Fund for 2020 will remain in the Fund and available for future allocation to sustainable transport projects.

The nature of transport projects means there are several constraints to their delivery which affect the timescales. Typical examples include equipment supply chain issues, contractor availability, weather, negotiations with landowners etc. For this reason, underspends in other funding sources are used to cover the costs of projects before funds are drawn down from the Climate Emergency Fund. AS a result, not all progress set out in section 4 is reflected in the expenditure summary set out here.

4. Update on Strong Start implementation projects

The table below lists each of the STP projects set out in the Strong Start plan and identifies those that have been started, and those that are delayed due to the impacts of COVID-19.

As well as the general impact that COVID-19 has had on delivery, current Public Health guidance also recommends against some of the activities necessary to implement certain projects in the Strong Start plan.

Where projects are underway, they are generally expected to conclude by the end of 2021. The completion dates for delayed projects will be assessed once the work has been initiated

Projects substantially delayed or Projects underway

paused

Planning for walking bus from St Esplanade Bus gate design

Helier to school base

Planning for school shuttle bus – to Jardin de la Mer cycle way realignment

be amended

Eco driver training programme for Bikeability training (Jersey Sport)

businesses, including tractor driver training for agriculture sector

Eastern Cycle Route / Consultation on future cycle

Traffic free events programme schemes (Hill St; FB Fields;)

Covered cycle parking (Sand St covered parking; on street

temporary stands). Project to design covered locations is  Avanchi cards for carers

in progress.

Recruitment of cycling

Series of Sustainable transport workshops and webinars

infrastructure development officer

Trial Car is the Guest' principle Midvale Road (consultation now live)

near schools

Plan for phasing out petrol and Smart travel programme – phase 1 research

diesel cars

GoJ lead by example (second generation renewable  Defined pilot scheme for Personal diesel fuel trial; fleet review; mobility plan scoping)  Light Electric Vehicles Reprioritisation of road space (Broad St; Waterworks

Valley; Hill Street)

Additional village cycle parking (outside of town)

Survey design for previous eBike scheme – to send to

retailers, previous applicants and schools

Pont Marquet Crossing (at detailed design stage)

Senior Policy Officer – transport (Recruited – start in

December)

Accessibility improvements to bus stops. Ongoing rollout. 7 Delivered

EV Parking (eco-permit extended; support JEC) Related activity

In November 2020, the Minister for Infrastructure published an active travel update. This document provides information on the wide range of projects and schemes that have commenced or will be delivered in the near future. Actions are identified on improvements in cycling infrastructure; education, training and promotion; digital mobility; and policy initiatives.

Significant work has been undertaken to support and maintain the public bus service given the impacts of COVID-19. Ensuring Islanders continue to have access to a public bus service is a fundamental priority for government. In common with other places, bus ridership in Jersey has decreased significantly due to changes in working patterns, public health requirements and personal choices in the pandemic context. Following an initial 70% drop, numbers have returned to around 50% of previous ridership levels. The Minister for Infrastructure will continue to work closely with Liberty Bus to ensure a safe, accessible public transport service will continue to be provided. This includes the provision, proposed in the Government Plan, of an additional £2m of non- recurrent public funding in 2021.

Partnership working has also continued with a range of stakeholders. In particular, Jersey Sport published the Inspiring an Active Jersey strategy in September 2020[4], much of which supports and is closely aligned to the strong start delivery programme.

Second generation renewable diesel as a transition fuel

Both the Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister for the Environment remain committed to supporting the introduction of second generation renewable diesel in Jersey. Progress in this area is a commitment of both the STP and the Carbon Neutral Strategy, and expenditure from the Climate Emergency Fund was ringfenced to address the price differential between second generation renewable diesel and regular diesel.

Second generation renewable diesel is manufactured from various types of non-food biomass. Biomass in this context means animal and plant materials used especially as a source of fuel. To qualify as a second-generation feedstock, a source must not be suitable for human consumption. Because they are made from biogenic feedstock (recently photosynthesised), they do not contribute to greenhouse gasses emissions in the way that fossil hydrocarbons like petrol and diesel do. Small quantities of the fuel are commercially available currently and are utilised by some residents and businesses.

Good progress has been made by the government, working with local fuel suppliers, to:

• establish the environmental and supply chain quality thresholds that would need to be met by any second generation renewable diesel product in order to benefit from any future public support scheme, and

• to proactively investigate the sourcing use of second generation renewable diesel in heavy and commercial fleet vehicles, including piloting the use of such fuels in the government of Jersey's fleet.

Despite this progress, the impact of COVID-19 has meant that the professional and technical skills necessary to translate this learning into a fully designed, costed and commercially justified market intervention were not been available in time to bring forward such a scheme in the current Government Plan 21-24. Ministers would require the appropriate technical due diligence to be completed, including an understanding of overall potential future costs, in order to have confidence in the overall impact of any public support for second generation second generation renewable diesel.

Ministers remain committed to supporting the introduction of second generation renewable diesel and have instructed officers to complete the necessary technical due diligence as a priority. The allocated funding to provide support remains ringfenced for this priority and will be accessed once the appropriate scheme has been designed.

5. Update on STP policy development

The STP commits to further rapid policy work to develop new action plans for active travel, the bus service and parking. These plans are all underpinned by taking a mobility as a service' approach that supports use of shared and demand responsive transport in all forms[5].

Whilst the rapid analysis work has been delayed due to the impacts of focussing on the COVID-19 response, in August 2020 it was possible to commence work on scoping these important pieces of work, which will shape transport policy in Jersey for the next 10 years.

Consultation took place though August and September 2020, with over 50 representatives from stakeholder organisations, to explore what the analysis work needed to include and what data sources it might draw from.

This thinking has now been published for wider consideration and consultation by all interested stakeholders, and can be found at HaveYourSay.gov.je. The consultation will run until 28 December.

Once the responses have been reviewed and considered, the descriptions of the approach to, and content of, the rapid analysis projects will be finalised. A new Senior Policy Officer post has been created and recruited to, funded from the Climate Emergency Fund, in order to progress this work. The Plans will be completed by the end of 2021, rather than the Spring 2021 deadline envisaged by the STP.

Related activity

The people powered approach to developing a carbon neutral strategy will start in January 2021 with a wide-ranging exploration of issues, opportunities and insights from all Jersey residents, businesses and community groups. The theme of transport will be an important focus of this conversation and of the carbon neutral citizens' assembly, which will run from March 2021, with recruitment starting early in the New Year.

Work commenced in July 2020 to develop a public realm and movement strategy for St Helier to inform Island Plan review and future capital investment plans, and extensive consultation has been undertaken in recent months. The public realm and movement strategy will:

• provide a strategic framework for movement and travel in and around St Helier

• identify and prioritise opportunities for change to enhance the management and use of St Helier's network of roads and streets, with a particular emphasis on walking and cycling, and

• closely link with and complement the development of the island-wide active travel plan, as well as future plans for the bus service and parking that are required by the STP.

The further STP policy development work will also take account of a series of recent States Assembly propositions. In particular: impact on the development of the STP:

• P.79/2020 - GREEN LANES AND QUIET LANES: PRIORITY TO PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS AND HORSE RIDERS – will be taken forward as part of the Active Travel Plan

• P.19/2020 - BUS SERVICE: INTRODUCTION OF THROUGH-FARES – will be taken forward as part of the Bus Service Development Plan

• P.91/2020 - MOBILE SPEED CAMERAS – will be taken forward as part of the Active Travel Plan (As safer roads are key to inspiring active travel).

• P.132/2020 - CARBON NEUTRAL STRATEGY AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT POLICY: ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION – will be taken forward as part of the Parking Plan and development of the Long-term climate action plan