Background

In January 2011 the Government announced, as part of the Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon White Paper for Local Transport (pdf format, 2.4 MB), the creation of a Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) to help build strong local economies and address the urgent challenges of climate change. It reflects the Government's objectives of supporting economic growth and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Department for Transport (DfT) plans to make £560 million available to fund the LSTF over a four year period up to 2014/15, and aims to help as many local authorities as possible to deliver sustainable transport schemes at a local level.

Find out more about the LSTF

What’s happening in Oxfordshire

Long term investment is needed to deliver sustainable economic and housing growth within the Oxfordshire Growth Arc linking Bicester – Oxford – Science Vale UK, where 33,000 additional jobs and 23,000 new dwellings are planned up to 2026.

We put together a bid for the LSTF, as a successful bid would help deliver key proposals to encourage the use of high quality public transport, walking, cycling and car sharing, supported by targeted travel planning approaches. We investigated what would be best included in our bid to maximise our chances of success, and developed our bid in two parts, as follows:

Key component bid - expansion of Thornhill Park and Ride

On 18 April 2011 we submitted a 'key component' bid for £5 million, which would be added to the £2.8 million of funding we have already earmarked, and which forms part of our major bid.

Our key component titled Supporting Employment Growth and Accessing Higher Education and Healthcare in Oxford (pdf format, 6 MB) will deliver better access to employment and facilities in the Headington area (and the city centre from the east). It builds on the leading reputation that Oxfordshire has developed for innovative access to Oxford city centre through the development of Park & Ride, and focuses on the expansion of Thornhill Park & Ride from 874 to 1380 parking spaces, for which we already have planning permission.

This extension will be complemented by:

• innovative new bus services (using low carbon vehicles, adding to those which have already been introduced in Oxford)
• rollout of Oxford’s smartcard ticketing technology
• new bus priority along the outbound London Road
• measures to encourage walking and cycling for local trips (including a proposed cycle hub / hire scheme).

This will all be supported by a comprehensive 'Travel Choices' project.

LSTF funding will contribute towards the £7.8 million cost of this scheme and bring significant additional benefits, through the provision of a first class interchange at an extended Thornhill Park and Ride, including much improved facilities to encourage sustainable modes of travel, not only to the internationally significant city of Oxford but also to key employment, healthcare and higher education sites in the east of the city. These will meet wider sustainability objectives, reducing the length of journeys made by car, encouraging the use of public transport, walking and cycling and reducing congestion.

Larger bid

On 6 June 2011 we submitted our ‘larger bid’ initial proposal to the DfT. This was a bid for around £17.8 million (this would be in addition to the £7.8 million funding from our earlier key component bid to the fund).

Our larger bid proposal titled ‘Delivering Economic Growth and Reducing Carbon Emissions in the Oxfordshire Growth Arc (Science Vale – Oxford – Bicester) (pdf format, 7.4 MB)' included the provision of innovative sustainable local transport infrastructure and high quality services to unlock growth, facilitate economic development and reduce carbon emissions in the three locations, which combined form the ‘Oxfordshire Growth Arc’:

• The internationally renowned Science Vale research and innovation area
• The world class city of Oxford
• The groundbreaking Eco-Bicester settlement

In addition to the schemes and measures proposed in our ‘Key Component’ bid, the larger bid proposal included a number of key elements of our transport strategy, including Frideswide Square and Oxford Station forecourt improvements, the Science Vale strategic cycling network, and the development of a Park and Ride site and bus priority on the A41/B4030 south of Bicester. These were further complemented by:

• the provision of bespoke low carbon bus services within the main development areas of the Oxfordshire Growth Arc – linking new residential developments with employment. This includes the extension of Real Time Bus Information and the upgrade of selected bus stops.
• installation of electric vehicle charging points at key locations
• travel promotion campaigns aimed at the promotion of walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing.

The measures included in our larger bid proposal were part of an integrated strategy for the area which will be delivered throughout the Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan period up to 2030, as developments in the area come forward. All this would be aimed at supporting Oxfordshire's economy, encouraging more suitable, low-carbon means of travel and reducing congestion on the highway network.