Project Initiation Document

Template and Guide

 

Project title

BSIP City Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor

Project Manager

 

Jacob Milner

Project Sponsor

Tom Horner

Document Approval Date

TBC

Document Approver

Michael Howard

 

Table of Contents

 

1.    Context and Rationale. 3

2.    Project Definition. 5

3.    Options. 9

4.    Method of Approach. 9

5.    Business Case. 9

6.    Project Benefits. 9

7.    Stakeholder maps and Communication Plan. 10

8.    Quality Plan. 10

9.    Project Controls. 11

10.  Governance. 12

11.  Project Team and Structure. 12

12.  Critical Success Factors. 14

13.  Environmental / Social / Economic Impact 14

14.  Project Plan. 15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.     Context and Rationale

Making the buses run on time – tackling slow journeys, delays and unreliability is a core priority within the Council’s adopted Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The George Hudson Street – Micklegate – Ouse Bridge corridor is identified as being in the worst 20% congested routes on the First Group network within the BSIP. The George Hudson Street – Micklegate – Ouse Bridge corridor is the busiest in the city with 1079 buses per day using it.

 

The Council has committed, through the BSIP to develop City Centre bus priority proposals with bus operators. The Department for Transport subsequently allocated £2m to deliver city centre bus reliability improvements on this city centre corridor to the Council as part of the wider £17.3m BSIP1 funding award in 2022. The York and North Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has allocated a further £200,000 through 2025/26 Bus Grant funding to further support the project.

 

The Local Transport Strategy consultation (key points outlined in the consultation section of this report) provided a clear steer on transport priorities for people across York and beyond. There are ten objectives within the Local Transport Strategy, improving bus journey times and reliability plus enabling walking, wheelchair user, wheeling and cycling improvements contributes to all of them, in particular the following five;

1.     Support an inclusive, accessible, affordable city

2.     Support delivery of the Climate Change Strategy

3.     Improve the local environment by reducing air pollution and noise

4.     Enhance the reliability of the transport system

5.     Protect the city’s heritage and enhance public spaces

 

There are a range of identified issues for bus operations along the Rail Station to Tower Street corridor that adversely impact upon bus reliability and journey times, these are;

 

a)     Delays at traffic lights. The three sets of traffic lights within 370m at Rougier Street/Station Rise, George Hudson Street/Micklegate and Lower Micklegate/Skeldergate/North Street delay buses travelling through the corridor.

b)     Tight turn at Low Ousegate. The turn at the junction of High Ousegate and Low Ousegate is tight and the volume of vehicles navigating this area means buses often have to stop to let other vehicles through when the pedestrian crossing is not in operation.

c)     Right turn out of Coppergate. The volume of vehicles using Clifford Street means that buses often struggle to exit Coppergate to make the right turn onto Clifford Street.

d)     Tower Street/Skeldergate Bridge Junction. There is no current way for buses to tun here which results in buses looping around Skeldergate and incurring delays exiting Skeldergate onto Skeldergate Bridge.

e)     Constrained waiting areas. Some bus stops on the corridor provide sub-standard waiting areas (i.e. no shelter, limited space) due to pavement width constraints.

 

Operators have to add extra time into their timetables to compensate for these issues in order to remain compliant with Traffic Commissioner requirements. 

 

Similarly, there are a range of identified issues along the corridor for pedestrians, wheelchair users, those who wheel and cyclists, including;

 

f)       Narrow pavements. Some pavements along the corridor are narrower than ideal for the volume of users – in particular on Low Ousegate and Clifford Street.

g)     Difficulty in crossing the road. Through the Big Transport Conversation various points along the corridor were highlighted by respondents as being challenging to navigate and requiring crossing improvements.

h)     North Street/Skeldergate. North Street and Skeldergate are on road sections of the National Cycle Network and identified as a key part of the strategic cycle network in the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan; the road layout and environment could be improved to increase cycling levels.

i)       Micklegate. There is minimal cycling infrastructure along the length of Micklegate which is a key approach to the City Centre. Road width is constrained and there are opportunities to improve public space.

 

 

 

 

 

2.     Project Definition

a.      Aims and Objectives

Aims

The aims of the City Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor are to;

·        reduce bus journey times within and through York City Centre

·        improve bus punctuality in York and the wider region

·        Make bus travel accessible to a wider range of people

·        Facilitate more journeys by active travel into and around York City Centre

·        To provide clarity to private motorists around road accessibility by aligning information displayed on road signs and highway lining.

·        To create a safer environment for walking, wheelchair use, wheeling and cycling, enabling more people to choose active modes of travel.

·        To enable future public realm improvements

·        Improve accessibility for protected characteristic groups.

·        Deliver climate change commitments around reducing carbon emissions and embodied carbon.

·        Improve air quality

Objectives

The indicative objectives of the project are to;

·        Reduce bus journey times by an average of 3 minutes from York Railway Station to Tower Street roundabout by 1st July 2026.

·        Improve bus punctuality to 97% between Rougier Street and Stonebow by 31st July 2027.

·        Deliver three improved city centre bus stop interchanges by 1st July 2026.

·        Increase the number of pedestrians, wheelchair users and wheelers over Ouse Bridge between 2025 and 2027 inclusive by 10%

·        Increase cycling levels over Ouse Bridge between 2025 and 2027 inclusive by 20%

·        Increase cycling levels along the Skeldergate-North Street corridor between 2025 and 2027 inclusive by 10%.

2025 baseline levels are currently being established; these SMART objectives will be updated in the coming months to provide an accurate 2025 baseline and to ensure any targets are ambitious but achievable.

 

b.     Scope

Within Scope

  

The City Centre Sustainable Transport Corridor specifically relates to the route running from York Railway Station – Rougier Street – George Hudson Street – Micklegate - Clifford Street - Tower Street. Improvements to the upper part of Micklegate,  Coppergate and Stonebow, plus Skeldergate and North Street are also within scope, but not the core focus of the project.

The project should not exceed the identified £2,200,000 budget. However, there is the potential for the project to be reprofiled or expanded should further funding become available.

The main teams and services which will be involved in this project will be City of York Council Transport (Client), Turner & Townsend Project and Cost Management and WSP Limited. There are numerous connections to other teams across the Council, including intelligent transport systems (camera enforcement), regeneration and highways.

Programme and project management will be carried out by Turner & Townsend and will report to the Head of Transport Policy and Behaviour Change at the Council.

WSP are the principal designer for the project.

Outside Scope

As part of the City Centre Sustainable Corridors workstream, the following items will not be covered within the scope of services:

·        Any alterations to Lendal bridge.

·        Any works outside of Yorks inner ring road.

·        There will be no works in relation to major regeneration.

·        Measures that slow buses down on the Rail Station – George Hudson Street – Micklegate – Tower Street corridor.

·        The works identified in these schemes are not major active travel or public realm improvements – but where some benefit can be derived it will be considered.

 

c.      Constraints

 

Constraint Title

Description

Resource availability

Resource availability within City of York Council.  Staff shortage to complete the works could cause programme delay.

Timescales

The project needs to complete in line with the programme created by Turner and Townsend Project Management.

Cost

Cost plans provided by Turner and Townsend Cost Management need to be followed to remain within budget throughout the life cycle of the project.

Statutory requirements

Statutory authorities need to be contacted in a timely manner to allow for possible service relocation.

Enforcement powers

Should any measures developed as part of the project require enforcement of moving traffic offences the Council will need to have the processes and systems in place to be able to effectively enforce. Without this ability in place the project will be unenforceable.

Public acceptability

There could be public opposition to the project – this is to be managed through an extensive communications plan and undertaking engagement.

Uncertainty Below ground

Whilst below ground survey work will be conducted to determine site ground conditions, there will still be a risk of unforeseen ground conditions.

d.     Assumptions

·        Dedicated project staff will be made available for the lifetime of the project.

·        Partners will be fully engaged in the changes and involved in delivering joint solutions.

·        Sufficient finances will be made available to cover all project costs.

·        Executive is supportive of delivering bus priority.

·        Officer expertise is available or can be bought in externally.

·        Bus operators will support the project.

·        The Enhanced Partnership Operational Delivery Group will approve funding.

·        DfT will extend timescales.

·        A 3 minute saving per bus will be achievable within this area.

·        The forthcoming Movement and Place Plan or Highways Design Guide will not contradict the emerging ideas for the scheme.

·        City of York Council has the relevant enforcement powers to enforce the bus priority measures.

e.     Dependencies

The City Centre Corridor project directly links with the Castle Gateway regeneration programme and should support an improved environment on Tower Street to complement regeneration works.

 

The project would optimally follow maintenance works on Lendal Bridge; both projects cannot be delivered concurrently. Were the Lendal Bridge project to follow this one, then any considered measures involving bus filters/lanes would likely need to be unenforced for a period of time.

 

There may be opportunities to deliver maintenance or utility works whilst any works to deliver the Centre Corridor are on site. The project team will work with Streetworks and Highways colleagues to explore efficiencies.

 

The successful delivery of the City Centre Corridor could require enforcement of moving traffic offences and Traffic Regulation Order(s).

 

f.       Outcomes Expected

 

·        Faster bus journey times through York City Centre

·        Increased bus reliability

·        Improved bus punctuality

·        Improved bus waiting areas

·        Improved environment for walking, wheelchair users, those wheeling and cycling.

 

g.      Outputs

To be finalised following public consultation

 

3.     Options

Early stage engagement to identify options underway

 

4.     Method of Approach

This section will be updated as the likely design for the project becomes clearer following public consultation.

 

5.     Business Case

The Business Case for the work is the Council’s BSIP; the Department for Transport awarded funding based on the content of the BSIP.

 

6.     Project Benefits

Benefit

Description

2025/26 Target

Improved bus frequency.

Frequency of buses on key routes – potential for more buses

n/a – longer term benefit

Improved bus passenger experience.

Passenger satisfaction

n/a – longer term benefit

Decreased journey time for bus passengers through city centre corridor and across the wider region.

Timetabled bus times

n/a – longer term benefit

Improved stop waiting areas.

Bus Patronage

n/a – longer term benefit

Improved air quality on the city centre corridor

Reduce vehicle emissions

n/a – longer term benefit

Improved pedestrian flow through the city centre corridor.

Walking, wheelchair user, wheeling numbers

n/a – longer term benefit

Safer environment for walking, wheelchair use, wheeling and cycling

Reduction in collisions

n/a – longer term benefit

Improved cycling infrastructure

Number of cyclists

n/a – longer term benefit

a.      Project Dis-Benefits

 

Depending on the measures implemented there could be some redistribution of traffic onto other routes. This will be fully assessed as part of project development.

 

There could be a small increase in journey time for those private vehicles excluded from passing through any bus filter.

 

7.     Stakeholder maps and Communication Plan

A communications plan has been developed for the project and is annexed to this PID.

 

8.     Quality Plan

 

Activity

Responsibility (person or organisation

Resources required

Baselined project plan

City of York Council

Turner and Townsend Project and Cost Management.

 

WSP Highways Consultant

Quality review meetings

City of York Council

Turner and Townsend Project and Cost Management.

 

WSP Highways Consultant.

Business requirements

City of York Council

Turner and Townsend Project Management / CYC teams

Approval of test site mock ups

City of York Council

 

WSP

Turner and Townsend Project Management / CYC teams. Principal contractor.

Inspections and snagging to completed works

City of York Council

 

Contractor

CYC Highways Inspection

 

9.     Project Controls

a.     You should describe how your project will be managed and controlled.

·         A MS Project Plan will be maintained for financial forecasting and PM control.

·         Weekly project team/client meetings

  • A monthly Highlight Report
  • Regular update reports to the Executive Member for Transport
  • A monthly report will be submitted by Turner & Townsend to City of York Council.
  • A Risk Mitigation Plan, identifying project risks and plans for their mitigation.
  • A quarterly report will be submitted by Turner & Townsend via City of York Council to the Department of Transport.
  • The project will run through the transport project management office governance framework.

b.     Project Tolerances

Define the tolerances for the project, examples shown below.

Area

Tolerance

Cost

£2,200,000 – no tolerance unless further funding is added to the project.

Time

Time tolerances to be confirmed following discussions with the Department for Transport.

 

 

10. Governance

The project will be progressed through the Traffic Project Management Office procedures so the officer Transport Board will have ultimate officer oversight. Due to the high-profile nature of this work a project board with the Executive Member present is to be established.  The PID is to be formally approved at Executive Member Decision Session, results of initial public consultation will be reported back to Executive.

Executive will approve any request for TROs, should they be required and objections to any TRO consultation will be considered by the Executive Member for Transport.

Project delivery will be undertaken through the following processes;

·        RIBA plan of works.

·        Monthly progress meeting.

·        Weekly officer meeting.

·        Bi-weekly design team update meeting.

·        Programme review meeting.

·        Monthly actions review meeting.

·        Monthly Risk Register review meeting.

 


 

11. Project Team and Structure

a.      Structure

 

 

 

 

 

 

b.     Roles and Responsibilities

 

Role

Position

Responsibilities

Lead Politician

Executive Member for Transport

Political sign off on elements of the project within financial spend thresholds, political support and steer on the project.

Project Sponsor

CYC Head of Transport Policy & Behaviour Change

Overall responsibility of the programme including decision making and providing direction to allow the programme to progress.

Project Manager

Turner & Townsend Project Manager

Day to day responsibilities for the successful delivery of the project on behalf of City of York Council.

 

Prepare necessary project documents required for project gateway reviews.

 

Organise and minute project meetings.

Cost Manager

Turner and Townsend Commercial Team

Responsible for programme cost control, management of cashflow and procurement advice on behalf of City of York Council.

Principal Designer

WSP

Plan, manage and review designs.  Assist with tender submissions and review

 

12. Critical Success Factors

·        The project must be delivered within the budget agreed.

·        The project must comply with national legislation.

·         The project must be in line with the strategic aims of the Council’s BSIP

 

13.Environmental / Social / Economic Impact

a.      Impact

Impact

What is the likely environmental impact of this project?

Improved air quality and reduced carbon emissions in the area within scope.

What is the likely economic impact?

Increased footfall and hence economic acitivity and potentially increased property prices on Micklegate and Tower Street.

What is the likely social impact?

Improved bus journey times and reliability; resulting in better connectivity for bus users and more affordable and commercially viable bus services (requiring fewer subsidies). Reduced congestion due to mode shift from car to bus and/or walking, wheelchair use, wheeling and cycling.

b.     Equalities Impact Assessment

Will your project contribute to the achievement of equalities objectives for your service area?  Does your project require an Equalities Impact Assessment?

 

Yes. An EQIA will be produced following public consultation on the project.

14.Project Plan

·        Public consultation on the outline proposals – May-July 2025

·        Executive report to approve funding/TRO advertisement, if required, Summer 2025

·        Detailed design completed - Autumn 2025

·        Procurement - Winter 2025

·        Construction Start – Spring 2026

 

 


 

Annex A.

 

City Centre Sustainable Transport Route Engagement Plan

 

April 2025

 

Contents

1.     Background

2.     Aims and objectives

3.     Stakeholder mapping

4.     Delivery & methods of engagement

5.     Promotion

6.     Analysis & reporting

7.     Timeframe

8.     Next steps

 

 

1.     Background

Congestion has long been an issue in York with significant impacts on all parts of life in the city.  Traffic jams, bus reliability, local pollution and detrimental effects on the economy are all interconnected and major issues that need to be addressed; in short, with the growth our new Local Plan offers we cannot continue with the volume of traffic on our streets.

 

Congestion also affects longer route bus services which connect York to surrounding towns and cities, such as Leeds, Tadcaster, Selby, Hull and Malton.  Residents of these towns contribute significantly to the economic success of York by working and shopping here, and vice versa, so their communities must be better served by public transport.

 

The current proposal to create a sustainable transport corridor through the centre of York was a part of the city’s 2022 Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) successful bid which brought in £17.2m of government funding: https://www.itravelyork.info/downloads/file/92/york-ep-scheme-final

 

Buses and their reliability were the most frequently raised topics in 2023-2024’s Our Big Transport Conversation, a major public consultation which helped form the now-adopted Local Transport Strategy. A summary of the responses was given at Scrutiny in May 2024: https://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1063&MId=14745 

 

With the City Centre Sustainable Transport route, York has an opportunity to break the vicious circle of unreliable buses being caught in traffic congestion, making them less attractive to use, leading to more cars.  BSIP funding means the project can be delivered.

 

The proposals have now reached a point where they can be consulted on and early stakeholder engagement will be crucial to the scheme’s implementation. The consultation will inform the development of an Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project.  A Project Initiation Document (PID) is being published.

 

Please note this engagement plan applies to the first phase of this project only, ie development of proposals and public consultation. A detailed communications and engagement plan will be developed to in advance, to ensure that implementation and daily running of the proposals, if implemented, are widely and well communicated.

 

2.     Aims and objectives

A public consultation period is CYC’s opportunity to gather people’s views and so must clearly state:

 

·        Why this scheme is important to every resident and business within York, as well as regional towns and cities

·        How we have come up with our options [to include modelling & LTS learnings]

·        How the options could operate, for those travelling through and for those starting or stopping within it

·        The positives and negatives associated with each option

·        How it is being funded; when it will be delivered

It must take complex modelling and transport data and demonstrate the impacts on residents, businesses and visitors, from blue badge holders to children commuting to school. A key objective is to ensure that people understand the scheme as a whole, not just the individual elements and how the project is crucial to delivering a healthier, better connected and more sustainable York – the foundation of our Local Transport Strategy, and via an extensive public consultation in 2023/2024, what people have told us they want to see.

In summary, the consultation must:

 

·        Present the project and its benefits & impacts as a whole and help CYC listen to resident, visitor and business feedback

·        Ensure all materials are fully inclusive and accessible, including language, colour contrasts

·        Actively encourage participation – have an interesting and engaging tone of voice

·        Offer a range of ways for people to tell us what they think; from in-person events to an online platform, with fully accessible maps, images, plans and text

·        Identify and proactively engage with individuals and groups, including those who traditionally haven’t taken part in consultations, and going out to them, rather than anticipating they will come to us

·        Be responsive; demonstrate that we are listening, sharing feedback and answering queries while the consultation is still live

·        Is based on evidence and builds on feedback already received via other CYC workstreams and consultations

 

3.     Stakeholder mapping

Mapping will be a crucial first step in the process. We have begun to identify key interest groups and  early engagement with them will inform the public phase.

Mapping is being done at the moment and is not limited to, but will include:

 

·        Residents and businesses within red-line boundary / with frontages on the scheme

·        Bus operators

·        Taxi operators & drivers

·        Disability groups and the wider disabled community

·        Wider business community

·        Wider York residents who may benefit from improved bus times and active travel measures

·        Regional residents – for example commuters and those travelling in to or out of York, who will benefit from increased bus reliability

 

4.     Delivery and methods of engagement

A full Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) will be written by the Access, Communications and Transport teams to ensure the consultation reaches all audiences.

Similar to the recent LTS consultation, this will be a far-reaching piece of work encouraging all residents of York, and further afield, to take part. Depending on the nature of the scheme and if it is approved to delivery there will be at least two, possibly three phases of consultation:

 

a.     Early key stakeholder work with bus operators and others

b.     Public consultation

c.      [if implemented under a temporary TRO] Consultation during live scheme

Specific methods of engagement are still being worked up but will include:

 

·        Ward meetings and existing networks (for example Bus Forum, Enhanced Partnership Forum, York Access Forum, Youth Council, Live Well York)

·        In public spaces (eg in libraries, on bus stops)

·        Via an online engagement platform

·        Via organic and paid for social media / digital communications

·        Via proactive local, regional and trade media engagement

·        Stakeholder briefings and focus groups

·        Drop-in information events

 

5.     Promotion

The consultation will be widely promoted by traditional and social media, in order to ensure that not just immediate neighbours are aware of the opportunity to take part. Promotion should be by both organic posts (ie not paid for, using existing CYC channels) and paid for (to broaden the reach beyond CYC to incorporate commuters and visitors). Budget for this promotion is to be decided.

One of the major objectives of the project itself is to improve bus times on routes which cross the city, linking rural villages with the city centre, as well as places of employment and education.

Promotion will be fully detailed in a dedicated comms plan. Activity is not limited to but will include:

 

·        Media – press releases and engagement with local, regional and trade media to reach a wide audience; print, tv, radio

·        Social media – through CYC channels

·        Bus stop adverts

·        Internal comms – as one of the city’s largest employers, it is important to also engage with CYC employees direct

·        Council networks – as transport is a part of every day lives, each team / department will be given info to share with residents they work with; this is particularly important for the Communities and Access teams who work directly with residents; the CYC Comms team also manages newsletters and messaging will be included in these (eg Residents’ mailer, business mailer)

·        Utilising existing, trusted networks to reach those who do not traditionally take part in consultations, working closely with the CYC communities team

 

6.     Analysis & reporting

Analysis will be completed by the Business Intelligence team within CYC.

Reporting will be done in several steps: first, a headline report can be produced with key facts; then a more detailed report will be submitted to Executive. Following this the full (anonymised) dataset will be published on York Open Data.

 

7.     Timeframe

A full timeframe will be developed but an indicative outline is below:

 

April 2025 – publication of PID; early stakeholder engagement, eg directly affected businesses, bus operators, Accessibility Forum

April 2025 – drafting of public facing materials

Late April / May 2025: Phase 1 key stakeholder

May / June 2025: Phase 2, public consultation, wide audience across city

June 2025 – analysis and reporting

Summer 2025 – take findings to Executive

If a proposal is approved at Executive…

Go-live and measures in place – Spring 2026

 

8.     Next steps

 

This paper will be submitted to the EMDS in April; if approved, the project team and comms team will work to implement the plan.