Issue - meetings

This report considers options for the updating and upgrading of York’s transport model.

RESOLVED:             That the Executive Member notes the contents of this report and:

i) Agrees to the commissioning of transport surveys to take place in autumn 2010 and spring 2011 and the refresh and update of the model.

ii) Authorise the proposed upgrade to the software platform with model validation and calibration late in 2010 and delivery of the new model in spring 2011.

REASON:                  To ensure that the model remains ‘fit for purpose’ and can be brought back ‘in-house’ to provide improved outputs.

Consideration was given to a report, which considered options for the updating and upgrading of York’s transport model. It was confirmed that the York transport model was currently maintained by Halcrow under the consultancy framework contract and managed by the transport planning modelling team.

The Executive Member was informed that it was likely that recent budget cuts would be replicated in future years which would enable fewer capital schemes to be delivered. Officers therefore considered that it was even more essential that robust justification for schemes using transport modelling would become even more important.

The Executive Member stated that it was clearly important that investment decisions were based on the most up to date information that could be provided. Although there was some concern at the timing of the upgrade he pointed out that the model would also be used to test the potential impacts of both public and private sector developments in the city.

He gave consideration to the weaknesses of the existing model and the costs of the following options:

• Doing nothing
• Doing the minimum
• Improvement option with migration to a single integrated package
• Enhanced improvement

RESOLVED:             That the Executive Member notes the report and:

i)Agrees to the commissioning of transport surveys to take place in autumn 2010 and spring 2011 and the refresh and update of the model. ^1.

  ii)Authorise the proposed upgrade to the software platform with model validation and calibration late in 2010 and delivery of the new model in spring 2011.^2.

REASON:                  To ensure that the model remains ‘fit for purpose’ and can be brought back ‘in-house’ to provide improved outputs.