LTP 2006 Appendices

Present Situation

The West Midlands Authorities regard the provision of a safe and secure environment for people to live and move about in as one of their highest priorities.  A principal aim of the Local Transport Plan is therefore to contribute to improved safety and security for the community generally, but particularly focusing on pedestrians, cyclists, the school journey, and public transport passengers.  Crime and the fear of crime is greatest after dark and differs from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, a person's gender, age, race, physical ability and the time of day.  It therefore raises important social exclusion and equality issues that need to be tackled.  It is a key issue if people are to be encouraged to leave, what they perceive as the safe haven of their cars, and use other modes of transport.

Role of Community Safety to the Strategy

Actual and perceived safety and security is an important factor in peoples' choice of mode of transport, particularly their use of public transport or the decision to walk or cycle or indeed whether to travel at all.  The Districts and Centro recognise the need to work in partnership with other agencies to ensure a multidisciplinary approach to the problems; to maximise the availability of resources, and to add value to each agency's work.  Safety and security is essential to the regeneration of urban areas and the LTP programme links with related strategies and funding regimes, including national regeneration programmes and Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategies.

Research by Centro conducted in 2004 confirms that fears for personal security can be a real barrier to the use of public transport and walking, especially after dark.  Concern for personal security is often greatest when walking to and from the bus or metro stop or bus or railway station at either end of the journey.  The actual on board element of the journey is perceived to be the safest.  Identifying improvements to the physical and social environment at a neighbourhood level is crucial. 

In addition to this there is a need to ensure safe walking routes, using the principals of crime prevention through environmental design, tackling issues such as the effects of poor lighting and landscaping.

There is a need to work with young people, particularly those in school year 6 and 7 as they are on the brink of independent travel.  Initiatives need to address the concerns of young people themselves as well as those of adult passengers and staff.

As well as direct action to reduce crime there is a need to address things such as anti-social behaviour, remove graffiti, and clear litter.  While these are not necessarily defined as crimes they will improve the environment, the feeling of well-being, and can lessen people's fear of crime.  Encouraging more people onto the streets reinforces confidence and can break the cycle of fear.

Making our towns attractive and safe contributes to the local quality of life, the local economy and urban regeneration.  Much has already been done to make our town centres more attractive, which combine the use of technology, design and commercial vision but much more needs to be done to ensure urban regeneration and the economic health of our town centres.

Current Policies

The below policy documents are relevant to the LTP’s approach to Community Safety:

• Local Authority Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategies

• WMPTA / Centro 20-year Public Transport Strategy

• Transport 2010 - The 10 Year Plan

• West Midlands Police - Local Policing Plan

• British Transport Police Strategic Plan 2002-2005

A number of Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategies now identify safer travel as a key priority and this has been reflected in our revised LTP target.

Strategy

The Local Authorities and Centro wish to see a safe and secure environment for people to live and travel in, whichever mode of travel they choose.  Fears for personal safety and security can be a barrier to people travelling, especially by public transport, walking and cycling.  The LTP will remove these barriers and encourage the use of more sustainable modes of travel.

The Crime and Disorder Act requires the various agencies to reduce crime and promote community safety.  Section 17 of the act asks that they do all that they reasonably can to prevent, crime and disorder in their area.  Safety and security issues related to transport are an integral element of this.

Each of the District Councils in the West Midlands has a Community Safety Strategy.  Centro's 20-Year Public Transport Strategy has target performance indicators for safe public transport.  These include measures to address vehicle crime, anti-social behaviour, and to reduce the number of young people who become involved in crime; as victims as well as offenders.  The bus, rail and Metro operators in the West Midlands are also committed to resolving problems of crime, safety and security.

The priorities of the West Midlands Police are the reduction of robbery and street crime, through various safer streets and safer travel initiatives.  In addition to these priorities the reduction of local problems of crime and disorder, reducing drug related crime, reduced youth offending, prevention and detection of crime by working with others, increasing public satisfaction and increasing trust and confidence amongst ethnic minorities.  A key initiative within this LTP is the introduction of a West Midlands Police Public Transport Unit comprising of both Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers whose primary role will be to provide reassurance to passengers and staff.

The British Transport Police Midland Area policing plan identifies a safe railway environment as a force priority.  This includes the reduction of violence against the person, both travellers and rail / metro staff, reduction in robbery offences, the reduction in car crime.  With their partners they also aim to achieve a railway environment free from disruption caused by vandalism and other route crime offences, efficient management of fatalities, maintaining order of travelling football supporters and reducing the number of level crossing offences.

All have a strategy in place that requires partnership working with colleagues in related professions to maximise effectiveness and added value to each of the organisation's work.

The strategy to be followed will target particular neighbourhoods and known problem sites and areas to maximise people's willingness to walk, cycle and use public transport.  The focus will be on the enhancement of street lighting, particularly in residential areas and on the approaches to public transport routes will feature in each of the authorities programme.  Focus will also be on Bus Showcase Routes, major public transport hubs such as bus and rail stations (including taxi ranks), and main pedestrian thoroughfares to key attractions such as town centres, leisure and shopping facilities.  The ‘whole journey’ approach has been adopted in the Showcase Handbook including walking to stops, subways, and generally perceived security issues. Similar principles are being applied to the design of metro, upgrading of rail stations and park & ride sites.  Particular issues relate to city centres at night which need to be monitored following  recent changes to licensing laws. Public transport and taxi policies are particularly relevant.   (Good example of policy responses are the Wolverhampton and West Midlands Travel‘s safe ‘get you home bus services’ from nightclubs to surrounding villages, and Birmingham's Taxi Rank Marshals.

The districts and Centro will seek to improve the standard of car parks security through the 'Secured Car Parks' programme.  Particular attention will continue to be given to the Park and Ride sites and car parks serving the Metro, bus and railway stations to ensure the confidence of the motorist and maximise the modal shift benefits of Park and Ride.

The cycling and walking strategies adopted will address security issues and the partnership work with Centro and operators will address problems on public transport vehicles.  Vehicle and bicycle theft has a direct impact on people's travel decisions.  Secure cycle parking facilities will be given a priority as an integral part of the cycle strategy.

Consideration for personal security along the whole journey will be an integral element of future plans to extend the Metro system in the West Midlands, particularly paying regard to safety whilst walking to and from the Metro by conducting both crime analysis and situational crime prevention audits of stop locations.

Targets

The LTP’s personal security target seeks to improve actual and perceived personal safety whilst travelling on public transport by 10% between 2005/6 and 2010/11.

Projects and Programmes

In addition to a number of specific safety and security schemes within the LTP 5 year strategy, it recognises that feeling safe and secure is a critical objective for all capital schemes in order for them to be a success.  It is a fundamental part of the strategy that the improvements in personal security are regularly communicated to the public and surveys undertaken to monitor those aspects that are still causing concern.

In accordance with DfT guidance, specific projects should include:

• Mapping public transport related incidents - by using GIS mapping systems to analyse public transport related incidents and target operations at 'hot spots' and problematic corridors
• Developing secure walking routes - by conducting audits to identify improvements to the physical environment
• Developing secure transport routes - by identifying improvements to the physical and social environment along a transport route, including interchanges, car parking, taxi services, pedestrian and cycling facilities