in town without my car manifesto
DESCRIPTION
The In Town Without My Car campaign sets out core principles and some specific suggestions in advance of the general election.TRANSCRIPT
Introduction
In Town Without My Car Gibraltar (ITWC) is a non-
governmental organisation made up of people who are very
interested in problems concerning transport and the
environment locally, and more specifically, in striving to find
solutions to these problems. The campaign came about
because we started asking a series of questions. How can
we best get people around Gibraltar? How can we make
journeys around Gibraltar convenient, predictable, and
comfortable?
We realised that at present there isn’t really much choice on
how to get around. So when we came to answer the
question “How can we best get people around Gibraltar” we
didn’t think the answer was – build more roads, build more
parking. We thought the answer was – give people a
choice.
Give people the realistic choice between using their car or
moped or a pleasant walking experience, a safe cycling
experience or using a bus which is reliable, predictable and
takes you where you want to go. Give people a realistic
choice to get out of their cars and onto the streets.
Our principal aim is to encourage people to use their cars
less and to rely more on alternative, more sustainable forms
of transport. In Gibraltar, the car is far more than just a
means of getting about, it is a status symbol and the use of
the car is deeply ingrained in our culture. Reversing this will
take time and it will require a sustained information and
awareness campaign to open people’s hearts and minds to
the possibility of change
ITWC Core Principles
The ITWC campaign is based around several core principles which we believe form
the basis of a solution to Gibraltar’s traffic problems. These principles are formed on
the basis of empirical evidence, academic research and, to a lesser extent, anecdotal
evidence gathered in our day to day dealings with commuters.
1. Our overall aim: The overall aim of any traffic management plan for Gibraltar
should be “To reduce reliance on private motorised transport and increase use
of public transport and walking & cycling”. This will deliver reliable, predictable
and comfortable ways of getting round Gibraltar in an efficient, non-polluting
manner.
2. More roads do not equal less traffic: Our traffic problem does not arise
primarily as a lack of infrastructure. Consequently building more roads will
only provide brief respite, not a solution. There is evidence to show that in fact
increasing road capacity results in road users altering their behaviour to fill the
available capacity. Therefore provision of increased capacity as a solution to
traffic, parking and transport problems has a net effect of zero.
3. We need to give people a real choice: Public transport, walking & cycling
need to be made more attractive options whilst simultaneously discouraging
unnecessary private vehicle usage. At present, the balance is tilted in favour
of the private vehicle and unless this is redressed, Gibraltarians’ dependence
on the car will remain.
4. We need information: There is a real lack of empirical data on issues of
traffic and transport. Conducting a comprehensive traffic study with collection
of adequate data is an essential component of traffic management. This much
is highlighted in the Government’s own Strategic Environmental Assessment
of the Development Plan.
5. We need to be creative in our approach: Gibraltar needs to think outside of
the box when it comes to addressing the issue of traffic locally. There are
innovative solutions to mobility issues which are successfully being
implemented elsewhere in the world and Gibraltar should seek to emulate
some of these.
6. We need to focus on quality of life: Air pollution and noise pollution are
currently detracting from the general quality of life in Gibraltar. Particulate
matter and other pollutants from vehicle emissions contribute to a number of
health problems including respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Expansion
of road capacity would only exacerbate this.
Specific Suggestions
The ITWC policy goal is inherently long term and sustainable. The
existing physical infrastructure of Gibraltar could easily cope with a
massive increase in demand from pedestrians, cyclists and public
transport, when accompanied by a decrease in private vehicle use.
Further, once a decision to actively discourage people from using
motor vehicles is taken, there is plenty of scope to improve and
increase the capacity and quality of the infrastructure available to
pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users.
The reason for this is simple. The space required to accommodate
pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users is a fraction of that
required to accommodate the motorist. One public bus can remove 40
or more cars from the road by accommodating people who would
otherwise choose to drive. Pedestrians and public transport users
don’t require parking spaces. Cyclists require far less space to park
their bicycles than car or motorbike drivers.
The following section details some specific suggestions which we
believe could go a long way towards solving Gibraltar’s traffic
problems and improving the quality of life for all residents.
1. Carry out a comprehensive traffic and transport study
In our view there is a need for improved data in relation to traffic,
transport and parking in Gibraltar. Questions like: What would a
sustainable transport system look like? How do people move about
Gibraltar and for what purpose? What are our predictions about how
these trends will develop in the future? How many parking spaces do
we have in Gibraltar? What is the division between on street, off street,
pay parking and free parking? These questions and others need to be
answered to provide a complete data foundation upon which to base
future development and traffic management plans.
The Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Gibraltar Development Plan sets out
a number of key areas where data is lacking
• What is the nature of most journeys taken in Gibraltar (i.e. where do trips
originate and what are the routes used and ultimate destinations)?
• What are the constraints discouraging people from using public transport, and
how can these be rectified?
• What is the carrying capacity of the road network, and how easy would it be to
improve its utility?
2. Improve pedestrian routes, introduce greenways
Walking could benefit from a sustained awareness campaign stressing the health, as
well as environmental, benefits that would follow an increase in this activity. It should
be stressed that this beneficial activity can be assimilated into many people’s
everyday life by walking to work. Walking is the most natural mode of transport and
the one that has the least impact on the environment. Walking to work, however, is
not always the pleasant experience it might be. Pedestrians have to weave in and
out of parked cars to access pavements, motor cycles often block access, pedestrian
crossings are often sited well outside the “as the crow flies” route. Paths are often
exposed to the sun, rain or elements without anything in the way of protection or
cover.
So called “greenways” are a simple way of improving the pedestrian’s experience by
improving the quality of the pathways used to get from A to B. Introducing greenery
to provide shade, adequate and proper lighting, priority where greenways encounter
roads, benches, sufficient width to enable people to pass each other freely and
easily, signage indicating walking times between key areas. All of these ideas are
simple and when compared to providing road
capacity, relatively cheap.
Image: South end of Main Street: Widening
pavements, introducing traffic calming measures,
and natural shade all improve the pedestrian
experience.
3. Make cycling safer
There is a justifiable concern on the part of many residents that cycling in Gibraltar is
not wholly safe. The predominant opinion is that Gibraltar’s roads are not sufficiently
wide to accommodate cycle lanes. ITWC are of the opinion that many existing roads
could accommodate cycle lanes if on street parking were reduced. Apart from
improving the appearance of Gibraltar, removing on street parking would provide
sufficient width to introduce wider pavements and cycle lanes.
Image: On street parking would leave sufficient space for the introduction of cycle lanes and
significantly improves Gibraltar’s appearance.
Where cycle lanes are not possible ITWC would urge Government to consider the
introduction of cycle priority lanes. Cycle priority lanes are lanes painted onto the
road within the ordinary roadway and serve as a visual indicator to drivers as to the
space a cyclist requires to cycle safely, and the distances they should maintain if
overtaking or passing the cyclist.
4. Introduce Superhighways
Cycle and walking highways are also a solution that Gibraltar could consider. Rather
than placing cycle and walking paths on or adjacent to vehicular traffic roads, a cycle
superhighway is an entirely separate system.
By way of example, rather than firm proposal, ITWC would suggest two potential
Cycle/Pedestrian Superhighways;
a) City Wall Superhighway: Jumpers to American Steps
b) Devils Tower Superhighway: Sundial to Eastern Beach
A City Wall Superhighway would link the South District with the Town Area via the
City Walls. The Boulevard would link with the City Walls over Ragged Staff Gates,
and continued along the City Walls, over the top of the leisure centre, coming down
in the gap between the Kings Bastion Leisure Centre towards English Steps, behind
the Catholic Community Centre.
A Devils Tower Superhighway would follow the boundary of the Airfield / Cemetery,
skirting Cemetery Road and linking with the old aerial farm before arriving at Eastern
Beach.
We also think there are other suitable routes that might link Europort to the Frontier
via the runway, Victoria Stadium, Ocean Village and Montagu Gardens, and a further
Superhighway linking the Europort area with the Town centre.
5. Improve the bus service
ITWC has welcomed the introduction of a free bus service to Gibraltar. The new
buses in general are much improved and aim to offer a service which runs regularly
and services the whole of Gibraltar. Despite this, however, we feel that there are
areas in which the service could be improved. These are summarised below:
i) Routes similar to the old routes 3 (Frontier to Europa and return), 9 and 10
should be re-introduced. These routes worked well and there was no need
to change them.
ii) Route maps should show the actual routes taken around Gibraltar rather than
artificially trying to show them as linear loops which can be confusing.
iii) Timetables should show arrival/departure times from individual bus stops with
a view to moving to real time information with the help of modern
technology.
iv) Bus routes should be simplified, loops eliminated and duplication reduced on
the Morrisons – Market Place route.
v) Service users should be encouraged to change routes at points where routes
naturally overlap, rather than at a central hub.
A more detailed response to the bus satisfaction survey can be found on our
facebook page.
6. Make cycling more convenient
Cycling could be made much safer during key commuter periods by opening Main
Street and Irish Town to cyclists. This would be an immediate and cost free way of
making cycling an instantly more appealing option for cyclists into the Town Area.
Many towns and cities across Europe are now experimenting with allowing cyclists to
cycle against the flow of traffic in certain designated areas. Clearly this wouldn’t be
suitable on some of Gibraltar’s narrower streets but there are some areas where
allowing cyclists to cycle against the flow of traffic would significantly shorten cyclists’
journeys – examples include Fish Market Lane to Reclamation Road, and
Reclamation Road itself.
7. Opening up the city walls
There are some areas of Gibraltar where the ease of transit from high density
reclamation areas to the Town Area could be made significantly easier for
pedestrians as well as shorter and quicker. Opening up the City Walls works well in
the Area of Queensway Quay and Ocean Heights, and increasingly pedestrians are
using the Kings Bastion Leisure Centre as a shortcut into Town.
Opening up the City Wall beneath the American Steps would permit people to walk
straight from Reclamation Road through to Parliament Lane and Irish Town without
having to take the circuitous route through Chatham Counterguard, or negotiate the
American Steps. This would be a particularly useful route for pedestrians with
buggies, or cyclists.
8. Alternative access to the Upper Town
Outdoor escalators have been installed in many hilly cities, for
example Paris, Barcelona, Toledo, and in Hong Kong. ITWC
believes installation of outdoor escalators would be a real
possibility for the Upper Town and other parts of Gibraltar.
In Monaco public lifts are used to access hilly parts of the
principality. In Malaga the Gibralfaro Castle can be accessed
using a lift built into the hillside. Our existing tunnel and air raid shelter network
could be used to access lifts built into the Rock.
Removing the need for pedestrians and cyclists to climb steep hills would, in our
opinion, increase the number of people who would choose walking and cycling to
get to and from the Upper Town and other hilly areas of Gibraltar. We also think
such lifts and escalators would be a popular feature with visitors to the Rock and
would enhance the overall tourist product.
9. Cycle Scheme
ITWC welcomes the introduction of the new Gibibikes cycle scheme. Similar
schemes have enjoyed great success in cities such as Paris and Seville and could
provide a quick and convenient way of getting around Gibraltar. We fear, however,
that unless points 3, 4 and 6 are not introduced first (particularly point 3), the scheme
is likely to be less successful than it might otherwise be as people’s fears about
cycling safety will not have been addressed.
10. Car sharing
Car sharing is a natural way to encourage people to get around Gibraltar in a manner
which substantially reduces the demands on the existing infrastructure without giving
up what could well be the necessary use of a motor vehicle. Whilst there may be a
stigma attached to sharing your vehicle, Gibraltar would find itself in glamorous
company. Monaco already has a well established and successful car sharing
scheme.
Conclusion
In summary, ITWC believes that by choosing today to go down the route of tackling
Gibraltar’s traffic, transport and parking problems by providing more capacity,
Government is laying the ground work for a much bigger problem in the future.
Building capacity encourages people to use their motor vehicles more, and this,
combined with existing trends in vehicle use and ownership, mean that Gibraltar
could soon be facing true gridlock. (See full response to Integrated Traffic Plan for
more detailed analysis).
ITWC believes that this scenario could arise in the not too distant future. That is not
to say that we do not agree that improving, increasing and providing infrastructure for
road user has a legitimate part to play in a holistic transport policy – it does. In our
view, however, if that policy does not include serious and significant strategies to
reduce motor vehicle use and prioritise the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public
transport users, any relief provided will be short-lived. In the long-term, Gibraltar’s
traffic problems will become worse, attitudes to motor vehicle use will become more
entrenched, the time available to solve the problems will be much reduced and the
task for planners will become exponentially harder.
ITWC believes that the time to act is now.
Further reading
ITWC Response to Government’s Integrated Traffic, Transport and Parking Plan
ITWC Response to Bus Satisfaction Survey
Strategic Environmental Assessment of Gibraltar Development Plan
Visit the In Town Without My Car Facebook page (search for In Town Without My Car).