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Rapid Transit System is only solution to congestion

Friday 27 September 2024

The only solution to congestion on the A414 in Hertford and beyond is the introduction of an east to west Mass Rapid Transit system (MRT), according to Hertfordshire County Council.

The new public transport system would connect Hemel Hempstead to Harlow and provide fast and frequent services for large numbers of passengers - characteristic of Mass Rapid Transit systems found in large cities.

Hertford suffers chronic and severe congestion along the A414 at peak times, especially when when incidents occur on the M25 which motorists attempt to avoid by routing on the A414 through Hertford instead.

Eastbound traffic approaching the Hale Road roundabout

Congestion in Hertford is also implicated in poor air quality, with Gascoyne Way designated an Air Quality Managament Area (AQMA).

A technical report for Hertfordshire County Council, published in September 2019 said: "Maintaining the status quo in Hertford in terms of transport provision is likely to lead to congestion, delays and more rat-running on less appropriate roads in the town as travel demand increases. Local proposed developments may not be able to proceed in a sustainable manner. Rising congestion also represents a threat to prosperity and existing businesses in the town, and may deter potential new commercial development. Linked to this consequence, rising levels of predominantly highway-based travel demand will exacerbate air quality issues within Hertford."

Since this report, Fore Street has been closed to through traffic, forcing more vehicles on to the A414.

Westbound traffic queueing in London Road

The latest progress report on the council's transport plan, known as LTP4, indicates that there is little support for a Hertford bypass and therefore the only solution to congested roads is a new public transportation system.

HERT (Herts & Essex Rapid Transit) previously known as the A414 bus rapid transit

The A414 Corridor Strategy was adopted in November 2019. The flagship scheme within this was the development of an East West Rapid Transit system between Hemel Hempstead and Harlow. This scheme has now evolved into the Herts & Essex Rapid Transit (HERT) a new, sustainable passenger transport network. The HERT will be transformational to east – west public transport across Hertfordshire, directly serving towns with a current population of over 500,000.

HERT will:

  • enable the delivery of 50,000 new homes by the mid 2030s
  • make public transport a highly attractive option by having high quality vehicles, shorter journey times and seamless integration with existing bus routes and active travel
  • open up rail travel by connecting the four north-south train routes in the county

The HERT project is a series of building blocks which will accelerate the delivery of benefits for passengers, the local economy and the environment whilst enabling affordability and the minimisation of operational and technological risk. HERT’s innovation is in bringing together tried and tested technology as it emerges in areas such as vehicle guidance, multi-modal ticketing systems and passenger information. The building block approach means that infrastructure delivered for the end goal of trackless trams will immediately benefit existing bus services.

The route and location of strategic and local hubs will be determined in 2025 enabling HERT to be woven into key planning and transport documents such as Local Plans, Joint Strategic Plans, the Local Transport Plan and future iterations of BSIP. The concept of HERT is already included in the existing Local Transport Plan and the Regional Transport Strategy and is endorsed in the Hertfordshire Growth Board mission statements (2024).

Essex County Council are also now developing proposals for a Bus Rapid Transit network, which would interface with HERT in the Gilston to Harlow area.

:: Hertfordshire’s Local Transport Plan – Annual Progress Report 2023/24

Conceptual image: Hertfordshire County Council

A bypass for Hertford has been floated on a number of occasions - in 1994, 2005, and most recently in 2018. However on every occasion there has been strong resistance from residents, although opinion has been divided.

The most recent proposal has also encountered stiff resistance:

Hertford bypass

Hertford bypass was included as part of the A414 Corridor Strategy, which went to public consultation Winter 2018/19. Consultation responses indicated a lack of support for the bypass and the A414 strategy was modified to include an East West Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) as the key measure for the A414 corridor. This has now evolved to the HERT project (see above). Further route optioneering work will consider whether a bypass is required to enable HERT to travel through the Hertford area or whether this can be enabled by other measures.

:: Hertfordshire’s Local Transport Plan – Annual Progress Report 2023/24

The exact same wording was also included in last year's report, suggesting little progress has been made in the last 12 months.

Hertfordshire County Council have not published any figures on how any new transport system might impact levels of traffic, nor have any projected costs or timescales been made public.

The route and location of strategic and local hubs will be determined in 2025.

No other options are being considered to address congestion in the town.

Useful link: » LTP4 Annual Progress Report 2023-24

Aren't there plans for a ULEZ in Hertford?

In short, no. A report published last October (2023) suggested that a ULEZ zone could be introduced in Hertford to improve air quality. However, this was a draft document and only proposed a feasability study.

New homes driving transport plans

Thousands of new homes along the A414 corridor could increase the number of vehicles using the road, including through Hertford.

Gilston

Seven new "garden villages" will deliver 10,000 new homes north of Harlow. Supporting infrastructure will include new schools, health centres including GP services, pharmacies and dentists, leisure facilities including pubs,  restaurants and cafes, retail units, and parklands and other green spaces. There are also a number of other road upgrades enabling the development, including the new junction 7A on the M11, new bridges and upgrades to the A414 Amwell Roundabout.

Ware

Almost 1800 new homes are expected to be built to the north and east of Ware, along with new and expanded primary schools, a new secondary school, retail opportunities and employment provision.

Birchall Garden Suburb

A new suburb east of Welwyn Garden City is expected to create around 1950 new homes supported by schools, community uses, local shops and services. The site is located approximately 2.8km east of Welwyn Garden City town centre, and 475m west of Cole Green. 


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