Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council
Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK
Final | 14 November 2016
This report takes into account the particular
instructions and requirements of our client.
It is not intended for and should not be relied
upon by any third party and no responsibility
is undertaken to any third party.
Job number 249012-00
Ove Arup & Partners Ltd
13 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 4BQ
United Kingdom
www.arup.com
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Contents Page
1 Introduction 1
2 Methodology 2
2.1 Approach 2
2.2 Measures of Evaluation 2
2.3 Incorporating Stakeholder Engagement 14
2.4 Appraisal Criteria 16
3 Identification of Options 20
3.1 Option 1: Bedford Road Car Park 23
3.2 Option 2: Dolphin House 23
3.3 Option 3: Guildford Railway Station 24
3.4 Option 4: The Former Farnham Road Bus Station 25
3.5 Option 5: Friary Interchange 25
3.6 Option 6: On-Street Bus Facilities 26
3.7 Option 7: Debenhams Site 26
3.8 Option 8: Arriva Depot 26
3.9 Option 9: Car Park Sites 27
3.10 Option 10: Park and Ride Locations 28
3.11 Summary of Options 30
4 Appraisal Results 31
4.1 Appraisal 31
4.2 Findings 34
5 Recommendation 37
5.1 On-Street Stops Plus Off-Street Layover at Bedford Wharf 37
5.2 On-Street Stops Plus Off-Street Layover at Arriva Depot 43
5.3 Other Potential Layover Options 48
5.4 Summary 51
6 Conclusion 52
Tables
Table 1 Stakeholder comments
Table 2 Appraisal criteria
Table 3 Options and space provided
Table 4 Guildford Bus Option Appraisals
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Table 5 Summary of bays provided
Figures
Figure 1 Summary of boarding and alighting surveys
Figure 2 Guildford cycle routes
Figure 3 Cycle accidents in Guildford town centre
Figure 4 Proposed taxi ranks in Guildford town centre
Figure 5 Pedestrian routes
Figure 6 Pedestrians accidents across Guildford town centre
Figure 7 Location of potential options
Figure 8 Park and ride sites
Figure 9 Potential routes to terminate at Park and Ride sites
Figure 10 Conceptual sketch of bus layover facility at Bedford Road car park
Figure 11 Practical examples of saw-tooth and loop arrangement
Figure 12 Indicative routings at Bedford Road car park - inbound
Figure 13 Indicative routings at Bedford Road car park – outbound
Figure 14 Concept sketch of layover at the Arriva depot
Figure 15 Arriva depot and surrounding area
Figure 16 Indicative routings for facility at the Arriva depot – inbound
Figure 17 Indicative routings for facility at the Arriva depot – outbound
Figure 18 Indicative routings for Guildford rail station – inbound
Figure 19 Indicative routings for Guildford rail station – outbound
Appendices
Appendix A
Survey Results
Appendix B
Conceptual Sketches
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1 Introduction
Stage Two of the Guildford Town Centre Bus Study builds on the work done in
Stage One to identify the existing conditions and stakeholder requirements for any
change.
The Stage One Technical Note on Existing Conditions identified that a maximum
of 19 bus bays are used in the peak of the peak in The Friary bus station. This is a
combination of layover bays and bus stops for passengers to board and alight.
Analysis has shown that up to 14 different bays are used informally for layover in
the current bus station, although there are only six official layover bays. The Stage
One Technical Needs Note identified the requirements of operators and other
interest groups for the new stop and stand locations in the town centre – in terms
of the locations but also the space and associated facilities required.
The following sections of this report outline the potential new locations as a long
list. These were then appraised according to their impact on bus passengers, non-
bus users, bus operations and the wider strategic objectives held by Guildford
Borough Council and Surrey County Council. The options appraisal narrowed
down the possible alternative locations in terms of how well they met those
criteria, but also according to the availability of the land for development of a bus
facility. This process was undertaken in collaboration with the client team.
The presentation of several options provides GBC and SCC with assurance of a
workable solution for alternative bus facilities to the current Friary bus station,
which aims to unlock development at the current site.
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2 Methodology
2.1 Approach
This section describes the approach to evaluating the options for relocated bus
facilities in Guildford town centre, including measures of evaluation and their
corresponding methodologies.
The evaluation framework was developed by Arup and was presented to
Guildford Borough Council (GBC) and Surrey County Council (SCC) on 15 July
2016. The appraisal categories were discussed and agreed at the client meeting on
27 July 2016.
The development of the alternative locations was based on two steps. The first
step was a preliminary screening of all alternatives at a high level, using criteria
agreed with the client team. Following this, several locations were carried forward
into a formal review and evaluation, after their availability and land ownership
were established with SCC and GBC.
Detail of the alternatives and workable solutions are described in Sections 3 to 5
of this report. Ultimately, further and more in-depth analysis of the solution would
be required as the project is carried forward into detailed design.
2.2 Measures of Evaluation
The evaluation assessed the performance of each alternative bus facility with
respect to the following major areas of potential impact:
Passengers;
Non-bus users;
Bus operations; and
Wider strategic objectives.
With a total of 23 metrics (and two metrics on land availability and cost), the
evaluation includes both qualitative and quantitative measures. The primary data
sources for evaluation of the options for relocated facilities include:
Conceptual sketches of alternatives to indicate efficient layouts achievable;
Existing demand at bus stops around Guildford town centre and The Friary
bus station;
Existing land uses;
Wider strategic objectives and previous studies (including Guildford Town
Centre Highway Assessment Study1);
Performance of other bus facility designs all around UK and the world; and
1 WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff. June 2016. Guildford Town Centre Highway Assessment Study –
Paramics Initial Scheme Testing – Phasing Plan 1 and Pedestrianised Bridge Street.
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Stakeholder engagement.
It should be noted that the Land Availability and Ownership criteria were
evaluated separately from the main assessment, as a location could score well in
theory, but if it were not available for development as a bus facility then it could
not be taken forward. The evaluation of this criterion was also refined in an
iterative process and is based on multiple discussions with GBC and SCC.
The following sections describe the methodology for each of the major evaluation
criteria: impact on bus passengers, non-bus users, bus operations, and wider
strategic objectives. These criteria were used to score a long list of options
identified. The long list was then reduced to a short list through consultation with
SCC and GBC about site constraints – namely, their availability for development
as a bus facility, and land ownership. Therefore not all sites identified in Section 3
were taken forward as recommended options in Section 5.
2.2.1 Bus Passenger
The purpose of this evaluation is to measure the benefits or disbenefits of options
on the bus passengers’ experience. This experience is measured by how accessible
the option is to the town centre retail core, the change in overall bus journey
times, the ease of bus-to-bus / bus-to-rail interchange, proximity to existing
boarding and alighting points, and potential for bus passenger facilities.
At this stage of the process, bus passenger experience is measured both
qualitatively and quantitatively. For accessibility to the Town Centre retail core
(1-1), the option’s performance was measured by calculating the total direct
distance between the main retail core (assumed to be the junction of North Street /
High Street) and the bus facility option. The closer the distance to the town centre
core, the more convenient it is for bus passengers to access retail facilities as well
as offices for employment purposes.
For change in overall bus journey times (1-2), this criterion is a high level
quantitative review of the potential strategic bus routing resulting from the revised
bus facility location. If the new location results in a substantial rerouting of buses
with an increase in bus passengers’ journey time, it is scored as a disbenefit to
passengers, compared with the existing conditions.
For ease of bus-to-bus interchange (1-3) and bus-to-rail interchange (1-4), these
criteria are a quantitative assessment of the options’ proximity to intermodal
connectivity, namely other buses and rail services. The bus-to-bus interchange
evaluation criterion reviews how close bus stops are to each other to enable bus-
to-bus interchange. The closer the bus stops are, the easier it is for bus passengers
to transfer between bus routes. The bus-to-rail interchange evaluation criterion
reviews how close the bus stops are to rail services at Guildford rail station.
The criteria 1.5 (proximity to existing busiest boarding points) and 1-6 (proximity
to existing busiest alighting points) compare the potential new bus facility
locations with existing bus passenger demand patterns. The purpose of these
evaluation criteria is to ensure that the new locations would support the existing
passenger demand patterns. Demand patterns are informed by surveys undertaken
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on two ‘typical’ weekdays at all stops across the town centre, including the bus
station. The detailed survey results supporting the evaluation are included in
Appendix A. A summary of results is included in Figure 1. It should be noted
that the surveys were undertaken in mid-July when university activity would be
lower and therefore bus passenger trip numbers may be lower than during
university term time. The bus operators have also provided passenger data to
further support the evaluation, which has been used to validate the survey results.2
The last criterion in this category is the potential for facilities that are safe,
secure, and legible for passengers to access and wait (1-7). This is a qualitative
assessment that reviewed the space afforded at the location for consolidated and
high quality passenger waiting facilities, as well as the surrounding environment
(i.e. existing lighting, active uses after dark, footway widths).
2 Ligertwood, David. (17 June 2016). Stagecoach PAX Data. Email.
Ligertwood, David (6 July 2016). *Confidential: FW: ETM data – Commercially Confidential
Safeguard PAX data. Email
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Figure 1 Summary of boarding and alighting surveys
2.2.2 Impact on Non-Bus Users
The purpose of this evaluation is to measure the impacts each of the proposed
alternatives has on non-bus users. Non-bus users have been identified as: cyclists,
taxis, delivery and servicing vehicles, and pedestrians. Overall, this measure was
assessed qualitatively through a review of council plans for the area, research into
accident records and discussions with SCC about road safety issues in the area,
and stakeholder engagement with non-bus user groups.
The impact on cyclists was measured by appraising the proposed location’s
compatibility with the existing and proposed Guildford Borough Cycling Plan
(and Surrey Cycling Strategy), as well as feedback from cycle groups through
Guildford Bus Boarding and Alighting Surveys
Two surveys were undertaken on 12 July and 14 July 2016, covering all stops across
Guildford town centre including the bus station. The survey purpose was to understand the
volumes of passengers boarding and alighting at stops across Guildford town centre
(including the bus station) in a typical weekday. The surveyors manually counted the
number of boarders and alighters at each stop from 07:00 to 19:00. The following results
were found:
At The Friary bus station, on the survey day there were a total 4,321 passengers
alighting and 5,193 passengers boarding across the day - more than all other surveyed
bus stops in the wider town centre combined.
The busiest boarding stops were stop 1 in the bus station (427 passengers) and Guildford
Park Road northbound (417 passengers). The busiest alighting stops were the
unnumbered alighting stop in The Friary bus station (1671 passengers) and North Street
westbound (927 passengers).
Peak boarding and alighting times vary by bus stop location and by route serving the
stop. Although there is a general trend for the alighting peak to occur in the AM and
boarding peak to occur in the PM, as you would expect with a town centre attracting
trips, there are notable exceptions:
Guildford Park Road n/b has peak boarding in the AM. This could be due to passengers
arriving at the rail station travelling to the hospital or university by bus, or due to
demand from local residents to the hospital or university.
Stand 22 in the bus station has its alighting peak in the PM which is probably due to ease
of use by bus drivers, compared with using the designated alighting point.
Park & Ride passengers make up approximately 20% of all boarding and alighting at the
bus station.
Routes with the highest boarding and alighting on the survey day were the 200 (to/from
Artington Park & Ride), KITE (to/from Aldershot), 5 and 4 (to/from Royal Surrey
Hospital / Park Barn); and 26 (to/from Stoughton, Royal Surrey Hospital, and University
of Surrey).
More details of the survey can be found in Appendix A of this report.
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stakeholder engagement. Cycle-related accident data obtained from the SCC Road
Safety Team for the period between 2011 and 2015 was also taken consideration
to identify the high-risk areas and how they relate to the proposed options. Figure
2 illustrates the existing and proposed bicycle routes near Guildford town centre.
Figure 3 shows the cycle-related accidents that occurred around Guildford town
centre from 2011 to 2015.
The impact on taxi stands was measured by how compatible the option would be
with new taxi rank provision in Guildford. These six new taxi ranks were
approved by Guildford Borough Council’s Executive on 30 May 2016 and their
proposed locations are shown in Figure 4.
For the impact on delivery and servicing arrangements in the town centre, each of
the alternatives was assessed based on compatibility with existing and anticipated
on-street delivery and servicing arrangements. This included a desktop review of
the existing on-street arrangements and future opportunity areas identified in the
Guildford Draft Local Plan that may require on-street delivery and servicing
arrangements (GBC, 24 May 2016). Discussions with SCC’s Road Safety Team
also informed this appraisal.
Similar to the impact on cyclists, the impact on pedestrians was measured by how
the proposed option relates to pedestrian desire lines and infrastructure to support
pedestrian routes to/from the site option. The existing pedestrianised street and
pedestrian paths are illustrated in Figure 5. In addition, accident data from the
SCC Road Safety Team detailing the pedestrian-related accidents between 2011
and 2015 was also taken into consideration when assessing locations within this
category. This is shown in Figure 6.
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2.2.3 Bus Operations
The purpose of this evaluation measure is to assess the benefits of the proposed
locations on overall bus operations and performance. Bus operations are measured
by various factors including: changes to bus mileage and run time, bus capacity
availability, access to driver facilities, safety and ease of bus manoeuvres,
opportunity for business expansion, and the impact of construction on existing bus
operations.
The first evaluation criterion in this category is Changes to Mileage and Run Time
(3-1). Similar to the high level quantitative review for criterion 1-2, this
evaluation reviewed the potential bus routing for all options to determine the
change to route alignment and bus run times between the ‘business as usual’
scenario (existing situation) and new alternative bus facilities.
In order to determine the amount of space available at the different locations, we
undertook an exercise to draw up conceptual sketches of the most efficient
layouts. Evaluation criteria 3-2 to 3-4 (bus capacity available for now and the
future, access to driver facilities, ease and safety of manoeuvres accessing and
egressing the bays) were measured through a review of these conceptual drawings
prepared for each of the options. Although the design of facilities may differ in the
final schemes, concept sketches were a useful tool in investigating how the bus
facilities could operate and what space could there be to provide bus bays and
driver facilities.
Criteria 3-5 and 3-6 (opportunity for business expansion: potential to have out of
hours services, and impact during construction) were measured through analysing
the surrounding land uses, existing bus routes and likely changes to bus routes for
each of the locations.
Several assumptions were made, underpinning the assessment of site options in
terms of bus operations around the town centre:
For this study’s analysis, it was assumed that the Guildford Gyratory
system would be improved, in accordance with Gyratory Scenario Two in
the Draft Guildford Town Centre and Hinterland Masterplan Report
(Allies & Morrison, October 2015). The main change affecting buses
would be Bridge Street being closed off to general traffic and catering only
to buses, pedestrians and cyclists. The removal of the gyratory would
have a significant impact on the surrounding traffic flows and would
endeavour to increase the safety and uptake of active transport options
such as walking and cycling.
The M&G Real Estate development would progress at The Friary with the
following changes to the local highway network:
- The closure of Commercial Road and Woodbridge Road;
- Pedestrian access to the new development would be from Onslow Street,
North Street and Leapale Road; and
- Leapale Road will become two-way in order to facilitate traffic movement
around the new development.
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2.2.4 Wider Strategic Objectives
Finally each option was appraised against the wider strategic objectives of
Guildford Borough Council and Surrey County Council to determine how well
they fulfil the political priorities.
The key measures that were used include: compatibility with plans for the
sustainable movement corridor (SMC); impact on the public realm; meeting local
planning policy priorities and the masterplan vision; impact on air quality;
indicative cost of facilities; and the impact on general traffic flow in and around
the town centre.
Several policy documents were reviewed and are documented in the Technical
Note on Existing Conditions (Arup, May 2016):
Guildford Borough Transport Strategy (GBC, 2016);
The Guildford Town and Approaches Movement Study (Arup, 2015);
Guildford Town Centre Masterplan Vision (Allies and Morrison, 2014);
The Guildford Borough Proposed Submission Local Plan: Strategy and Sites
(GBC, ongoing);
The Guildford Borough Infrastructure Baseline (GBC, 2013);
West Surrey Strategic Housing Market Assessment (GL Hearn, 2015); and
Planning applications for major developments in the town centre or on bus
routes to/from the town centre (i.e. Bedford Wharf and Civic Area 2nd Interim
Report for GBC, Revision 3 June 2016).
The options for relocated bus facilities were reviewed against the proposals and
priorities in these policy documents. Any new facilities would need to support the
growth of Guildford town centre and its surrounding communities. The criteria
that were measured against these documents were: Compatibility with plans for
SMC (4-1); Impact on Public Realm (4-2); Meeting local planning policy
priorities and masterplan vision (4-3); and Impact on General Traffic Flow in and
around town centre (4-6).
The Impact on air quality, criterion 4-4, appraised the route alignments resulting
from the potential new bus facility locations against their potential to worsen air
quality in already congested areas.
The Indicative cost of facilities (4-5) looks at the relative cost associated with each
of the alternatives based on the conceptual sketches of the most efficient layouts.
The elements that were taken into consideration include: the cost of the drivers’
and passengers’ facilities, the complexity of the physical layout, the potential
transport network improvements required to deliver the option (i.e. traffic signals,
highway network reconfiguration, supporting cycle and pedestrian infrastructures)
and other supporting infrastructure improvements (i.e. areas that are exposed to
flood risks).
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2.3 Incorporating Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement undertaken in Stage One of this study identified the
needs and priorities of bus operators and other stakeholders. These were reported
in the Technical Needs Note (Arup, June 2016). Engagement with key
stakeholders enabled a better understanding of what factors must be prioritised in
any relocation of bus facilities in order to ensure that bus passengers and bus
services are positively impacted by any options for change.
The key stakeholders that were engaged included:
Current bus operators:
Stagecoach South;
Arriva;
Safeguard Coaches;
Carlone Limited;
Buses Excetera;
Compass Travel; and
Abellio Surrey.
Other stakeholders:
Surrey County Council (SCC);
Guildford Borough Council (GBC);
Network Rail;
Bus passengers;
The Friary / North Street developer; and
Wider interest groups such as Experience Guildford, the Guildford
Society, Guildford Vision and Guildford Bicycle Users Group.
The information provided by stakeholders facilitated the development of the
evaluation framework. These comments and how they correspond to the appraisal
criteria are summarised in Table 1.
Table 1 Stakeholder comments
ID Comments from Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation
Criteria ID
Current Bus Operations
SE 1-1 Students and concessions are very important to patronage
figures 1-2
SE 1-2 Bus to bus interchange in town centre is mainly for the
University and Hospital 1-3
SE 1-3 Driver changeover has to happen at the bus station as depot is
too remote, requiring longer layover period 3-2
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ID Comments from Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation
Criteria ID
Problems or Constraints with Current Facilities
SE 2-1
Congestion is a major concern, coming into/out of Guildford
during the AM and PM peak, school run c.15:00, and town
centre events (particularly market days)
4-4, 4-6
SE 2-2 Safety concerns with bus movements (bus v bus, bus v
pedestrian, bus v cyclist) 3-4
Bus Priority Measures
SE 3-1 Measures to reduce traffic congestion and improve bus journey
times are very important 3-1, 4-6
SE 3-2 An approach to improve service reliability and make buses more
attractive is vital to town centre accessibility 1-2, 1-7, 4-2
SE 3-3 Potential removal of the gyratory is supported as it would
improve traffic flows in one of the most congested areas 4-1, 4-3
Requirements for New Bus Facilities
SE 4-1 Layover is a key concern (number of bays and duration of
occupancy allowed in particular) 3-2
SE 4-2 Provision of drivers’ facilities close to bus layover facilities is vital 3-3
SE 4-3 Facilities need to be safe, secure and legible for passengers to
access and wait 1-7
SE 4-4
Development in the town centre must be approached
holistically; be an integral part of the economic growth.
Accessibility by bus and through-movement for pedestrians
across the town centre should be prioritised
1-3, 4-1, 4-2,
4-3, 2-4
SE 4-5
Congestion is still a key concern. If it takes too long to get
to/from the new bus facilities, reliability and passenger
satisfaction will be negatively affected
1-1, 1-2, 1-3,
1-4, 1-5, 1-6,
SE 4-6 Different routes have different requirements, therefore design
needs to be flexible to accommodate different needs 3-1, 3-5
SE 4-7
Drivers’ facilities need to be in close proximity to bus stands to
avoid the need for substantial changes to timetables to
accommodate driver breaks
3-2, 3-3
Views on Previous Studies and Locations
SE 5-1 There is no need for an integrated bus station per se, but new
facilities must not disbenefit passengers or bus operations
1-1 to 1-7,
3-1 to 3-6
SE 5-2
On-street facilities were not ruled out - but there needs to be
enough space for buses to layover and drivers’ facilities would
need to be in close proximity to the stands
3-2, 3-3
SE 5-3
The rail station and its connection with the town centre and bus
facilities is an important consideration, but it does not mean that
all bus facilities should be concentrated at the rail station – the
origin/destination of the majority of trips is the retail core
1-4
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ID Comments from Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation
Criteria ID
Other Stakeholders Priorities
SE 7-1
The new bus facilities should improve traffic flows as a whole
across the town centre (Bus Passenger, Experience Guildford,
Bike User Group)
4-6
SE 7-2 Routes should provide bus-to-bus interchange (Bus Passengers,
Guildford Transport Society Group) 1-3, 3-2
SE 7-3
Better facilities at the rail station for buses would promote bus-
to-rail interchange (Experience Guildford, Transport Group, Bike
User Group, Network Rail)
1-4
SE 7-4
More frequent bus services at park and ride facilities would
encourage the uptake of buses and reduce town centre
congestion (Guildford Transport Society, Bike User Group, SCC)
3-2
SE 7-5
The new bus facilities should align with the Sustainable
Movement Corridor idea and improve connectivity in Guildford
(Guildford Transport Group, Bike User Group, SCC, GBC)
4-1
SE 7-6
There needs to be a strong emphasis on improving the public
realm, improving access by sustainable means and encouraging
people to visit and stay longer (Experience Guildford, SCC, GBC)
2-1 to 2-4,
4-1 to 4-3
SE 7-7
Any proposed changes to the operation of the bus services and
supporting infrastructure need to contribute to the modal shift
to increase sustainable travel, improving air quality, health and
wellbeing (Bike User Group, GBC, SCC)
2-1, 2-4, 4-1,
4-2, 4-4
SE 7-8
The end solution must be consistent with existing and planned
projects. This includes the plans to remove the gyratory and
increase sustainable movement in Guildford (GBC).
4-1, 4-3
2.4 Appraisal Criteria
The assessment puts the performance of each option into three bands, colour
coded as Red, Amber and Green (RAG). These performance bands are calculated
for each individual metric and for the aggregated performance of the location
option. The full evaluation framework is summarised in Table 2.
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Table 2 Appraisal criteria
Broader
Evaluation
Criteria
ID Evaluation Criteria
RAG Scores
Red Amber Green
Bu
s P
ass
en
gers
1-1 Accessibility to Town Centre
retail core
More than 400m direct distance away from
town centre core (centre point taken on
North St and High St)
Between 200-400m direct distance away
from town centre core (centre point taken
on North St and High St)
Less than 200m direct distance away
from town centre core (centre point
taken on North St and High St)
1-2 Change in Overall Bus Journey
Times
More than 5 minutes of potential change in
overall bus journey times
Between 2 - 5 minutes of potential change
in overall bus journey times
Less than 2 minutes of potential
change in overall bus journey times
1-3 Ease of Bus-to-Bus
Interchange Most bus stops are dispersed Some bus stops are dispersed
All bus stops are consolidated in one
area
1-4 Ease of Bus-to-Rail
Interchange
Remote from Guildford Railway Station - the
direct distance between the new location
and railway station is greater than 400m
Short walk from Guildford Railway Station -
the direct distance between the new
location and railway station is between
200-400m
Adjacent to Guildford Railway Station
- the direct distance between the new
location and railway station is less
than 200m
1-5 Proximity to existing busiest
boarding points Remote from busiest boarding points Short walk from busiest boarding points Aligns with busiest boarding points
1-6 Proximity to existing busiest
alighting points Remote from busiest alighting points Short walk from busiest alighting points Aligns with busiest alighting points
1-7
Potential for facilities that are
safe, secure, and legible for
passengers to access and wait
Little potential - no space for high quality
passenger facilities
Some potential - limited space for secure,
legible and high quality facilities
High potential - off-street space for
consolidated, secure, legible and high
quality facilities
Imp
act
on
No
n-B
us
Use
rs 2-1 Interaction with Cycle
Infrastructure
Many potential conflicts with existing and
proposed cycle infrastructure
Some potential conflicts with existing and
proposed cycle infrastructure
No potential conflicts with existing
and proposed cycle infrastructure
2-2 Impacts on Taxi (stopping and
waiting)
Many potential conflicts with existing and
proposed taxi waiting facilities
Some potential conflicts with existing and
proposed taxi waiting facilities
No potential conflicts with existing
and proposed taxi waiting facilities
2-3 Impact on Delivery and
Servicing Arrangements in
town centre
Many potential conflicts with existing and
proposed retail / commercial on-street
delivery and servicing arrangements
Some potential conflicts with existing and
proposed retail / commercial on-street
delivery and servicing arrangements
No potential conflicts with existing
and proposed retail / commercial on-
street delivery and servicing
arrangements
2-4 Impact on Pedestrians
Significant impact to pedestrian routes and
would require significant intervention to
improve pedestrian amenity
Some impact on pedestrian routes and
would require localised intervention to
improve pedestrian amenity
No impact on existing or potential
pedestrian routes - no significant
interventions required
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Broader
Evaluation
Criteria
ID Evaluation Criteria
RAG Scores
Red Amber Green
Bu
s O
pera
tio
ns
3-1 Changes to Mileage and Run
Time
More than 5 minutes of potential change in
bus journey times overall
Between 2 - 5 minutes of potential change
in bus journey times overall
Less than 2 minutes of potential
change in bus journey times overall
3-2 Bus Capacity available for now
and future
Insufficient space available and requires
supplementary spaces elsewhere (less than
19 bus bays in one area)
Adequate space available to meet existing
bus demands (19 bus bays in one area)
Adequate space available to meet
existing and opportunity for future
expansion (more than 19 bus bays in
one area)
3-3 Access to driver facilities Poor potential to provide driver facilities
accessible for all drivers
Some potential to provide driver facilities
accessible for all drivers
Good potential to provide driver
facilities accessible for all drivers
3-4
Ease and safety of manoeuvres
accessing and egressing the
bays
Bus manoeuvring is extremely difficult and
unsafe (e.g. drive-in reverse-out system,
many potential conflicts between bus
movements, many potential conflicts
between bus and pedestrian / other
vehicular movements)
Bus manoeuvring is mostly reasonable but
with some constraints and safety issues
(e.g. 45 degree saw tooth, drive-in reverse-
out system, some potential conflicts
between bus movements, some potential
conflicts between bus and pedestrian /
other vehicular movements)
Bus manoeuvring is effective and safe
(e.g. Drive-in drive-out system,
shallow saw tooth layout and no
potential conflicts between bus
movements, no potential conflicts
between bus and pedestrian / other
vehicular movements)
3-5
Opportunity for Business
Expansion: Potential to have
out of hours services
Far from residential area but also far from
night time economy where demand for out
of hours services would arise from
Close to night time economy but also
within residential area so may face
opposition to out of hours services.
Far from residential area and close to
night time economy so would be
compatible with out of hours services
3-6 Impact during Construction Significant impact on current operations
during construction
Some impact on current operations during
construction
Impact on current operations during
construction is negligible
Wid
er
Str
ate
gic
Ob
jecti
ves 4-1
Compatibility with plans for
Sustainable Movement
Corridor (SMC)
Poor compatibility with SMC plans Reasonable compatibility with SMC plans Good opportunity to support and
strengthen SMC
4-2 Impact on the Public Realm Negative impact on the public realm e.g.
visual amenity No significant impact on the public realm
Improved visual amenity of the public
realm relative to existing site use and
facility
4-3
Meet local planning policy
priorities and Masterplan
vision
Little evidence of alignment with policies
and Masterplan vision
Some evidence of alignment with policies
and Masterplan vision
Closely aligns with policies and
Masterplan vision
4-4 Impact on air quality
Overall increase in bus mileage and negative
anticipated impact on air quality in already
congested area
No overall change in bus mileage and
negligible anticipated impact on air quality
in already congested area
Overall reduction in bus mileage and
positive anticipated impact on air
quality in congested area
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Broader
Evaluation
Criteria
ID Evaluation Criteria
RAG Scores
Red Amber Green
4-5 Indicative Cost of Facilities Relatively high overall cost of facilities Relatively medium overall cost of facilities Relatively low overall cost of facilities
4-6 Impact on General Traffic Flow
in and around town centre
Negative impact on already congested
highway networks
No significant impact on already
congested highway networks
Potentially improves the traffic
conditions on highway networks
OVERALL RATING
Lan
d
Ow
ners
hip
&
Avail
ab
ilit
y
5-1 Land Owned by Council No, the land is owned by others - Yes, the land is owned by Borough
Council
5-2 Land Available No, the land is not available - it has been
earmarked for other development -
Yes, the land is available for bus
facilities
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3 Identification of Options
A number of bus studies have been conducted previously in Guildford, resulting
in the identification of nine possible alternatives to the current bus station at The
Friary (see Technical Note on Existing Conditions, Arup, May 2016):
1. Combination of Bedford Road off-street facility plus on-street bays on
North Street and Leapale Road;
2. Bedford Road off-street facility alone;
3. Dolphin House off-street facility alone;
4. Guildford Railway station off-street facility plus Dolphin House off-
street facility;
5. Former Farnham Road bus station off-street facility plus on-street
bays;
6. On-street only at Leapale Road, North Street, High Street and Onslow
Street;
7. Bedford Road off-street facility plus on-street bays on High Street;
8. New off-street facility at The Friary as part of the new development;
and
9. On-street bays surrounding the new development at The Friary.
These alternatives are comprised of four main arrangements:
A single off-street site;
A combination of two off-street sites;
All on-street bus facilities; or
A combination of off- and on-street bus facilities.
This section of the report sets out the potential off-street and on-street locations
which could be used for bus facilities. 19 bus bays are required (including six
layover bays) to meet the existing AM peak hour demand. This number includes
park and ride services.
During operator interviews as part of Stage One, the suggestion came through
prominently that park and ride services are stand-alone and do not need to be
located close to other bus services or in a bus station. Therefore, by seeking to
provide 19 bays in any new facility (or facilities), this would make allowance for
either existing park and ride services, or expansion of other services if park and
ride stops were located elsewhere.
Due to physical constraints, 19 bays may be difficult to accommodate on one site
without compromising safety, performance and functioning of the town centre. In
the identification of options we highlight whether the on- or off-street solutions
may need to be combined in order to provide the requisite space for buses in a
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hybrid solution, but the potential of each individual option is set out first, in order
to clarify the process.
In addition to the previously proposed arrangements, we have undertaken a review
of all possible locations across the town centre and further options have been
explored which are set out in this report. During the comprehensive initial
screening of alternatives, there were several options that were excluded as it did
not meet the study’s goals and objectives. This included: moving the bus station to
the University.
Hence, in total, 10 options (or 15 locations) have been identified:
Option 1: Bedford Road Car Park;
Option 2: Dolphin House;
Option 3: Guildford Railway Station (with two options);
Option 4: Former Farnham Road bus station;
Option 5: Friary Interchange;
Option 6: On-street bus facilities (with three options);
Option 7: Debenhams site;
Option 8: Arriva depot;
Option 9: Car park sites (with three options); and
Option 10: Park and Ride sites.
Figure 7 illustrates the general location of these options. The following sections
describe each of the alternatives in detail, including the bus bay arrangements, the
capacity provided (for vehicles, passengers and supporting facilities) and the road
space required.
The identification of options does not consider land availability, so all potential
sites can be identified and assessed on their merits. Land availability is of course a
key factor and was a key determinant in whether the option was taken forward
from the long list.
The following section provides a brief description of each of the options. The
concept sketches showing potential layouts (as explained in Section 2.2.3) and
examples of how the site could work can be found in Appendix B.
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Fig
ure
7 L
oca
tio
n o
f p
ote
nti
al o
pti
on
s
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3.1 Option 1: Bedford Road Car Park
This option proposes a new purpose-built off-street bus station at the currently
underutilised Bedford Road surface car park. This site is bounded by Bedford
Road to the north, Onslow Street to the east, the Bridge Street Gyratory to the
south and River Wey Navigation to the west.
This site is approximately 180 metres (direct distance) away from the existing
Friary bus station and is well within walking distance to the town centre retail
core (less than 10 minutes’ walk). In addition, the Bedford Road car park is
conveniently adjacent to a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the River Wey
Navigation, providing access to Guildford rail station. This direct connection
between the bus station and rail station could potentially attract new and more
intermodal transport users. A new foot and cycle bridge over the River Wey at
Walnut Bridge has received Local Enterprise Partnership funding. This would
improve connections between the rail station to the town centre, and the Bedford
Road site would be the through-route between the two.
The Bedford Road Car Park site has been favoured by Guildford Borough Council
(GBC) as an opportunity area for major mixed-use development. In 2003, site
specific planning guidance for the Bedford Road area was approved by GBC.
This guidance does not make provision for a bus station at this site, but it does not
preclude it; emphasizing the importance of providing good connections between
rail, buses and the town centre.
Previous bus studies conducted on behalf of the Council selected Bedford Road
Car Park as their preferred design option. The previous studies include: Assisting
Decisions – Guildford Bus Station Study Issues and Options Report (MVA
Consultancy, 2011), Emerging Options and Refinements to Replacement Bus
Station Designs (MVA Consultancy, 2012), and Guildford Bus Station Issues
(Mott MacDonald, 2013). All the preferred options in the previous studies have a
similar bus facility design in which it is a combination of off-street bus facility for
buses to layover, paired with more on-street stops around the town centre.
During the consultation process undertaken in Stage One, all operators reported
that they would be favourable towards a new bus facility at Bedford Road,
provided that congestion in this area was alleviated and provided that town centre
development did not turn its back on the new bus station. Operators emphasized
the need to maintain through-movement for pedestrians across the town centre, in
order to achieve good connectivity, permeability and economic vibrancy (see
Technical Needs Note, Arup, May 2016).
3.2 Option 2: Dolphin House
Dolphin House is located at the northwest corner of North Street and the A320
Chertsey Street junction. The site is bounded by a private car park access to the
north, A320 Chertsey Street to the east, and North Street to the south. The land is
privately owned and there is one mixed use development on site.
Compared to the other alternatives, Dolphin House is the furthest east and is
approximately 350 metres (direct distance) away from the existing Friary bus
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station. The location of this proposed bus facility is within walking distance to the
town centre (less than 10 minutes’ walk) as it is situated along North Street,
however, it is perceived by stakeholders to be too far east of the focus of the town
centre, and does little to enhance connectivity to the rail station.
This option has been considered in Assisting Decisions – Guildford Bus Station
Study Issues and Options Report conducted by MVA Consultancy (2011). Based
on the assessment, Dolphin House was rated rather poorly and scored negatively
in terms of operational and economic impacts. This is primarily due to the
physical constraints of the site, including its level differences and small plot size.
3.3 Option 3: Guildford Railway Station
This site is approximately 310 metres (direct distance) away from the existing bus
station and is within walking distance of the town centre (less than 10 minutes’
walk), although the perceived distance is greater due to water and road barriers.
Similar to Alternative 1 (Bedford Road Car Park), more space for buses in this
location could potentially attract new bus users and encourage bus to rail
interchange, as opposed to car to rail interchange.
At present, there is only one bus stand at the entrance of Station View that is
served by routes 24 and 53, and rail replacement buses. The recent Solum
planning application has made provision for rail replacement buses to stand, but
not buses that are part of the regular network. This application was rejected in
June 2016 and may go to appeal and possibly a public inquiry.
Two options are put forward for this location. The first (‘do-minimum’ scenario)
assumes a very constrained footprint, without use of the land currently occupied
by the station car park. This option proposes on-street bus stands along the east
side of Station View, immediately adjacent to Guildford rail station. The proposed
location is bounded by the River Wey Navigation to the east, Farnham Road to the
south, and the railway line to the west. It would make use of the east side of
Station View, where there is currently space for approximately 12 taxi-only stands
and two short-term retail parallel parking spots.
This option has been considered in Assisting Decisions – Guildford Bus Station
Study Issues and Options Report conducted by MVA Consultancy (2011) as a
hybrid arrangement with Dolphin House (off-street facility). Based on the
assessment, this design option was given a moderate score and had issues in terms
of land ownership and economic impacts; namely the need to acquire Network
Rail land (the current car park) to develop a larger bus facility.
However, if the planning application for the Solum development could be
amended, more bus bays could be accommodated at this site. This would be
dependent on negotiations with the car park operator as the car park generates
significant revenue.
The second option (a ‘do-maximum’ scenario) assumes that as much land as
necessary is available for bus bays at Guildford rail station. Whilst this may not be
the case, it is worth exploring the footprint required to deliver a comprehensive
bus facility in this location given the current uncertainty over the development.
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3.4 Option 4: The Former Farnham Road Bus
Station
The Former Farnham Road Bus Station is located at the northeast corner of the
Park Street and High Street junction. This site is bounded by Onslow Street
(Bridge Street Gyratory) to the north, River Wey Navigation to the east, High
Street to the south and Park Street to the west. At present, the area is mainly
composed of the council owned car park and a small public house located closer
to the junction of Park Street and High Street. Guildford Borough Council
currently has plans to use this area as a riverside park and for flood alleviation.
The Former Farnham Road area is approximately 300 metres (direct distance)
away from the existing bus station. The location of this site is within walking
distance of the town centre (less than 10 minutes’ walk). The High Street extends
across the River Wey Navigation via the Guildford Town Bridge and provides
easy access for pedestrians to the town centre.
This option has been mentioned in previous reports as an interim replacement bus
facility when the Friary site is under construction. According to Assisting
Decisions – Guildford Bus Station Study Issues and Options report, this scheme
has already been approved as a temporary measure, but its flood risk was
highlighted. Based on the previous assessment, the Former Farnham Road Bus
Station was given the second highest overall rating, excelling at various
evaluation criteria such as accessibility to generators / attractors and minimal
disruption to existing bus routes, however, this was because it was part of a hybrid
solution with only buses to/from the west of the town centre using this facility.
If all bus routes were to use this facility as an alternative to The Friary, buses
coming from Farnham Road, Onslow Street and North Street would have to
access the site via the gyratory. Therefore if this site is progressed, it would be
preferable to propose a hybrid option, with buses north and east of the town centre
able to use alternative facilities and avoid using the gyratory.
3.5 Option 5: Friary Interchange
This option assumes that the proposed redevelopment of The Friary could
accommodate an off-street bus facility within the site boundary. The proposed site
is bounded by Leapale Road to the east, North Street on the south and
Woodbridge Road to the west.
This new location would be approximately 100 metres (direct distance) away from
the existing Friary Bus Station and is well within walking distance to the core of
the retail offer in the town centre (less than five minutes’ walk).
This option was first introduced in Emerging Options and Refinements to
Replacement Bus Station Designs report conducted by MVA Consultancy (2012).
In this report, two adaptations of this design option were discussed: (1) Off-street
bus facilities and (2) on-street bus facilities along Leapale Road.
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The planning application for The Friary shopping centre is currently under
development, however, the developer has stated that a bus facility on this site
would make development unviable.
3.6 Option 6: On-Street Bus Facilities
This option proposes solely on-street bus bays throughout the town centre. Three
sub-options have been developed under this type of bus facility design:
1. Bridge Street and Town Centre: bus bays would be located along several
major corridors including Bridge Street, Leapale Road, North Street, Ward
Street and High Street.
2. Onslow Street and North Street: bays would be on Onslow Street and
North Street, in a shallow saw-tooth arrangement; and
3. North Street only: all bus bays would be located along North Street.
On-street bus facilities enable good accessibility as all the proposed bus bays are
within easy reach of the town centre core retail area. This could potentially attract
more local residents to take public transport as an alternative to the car, as long as
congestion issues are addressed and the reliability of bus journey times are
improved. There is however a public realm and potentially an environmental
impact if large numbers of buses are stopping on street. Having an increase of
stops and up to 14 bus stands on-street would have a significant detrimental
impact on the streetscape, pedestrian amenity and shop frontages.
3.7 Option 7: Debenhams Site
This site is located close to the town centre retail core. It is bounded by Millbrook
to the north and east, and the River Wey to the west and south. The land is
currently occupied by Debenhams and Sports Direct. We have no indication that
this site could be made available but, as stated previously, it is important to
consider all potential sites in the town centre.
If the site could be redeveloped, a bus facility could be provided on the eastern
side of the site, with other uses on the western side (on the water) and above the
bus facility. A mixed use development of food and non-food retail as well as
office space would make best use of the plot and provide an attractive frontage
onto the water.
3.8 Option 8: Arriva Depot
The Arriva garage is located to the north west of the town centre, on the River
Wey. The site could be used for an alternative bus facility to The Friary if an
alternative site could be identified for Arriva’s use. The Council has advised that
the Stonebridge depot in Shalford or land at the Midleton industrial park could be
an alternative site for the Arriva garage to relocate to.
Given the prime waterfront location of this site, there could be an opportunity for
development above and around the bus facility, which could help to fund the
relocation.
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3.9 Option 9: Car Park Sites
There are a number of car park sites across Guildford town centre, as identified in
the Technical Note on Existing Conditions (Arup, May 2016).
We investigated the potential use of a number of these car park sites and have
progressed ideas for three: Millbrook, Mary Road and Bright Hill. Other car park
sites were considered but rejected on the basis of their difficult access
arrangements and level differences (Farnham Road and York Road), small
footprint (Leapale Road) or remoteness from the town centre (G-Live and
Guildford Park).
A relocation of bus facilities to one of these car parks could be achieved through
either:
Accepting an overall loss of car parking spaces; or
Relocating the Arriva garage to Shalford and using the Arriva depot site for
car parking facilities.
3.9.1 Millbrook Car Park
Millbrook car park is located approximately 750 metres (less than 10 minutes’
walk) from the existing bus station at The Friary. The site is bounded by the River
Wey to the north, west and south, and the A281 Millbrook to the east. It currently
provides 244 surface car parking spaces.
3.9.2 Mary Road Car Park
Mary Road car park is located close to the Arriva depot. The car park is bounded
by Mary Road to the east and north east, Bedford Road to the west and north west,
and Laundry Road to the south. It provides 107 surface car parking spaces.
3.9.3 Bright Hill Car Park
This site is located to the east of the town centre, close to the retail core, although
it is 650 metres (approximately 10 minutes’ walk) from the current bus station.
The car park site is bounded by Sydenham Road to the north and north west,
Bright Hill to the south, south west and south east, and Guildford Adult Learning
Centre to the east. The car park provides 121 surface car parking spaces.
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3.10 Option 10: Park and Ride Locations
There are four park and ride sites surrounding Guildford town centre: Spectrum
Leisure Centre, Merrow, Artington and Onslow. Figure 8 depicts these in relation
to the town centre.
Figure 8 Park and ride sites
The following analysis demonstrates which bus routes could terminate at which
park and ride sites in order to provide new passenger links. This is based on the
assumption that low frequency routes have longer layover periods and are
therefore more suitable for relocation to layover at out of town sites.
If an increase in patronage and passenger benefit (and therefore revenue) could be
demonstrated, then operators may be more amenable to considering such
proposals, despite the extra mileage and costs associated with these extensions.
Diagrams in Figure 9 demonstrate which routes could terminate at the park and
ride sites. The routes have been extended to provide origins with new destinations,
and vice versa. For instance, if route 91 was extended to Artington park and ride,
and KITE to Onslow park and ride, this would provide communities to the north
of Guildford town centre with new direct links to the south and to the west.
Currently the vast majority of routes into Guildford terminate at The Friary and
there are very few through-routes providing direct links to, from and across the
town centre.
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Figure 9 Potential routes to terminate at Park and Ride sites
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3.11 Summary of Options
The analysis undertaken in Stage One demonstrated that at least 19 bays are
required for an alternative bus facility in Guildford town centre with the
redevelopment of The Friary, along with supporting facilities. This would be a
‘like for like’ replacement and not make provision for future growth, such as
service frequency increases or route extensions to Guildford town centre.
Ten alternatives have been explored in this study, composed of a mixture of on-
and off-street options. Table 3 summarises the options discussed.
Table 3 Options and space provided
Option Bays Provided Minimum Additional
Bays Required
1: Bedford Road Car Park 14 0
2: Dolphin House 16 3
3A: Rail Station 9 10
3B: Rail Station 19 0
4: Farnham Road Bus Station 16 3
5: The Friary 17 2
6A: Bridge Street and Wider
Town Centre
19 0
6B: Onslow Street and North
Street
16 3
6C: North Street 19 0
7: Debenhams Site 15 4
8: Arriva Depot 11 8
9A: Millbrook 19 Some in town centre
9B: Mary Road 12 7
9C: Bright Hill 19 0
10: Park and Ride 13 bays for low frequency
terminating routes (4 required
in the peak of the peak)
15 required in the peak of
the peak for high
frequency terminating
routes and
boarding/alighting
This long list has been appraised according to the criteria set out in Section 2.
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4 Appraisal Results
4.1 Appraisal
Each alternative presents benefits and disbenefits to bus passengers, non-bus
users, bus operations, and the wider strategic objectives.
This appraisal presents a preliminary evaluation and provides an assessment of
how the options score against the appraisal criteria set out in Section 2. Table 4
summarises the results from the appraisal for all options.
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Table 4 Guildford Bus Option Appraisals
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LegendRed
Amber
Green
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4.2 Findings
4.2.1 Poor Performing Options
A preliminary screening of the options and review of the appraisal results (the
impact on bus passengers, non-bus users, bus operations, and wider strategic
objectives, as well as land ownership and availability) demonstrate that the
following poor performing options should not be progressed:
Option 2: Dolphin House;
Option 3A: Guildford Railway On-Street Bus Facilities;
Option 5: Friary Interchange;
Option 7: Debenhams Site;
Option 9A: Millbrook Car Park;
Option 9B: Mary Road Car Park; and
Option 9C: Bright Hill Car Park.
Whilst some of these options may have scored positively in certain categories,
overall they did not score well in terms of their impacts across all four categories.
In addition, a review of the land ownership and availability of the sites to be
developed into a bus facility has indicated their impracticality for being
shortlisted.
Although Option 2 (Dolphin House) is in close proximity to the retail core and
aligns with busiest alighting points in the town centre, its location does not allow
for easy bus movements into and out of the site and an increase in bus movements
in this area would potentially exacerbate the congestion already apparent along
North Street and Chertsey Street. Option 2 scored well in terms of bus passenger
impact but poorly with regard to its impact on non-bus users, bus operations, and
wider strategic objectives. In addition, the land is not owned by the Council and is
highly unlikely to be made available for development into a bus facility.
The appraisal of Option 3 (Guildford Railway On-Street Bus Facility) showed the
trade-offs to be impractical: in implementing a bus facility adjacent to the
Guildford rail station, there would be much improved bus to rail interchange, but
this is remote from the busiest boarding and alighting points in the town centre
and would compromise the taxi ranks adjacent to the railway station as well as
being unable to deliver efficient bus operations (with limited space for buses on-
street and potential conflict with the car movements to/from the Network Rail car
park). This option scored poorly in all categories of the main assessment and there
are additional land ownership issues which would have to be resolved with
Network Rail. It would require a considerable amount of negotiation between
multiple parties to work out a feasible solution, and given the poor scores across
categories, this would not be worthwhile.
Option 9A (Millbrook Car Park) scored positively in that it would have a minimal
impact on non-bus users (delivery and servicing vehicles, taxis, major pedestrian
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flows) and would meet operational requirements (with a large footprint and road
network capable of accommodating at least 19 bus bays). However, it scored
poorly in the other two categories of the main assessment: impact on bus
passengers and alignment with wider strategic objectives. Option 9A is relatively
far from the town centre and its location would require buses to be rerouted onto
Millbrook Road. This would ultimately exacerbate the traffic congestion in
already busy areas and result in routes from the south being cut back to terminate
at Millbrook. In addition, according to the GBC, Millbrook Car Park is well used
by local residents and the removal of 244 spaces would be problematic.
The main assessment identified Options 5 (Friary Interchange), 7 (Debenhams
Site), and 9C (Bright Hill Car Park) as higher-performing alternatives. However, a
review of the land availability and discussion with GBC shows that these
locations are not available to develop into off-street bus facilities.
Option 5 was predicated on the idea that a new bus facility could be developed
and integrated into the new Friary centre. Its location close to the retail core and
the continuity for passengers and bus operations afforded by a new facility on the
same site as the existing bus station would be advantageous, however, the
footprint required by a new bus facility would be detrimental to scheme viability
and therefore this option cannot be progressed.
Option 7 is unavailable for development as a bus facility and the land is not
owned by the Council. Land at the Mary Road car park (Option 9B) would be
available but this option did not score well compared with other sites due to the
capacity available and its location. Option 9C is located in a residential area and is
relatively remote from the retail core, therefore will not be progressed either.
All the on-street bus facilities (Options 6A, 6B, 6C) scored poorly in the main
assessment as a standalone arrangement for bus layover. A fully on-street option
would need to accommodate at least 19 bus bays. It would be difficult to
aggregate these stops onto one or two streets in the town centre without
compromising the general traffic. In addition, on-street facilities would have a
major impact on the town centre public realm, as some buses would lay over for
periods up to an hour, creating barriers to movement across the town centre for
pedestrians and negatively impacting the visual streetscape. Nevertheless, on-
street facilities in the town centre would deliver good accessibility for bus
passengers. Therefore a hybrid on- and off-street solution could be progressed to
capitalise on the benefits of on-street facilities whilst mitigating the potential dis-
benefits.
4.2.2 Higher Performing Options
The study identified the following as higher-performing options on the basis of
the main assessment (across the four categories of impact on bus passengers, non-
bus users, bus operations and wider strategic objectives), land ownership and
potential land availability:
Option 1: Bedford Road Car Park;
Option 3B: Guildford Railway Station Off-Street;
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Option 4: Former Farnham Road Bus Station;
Option 6: On-Street bus facilities (A, B, C);
Option 8: Land at the current Arriva depot; and
Option 10: Park & Ride Location.
These are considered further in the following chapter.
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5 Recommendation
The six shortlisted options were explored in further detail in order to reach a
workable solution. Following the full appraisal described in Section 4 and
discussion with GBC and SCC, it was apparent that no single option was suitable
for alternative bus facilities to The Friary for Guildford town centre.
For instance, the on-street options (options 6A, B and C) would provide
significant accessibility benefits for passengers, but the negative impact on visual
amenity, pedestrian permeability and public realm would be significant
considering the amount of space required on-street in Guildford town centre. This
would include up to 14 bus stands and additional bus stops which would
negatively impact on pedestrian amenity, shop frontages and the general
streetscape.
Conversely, the sites available for off-street facilities tend to be more remote from
the town centre retail core and therefore do not provide good bus passenger
accessibility. They do, however, provide other benefits such as the potential for
consolidated driver facilities, adequate space for safe bus manoeuvres, space for
long layover periods, and no conflict with delivery and servicing arrangements.
Therefore, in order to maximise benefits and mitigate against the disbenefits, a
hybrid on- and off-street solution is identified as the best way forward. This
would comprise an increase in on-street stops within the town centre retail core
area, to safeguard and improve bus passenger accessibility, and supporting off-
street facilities for layover and recovery time.
The actual location of the off-street facility is subject to further discussion
between Surrey County Council, Guildford Borough Council and bus operators.
However, the following sections describe two of the workable hybrid options
which could be taken forward, including the indicative bus stops and stands
arrangement, the indicative bus routings, and their associated benefits and
challenges.
5.1 On-Street Stops Plus Off-Street Layover at
Bedford Wharf
5.1.1 Overview and Operator Consultation
This option focuses on using on-street bus facilities to replace the existing Friary
bus station stops with a total of 11 bus stops (including three existing bus stops on
North Street which could cater for more services per hour). These bus stops would
be placed strategically throughout the wider town centre area in order to allow bus
passengers to continue to have good access to the retail core, without causing a
significant impact on delivery and servicing arrangements, pedestrian desire lines
and the urban realm. A Stage One Road Safety Audit (RSA) has enabled
refinement of the design.
In order to ensure that an increase in bus stops in the town centre is efficient and
safe, several supporting interventions would need to be in place, for instance
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enforcement of bus stop cages to ensure that they are not used by delivery and
servicing vehicles or blocked by parked cars; pedestrian crossings and footway
widening to ensure that footfall (including sufficient space for wheelchair users
and baby buggies) can be accommodated alongside passengers waiting for buses.
The supporting interventions required to facilitate an increase in stops are
described in more detail in the Delivery Plan.
The space provided by this hybrid solution is summarised in Table 5.
Table 5 Summary of bays provided
Bus Facility
Type
Location Quantity
Wider Area On-Street Bus Stops 11
North Street between Haydon Place and Chertsey Street (two on
each side of the road) 5*
Leapale Street between Leapale Lane and North Street (two on
each side of the road) 4
Bedford Road between the current Bedford Road Car Park and
Laundry Road 2
Layover Spaces 14
Bedford Road car park 14
Total Spaces 29
Note:
* Three out of the five on-street bus stops on North Street are existing bus stops
During consultation meetings for this study, operators were unanimous in
requesting that Bedford Wharf be considered because it is their preferred option if
The Friary bus station is not retained as a bus facility. As operator buy-in has been
emphasized by all as essential in order to reach a solution and unlock development
at The Friary, we recommend that the use of the Bedford Wharf area as a layover
facility is a potential option, together with the proposed increase in bus stops
throughout the town centre.
5.1.2 Benefits of Use of the Bedford Wharf Site for Layover
In the main assessment, the Bedford Road car park site scored the highest in the
majority of the categories due to its close proximity to the town centre and the
railway station, and its marginal change to mileage compared with the current bus
station.
It should be noted that the exact location of the layover facility is still to be
determined. However, since layover facilities requires less footprint than a bus
station, the rest of Bedford Road car park area could be used for mixed use
development (i.e. commercial or residential). In this way, the area could
incorporate a major mixed-use development (as shown in the Bedford Wharf and
Civic Area Masterplan) while simultaneously providing a solution acceptable to
bus operators.
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Based on the main appraisal results, the benefits of implementing this preferred
option are as follows:
Maintains good accessibility to the town centre and interchanges (bus to
rail, bus to bus). Having on-street bus facilities along North Street and
Leapale Road ensures that bus passengers still have good access to existing
retail and office areas. Additional bus stops along Bridge Street would also
provide bus passengers with good rail to bus interchange whilst remaining
within walkable distance to the town centre. However, these stops are
dependent on the gyratory removal scheme and have therefore not been
included in this assessment. With layover facilities at the Bedford Road car
park, stands could also be used as pick-up and drop-off points for passengers,
resulting in improved connectivity with rail services over the footbridge,
catering for demand at new development in the Bedford Wharf area, whilst
remaining within walking distance of the retail core. As the footbridge
crossing to Walnut Tree Close from the Bedford Road area is planned to be
improved, there is a good opportunity to improve connectivity between the rail
station and retail core. If buses were situated between the two, they could be
visible from both and provide a strong link through.
Aligns closely to existing busiest boarding and alighting points. A review
of the existing bus stop demand shows that bus stops in the current bus station
are by far the busiest. This is primarily due to the bus station’s proximity to
the retail core. The busiest alighting point outside the bus station is North
Street. This supports anecdotal evidence that passengers alight at the top of the
hill and walk down as they shop, before boarding in the bus station for their
return trip. The survey data supports this assumption as the number of
boarders outweighs the number of alighters per day. Therefore, including
additional stops on North Street and Leapale Road would meet existing and
future demand for passengers accessing the retail core.
Provides bus operators sufficient amount of layover space. Figure 10 shows that 14 bays could be provided comfortably on site at the Bedford Road
car park. This would be sufficient space to accommodate all terminating
routes and services with different layover requirements i.e. short periods for
driver changeover or long periods of layover where one driver stays with one
vehicle all day. It would represent a significant increase on the current six
dedicated layover bays at the Friary bus station, catering for future growth in
the bus network in Guildford. Increasing the number of through-routes is not
viable due to congestion issues in Guildford town centre which hamper
reliability. Therefore, growth in the town centre is likely to result in more
terminating routes rather than more cross-town routes.
Provides space for supporting facilities. There would also be adequate space
for driver facilities (i.e. toilets and a mess room). This layout works well in
several locations in the U.K. including Bath and Bristol (see Figure 11).
Reduces conflict with non-bus users. With a dedicated layover facility at
Bedford Road, conflict with town centre delivery and servicing arrangements
would be reduced, compared with a scenario where all layover would take
place on-street. In addition, by having a facility just west of the town centre,
where buses and drivers can wait during breaks, buses would have a lesser
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impact on the public realm of the town centre as they would not be standing
for extensive periods on-street.
Change in mileage is minimal. As noted, if the current bus station is no
longer available, operators would be willing to accept another solution as
close as possible to the current bus station, in order to limit the impact on
mileage and the commercial implications associated with extra mileage. The
indicative routings associated with a new facility at the Bedford Road car park
are shown in Figure 12 and Figure 13.
Figure 10 Conceptual sketch of bus layover facility at Bedford Road car park
Figure 11 Practical examples of saw-tooth and loop arrangement
Bath interchange layout (Source: WilkinsonEyre Architects)
This layout provides for clear separation of bus and pedestrian movement. Bath
interchange has adopted a one-way ‘loop’ arrangement, with layover spaces
located on the loop route and bus stops as a saw-tooth arrangement.
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Conversely, in order to maximise space for terminating routes, the central saw-
tooth bays can be used for layover, as per Cribbs Causeway in Bristol.
Cribbs Causeway, Bristol (Source: Google maps)
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Figure 12 Indicative routings at Bedford Road car park - inbound
Figure 13 Indicative routings at Bedford Road car park – outbound
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5.1.3 Challenges of Use of the Bedford Wharf Site for Layover
Some of the challenges associated with the preferred option include:
Additional junction and highway works are required. An increase in bus
stops on Leapale Road and North Street are predicated on the conversion to
two-way working following new development at The Friary. A design
showing the steps necessary to support stops at these locations and ensure
their safe functioning will be provided in the Delivery Plan. A four-arm
junction at Onslow Street/Woodbridge Road/York Road (as part of the
Bedford Wharf and Civic Area Masterplan) is also necessary to enable bus
movements to the Bedford Wharf site.
Potential impact to some non-bus users. Although an increase in bus stops
through the town centre is beneficial for bus passenger accessibility, there
could still be conflict with other traffic movement (including cyclists) and
pedestrian desire lines. Further examination in terms of road safety audits,
traffic flow impact, and swept path tracking analysis will be done for proposed
stop locations as part of the Delivery Plan and then for detailed design. Other
supporting interventions may be required to ensure the safety of new
proposals, for instance cycle lanes or footway widening. These will be
specified in the Delivery Plan.
Collaboration with bus operators and developers to ensure that
development is accessible and development opportunities are unlocked.
The use of the Bedford Road car park and move from the current Friary bus
station would require GBC and SCC to collaborate with bus operators and
private developers to ensure that any changes to the transport network (i.e.
highway works, cycle and pedestrian network changes) compliment use of this
site as a layover facility, support development at The Friary and protect and
promote the continued operation of the bus network in Guildford.
5.2 On-Street Stops Plus Off-Street Layover at
Arriva Depot
5.2.1 Overview
Land at the current Arriva garage near Mary Road could be considered for use as
a bus layover facility for all routes. This would also be in combination with an
increase in town centre bus stops to maintain passenger accessibility.
A concept exercise to determine how many bays could fit efficiently on site
showed that 11 bus bays could be accommodated (six of which are in a 45° saw-
tooth arrangement, drive-in reverse out system) with a single access point to the
site. The new purpose-built bus facility would also provide staff toilets and meal
relief facilities for the bus drivers. The high level concept is shown in Figure 14.
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Figure 14 Concept sketch of layover at the Arriva depot
Buses travelling to and from the layover facility at the Arriva depot would travel
via Mary Road and a new access road to a new four-arm signalised junction at
York Road/Onslow Street/Woodbridge Road roundabout, designed as part of the
GBC Bedford Wharf and Civic Area Masterplan. Details of the highway layout in
the Bedford Wharf and Civic Area is subject to change but the indicative layout
used for the purpose of this study was taken from the Bedford Wharf and Civic
Area 2nd Interim Report for GBC Revision 3 (Curious Worldwide Ltd., June
2016), as shown in Figure 15.
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Figure 15 Arriva depot and surrounding area
Figure 16 and Figure 17 show the indicative inbound and outbound bus routing
alignments. If buses could run in-service to the layover facility then an increase in
passenger demand could help offset the cost of extra mileage.
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Figure 16 Indicative routings for facility at the Arriva depot – inbound
Figure 17 Indicative routings for facility at the Arriva depot – outbound
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In order for the Arriva depot to be converted to a layover facility, an alternative
facility for the Arriva garage would need to be agreed; this is currently not
confirmed and is under discussion by GBC with Arriva.
This option was not favoured by operators due to the distance from the town
centre and additional mileage and operating cost.
5.2.2 Benefits
The potential benefits from use of the Arriva site as a layover facility are as
follows:
Beneficial impact on non-bus users. Similar to the Bedford Road car park
site, the Arriva depot would reduce potential conflict between buses and other
users, by reducing the amount of bus movements to be accommodated in the
town centre. This would bring particular benefits for delivery and servicing
arrangements and pedestrians in the town centre retail core.
Buses could run in-service to the layover facility via Mary Road, and
generate extra demand. With additional stops for buses to serve en route to
the layover facility, the network could support growth and new trips from the
Bedford Wharf and Civic Area. Additional bus stops on Bedford Road and
Mary Road (i.e. the new access road created to the junction with Woodbridge
Road/York Road/Onslow Street) would increase the connectivity between the
Bedford Wharf/Civic Area development and key destinations in Guildford (i.e.
High Street, University of Surrey, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Park & Ride
sites).
5.2.3 Challenges
Some of the challenges associated with this option are:
The additional mileage compared with the current bus station. Any
significant additional mileage and cost is not welcomed by bus operators.
Consultation feedback made it clear that they were unwilling to consider bus
facilities any further north than the Bedford Road car park site. This is both
due to the extra run time to reach the Arriva depot and a perception that it is
‘back of house’.
Additional junction and highway works are required. To facilitate bus
movements to and from the layover facility, several measures would need to
be in place, such as a four-arm signalised junction at Onslow Street/York
Road/Woodbridge Road. To support the increase in bus stops across the town
centre, two-way working of Leapale Road would also have to be
implemented.
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5.3 Other Potential Layover Options
5.3.1 Overview
The Bedford Road car park site scored best in the appraisal assessment outlined in
Section 4 and was favoured by operators. A bus facility at The Friary, at the
current Debenhams site, or at the current Bright Hill car park ranked next in the
assessment, but their availability was ruled out early in the study. The off-street
options which were ranked next in the assessment were the Arriva depot,
Guildford rail station, the former Farnham Road bus station and Park and Ride
sites. Therefore, the Arriva depot site would be the next potential alternative for
layover after the Bedford Road car park site, if its availability can be secured.
Availability of the Bedford Road car park site and Arriva depot are both still to be
determined by SCC and GBC.
The former Farnham Road bus station is a challenging site due to level differences
and potential works to remove the gyratory which would cause significant short
term disruption during construction. Therefore if the options at Bedford Road car
park or at the Arriva depot are not able to be progressed, the next best options to
investigate would be Guildford rail station and Park and Ride sites.
If these two options are considered as layover facilities only, as part of a hybrid
solution with more stops in the town centre, then the required footprint could be
much smaller than if a standalone bus station were required. These two
alternatives are considered briefly in the next sections.
5.3.2 Land at Guildford Railway Station
This layover facility option would be situated at Guildford rail station. Buses
would enter the layover facility via the gyratory and Walnut Tree Close. In terms
of indicative bus routing, this option would place slightly more stress on Bridge
Street (gyratory) and Onslow Street as buses approaching the town centre from
the north and east would have to use these roads in order to get to the layover
facility. Figure 18 and Figure 19 illustrate the indicative inbound and outbound
bus movements. Therefore, similar to the Farnham Road site, works to remove the
gyratory would have a significant short term impact on buses during construction
of the new highway layout.
Similar to the Bedford Road car park site, a layover facility requires less footprint
than a bus station so the rest of the area could be used for high-density, mixed use
development. This size of the bus facility would be dependent on negotiations
with the future developer, Network Rail and the rail operator.
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Figure 18 Indicative routings for Guildford rail station – inbound
Figure 19 Indicative routings for Guildford rail station – outbound
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5.3.3 Spectrum Park & Ride
Spectrum Park & Ride is located approximately 1.70 km northeast of Guildford
Town Centre on A25 Parkway. GBC owns the Spectrum Park & Ride site but
leases out the leisure centre to a leisure company. It is the closest park and ride
site to the current bus station.
Having the layover facility at Spectrum Park & Ride would be the most
appropriate for bus services that are low frequency and have long layover periods.
From stakeholder feedback, it was apparent that some services lay over for more
than 45 minutes in the current bus station. Terminating these services at the park
and ride sites would be a more efficient use of space in the town centre. However,
the commercial viability of such extensions would need to be explored with the
operators.
In addition, this option assumes that high frequency services would need to use
bays within the town centre for boarding, alighting and layover. However, given
that these routes are higher frequency, they would not remain for long periods on
the stands. Routes with only one journey per day are assumed not to need layover
space, and would instead return to the operator’s depot.
Stagecoach currently runs all park and ride services to and from Guildford town
centre. Any plans to extend non-park and ride services to the park and ride sites to
layover would need to be agreed with Stagecoach to afford drivers access to the
same facilities.
There are significant commercial sensitivities involved in this option for the
operators. The substantial additional mileage is unlikely to make this an
acceptable solution to operators and therefore it should only be explored as a last
resort.
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5.4 Summary
Following the full appraisal and discussion with GBC and SCC, it was apparent
that no single option was suitable for alternative bus facilities to The Friary for
Guildford town centre, due to limited availability and scale of sites.
Therefore, a hybrid option is recommended: a combination of an increase in on-
street stops in the town centre with a supporting layover facility off-street.
Combining these two elements ensures that passenger accessibility is maintained,
whilst allowing long layover periods and driver changeovers for bus operators.
Negotiations are ongoing between Surrey County Council, Guildford Borough
Council and the bus operators as to the availability of a suitable off-street layover
site. We have presented the benefits and disbenefits of using either the Bedford
Wharf site or the Arriva depot site for layover. Sites deserving further
consideration if necessary would be the rail station and Park and Ride sites.
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6 Conclusion
Several sites across Guildford town centre were identified for potential
alternative bus facilities to the current bus station at The Friary in order to
unlock a major retail development opportunity on this site.
Following an appraisal to determine the impact of each option on bus passengers,
non-bus users, bus operations and wider strategic objectives, as well as a
discussion with the client team about site availability and land ownership, it was
apparent that no single option scored well across all categories as well as being
available for development as a bus facility.
For instance, the on-street options (options 6A, B and C) would provide
significant accessibility benefits for passengers, but the negative impact on visual
amenity, pedestrian permeability and public realm would be significant
considering the amount of space required on-street.
Conversely, the sites available for off-street facilities tend to be more remote from
the town centre retail core and therefore do not provide good bus passenger
accessibility. They do, however, provide other benefits such as the potential for
consolidated driver facilities, adequate space for safe bus manoeuvres, space for
long layover periods, and no conflict with delivery and servicing arrangements.
The footprint required for a bus layover facility would be smaller than that
required for a bus station, and therefore could be incorporated into a mixed use
development.
Therefore, in order to maximise benefits and mitigate against the disbenefits, a
hybrid on- and off-street solution is identified as the best way forward.
This would comprise an increase in on-street stops in the core retail area, to
safeguard and improve bus passenger accessibility, with supporting off-street
facilities for layover and recovery time.
In the main assessment, the Bedford Wharf site scored the highest in the
majority of the categories due to its close proximity to the town centre and the
railway station, and its marginal change to mileage compared with the current bus
station. However, the land is prioritised for other development by GBC so it may
not be available for development as a bus layover facility.
Negotiations are ongoing as to the availability of other potential off-street sites
such as the Arriva depot site.
Several supporting interventions will need to be in place for any of the above
solutions to be acceptable and possible to implement. These will be set out in a
Delivery Plan following this report.
Appendix A
Survey Results
Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Bus Boarding and Alighting Surveys
5 August 2016
2
• The Guildford Town Centre Bus Study has been commissioned by Surrey County
Council and Guildford Borough Council.
• The study’s purpose is to determine bus operator and bus passenger requirements in
order to successfully identify appropriate bus stop and stand arrangements in the
town centre.
• This is necessary to support the proposed redevelopment of The Friary / North
Street and wider town centre regeneration.
• Numbers of passengers boarding and alighting at stops across Guildford town
centre (including the bus station) were required to inform the selection of
appropriate sites for relocated facilities.
Background
Background
3
• After a competitive tendering process, Tracsis Traffic
Data Ltd were appointed to undertake surveys on 12
July 2016 and 14 July 2016.
• Surveyors manually counted the number of
passengers boarding and alighting at each stop from
0700-1900.
• There were no unusual circumstances recorded on
the day (e.g. road traffic accidents) and surveys were
undertaken before the school holidays, therefore
results are regarded as representative of a ‘typical’
weekday.
• 24 stops were surveyed in the bus station (including
the alighting point) and 15 stops in the wider town
centre.
Process
Process
4
Boarding and Alighting – Bus Station
Bus Station
55%
A
45%
5
Boarding and Alighting –Friary Bus Station
By Bus Route Number
Bus Route Description
200 Artington Park & Ride - Guildford
KITE Aldershot – Guildford
4 Guildford – Park Barn – Royal Surrey Hospital –
Guildford
5 Guildford – Royal Surrey Hospital – Park Barn –
Guildford
26 Guildford – Stoughton – Hospital – University –
Guildford
36 Manor Park – University – Guildford – Burpham –
Merrow – Guildford
37 Guildford – Merrow – Burpham – Guildford – University
– Manor Park
27 Guildford – University – Hospital – Stoughton –
Guildford
53 Guildford – Cranleigh – Ewhurst
400 Onslow Park & Ride – Guildford
100 Spectrum Leisure Centre – Guildford
3 Guildford – Bellfields
Bus Route Description
300 Guildford – Merrow Park & Ride
63 Guildford – Cranleigh – Horsham
34 Guildford – Woking – Camberley
71 Guildford – Godalming – Haslmere
65 Guildford – Farnham – Alton
70 Guildford – Godalming – Haslemere – Midhurst
32 Guildford – Dorking – Strood Green – Redhill
35 Guildford – Woking – Camberley
17 Guildford – Fairlands Circular
28 Guildford – Fairlands – Pirbright – Brookwood –
Knaphill – Woking
18 Guildford – Onslow Village – Guildford
42 Ewhurst – Cranleigh – Godalming – Guildford
479 Guildford - Little Bookham - Leatherhead - Epsom
24 Guildford - Cranleigh
Bus Route Description
46 Farnham - Godalming - Guildford
515 Guildford - Cobham - Esher - Kingston upon Thames
134 Guildford - Woking - Camberley
25 Guildford - Merrow - Cranleigh
135 Camberley - Woking - Guildford
462 Guildford - Ripley - Woking
463 Guildford - Ripley - Woking
17a Guildford - Fairlands Circular
23 Guildford - Merrow
126 Guildford - Stoughton - Hospital - University - Guildford
520 Aldershot - Ash - Flexford - Guildford/Woking
478 Guildford - Effingham - Leatherhead
523 Guildford - Godalming - Busbridge - Godalming -
Guildford
63X Guildford - Cranleigh - Horsham
8 Guildford - The Mount - Guildford
6
Boarding and Alighting –Friary Bus Station
By Bus Route Number
Park & Ride Bus
Routes
21%
Local Bus Routes
79%
No of Passengers Alighting
Park & Ride Bus
Routes
22%
Local Bus Routes
78%
No of Passengers Boarding
7
• 4321 passengers alighting and 5193 passengers boarding across the day - more than all other surveyed bus
stops in wider town centre combined (this is 930 boarding and 1698 alighting).
• There are more boarding passengers than alighting. Many passengers choose to alight at North Street near the
Library (927) instead of the bus station.
• For the bus station as a whole, the peak alighting time is 1000, with 622 passengers alighting.
• For the bus station as a whole, the peak boarding time is 1600, with 747 passengers boarding.
• Park & Ride bus routes passengers make up approximately 20% of all boarding and alighting at the bus station
• Popular bus routes (highest number of passengers boarding and alighting) include:
1. Bus Route 200, Artington Park & Ride – Guildford (839 passengers)
2. Bus Route KITE, Aldershot – Guildford (750 passengers)
3. Bus Route 5, Guildford – Royal Surrey Hospital – Park Barn – Guildford (729 passengers)
4. Bus Route 4, Guildford – Royal Surrey Hospital – Park Barn - Guildford (706 passengers)
5. Bus Route 26, Guildford – Stoughton – Hospital – University - Guildford (608 passengers)
Bus Station Profile
Bus Station
8
• Most buses use the alighting stop for
setting down across the day (1671
passengers). However, stands 21 and 22
are also well used (117 and 593
passengers alighting respectively).
• Alighting is heavily weighted in the
morning at the alighting point and at stand
21, whereas the profile is more varied at
stand 22. Data shows that many buses use
stand 22 that are not scheduled to do so.
This could be due to a lack of space
elsewhere or the ease of manoeuvring into
and out of this space.
Bus Station Alighting
Bus Station
Alighting Point
Stand 21
Stand 22
9
Bus Station Alighting, Bus Routes
Alighting Point
10
Bus Station Alighting, Bus Routes
Stand 21
11
Bus Station Alighting, Bus Routes
Stand 22
12
• Boarding is evenly spread across stops with the exception
of stops 4, 15, 16 and 20 which has lower passenger
demand.
• According to the surveys, several stops accommodate
more than 300 boarding passengers per day: Stop 1 (427
boarders), Stop 6 (364 boarders), Stop 7 (343 boarders),
Stop 8 (325 boarders), Stop 10 (342 boarders), Stop 11
(361 boarders), Stop 12 (390 boarders), Stop 14 (369
boarders).
• Most stops show the highest boarding in the PM peak
hour (between 1600-1700). However, some stops have a
different peak hour as the bus routes cater towards the
university demographics (i.e. peak hour at 1400). This
can be seen in bus routes 27, 36, 37 which goes to
northwest Guildford (e.g. University of Surrey).
Bus Station Boarding
Bus Station
Stop 1 (for 200
park and ride)
Stop 10 (for 27, 36, 37)
13
Bus Station Boarding, Bus Routes
Stop 1 (for 200 park and ride)
14
Bus Station Boarding, Bus Routes
Stop 10 (for 27, 36, 37)
15
Boarding and Alighting – Wider Town Centre
Wider Town Centre
16
Boarding and Alighting – Wider Town Centre
By Bus Route Number
Bus Route Description
300 Guildford – Merrow Park & Ride
100 Spectrum Leisure Centre – Guildford
3 Guildford – Bellfields
200 Artington Park & Ride - Guildford
36 Manor Park – University – Guildford – Burpham –
Merrow – Guildford
37 Guildford – Merrow – Burpham – Guildford – University
– Manor Park
53 Guildford – Cranleigh – Ewhurst
26 Guildford – Stoughton – Hospital – University –
Guildford
34 Guildford – Woking – Camberley
4 Guildford – Park Barn – Royal Surrey Hospital –
Guildford
5 Guildford – Royal Surrey Hospital – Park Barn –
Guildford
63 Guildford – Cranleigh – Horsham
Bus Route Description
479 Guildford - Little Bookham - Leatherhead - Epsom
35 Guildford – Woking – Camberley
27 Guildford – University – Hospital – Stoughton –
Guildford
32 Guildford – Dorking – Strood Green – Redhill
KITE Aldershot – Guildford
400 Onslow Park & Ride – Guildford
515 Guildford - Cobham - Esher - Kingston upon Thames
24 Guildford - Cranleigh
71 Guildford – Godalming – Haslmere
17a Guildford - Fairlands Circular
134 Guildford - Woking - Camberley
478 Guildford - Effingham - Leatherhead
63X Guildford - Cranleigh - Horsham
72 Guildford - Godalming - Aaron's Hill
Bus Route Description
463 Guildford - Ripley - Woking
126 Guildford - Stoughton - Hospital - University - Guildford
17 Guildford – Fairlands Circular
25 Guildford - Merrow - Cranleigh
46 Farnham - Godalming - Guildford
462 Guildford - Ripley - Woking
18 Guildford – Onslow Village – Guildford
42 Ewhurst – Cranleigh – Godalming – Guildford
523 Guildford - Godalming - Busbridge - Godalming -
Guildford
135 Camberley - Woking - Guildford
126 Guildford - Stoughton - Hospital - University - Guildford
520 Aldershot - Ash - Flexford - Guildford/Woking
PT School Routes
17
Boarding and Alighting – Wider Town Centre
By Bus Route Number
Park & Ride
Bus Routes
29%
Local Bus
Routes
71%
No of Passenger Alighting
Park & Ride Bus
Routes
35%
Local Bus Routes
65%
No of Passenger Boarding
18
• Alighting is higher over a period of 3 hours from 0800 to 1100, with a slight peak at 0800 of 276 passengers. It is
then consistent across the day.
• Boarding is spread evenly through the day, with a slight peak across the town centre at 1700 of 135 passengers.
• This indicates different trip purposes of bus passengers –
1. Journeys to/from work;
2. For shopping; and
3. Combination of both (trip chaining).
• Park & Ride bus routes passengers make up 27% of all boarding and alighting in wider town centre
• Popular bus routes (highest number of passengers boarding and alighting) include:
1. Bus Route 37, Guildford – Merrow – Burpham – Guildford – University – Manor Park (295 passengers)
2. Bus Route 300, Guildford – Merrow Park & Ride (277 passengers)
3. Bus Route 5, Guildford – Royal Surrey Hospital – Park Barn - Guildford (267 passengers)
4. Bus Route 36, Manor Park – University – Guildford – Burpham – Merrow – Guildford (216 passengers)
5. Bus Route 200, Artington Park & Ride – Guildford (203 passengers)
Wider Town Centre Profile
Wider Town Centre
19
• The busiest alighting point (927 passengers) is North Street westbound, as passengers alight before reaching
the bus station. This is heavily weighted in the morning from 0800-1100.
• Approximately 40% (366) of the passengers alighting from this stop are from Park & Ride sites. This indicates
the trip purpose of bus passenger alighting at this stop are journey to work or shopping trips.
Wider Town Centre Alighting
Wider Town Centre
North Street w/b
20
Wider Town Centre Alighting – North Street Westbound Stop
Wider Town Centre
21
• The next busiest alighting point is Guildford Park Road southbound (254 passengers) which has consistent but
low levels of alighting across the day.
Wider Town Centre Alighting
Wider Town Centre
Guildford Park Road s/b
22
Wider Town Centre Alighting – Guildford Park Road Southbound Stop
Wider Town Centre
23
• The busiest boarding point (417 passengers) is Guildford Park Road northbound. This is weighted to the
morning peak, with the highest figures between 0700 and 0900.
• A review of the bus routes at this boarding point suggest that passengers are heading to either University of
Surrey or Royal Surrey Hospital in the morning peak period.
Wider Town Centre Boarding
Wider Town Centre
Guildford Park Road n/b
24
Wider Town Centre Boarding – Guildford Park Road Northbound Stop
Wider Town Centre
25
• The next busiest boarding point is North Street eastbound (West of Ward Road) with 172 passengers. Boarding
is slightly higher in the evening peak at 1700.
• A review of the passenger demand and bus routes at this boarding point suggest that majority of the trips are
journey from work
Wider Town Centre Boarding
Wider Town Centre
North Street e/b
26
Wider Town Centre Boarding – North Street Eastbound Stop
Wider Town Centre
27
• There are more people boarding and alighting at The Friary bus station than at the wider town centre bus stops combined.
But, broken down by stop, the busiest boarding stops are stop 1 in the bus station (427 passengers) and Guildford Park Road
northbound (417 passengers). The busiest alighting stops are the unnumbered alighting stop in The Friary bus station (1671
passengers) and North Street westbound (927 passengers).
• Peak boarding and alighting times vary by bus stop location and by route serving the stop. Although there is a general trend
for the alighting peak to occur in the AM and boarding peak to occur in the PM, as you would expect with a town centre
attracting trips, there are notable exceptions:
- Guildford Park Road n/b has peak boarding in the AM. This could be due to passengers arriving at the rail station
travelling to the hospital or university by bus, or due to demand from local residents to the hospital or university.
- Stand 22 in the bus station has its alighting peak in the PM which is probably due to ease of use by bus drivers.
• The busiest bus routes are at the Friary Bus Station and they are:
- Bus Routes 200 (to/from Artington Park & Ride);
- KITE (to/from Aldershot);
- 5 and 4 (to/from Royal Surrey Hospital / Park Barn); and
- 26 (to/from Stoughton, Royal Surrey Hospital, University of Surrey).
Summary
Summary
Appendix B
Conceptual Sketches
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B1 Dolphin House – Concept Sketch and
Example
The proposed arrangement for Dolphin House would be 45° saw-tooth bus bays
with a drive-in, reverse out (DIRO) system. This is akin to arrangements at
Leicester Haymarket bus station, which opened in May 2016, or Chorley
Interchange in Lancashire, which opened in 2004.
Example: Leicester Haymarket Bus Station (Source: Joe Stott, ahr-global.com)
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Example: Chorley Interchange (Source: Google earth)
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B2 Guildford Rail Station - Concept Sketches
and Example
The first (‘do-minimum’ scenario) assumes a very constrained footprint, without
use of the land currently occupied by the station car park. This option proposes
on-street bus stands along the east side of Station View, immediately adjacent to
Guildford rail station.
On-street option
If the maximum amount of space were available at Guildford rail station, a
shallow saw-tooth arrangement with drive in, drive out bays could be employed to
provide 19 bays. The advantages of the drive in, drive out system is that the
potential for bus on bus accidents is reduced compared with a drive in, reverse out
arrangement. Paradise Street at Liverpool One uses an arrangement of this type.
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Off-street ‘do maximum’
Example: Liverpool One Bus Station (Source: Craig Magee Photography)
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B3 Former Farnham Road Bus Station –
Concept Sketches and Example
The proposed arrangement for the Former Farnham Road Bus Station site is a 45°
saw-tooth bus facility with a drive-in, reverse out (DIRO) system. Unlike Dolphin
House, buses would have to access and egress the site from the same point and so
an internal loop would need to be provided. This is similar to the recent Stoke on
Trent bus station.
Example: Stoke on Trent bus station (Source: virtualplanit.wordpress.com)
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B4 New Facility at the Current Location –
Concept Sketch
This option assumes that the proposed redevelopment of The Friary could
accommodate an off-street bus facility within the site boundary. The proposed
arrangement for a new Friary Interchange could be a 45° saw-tooth bus facility
with a drive-in, reverse out (DIRO) system.
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B5 On-Street Stops and Stands – Concept
Sketches
B5.1 On-Street Bays Bridge Street/Town Centre
In this option, bus bays would be located along several major corridors including:
Bridge Street, Leapale Road, North Street, Ward Street and High Street.
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B5.2 On-Street Bays Onslow Street
On-street Bus Facilities, Onslow Street Corridor (Guildford Society Transport Group,
Maurice Barham, 13 June 2016)
On-street Bus Facilities, Onslow Street & North Street Corridor (Guildford Society
Transport Group, Maurice Barham, 13 June 2016)
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B5.3 On-Street Bays North Street Only
This option is predicated on a number of assumptions:
North Street would remain open to two-way traffic;
The market could be relocated;
Existing on-street car parking could be removed;
Delivery and servicing vehicles could use alternative routes; and
Footway widths are sufficient for passenger waiting facilities to be
accommodated as well as pedestrian movements.
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B6 Debenhams Site – Concept Sketch
15 bays could be accommodated in a 45° saw-tooth arrangement with a drive-in,
reverse out (DIRO) system, similar to Dolphin House.
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B7 Car Park Sites – Concept Sketches and
Examples
B7.1 Millbrook Car Park
19 bays could be provided in a 45° saw-tooth arrangement, which would make
efficient use of the space and access off Millbrook, as in potential design options
at Dolphin House, the new Friary Interchange and Debenhams site. This would
enable a mixed use development on site, in addition to the bus facility.
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B7.2 Mary Road Car Park
12 bays could be accommodated through use of a 45° saw-tooth arrangement in a
central island. This would allow good passenger waiting facilities to be
consolidated in the central island, but would require passengers to cross the
vehicular routes to access the waiting area. Island passenger waiting facilities are
common in London bus stations (such as Walthamstow and Stratford Regional),
although not with saw-tooth arrangements. However, a working example can be
seen in Madrid at the Principe Pio bus station.
Example: Madrid Principe Pio Bus Station (Sources: callisonrtkl.com and 20minutos.es)
Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council Guildford Town Centre Bus Study
Stage Two Report: Options Appraisal
249012-00/JK | Final | 14 November 2016
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B7.3 Bright Hill Car Park
19 bays could comfortably be accommodated on the site in a 45° saw-tooth
arrangement on the outer edges of the loop for a drive-in reverse-out system,
together with a central island for additional bays. It can be seen in practice in
Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station.
Example: Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station (Source: nordenergi.org)
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