1. Active Travel Programme
Chair: Christian Wolmar (London Cycling Campaign)
Speakers: Timothy Wells (Heathrow Airport Limited); Russel Roberts (LB Ealing / HSPG Surface
Access Group); Ben Amey (Slough BC / HSPG Surface Access Group).
The Chair welcomed everyone and invited TW to give an overview of active travel at Heathrow.
TW updated on current active travel situation and proposals for the future. Key points included:
- Currently only 1% colleague cycle share so need to address this. Over 30% live within 10km so significant opportunity.
- Heathrow’s Cycle Hub was the UK’s first on-airport cycle shop, offering free colleague servicing, a 10% discounts and ad-hoc offers.
- Infrastructure around the airport is mixed at the moment – mixture of shared use paths and on-carriageway cycling. There are significant gaps in provision and which are unsafe in places
- HAL see active travel big part of our Surface Access Strategy over the next 6 years.
- CTA Tunnel – closed to cyclists since 2014 for maintenance so cyclists cannot accessthe CTA directly. The maintenance is due to complete in 2023. HAL undertaking feasibility study for high quality walking and cycling routes, and cycle parking, either side of the tunnel.
- HAL will be trialling a Way2Go app to incentivize sustainable travel.
- HAL planning a rolling programme of active travel improvements to perimeter roadsover the next 5 years.
- HAL recognise the need to work in partnership with HSPG, Local Authorities and TfL toimprove routes to/from the airport.
Ben Amey set out that HSPG has submitted a bid to National Highways which involved collaboration between Local Authorities and HAL. HSPG is awaiting the outcome but if successful it would provide funding for improvements on key active travel routes to Heathrow.
TfL is in the very early stages of reviewing the Hounslow to Heathrow corridor with the aim to improve bus journey time reliability and active travel provision.
Funding will need to be a combination of HAL for perimeter roads, raising awareness and incentives, and Local Authorities / TfL for routes on their highway networks. Year on year investment will be required.
Rob Heslop (LB Hounslow) stated they have some very active cyclists who are involved in providing feedback etc – could Heathrow do the same with colleagues/communities? Tim Wells highlighted the Heathrow Cycle Champions which could be better used to engage and promote.
The group discussed the importance of raising awareness of safe routes which are already in place.
Cycle parking security is an issue at Heathrow. HAL considering options including CCTV and ID card access.
Russell Roberts highlighted that Ealing Council trialing e-scooters. They have heat maps of different routes used but can’t get enough data eg age/ demographic. All agreed that e- scooters should be considered in the same way as cyclists and planned for – subject to outcome of DfT trial.
2. Bus and Coach Sustainable Travel Zone Proposals
Chair: Peter Bradley (UK Coach Operators’ Association)
Speakers: Matthew Wooll (HAL)
Following a presentation on the Bus and Coach Sustainable Travel Zone proposals, a wide- ranging discussion took place on some of the key elements, but also focusing on, as follows: ‘Recognising that some key bus and coach links have been lost (albeit in some cases temporarily) during the pandemic, what is required to ensure that those services that remain can build solid sustainable foundations, thereby ensuring their survival and provide a platform for growth?’
The following points were raised:
- Important that there is good liaison with businesses at the airport over shift timesespecially for bus services which were infrequent (such as hourly) to allow better co- ordination and also, where possible, to avoid peak times when the bus may already be at capacity.
- Ensure that journey time is consistent (although recognised that external factors can influence this on a day-to-day basis) and acceptable; that fares are as low and
- frequency is as high as sustainably possible – all key factors in maintaining and attracting usage.
- There were requests to drop passengers closer to Terminals 2 and 3 than the currentarrangements at the bus and coach station.
- Important to concentrate on the needs of staff working at the airport for local bus, asthese provide regular demand.
- Variable journey time on bus and coach journeys is one of the biggest challenges forthe airport; can we therefore capture locations which cause the greatest variability (eg: specific sections of road or busy junctions)? All locations where delays are experienced should be considered.
- To be successful branding needs to be felt to be ‘owned’ by those who use the service and also not to be felt to exclude i.e. do not want to put off non-airport passengers with airport branding).
- ‘Green Line’ branding should only be used if it was understood by those using the services, but how recognised was it these days?
- A 50% discount on fares could conceivably be a good incentive for users to switch to public transport, but probably needed to be accompanied with an attractive frequency at the times required. It is also important that the ‘offer’ was clearly explained to staff.
3. Demand Management and Decarbonisation
Chair: Paul Millin (HSPG)
Speaker: Tony Caccavone (HAL)
No detailed notes captured but a useful discussion took place on how to manage the demand for private vehicles and ensure surface access is decarbonised. The newly implemented Terminal Drop Off Charge was discussed and Heathrow’s work on updating it’s decarbonisation strategy.
4. Improving the colleague and passenger experience through better travel information – A discussion on new approaches to providing travel information to support modal shift, and in improving accessibility to airport for mobility impaired people.
Chair: Ian Wright (Transport Focus)
Speaker: Pete Burns (HAL)
What new or improved information do colleagues & passengers need to improve their journeys to and from Heathrow (for eg : real time service data, proactive messaging & alerts, digital maps & wayfinding etc)?
- Creating information targeted at key audiences – whether that is passengers requiring assistance or other
- Information doesn’t have to be technical in its delivery – good quality information, including visual, easy to find etc.
- There is work to be done for Heathrow & HATF to better define the priority audiences, both within Heathrow and the broader transport journey, and then create a plan to deliver the right content for those audiences
- We need to consider the need for pre-planning and arrival information and how we better join that up
- We also need to deliver on key themes you see in other industries such as real time information, proactive messaging (especially in a crisis) and mapping.
How can we work together to collaborate on a better digital experience to improve the passenger experience?
- Need to improve how we get passenger feedback. How can we increase engagement and feedback in to our joint communications approach? Will enable identification of specific ‘pain points’.
- Biggest collaboration opportunity with airlines – they still hold most of the passenger data and sharing data or content specific to key audiences will be a way to provide better pre-arrival information to passengers
What approach should we take to promote the right service to the right passenger when choosing between the Elizabeth Line, Piccadilly Line & Heathrow Express?
- There is a need for accessibility access information and to clearly state the benefits of each of the transport options. The key here is giving passengers the right information easily so they can identity the right choice for them
What messages should we promote to colleagues & passengers to encourage a meaningful mode share shift from car to public transport?
- Discussed how HAL can promote the more sustainable transport option first especially via digital channels
- As with Elizabeth Line we need to be clear on the benefits of sustainable travel and show the range of transport options so the passenger can make the right choice, but encouraged to take the more sustainable option