New Forest NCN audit

1  Introduction

Purpose of this study

The New Forest contains 26 miles of National Cycle Network (NCN), as well as an extensive network of recreational walking and cycling routes, including approved off-road gravel tracks, bridleways & byways and other routes on relatively quiet country lanes.

This study has been commissioned by the New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA) to carry out a light-touch audit of the National Cycle Network within the boundary of the New Forest, to include recommendations for key sections needing further work on both NCN2 and NCN236. This will not be a road and branch review of the alignment of the two routes, rather it will be a light-touch validation exercise to confirm the alignments and flag key sections in need of further study.

The study will:

• Provide the background and policy context to the audit
• Build a strategic case for the further development of the NCN within the forest by identifying local problems and highlighting the importance of the network to local connectivity
• Gather existing audit data for both routes obtained during an NCN audit undertaken in 2016 in which every mile of existing NCN was assessed for safety, surface quality and signage
• Propose high level solutions taken from the Sustrans’ Network Development Plan, based on existing NCN audit data e.g. surface upgrades, on-highway degradation and alternative routes required, to provide a starting point for more detailed site audits or design work
• Review recently gathered Sustrans volunteer audit data on the quality of sections of the NCN, where available
• Gather input from Sustrans colleagues and volunteers who have worked in or have experience of the New Forest
• Gather relevant input or information that the NFNPA or local stakeholders can provide
• Present site audit findings structured around assessment of bottomless against five core principles (cycle infrastructure Design Standards, Local Transport Note 1/20)
• Recommend indicative next steps for each section based on the findings of the above activities

Area of study

The above map shows the current alignment of both NCN routes within the boundary of the New Forest. NCN2 is a long-distance route through the South of England, connecting Dover in the east to St Austell in the West. It crosses the New Forest from the Flythe Bypass at its eastern edge, taking in the town of Brockenhurst and popular destinations such as the Homsley Enclosure and Beaulieu. It leaves the forest at its western edge south of Bransgore. The route contains a mix of gravel tracks, sealed surface traffic-free sections and on-road cycling.

NCN route 236 connects the residential areas of Ashurst and Foxhills with the town of Lyndhurst, where it currently ends. Within the boundary of the forest, it consists predominantly of shared use path along the A35 Southampton road / Lyndhurst road. The route also provides a link to Ashurst train station.

2  Background and context

Active Travel in the UK

In July 2020 the UK government published “Gear Change”, a bold vision for cycling and walking outlining its ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choice for many journeys with half of all journeys in towns and cities being cycled or walked by 2030.

The plan is backed up by new funding for walking and cycling - sets out a vision for a step change in provision for active travel in this country. The report notes the contribution made by active travel to:

• Health and wellbeing
• Easing congestion
• Increasing footfall for local businesses
• Improving environmental and air quality
• Reducing transport CO2 emissions

LTN1/20

“Local Traffic Note 1/20” (LTN1/20) presents the design guidance for all cycling infrastructure based on 5 core design principles:

• Coherence
• Directness
• Safety
• Comfort
• Attractiveness

LTN1/20 uses research, conducted by the Department for Transport, to specify which provisions should be made for cyclists based on a number of factors, including number and speed of vehicles.

Regional Policy

The New Forest Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan is currently in development. Once complete, the plan will provide a strategic approach to identifying cycling and walking improvements at a local level within the New Forest National Park.

Other regional plans and programmes currently in place include:

• Hampshire Local Transport Plan (LTP4)
  A strategy plan setting out Hampshire’s vision for future transport and travel infrastructure
• NFNPA Net Zero with Nature
  A commitment from NFNPA to work with partners and communities to make the National Park “net zero with nature” by 2050 as well as to become a net zero organisation by 2030
• New Forest National Park Partnership Plan
  A plan to guide and co-ordinate the work of all those with an interest and influence in the National Park including statutory organisations, land managers, businesses, local communities and user groups
• New Forest National Park Recreation Management Strategy
  A strategy setting out the strategic direction for the management of outdoor recreation in the New Forest National Park from 2010 - 2030
• NFNPA and New Forest District Council Local Plans
  Plans setting out the planning framework for the National Park and District Council including the scale and location of new development and the need to conserve the local distinctiveness of the area
• New Forest Waterside LCWIP
  A Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Hampshire’s Waterside region which borders the National Park

3  Strategic case

Existing route users

One of the UK’s 15 designated National Parks, the New Forest is an unique landscape known for its heathland, pastures and ancient woodland. The forest is a popular destination for recreational walking and cycling, with an extensive cycling network crossing the area consisting mostly of waymarked gravel tracks, byways & bridleways and minor roads, making it a popular destination for tourists.

The National Cycle Network routes 2 and 236 within the forest also attract tourists and recreational walkers and cyclists, however these make up just a small portion of the wider recreational cycling network. With both routes prioritising directness and connections to residential areas and local transport hubs, there is potential to increase the impact of utility journeys to support local residents to make use of better active travel connections for day to day journeys. There are also opportunities to further increase the impact of leisure cycling by improving connections between the NCN and the forest’s wider leisure cycling network.

Local issues

While the wider cycling network in the New Forest has been promoted through online resources, mapping and waymarking, the National Cycle Network, though largely consisting of attractive rural routes, has a number of sections deemed unacceptable by current cycling infrastructure standards: both one route alignment barriers to walking and cycling on the A35 and uneven alignment of NCN2 along the Homsley Straight are considered to be one of the biggest challenges for the safety and comfort of route users.

There are also wider challenges around the surface type. The primary surface of traffic-free sections of NCN2 is unsealed gravel which is prone to degradation and wear, and which inhibits disabled and less abled cyclists. (See Appendix A). Due to the protected nature of the New Forest and its international designations, it is difficult to make significant changes to the surface types in these locations.

4  Gathering information

Network Development Planning Tool

The Network Development Planning Tool was developed as part of Sustrans’ Paths for Everyone programme, launched in 2018. It holds data for every mile of NCN across the UK with each section given a rating from very good to “very poor”. Interventions are proposed, identifying any main problems and recommended solutions. This pre-existing data has been used to provide a high-level recommendation for sections of NCN2 and NCN236 within the New Forest, and to inform further study during the site visit.

Volunteer Engagement Tool

A survey of the NCN by Sustrans volunteers was commissioned in 2022 in order to improve the narrative for each of the following fields within the Network Development Planning Tool:

• The problem
• The proposed intervention
• The primary characteristics of the route
• The secondary characteristics of the route

The data was collected by Sustrans volunteers using a bespoke engagement tool. This data was then inputted into the wider Network Development Planning Tool which has been used to support engagement and collaboration with local authorities, landowners, national government agencies, local communities and other organisations to establish how each of the 4020 projects in the England South Network Development Plan will be funded and delivered. For the purposes of this audit, the data has been used to support the high-level intervention recommendations along both routes.

INRIX data and Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT)

Sustrans obtained a package of traffic volume and speed data from INRIX in 2018, which assigns an index value for each section of route between 1 and 16. Work was completed by Sustrans’ in-house GIS team to compare actual AADT for 2300 locations against INRIX index figures, to establish a correlation between the index number from the INRIX data and actual AADT value, allowing Sustrans to access an approximate daily flow for each on-road section of the NCN.

Using this data, it is possible to interpret an approximate AADT for each section. AADT is a simple but useful measurement of how busy a road is, and if the total volume of vehicle traffic on a highway or road for a year, divided by 365 days.

The use of INRIX data allows for an initial assessment of likely traffic flows along a route, prior to any further counts being commissioned.

Stakeholder comments

During the site audit the group of route users identified the following barriers to cycling on the current network:

• Poor walking and cycling conditions on NCN2 along the Homsley Straight. Options to re-route the section are limited by a shortage of safe crossing opportunities of the A35.
• Substandard on-highway conditions at Lyndhurst Road - high traffic speeds and poor visibility / sightlines.
• Variable wayfinding signage and a need for greater signage visibility, particularly on on-highway sections and in urban areas such as Brockenhurst.
• Greater consistency is needed in signage to advise of route conditions as “rough track” or “steep slope”.
• Surface issues on traffic-free sections including waterlogging and route degradation near the Homsley campsite. Instances of gravel washing onto roads and paths as a result of flooding.
• A general lack of directness of the NCN2, particularly near Homsley Passage, which could be improved if safe crossing of the A35 are identified (see “route re-alignment options”).
• Poor walking and cycling conditions at the B3055 & Sway Road rail bridge where a narrow and unintuitive shared use path takes cyclists off the carriageway and back on again.
• Traffic speeds and flows on Sway Road - a need to extend the 30mph zone.
• Uncomfortable cycling conditions at Brookley Road and Lymington Road junction due to high traffic volumes on Lymington Road and congestion at the level crossing. A need for greater space for cyclists and pedestrians at the level crossing or when they have to negotiate segregated footway widening.
• Vehicle speeds on Mill Lane and a need to reduce the speed limit or provide traffic calming measures.
• Poor visibility at Beaulieu Road railway Bridge with a blind summit and narrow carriageway.
• A widening of the NCN236 shared user path on Southampton Road.

Road is needed to improve safety for users, cutting back of vegetation to provide more space and side road treatment

6  Site audit

Following a site visit in July 2024 in which members of Sustrans’ Network Development and Design & Engineering teams cycled both routes, an audit was completed using information and experience obtained during the visit, evidence from the Network Development Plan and input from stakeholders. This section will appraise the existing National Cycle Network routes 2 and 236 by identifying existing challenges and opportunities presented by existing conditions, including gradients, surfaces, barriers to access and interactions with motor vehicles.

Recommendations for key sections and locations will be made based on “Local Traffic Note 1/20” (LTN1/20) which presents the design guidance for all cycling infrastructure based on 5 core design principles:

• Coherence
• Directness
• Safety
• Comfort
• Attractiveness

LTN1/20 uses research, conducted by the Department for Transport, to specify which provisions should be made for cyclists based on a number of factors, including number and speed of vehicles.