Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package

During the various stages of the option assessment process, we ruled out lower performing junction options to focus our efforts on those that would make a real difference. It would not have been appropriate to include any of the other options in the consultation because they did not perform well enough to be considered as a preferred option and taken forward.

A hamburger roundabout (a new roundabout with a road through the centre of it) was residents’ preferred option during public consultation. More than 840 people completed the consultation survey, with 60 per cent identifying the hamburger roundabout as their preferred option, compared with 21 per cent for the separate T-junctions, 18 per cent were undecided or had no preference and 1 per cent did not answer the question.

Latest assessment shows it also performs best from a business case and performance perspective, with good average journey time improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, buses and motorised vehicles, and a positive impact on the economy.

Together with the other measures proposed as part of the Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package, it offers the best opportunity to provide a long-term and sustainable solution which would improve journeys for everyone.

The Essex County Council Cabinet report from March 2022 sets out further information about the decision to take forward the hamburger roundabout as the preferred junction option.

Our option assessment is based on the current situation at the junction and, therefore, after the former flyover was closed (and subsequently removed). This is standard practice as there is a need to ensure the current situation is reflected in line with the Department for Transport’s transport appraisal process, which must be followed in order to stand the best chance of a successful business case and securing funding.

No, based on the latest designs, we do not need to acquire any residential properties.

The existing left-turn slip road was constructed as a planning condition ahead of the opening of the Aldi store. It was not possible to retain the slip road within the Hamburger Roundabout design while also providing segregated pedestrian and cyclist crossings that comply with the latest Department for Transport guidance.

New bus lanes and bus priority measures are proposed in both directions on Parkway and existing measures would be maintained on Essex Yeomanry Way and into the junction, giving buses priority over general traffic. The eastbound bus lane ends with a bus gate just prior to the Aldi/B&M turning. Two lanes are maintained for general traffic on Parkway. A new northound bus lane is also proposed on Princes Road between the Waterson Vale roundabout and the Lady Lane junction.

We have not yet determined which additional vehicles would be able to use the proposed bus lanes.

There are no perfect solutions and no scheme would remove all queuing and delays at the junction, but we now have a scheme which offers the best balance for all transport users, including improved average journey times for private vehicles.

Rather than give a false impression of what the proposed hamburger roundabout layout could achieve, we wanted the visualisations to give people a realistic idea of the journeys they would experience at the junction.

We tried our best to create high quality visualisations that provide a realistic impression of the junction proposals in the visualisation videos we produced for the public consultation in 2021. In order to achieve this, we used traffic modelling data and software to replicate predicted vehicle numbers, flows and movements, and then combined this with animation software to bring the options to life. The traffic modelling software deliberately attempts to replicate poor driver behaviour, such as late or incorrect lane changes. Unfortunately, due to software constraints and compatibility, this was not something we could always rectify.

As outlined above, we used a combination of traffic modelling and animation software to create the visualisation videos in order to provide a realistic impression of the junction proposals for the public consultation in 2021. Although lorries and other heavy goods vehicles are included within our traffic modelling, due to some limitations and compatibility issues with the software, it was not possible to include these vehicles within the visualisation videos.

The decision was taken to rule out the Enlarged Roundabout ahead of public consultation because it would not meet the project objectives as well as the other two options. When accompanied by enhanced walking and cycling facilities at the junction, it would not sufficiently improve the junction for motorised vehicles and would be unlikely to secure funding. On the basis it would not be taken forward as a preferred option, it would have been misleading and inappropriate to include the option in the consultation.

Design standards have changed significantly since the previous Army and Navy flyover was first built in 1978. A modern standard two-way flyover would therefore be much bigger than the previous flyover and would take up considerably more space. It would be the worst option for increasing city centre traffic and congestion and would not supporting the Park and Ride or walking and cycling aspirations of our adopted Chelmsford Future Transport Network Strategy as well when compared with the other options. The flyover would also have the largest noise impact and the longest and most disruptive construction programme, which would have the biggest impact on the local economy.

A new one-way flyover was considered earlier in the project but was discounted because it would take up almost as much road space as a two-way flyover and have a similar cost but would provide fewer benefits. Notably, traffic travelling out of the city during the morning peak would need to merge lanes which would cause delays and a potential safety issue. This would also cause additional delays on other approaches to the junction such as Chelmer Road.

Ultimately we want the Army and Navy Sustainable Transport Package to improve journeys for all transport users, including pedestrians, cyclists, bus passengers and drivers. While that does include reducing congestion and delays for vehicles, the project is a very difficult balancing act and we must be mindful about the impacts of the options on walking, cycling and Park and Ride usage, as well as the potential for causing increased congestion and delays elsewhere in the city centre, notably at the Odeon roundabout, by letting too much traffic through the junction. The Chelmsford Future Transport Network Strategy sets out a clear vision to transform transport in Chelmsford through a zonal approach, with a strong focus on walking, cycling and bus travel, particularly towards the city centre, and it is crucial that the Army and Navy project aligns with that vision and strategy.

An underpass or tunnel for vehicles was discounted very early in the project. Given the location of the flood plain and the underground utilities at the junction, the option would be very complex and expensive to construct and would offer no additional benefits than the two-way flyover. Like the flyover, it would also encourage more vehicle trips into the city centre, rather than supporting the Park and Ride, walking and cycling, which goes against our adopted Chelmsford Future Transport Network Strategy.

Following feedback during the public consultation, a revised layout is now proposed for Van Diemans Road.

Under the option included in the consultation in 2021, a two-way segregated cycleway was proposed on the eastern side of Van Diemans Road and the existing lanes for general traffic were to be maintained (notably, with two lanes northbound/on the approach to the Army and Navy junction). To provide space to accommodate this, it was proposed that existing permit parking bays in Van Diemans Road would be removed.

However, following concerns raised during the consultation and a site visit with residents and the local Essex County Council member in September 2021, a revised layout of Van Diemans Road was proposed. Additionally, in response to the site visit with residents and the proposed revised layout of Van Diemans Road, potential options to improve the Lady Lane junction were developed and considered.

Under the latest proposals for Van Diemans Road, there would be one northbound lane for general traffic (flaring to two at the Army and Navy junction) and a two-way cycleway on the western side of Van Diemans Road, with the existing permit parking bays on Van Diemans re-aligned but retained.

The revised proposals would enable walking and cycling improvements to be made, while there would still be peak period journey time savings on Van Diemans Road and an overall reduction in queuing, even with the removal of one of the northbound lanes, because of the significant capacity improvements at the junction with the hamburger roundabout. This is because the flow of traffic from Essex Yeomanry Way to Parkway will no longer pass in front of the Van Diemans Road entry to the junction because these vehicles will use the ‘hamburger’ in the centre of the junction. This will significantly reduce the number of vehicles that Van Diemans Road traffic will have to give way to. The full-time signalisation of the Chelmer Road and Essex Yeomanry Way arms of the junction will also result in more gaps between vehicles on the circulatory carriageway. This will again make it easier for vehicles for enter the junction from Van Diemans Road.

Traffic modelling has shown that, in the opening year of the scheme, traffic approaching the Army and Navy junction will experience journey time savings of 37% in the morning peak and 23% in the evening peak. The queue in the morning peak is forecast to extend no further than it would without the scheme in place, while the queue in the evening peak is expected to be about 50% shorter than it would be without the scheme.

The visualisation videos were created ahead of the public consultation in August 2021. As such, they were based on the designs for the hamburger roundabout as proposed at that point in time. Following the feedback received during the public consultation, various design changes have been since made. Notably, these include a signalised crossing on Baddow Road and the revised proposals for Van Diemans Road. While the visualisation videos do not reflect these changes, we have published updated visualsation images which reflect the latest designs which have been submitted as part of the planning applications for the project.