News
News
See all the latest developments from our Preston based transport consultants.
See all the latest developments from our Preston based transport consultants.
What makes a site good for Active Travel?
6th September 2021
The recent article on how Americans can't understand how much the British walk highlights the geographical difference in travel modes. After all, it's easy for people living in towns and cities to use active and sustainable travel to get places quickly, however should the nearest shop be 50 miles away, dependence on personal vehicles is far more understandable. Even in Britain, vehicle dependence has huge differences...
What is a Travel Plan?
31st August 2021
"When my outline planning permission has come back one of the conditions is that we put a Travel Plan in place. What is this and why do I need it?" This is a question our transport consultants regularly get asked at iRIS and we're very glad to be able to assist.
There are many reasons you might be asked for a travel plan but the most regular one is to lessen the impact of the development on the local environment, particularly to lessen the carbon impact...
Is Manual for Streets (2007) Still Fit for Purpose on Walking Distances?
23rd August 2021
A recent article on walking distances and the American perception of them (Americans ‘Can’t Fathom’ How Much People in the UK Walk) set of a debate on LinkedIn over the weekend. It focussed on the Manual for Streets benchmark guidance of 800m to be walked in 10 minutes and the main consensus was that this was too slow.
As a sustainable transport consultant I watched this debate, which mainly centred on what I would call ‘personal geographies’ – or opinions based solely on personal experience with no focus on the whole picture. Eventually I did the maths, knowing from my experience teaching and reading around the subject of time management that perception of time taken is often skewed...
Can You Help Me?
Can You Help Me?
16th August 2021
“My planning application has come back to me and there’s been an objection about the Highways. They’ve said I need to prove that there won’t be any impact on the highways network. How do I do that? Can you help me?”
This was the first contact iRIS received from a client who wanted to change the use of a former corner shop to a house of multiple occupation (HMO). As first time developers with a small development they had felt confident that they had covered all their bases, and therefore were taken by surprise by this request. Understandably, they didn’t really know where to start, so took to Google to find expert help.
Why do I need a parking impact assessment?
Why do I need a parking impact assessment?
9th August 2021
Parking is always within public consciousness, just ask any wheelchair user, parent with pram or other pedestrian. Whilst most modern developments are built with off-road parking as standard, sometimes this isn’t possible, particularly in areas which need to be redeveloped and rejuvenated.
If your development is in an area which relies on on-street parking...
Why do I need a Travel Plan?
Why do I need a Travel Plan?
10th June 2020
There’s lots of reasons you could need a travel plan. Some of these are below.
If you’re a developer, architect or town planner you will probably be required to produce an active and sustainable travel plan as one of your planning conditions. The guidelines state that businesses or developments which may make a significant impact on the local road network need a travel plan...
Congratulations Alex!
Congratulations Alex!
3rd April 2020
We'd like to extend our congratulations to Alex for becoming an Associate Member of CIHT. This confirms her dedication to producing accurate, reliable travel plans.
Planning Your New Routine
Planning Your New Routine
25th March 2020
In the post Covid-19 world, we have a chance to make a difference. Whilst everything is up in the air at the moment, things will settle down and sanity will return. This is our chance, as sustainability planners, to make a difference. With active travel and sustainable transport hitting the news, particularly with the drive towards cycling, we are in the unique situation where we can now influence the way people can travel to shops in the...
A New Partnership
A New Partnership
10th February 2020
We are excited to announce our partnership with Preston Harriers for the 39th Preston Harriers 10 Mile Road Race. We're kicking off this partnership by assisting in planning a new route to ensure that the Harriers race goes from strength to strength. So far this has incorporated lots of running, lots of exploring and lots of map work. We look forward to many more days doing just this!