Tra 01 Public transport accessibility

Aim

To recognise and encourage development in proximity of good public transport networks, thereby helping to reduce transport-related pollution and congestion.

Assessment criteria

This issue is split into two parts:

• Accessibility Index (up to 5 credits - building type dependent)
• Dedicated bus service (1 credit)

The following is required to demonstrate compliance:

Up to five credits - Accessibility Index

1. The public transport Accessibility Index (AI) for the assessed building is calculated and BREEAM credits awarded in accordance with the table of building types, AI benchmarks and BREEAM credits in Table 29 (see checklists and tables).

2. The Accessibility Index is determined by entering the following information in to the BREEAM Tra 01 calculator:
   1. The distance (m) from the main building entrance to each compliant public transport node
   2. The public transport type(s) serving the compliant node e.g. bus or rail
   3. The average number of services stopping per hour at each compliant node during the operating hours of the building for a typical day (see compliance notes and Table 30 in the Additional Information section).

OR

One credit - Dedicated bus service

3. For buildings with a fixed shift pattern, i.e. where building users will predominantly arrive/depart at set times, one credit can be awarded where the building occupier provides, or commits to providing a dedicated bus service to and from the building at the beginning and end of each shift/day.

This credit is only available in cases where a development is unable to achieve any of the available credits using the Accessibility Index criteria (i.e. its location has a low public transport Accessibility Index).

Checklists and tables

Table 29 .Credits available for each building type relating to the public transport Accessibility Index (AI) score.

Compliance notes

Methodology

The methodology for calculating the Accessibility Index uses Transport for London’s Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) method, itself based on a methodology developed in 1992 by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. For a detailed description of the PTAL methodology see the 'Measuring Public Transport Accessibility Levels Summary' document:
See data.london.gov.uk (PDF) .

Calculating the average number of services

For the purpose of the calculation, the frequency of public transport is the average number of services per hour. This is calculated by determining the number of stopping services at the node during the peak arrival/departure times for the building or the building's typical day’s operating hours (see definition 'operating hours'), divided by the number of hours within that period. For example: the average number of services for an assessment of a building that operates between 08:00 - 19:00 hrs (11 hours) and is within proximity of a bus stop with 35 stopping services during this period is 3.2 (equivalent to an average service frequency of approximately 20 minutes).

Multiple services

Services that operate from more than one node within proximity of the building, i.e. two separate bus stops served by the same bus, must be considered only once - at the node in closest proximity to the building. Different services at the same node can be considered as separate.

Bi-directional routes

Routes will be bi-directional; however for the purpose of calculating the index, consider only the direction with the highest frequency (in accordance with the PTAL methodology).

Buildings in Greater London

Transport for London hosts a Planning Information Database that allows users to search for a specific London location by street name, coordinates or postcode and then calculate the Accessibility Index (AI) for that location. The Total AI is confirmed for the Point of Interest (POI) within the summary report, which can be downloaded and used as evidence of compliance for the assessed building. Go to: www.webptals.org.uk

Evidence

Additional information

Relevant definitions

Accessibility Index

A measure that provides an indicator of the accessibility and density of the public transport network at a point of interest (in the case of BREEAM, a building). The index is influenced by the proximity and diversity of the public transport network and the level or frequency of service at the accessible node.
For example, a building that has a single public transport node 500m from its main building entrance with one service stopping every 15 minutes, i.e. four services per hour on average, will score an AI of approximately 1.90. Alternatively, the same node with one service every 15 minutes, but 300m from the building entrance will achieve an AI of 2.26. The same node with two services stopping every 15 minutes will score an AI of 2.85. The greater the number of compliant nodes, services and their proximity to the building, the higher the AI.

Additional building type classifications

Higher Education type 1: H.E buildings located on a campus where less than 25% of students are resident on the campus or within 1km radius from the campus’ main entrance.
Higher Education type 2: H.E buildings located on a campus where 25% or more of the students are resident on the campus or within 1km radius from the campus’ main entrance.
Other Building - type 1: A building predominantly occupied by staff/employees with occasional business related visitors.
Other Building - type 2: A building occupied by a number of core staff/employees with a larger number of consistently frequent visitors/users (either resident or non-resident).
Other Building - type 3: As type 2, but building types specifically required to be located rurally as a result of its function, i.e. a building which would never be located within an urban area, e.g. a National Park visitor centre (see definition of rural and rural location sensitive buildings location).

Compliant transport node

A compliant node includes any bus service with a stop within 650m and any railway station within 1000m of the assessed building’s main entrance, measured via a safe pedestrian route (not ‘as the crow flies’). The service stopping at each node must provide transport from, or onward travel to, either an urban centre, major transport node or a community focal point e.g. doctor’s surgery, library, school or village centre. Only local services should be assessed and any national public transport services should be excluded from the analysis, unless such a service can be said to provide a local commuter service.
Prison and M.O.D sites: The distance requirement for a compliant node for buildings on these sites is 1000m for both bus and rail.

Main building entrance

The main building entrance is the entrance to the assessed building which is directly connected to the main building reception, circulation routes, lifts/stairs and is available to the majority of the building’s staff and visitors on arrival, it is not the site entrance (unless the site entrance is also the building entrance e.g. building with a boundary on a public highway).
For prison/MOD site assessments, the main entrance should be taken as the gatehouse entrance.

Operating hours

BREEAM seeks to define the building’s accessibility to the public transport network for the period during which the majority of building users will travel to and from the building. In most cases the normal operating hours of the building can be used. Where shift patterns see the majority of building users (over 80%) arriving or leaving during a certain period, for example an office building where the majority of office workers arrive between 8.00-10.00, then that period can be used as an alternative to the operating hours of the building. This accounts for some building types that operate a 24 hour day and on a shift work basis.
During what typically would be deemed unsociable hours, and therefore periods where there is little if any public transport operating, such periods are not required to be accounted for in the assessment of this issue. Where the assessed building operates on a 24-hour basis or the operating hours are unknown at the time of assessment, then refer to and use the table of default operating hours, which can be found in the additional information section of this issue.

BREEAM Tra 01 Calculator tool

A spreadsheet-based calculator used to determine the Accessibility Index for the assessed building and the number of BREEAM credits achieved.

Rural location (Urban location)

A rural location is defined in this context as a site clearly not within or on the boundary of a small, medium or large urban cover. An urban cover will have a population of 3000 people or more, located within a tract of continuously built-up urban land extending 20 hectares or more. Therefore, the definition of rural includes village locations, green field sites or small urban centres with a population of less 3000 people within a tract of land no greater than 20 hectares. Such locations will most likely be on a local bus route to larger urban areas or other local towns and may have local shops and other facilities. This classification is based on the Department of Transport National Travel Survey definition, which specifies urban areas based on the extent of urban development indicated on Ordnance Survey maps

Rural location sensitive buildings

This definition includes any of the building types (listed below) where there is a demonstrable social or economic need from a rural population for the service/demand, which the new building is intended to meet; and therefore locating the building at an alternative site which could have higher public transport accessibility levels, i.e. within an urbanised area, is unfeasible. The following building types are examples of those that may fall into this category.

1. Offices where providing services to the local community
2. Industrial where providing services to the local community
3. Retail where providing services to the local community
4. Pre-school, primary and secondary school
5. GP surgery

Typical day

The typical day is that which represents the period when travel to and from the building by its users and visitors will be at its highest. For most buildings this should be taken as a mid-week day. In choosing a typical day the assessor should check that timetabled information for that day is, within reason, representative of the public transport provision for the entire operating week (excluding Sundays).

Other information

Table 30 Default hours of operation by building type for a typical day

BREEAM UK New Construction non-domestic buildings technical manual 2014
Reference: SD5076 – Issue: 5.0
Date: 23/08/2016
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