28 Nov 2023
Public consultation demonstrates strong support for Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit (HERT)
- Nearly two thousand people responded to the public consultation.
- 75 per cent supported or strongly supported the HERT scheme.
HERT, the proposed new passenger transport network that will form an east-west transport corridor that runs from Watford and Hemel Hempstead in the west to Harlow (Essex) in the east, has received overwhelming support from residents.
Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) agreed to develop a detailed proposal for the HERT to run along the A414 corridor in October 2019 and has since been working with district and borough councils and key stakeholders.
After ten weeks of public engagement, including a virtual exhibition space, webpage, animated film and online events to share information about the proposals, 75,000 people visited the website and 1,700 viewed the exhibition.
The full results of the public engagement and consultation showed:
- A combined 68 per cent of respondents said they would be likely to use the HERT once completed.
- Support for HERT was strongest among young people, with 90 per cent of 18–24 year-olds supporting or strongly supporting the vision, despite being underrepresented in overall responses.
- When asked what features respondents would like to see on the HERT, reliable journey times and service frequency were the two largest priorities.
- Infrequent services, unreliable journey times and slow journey times were the three most common issues with the current local transport system.
Cllr Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “After extensive engagement with the public the appetite for improved west to east public transport links could not be clearer. We will now take these views forward as we seek to engage with funding partners, including the Department for Transport.
“We are committed to the HERT’s ambitious vision to deliver a step-change in the passenger transport network across the whole of Hertfordshire, West Essex and beyond.”
All feedback from the public engagement period is informing HCC’s development work, with plans in place to engage further with young people.
More information on the HERT can be found here: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/HERT
Notes to editors
- The HERT forms part of the county council’s A414 corridor strategy – a package of proposals designed to improve travel between the east and west of the county and reduce car dependency. As part of this, the HERT is aligned with Hertfordshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) schemes, as well as the proposals for the Watford to Croxley Link.
- Details on the exact route of the scheme and the type of vehicles it will use will be explored and confirmed through technical studies and further public engagement.
- A project of this scale will take a number of years to develop and requires substantial investment from local and central government, together with private sector partners. We are in the early stages of developing proposals on the HERT and have a number of steps to go through before it can be built. Attracting further funding is key. As well as ensuring that the scheme features in the county’s Local Transport Plans, HCC is producing a prospectus for the HERT which will be used in conversations with potential funding partners, including the Department for Transport.
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