Visionary transit system for South Essex unveiled

People in South Essex are being asked to give their views on visionary plans that will see around half a million people with better access to state-of-the-art, efficient public transport.

sert or South East Essex Rapid Transit will serve the rapidly expanding areas of Thurrock, Basildon and Southend, with 30,000 new homes and 40,000 new jobs due to be delivered by 2021. sert is a rapid public transport system designed to tackle congestion and help to contain carbon emissions in the Thames Gateway South Essex area in the future.

Transport advisor Steer Davies Gleave is helping to manage the innovative project, which is being led by Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Thurrock Council, on behalf of the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership.

The scheme will be funded by £53 million of Government money that has been allocated to develop a network of high quality public transport corridors and state-of-the-art vehicles serving Southend, Basildon and Thurrock.
A series of public exhibitions are being held throughout March in Thurrock, Southend and Basildon. An updated interactive sert website has also been launched at www.sert.org.uk, which will keep the public informed in an imaginative way of developments in the scheme, consultations and so on.

It is planned that the services will be up and running by the end of 2012.

Notes to the Editor

Current proposals include:

• In Southend, two corridors will link Shoeburyness with London Southend Airport via employment and retail areas to the north of the town, and the Town Centre and seafront with the Hospital and Schools towards Progress Road and Rayleigh. Linking areas of employment and housing will support Southend Council’s regeneration priorities, provide a viable transport solution to reduce congestion and offer a high-quality alternative to the car. Park and ride sites are also being proposed as part of the comprehensive approach to providing high-quality public transport. The Council will also be working with European partners to bring the best experience of continental systems to the TGSE area.
• In Thurrock, a corridor is proposed that provides a link from Basildon University Hospital via the A13 and Grays Town Centre to Lakeside shopping centre. A second corridor would link Lakeside to new residential areas in Purfleet.
• In Basildon, a link to extend the Thurrock corridor into Basildon Town Centre is proposed in the first instance. In the longer term, this corridor may be extended to other parts of the District.