Partner meeting Blackpool | 18 – 20 April 2012

Interchange Koksijde: before and after & evaluated

against Transport for London Guidelines

WP3 session 19th April 2012

Siska Stockelynck

Table of content

• Introduction

• Description in Sintropher application

• Transport for London criteria

- Efficiency

- Usability

- Understanding

- Quality

• Official opening interchange

Introduction

• Presentation = before and after session

• Evaluates the new Koksijde interchange against the

Transport for London Guidelines

• In red: those aspects that are also

in the application form

Description in application form

• Investment based on 4 principles:

• Sustainability

• Integration

• Technical design

• Accessibility for all

• Operational interchange aspects:

• Signalling

• Platform heights

• Passenger circulation & transfer logistics

• Integrated ticketing

• Integrated real-time information

Transport for London Criteria - TFL

The presentation evaluates the project against the

Transport for London criteria:

•Efficiency

•Usability

•Understanding

•Quality

TFL 1 - Efficiency: Operations

• Coordinated public transport systems: dependent on De

Lijn and NMBS will improve once the tramway passes

bySaint-Amands-

les-eaux

Koksijde

TFL 1 - Efficiency: Operations

• Ticketing arrangements coordinated between tram

and bus = OK (but not yet in use)– De Lijn works on

this with NMBSSaint-Amands-

les-eaux

Koksijde

TFL 1 - Efficiency: Operations

• Safety: traffic free square, from car park to

interchange: walking zone, street design prevents

speed

TFL 1 - Efficiency: Operations

before

after

TFL 1 - Efficiency: movement in and

around the interchange

• The interchange is easy to access and pedestrian

routes are unobstructed

• The interchange is easy “to read”: no signalling

necessary

TFL 1 - Efficiency: movement in and

around the interchange

• Signalling between interchange and city center needs

to be improved

• The interchange is situated along an important

connecting road, easy to access from Veurne and

Koksijde, by bike & car – Connection with public

transport must be improved – Tram (Neptunus) will

improve connectivity

TFL 1: Efficiency: sustainability

• Future-proof: expension is foreseen, e.g. place for

the tramway

TFL 1: Efficiency: sustainability

• The interchange building = low-energy building, using

renewable energy (solar panels, heat pumps), shade

public lighting

• Use of sustainable materials (also looking in

production and transport processes)

TFL 2 - Usability: accessibility

• step-free access, fixed and mobile ramps available

(Cfr: efficiency – operations)

TFL 2 - Usability: accessibility

• Adapted platform heights

before

after

TFL 2 - Usability: safety, accident

prevention, personal security &

protected environment

• Advice from the fire brigade

• Safety coordination during and after works = also for

maintenance

• Locations where pedestrians, bikes and other vehicles

meet are safe (cfr. Efficiency – operations)

TFL 2 - Usability: safety, accident

prevention, personal security &

protected environment

• Climate protection: inside the interchange building,

awning next to the railway tracks study visit

Flanders – Valenciennes (Saint Amand-les-Eaux)

TFL 2 - Usability: safety, accident

prevention, personal security &

protected environment

Saint-Amands-

les-eaux

Koksijde

TFL 3 – Understanding: legibility &

permeability

• Minimalism in design and lighting makes the

interchange easy to read

• The interchange zone connects easily with internal

destinations e.g. from the railway tracks, passengers

see the bus stop, the taxi stop, …

TFL 3 – Understanding: legibility &

permeability

• The interchange zone connects easily with external

destinations: city center Veurne, access roads,

nearby business park & shopping center

TFL 3 – Understanding: wayfinding

• Design supports way-finding – signalling not

necessary

• Lighting supports way-finding (cfr. Efficiency –

sustainability) – shade public lighting full light

when passengers pass by

• When staff is not available, people can use an

assistance button

TFL 3 – Understanding:

service information

• Information is not dynamic/digital, but it is

available, through staff, time tables, brochures

• Real time information is not installed

TFL 3 – Understanding:

service information

• When staff is not available there is a need for real

time information > task for NMBS & De Lijn

TFL 4 – Quality: perception

• The interchange meets the requirments of the users,

operators, owners: use has raised, positive

reactions, bistro manager is content

• Interchange zone : a more pleasant space to wait &

more comfortable

TFL 4 – Quality: perception

• Clean & easy to maintain + more social control (open

space)

• Quality of materials and finishes is better than

standard (cfr. efficiency – sustainability)

• NMBS: design furnishment

TFL 4 – Quality:

Built design

• Design: lay-out supports way-finding (cfr.

Understanding – wayfinding)

• Materials and finishes (cfr. Efficiency –

sustainability & quality – perception)

• Integration in surrounding landscape: the greening of

the borders of the interchange zone connects to the

landscape

TFL 4 – Quality:

Urban realm

• The interchange takes into account future uses and is

big enough to receive people for mass-events like the

world chamionship cyclocross (60 000 people - January

2012) & the yearly air show at the military domain

• The bistro attracts other people than public

transport users: adds to attractivity & social

control

• The design is open, safe and connected (see earlier)

TFL 4 – Quality:

Sense of place

• The interchange is a transition zone between open

landscape and an adjacent business zone

• The bistro attracts people that come to the business

zone and is a comfortable waiting place for

passengers

TFL 4 – Quality:

Sense of place

• Landmarks:

• part of the image of Koksijde

• Interchange square: will partly become a green pergola

TFL 4 – Quality:

Sense of place

• Landmarks:

• one wall of the interchange building is a painting by

Paul Delvaux (famous Flemish painter)

• Windows have poems (nice to read when waiting)

• Tourism information available

Official opening interchange:

14th January 2012

Official opening interchange:

14th January 2012

Wider transnational relevance

• Guidelines for small interchanges

• Process and timing of the project:

• (+) Local community as owner of the interchange building &

zone.

• National railway companies are to big (not easy to work together,

especially as a small partner)

• National railway companies do not finance easy in small stations

• (-/+) local financial input necessary – subsidies were

welcome!