Public Consultation Supports Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit (HERT)

Hertfordshire Essex Rapid Transit (HERT) representation

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.