Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan
Deposit Draft January 2002

D4. Buses

D4.1 The achievement of the Council's aspirations for a reduction in car use is dependent to a large extent on the ability of the bus industry to attract more passengers. The Council will endeavour to play its part by providing appropriate infrastructure and managing traffic wherever possible to give priority to buses. It also has a significant role in ensuring that passenger information is available. It will endeavour to maintain non-commercial services through financial subsidy but unless the industry provides an integrated public service of high quality and competitive cost as the "carrot" no amount of "stick" on the part of the Council in the form of parking restrictions or charges will bring about a meaningful change in travel habits.

D4.2 The Council recognises that there are many journeys which will never be made by bus but the 1991 Census revealed that travel to work by this mode was below the national average despite cycle use being also low. Recent surveys indicate that there was further decline in bus use during the 1990s despite the network being maintained and even enhanced through public subsidy. In the hope of reversing this decline the Council has adopted a Bus Strategy which was incorporated into the Local Transport Plan 2000. The Strategy has four main strands:

• Bath City - increasing patronage for bus travel within the built up area and enhancing interchange in the City centre;

• Keynsham and Norton-Radstock - widening opportunities for bus travel for local destinations;

• Inter-urban corridors - providing an attractive alternative to the car for commuters, shoppers and others;

• Rural areas - maintaining and where possible expanding the role of the bus whilst recognising the contribution of community transport.

D4.3 Implementation will involve the Council developing its current co-operation with the bus companies into Bus Quality Partnerships which require investment in infrastructure such as bus lanes and bus priority at traffic signals. In turn the companies undertake to improve the attractiveness of services through provision of better vehicles. The Council will also seek agreement on ways of achieving timetable reliability, higher frequencies, integration of ticketing and better information.

D4.4 In line with Structure Plan policy infrastructure investment is to be concentrated on specific areas and corridors (see para D1.3) and it is hoped that these measures will make a major contribution towards meeting the traffic reduction targets for these corridors. Developments which will generate a significant increase in movement in an area will be expected to contribute financially towards this investment by way of a Planning Obligation.

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