£70 million for public transport in the West of England
Bath & North East Somerset Council are working with Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Councils to improve public transport.
This work to improve public transport corridors and ease congestion in the West of England is well underway, thanks to an award of £42.3 million of funding for the Greater Bristol Bus Network, from the Department of Transport, £20 million from local bus company First, £5.7 million from developer contributions, with the balance of £1.8 million funded by the four local councils.
Ten new route corridors and over 70 bus routes within the West of England are benefiting from local improvements, which started in the summer with work on the M32 bus lane – improving punctuality and reliability for buses into Bristol without reducing any road space for cars.
The benefits of similar improvements within Bath and North East Somerset can already be seen on the Hicks Gate Roundabout and the A367 Odd Down Bus Lane.
The development of the Greater Bristol Bus Network is one of the West of England's Travel+ projects that aim to tackle congestion, improve air quality, ensure that alternatives to the car are a realistic first choice for the majority of trips, offer real travel choices - affordable, safe, secure, reliable, simple to use and available to all - and meet both rural and urban needs.
Improvements brought about under GBBN will include:
- More services and new routes where there is most demand
- Bus priority measures (including new bus lanes and intelligent traffic signals) to minimise delays and improve journey times
- New shelters with raised kerbs for easier access, improved lighting, seating and CCTV for improved comfort and cleanliness
- New buses with easy access low floor and lower emissions
- Real time information where and when passengers need it. Simple and easy to understand information to put bus users in control of their travel options.
- Improved services to and from park and ride sites
- Updated parking controls with high levels of enforcement, including the use of CCTV
- Improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers
- Improved maintenance and service agreements to ensure buses and shelters remain clean and damage free.
Corridors and routes that will benefit
As part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) programme the following routes will be significantly improved:
- M32, from south of Junction 2 to Bristol city centre
- A4018 Bristol to Cribbs Causeway
- A4018 Bristol to Cribbs Causeway via Parkway and North Fringe
- A432 Bristol to Yate
- A4 Bristol to Bath
- A37 Bristol to Midsomer Norton and Radstock
- A 4174 Avon Ring Road
- A370 Bristol to Weston-super-Mare
- A369 Bristol to Portishead
- A367 Bath to Midsomer Norton and Radstock.