Bus users in South Gloucestershire are to benefit from a new £1.3m Government grant to help improve services in the West of England.
The award from the Department for Transport’s ‘Better Bus Area’ scheme will be used to improve services on eight routes including the A38 from Bristol to Thornbury and the A420 from Bristol to Kingswood Town Centre.
The award is being made to the South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath & North East Somerset councils and the funding will support measures that improve journey times and make bus travel more attractive, such as new and extended bus lanes and upgrades to bus stops.
Measures along the A38 corridor will include improvements to bus stops between Aztec West and Thornbury with provision of raised boarding facilities, new shelters and real-time information displays at some locations.
Chair of the council’s Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee Cllr Brian Allinson said:
“This is another welcome boost in our drive to improve bus services for South Gloucestershire and the wider West of England.”
“Our vision for transport is to encourage a shift away from the private car to more sustainable travel options such as public transport, cycling and walking in order to reduce congestion, support economic growth and promote a better quality of life for everyone.”
“Bus services are key to this vision and small measures like enhanced bus lanes and better traffic management can make a big difference to journey times and the attractiveness of bus travel. I hope that with this funding we will see more people in South Gloucestershire and the West of England choosing to travel by bus.”
The Better Bus Area improvements will complement a range of measures being taken forward by South Gloucestershire and neighbouring local authorities to enhance bus services in the region as part of an integrated West of England transport strategy.
These include the £79m Greater Bristol Bus Network of 10 ‘showcase’ bus routes, which was completed in 2012, and the MetroBus network of three express ‘bus rapid transit’ routes from Ashton Vale to Temple Meads, the North Fringe to Hengrove Package and the South Bristol Link between the Long Ashton By-Pass and Hengrove Park.
Photo: Cllr Brian Allinson (left) welcomes the opening of the A38 bus lane near the Aztec West Roundabout in March 2011. [Credit: Bradley Stoke Journal]
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
Just so you know, Brian Allinson doesn’t use the bus. He drives a massive 4×4 Chelsea Tractor.
lets shut the A38 and make it one big bus lane that might help them run on time SGC seem to like closing dual carriageways for buses.
To close Highwood road was the hardest decision Cllr. Alinson has ever had to make, the choice was listen to several thousand people who signed a petition and the many hundreds who attended the SGC meeting or upset a Conservative backer who made a big donation to central office
Come along to the Shopping Mall, Cribbs Causeway on:
Thursday 14th November 2013 10:30am – 6pm
Come along to have your say !
An opportunity for you to tell the people who run your bus service what you think.
In partnership with:
First Bristol & Avon
Wessex A Bus South Gloucester Council Bristol City Council