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September news

New bus lanes to speed up services

Buses will be able to nip around Portsmouth a lot more easily thanks to new lanes planned by the city council.

Between now and 2011, the council is hoping to tackle seven pinch points where buses get stuck in traffic.

The schemes would add 3/4 mile to the five miles of bus lanes already laid out, and would help cyclists and pedestrians too.

Cllr Lynne Stagg, cabinet member for traffic and transportation on Portsmouth City Council, has agreed the following schemes in principle:

• Spur Road / Northern Road, Cosham
  Bus and cycle lane westbound on Spur Road, continuing southbound on Northern Road, finishing before Wayte Street roundabout. Other traffic would still have two lanes on the southbound approach to the roundabout.
• Winston Churchill Avenue
  Bus and cycle lane westbound from St Vincent Street to the junction with Lord Montgomery Way. The traffic lights at the junction of Winston Churchill Avenue and Lord Montgomery Way would be modified, improving traffic flow during peak hours.
• St George's Road
  The section of St George's Road between Park Road and Gunwharf Road would become one-way southbound, with a contraflow bus lane northbound. Traffic lights at the Gunwharf Quays junction would be modified to improve traffic flow and make the pedestrian crossing safer.
• Tangier Road / Eastern Road Junction
  The offside lane would be replaced with an eastbound bus and cycle lane to the Tangier Road traffic lights, providing a bus-only right turn on to Eastern Road. This would give cyclists a safer approach to the controlled crossing and enable the number 19 bus to serve Portsmouth College in both directions, which is not possible now.
• Isambard Brunel Road
  The section of Isambard Brunel Road between Station Street and Dugald Drummond Street would be restricted to buses, taxis and cycles. This would enable a smoother flow of northbound traffic on Marketway by cutting the traffic coming from Unicorn Road. It would also mean less traffic in the priority pedestrian area around the Commercial Road/Stanhope Road/Station Street junction. 
• Northern Road Bridge
  Southbound bus lane over the Northern Road railway, giving a bus link to Cosham bus station.
• Old London Road
  Southbound bus lane on the nearside of Old London Road between Copnor Road and London Road.

Cllr Stagg said: “Improving public transport is one of the council’s top priorities.  We don’t directly control buses, because they’re run by private-sector companies. But we can introduce schemes which give priority to buses.

“If we can make buses quicker and more reliable, then more people will use them – especially people without access to a car.

“More people on buses means less congestion on the streets and fewer carbon emissions.

“And bus companies will be encouraged to keep providing the services.”
 
The council has formed a punctuality task force with the bus companies. This group has helped to spotlight places where buses suffer from hold-ups, and suggest possible priority schemes.

The projects will go ahead depending on funding and legal permissions.

Date : 23 September 2008

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