The Bradley Stoke Journal

Roadworks at the Aztec West Roundabout on the A38 Gloucester Road are set to continue for “two to three weeks” according to an unofficial source at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

Signs notifying motorists of impending work to install a bus lane on the northbound carriageway of the A38 south of the roundabout had been displayed in the vicinity for a number of weeks but many drivers were taken by surprise when lane restrictions were imposed on the roundabout itself on Monday morning.

The closure of one of the three lanes on the roundabout between the Bradley Stoke Way and Aztec West Business Park exits led to massive tailbacks, stretching back onto to the M4 and M5 motorways during the morning rush hour.

The work is also having a knock-on effect on traffic leaving Bradley Stoke, with longer than normal tailbacks being experienced along Bradley Stoke Way.

Traffic leaving the business park during the evening peak hours is also being affected due to the closure of one of the three lanes exiting onto the roundabout.

The work being done on the roundabout itself will add an extra general traffic lane for northbound traffic on the A38 making a right turn into Bradley Stoke Way.

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A scheme to add a bus lane on the northbound carriageway of the A38 between Little Stoke and the Aztec West Roundabout has been amended after a public consultation.

The scheme, first announced by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) in September, replaced an earlier proposal for a more comprehensive system of new bus and general traffic lanes on roads leading off the Aztec West Roundabout.

That earlier plan was abandoned after First Group changed the route of its 73 service so that it no longer entered the Aztec West Business Park.

The new scheme foresees the creation of a new bus lane (with no reduction in the number of general traffic lanes) on the A38 between the Little Stoke junction (near the Texaco filling station) and the Aztec West Roundabout.

The public consultation attracted 32 responses from individuals and business. The council says it also received two petitions opposing the scheme from residents and businesses in the Patchway and Bradley Stoke areas, containing a combined total of over 300 signatures.

Residents of properties along the A38 said they were concerned about the loss of the existing service lane, which they say helps them to merge into the traffic flow on the main road. They also complained about the loss of parking space and pointed out that customers of the Ambourne House Nursery would no longer be able to queue in the service lane whilst waiting to enter the premises.

The council says that it has now revised its plans following the public feedback:

• The bus lane will operate at peak hours only (7.30am – 9.30am and 4.00pm – 7.00pm)
• Residents will be allowed to pick up and set down passengers while the bus lane is in operation
• A bus lay-by made redundant by the scheme will converted to a limited waiting bay, primarily to serve as an overspill car park for the Ambourne House Nursery

The Journal Comments

While the proposed changes will undoubtedly speed bus journeys between Bristol and Aztec West (and beyond to Thornbury), they will bring little benefit for the residents of Bradley Stoke. It is therefore wrong for the council to present this scheme as a replacement for the earlier Aztec West bus lane scheme, which included two new general traffic lanes on Bradley Stoke Way between the Aztec West Roundabout and Woodlands Lane.

Those new general traffic lanes would have helped ease the notorious traffic congestion that occurs between Woodlands Lane and the Aztec West Roundabout.

SGC has failed to respond to The Journal’s request for an official  statement on the status of the original Bradley Stoke Way plans, but a council representative manning the recent North Fringe Rapid Transit exhibition at Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre inferred that the original scheme has indeed been superseded by the rapid transit plans.

The bus rapid transit system, which is subject to government funding and will not be built before 2013/2014, will see two dedicated bus lanes running between the Aztec West Business Park and Bristol city centre. Regrettably, there is currently no suggestion that this scheme will include any improvements for general traffic flow on Bradley Stoke Way.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has opened a public consultation on plans for a major new road transport scheme that will link Bradley Stoke with Bristol city centre.

The scheme, known as the North Fringe to Hengrove Package, includes provision of bus rapid transit services, the construction of a new link road between Stoke Gifford and the A4174 Avon Ring Road (close to junction 1 of the M32 at Hambrook) and a new Park & Ride facility beside the M32 (close to the Coldharbour Lane bridge).

“In principle” funding of £168 million was approved by the government in July and the next step will be the submission of a Major Scheme Business Case to the Department for Transport (DfT) by March 2010. If the scheme is approved, implementation could start in 2013/2014 – according to the West of England Partnership (WoEP), which is fronting the bid on behalf of SGC and Bristol City Council.

Rapid transport is described as a fast, frequent and reliable public transport service provided by buses running, where possible, on traffic-free routes – sometimes on and sometimes off existing roads. Journey times will be reduced by requiring tickets  to be purchased prior to boarding and giving buses priority over other road users at traffic lights.

The long-awaited Stoke Gifford Transport Link, which will combine a bus rapid transit route with a regular road, is intended to relieve the current congestion around Bristol Parkway station. The route will start from Great Stoke Way in Stoke Gifford, running initially behind houses in Kings Drive.  A new bridge will be constructed to carry the link over the Bristol to London railway line, east of Bristol Parkway station.

Maps included in the consultation documents show the bus rapid transit route starting on the Aztec West Business Park and then following the full length of Bradley Stoke Way before using the new Stoke Gifford Transport Link to reach the Avon Ring Road. Buses will then head for the University of the West of England (UWE) campus on Coldharbour Lane before joining the M32 at the new Park & Ride.

Proposed stops along Bradley Stoke Way include Woodlands Lane, Patchway Brook Roundabout, the Willow Brook Centre, Webbs Wood Roundabout and Baileys Court Roundabout.

SGC is staging a number of unstaffed public exhibitions to allow residents to learn more about the proposals. Local venues are:

• From Monday 30th November to Friday 4th December at the Aztec West Centre
• From Monday 30th November to Monday 7th December at the Willow Brook Centre

A staffed exhibition is also being staged at Bradley Stoke Library on Saturday 5th December, from 9am to 12 noon.

The consultation period runs until Friday 8th January 2010.

Related links:

• North Fringe to Hengrove Package consultation (SGC)
• North Fridge Rapid Transit (The Journal)
• North Fringe to Hengrove Package (WoEP)

South Gloucestershire Council has announced that it has scrapped plans for a bus priority scheme on the A38 Aztec West roundabout, saying that the work is “no longer viable” after First Group made changes to the route of its 73 bus service.

The earlier proposals have now been abandoned in favour of a northbound bus lane on the A38 Gloucester Road between the Little Stoke junction and the Aztec West Roundabout.

Consultants working for the Council say that traffic studies suggest that the new scheme could save buses an average of 10 minutes at peak times.

The original scheme also included a number of improvements on the section of Bradley Stoke Way between the Aztec West Roundabout and Woodlands Lane. The status of that part of the scheme is currently unknown.

The Council has opened a public consultation on the new scheme, which runs until 17th October.

An exhibition of the new plans will take place at the Aztec West Business Centre between Monday 28th September and Friday 2nd October.

A poster for the exhibition summarises the proposed changes as follows:

• New northbound bus lane between the Little Stoke junction and Aztec West Roundabout.
• The existing pedestrian crossing point near the roundabout will be upgraded to allow cyclists to use it.
• A southbound on-carriageway cycle lane will be provided from Aztec West Roundabout to The Common.
• An additional lane will be provided on the roundabout to assist the vehicles heading right toward Woodlands Lane via Bradley Stoke Way.
• The bus stop on A38 northbound on the approach to the roundabout will be relocated adjacent to the
  pedestrian access to the business park.

The 73 bus service previously made a loop around the Aztec West Business Park during the morning and evening peak periods, but First Group decided to cut the diversion in an effort to improve journey times between Cribbs Causeway and Bradley Stoke.

First Group has announced changes to the 73 bus service which will see journey times between Bradley Stoke and the centre of Bristol reduced but leave the Aztec West Business Park isolated from the public transport network.

The changes, which come into effect on Sunday 1st February, will see, for example, the existing 08:04 service (now retimed to 08:01) from Kemperleye Way (North) taking three minutes less to reach Bristol city centre.

Time savings between Bradley Stoke and Bristol will be achieved by cutting out sections of the route that visit Filton High School and MOD Abbey Wood. Passengers travelling to the school will have an extra five minute walk from Fox Den Road, while those wishing to reach the MOD will need to alight at the nearby retail park.

Journey times on the section of the 73 route between Bradley Stoke and The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, will be reduced by axing the peak hours only loop through the Aztec West Business Park.

The Aztec West cut, which leaves the business park without public transport of any form, is likely to anger workers from businesses at the far end of the park, who will now have a long walk to access services from stops on the main A38 or Bradley Stoke Way.

The move throws doubt on the rationality of parts of a recently announced Greater Bristol Bus Network scheme to introduce bus lanes at the Aztec West roundabout. Those plans include a new bus lane on the eastbound exit road out of the Aztec West Business Park.

South Gloucestershire Council recently announced plans to create an alternative bus access route into Aztec West from Patchway, via Waterside Drive (which is currently restricted to emergency vehicles).

Related Links:

• Service Changes in Bristol from 1st February – First Group
• Map of changes to services 73, 73A and 73B – First Group
• Guide to Bus Services in Bradley Stoke – The Journal