The Bradley Stoke Journal

Bus shelters in Bradley Stoke deemed too shabby for a prestige bus route enhanced by millions of pounds of government money are to be replaced as part of a £140,000 package of additional spending.

Local Councillors expressed concern in 2009 when South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) began ripping out many of the Town Council-owned green bus shelters and replacing them with hi-tech silver flat-roofed ones at a cost of £20,000 per stop.

Town Councillors demanded that SGC put the old shelters into storage for possible use at sites where there is currently no shelter but this turned out to be impractical due to damage caused during removal.

The West of England Partnership, responsible for overseeing the £70 million Greater Bristol Bus Network project, originally planned to leave a small number of old-style shelters along the 73 route in Bradley Stoke but has now decided to spend extra cash to replace the small number that remain in order to improve the image of ‘Corridor 4′ that runs from Bristol city Centre to Cribbs Causeway.

More: Extra money will make shelter provision “more aesthetic” »

A new northbound bus lane on the A38 Gloucester Road between Patchway and Aztec West has entered service following months of construction and associated traffic disruption.

Work on the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) funded scheme started in April 2010 and was originally due to finish by October but “engineering issues” and “adverse weather conditions” saw its completion slip to the end of February this year.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) says the new bus lane, combined with improvements to bus stops, pedestrian access and road widening, will improve the reliability of bus services and also improve the experience for bus users and reduce congestion for all road users.

The service lane between the Little Stoke junction and Hempton Lane has been converted to a peak-time only bus lane between 7:30am – 9.30am and 4pm – 7pm.

The existing carriageway from Hempton Lane to the Aztec West Roundabout has also been widened to accommodate a new bus lane.

Taxis, motorcycles and cyclists are also permitted to use the bus lanes.

Further improvements include:

• The bus stop on the A38 northbound near to the roundabout has been relocated adjacent to the pedestrian access to the business park to improve access
• The existing pedestrian crossing point on the approach to the roundabout is upgraded to enable cyclists to use it
• An additional on-carriageway cycle lane on the southbound A38 from Aztec West Roundabout
• An additional traffic lane on the roundabout for all traffic heading right toward Woodlands Lane via Bradley Stoke Way

A similar improvement scheme has also recently been completed at Great Stoke Way, near the Sainsbury’s store in Stoke Gifford.

Read on for comments from SGC and First Bus Bristol »

Roadworks to to install a new northbound bus lane on the A38 Gloucester Road in the vicinity of the Aztec West Roundabout are likely to continue until the end of January, according to South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

The works, which have involved frequent lane closes on the busy route, began in early April 2010.

The completion date was originally given as the end of October but a number of  “engineering issues” saw that date slip to the end of November.

With the works still ongoing six weeks after the revised deadline, The Journal has been given the following statement from SGC:

“Our contractors working on the roadworks at the Aztec West roundabout have experienced significant delays due to the adverse weather conditions. This started with the continuous heavy rain in November followed by the very cold spell in December, which prevented certain works from being carried out. The bus lane is currently scheduled to open in late January, weather permitting.”

The new bus lane is part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) project, a £70 million scheme to improve bus services on ten key routes throughout the region.

Roadworks on the A38 Gloucester Road (south of the Aztec West Roundabout) that were due be completed by the end of October could disrupt traffic for a further month, according to South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).

The work to install a new northbound bus lane on the approach to the roundabout began in April and was scheduled to be completed by Friday 29th October but the first week of November saw major disruption as the A38 was reduced at times to a single lane of traffic.

An SGC spokesman told The Journal:

“The roadworks at the Bradley Stoke Way roundabout associated with the installation of a new bus lane on the A38 between Hempton Lane and Aztec West have overrun due a number of engineering issues. These include the installation of an additional pedestrian guardrail, some issues with drainage on the site which require additional drainage measures to be installed, and difficulties with the installation of street lighting columns due to the amount of public utilities under the highway, which caused a delay to the surfacing programme.”

He added:

“The estimated completion date for these works will be late November, early December. The council appreciates the patience of road users delayed by the overrun and looks forward to the improved transport provision that these works will bring upon their completion.”

The new bus lane is part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) project, a £70 million scheme to improve bus services on ten key routes throughout the region.

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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Work has started on the installation of real-time information displays at bus shelters on the showcase no. 73 route in Bradley Stoke.

Shiny new silver bus shelters were erected along the route last year, replacing the familiar green shelters seen elsewhere in the town.

In contrast to the old shelters, the new shelters have been funded by the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) and will be maintained by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) rather than Bradley Stoke Town Council.

Each of the new shelters incorporates an equipment box intended to allow the connection of a real time information display and the first of these, at the shelter opposite the surgery on Brook Way, is now being wired up with an electricity supply.

A spokesperson at SGC confirmed to The Journal that work to install the real-time displays has started and is set to be completed in the 2010/2011 financial year.

Elsewhere on the 73 route, work is about to start on a new northbound bus lane on the A38 Gloucester Road between Little Stoke and the Aztec West Roundabout. The work is expected to take six months, with the projected completion date currently set at 6th October.