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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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.

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 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.

Bradley Stoke bus users are being warned of temporary timetable changes on the No. 73 route that will see buses arriving a few minutes earlier than usual at stops in the town.

First Group has announced that many journeys on the No. 73 route heading into Bristol will depart Cribbs Causeway up to five minutes earlier than normal from today (Sunday 12th July).

The changes are a consequence of major roadworks taking place on Filton Avenue between Station Road and Stanley Avenue to install a new northbound bus lane. The work is being carried out as part of the £70 million Greater Bristol Bus Network project and is expected to last until October.

Traffic will be allowed to travel as normal from the city towards Filton, but part of Filton Avenue will be closed to all vehicles in the opposite direction.

Buses towards the city centre will be diverted to travel along Station Road, Gloucester Road North and then Wessex Avenue before joining the existing route on Filton Avenue.

Stops on Filton Avenue normally served by the No. 73 will instead be served by a shuttle bus operated by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) that links with the diverted First Group service.

First Group says the No. 73 services will operate to the normal timetable beyond the junction of Filton Avenue and Lockleaze Road.

More Information:

• Service Disruption Announcement (First Group)
• Filton Avenue Shuttle Bus Timetable (SGC)