The Bradley Stoke Journal

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) is inviting public comment on a proposed scheme to add a bus lane to the southbound carriageway of Great Stoke Way, near the Sainsbury’s superstore.

The proposed work would be carried out as part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network project, a £70 million scheme to improve bus services on ten key routes throughout the region.

The council hopes that the new bus lane will reduce journey times on the 73 route, which passes through Bradley Stoke on its way from Cribbs Causeway to Bristol city centre.

Delays on this service are particularly bad during the morning rush hour, as traffic queues on the approach to the Abbey Wood roundabout on the Avon Ring Road (A4174).

In its overview of the scheme, the council says:

“The existing carriageway will be widened to accommodate the new bus lane. Therefore, the number of lanes for general traffic will not be reduced. An additional left turn lane will also be available for general traffic on the approach to the Abbey Wood roundabout.”

Taxis, motorcyclists and cyclists will also be permitted to use the new bus lane.

The public consultation runs until Friday 26th June.

More Information: Great Stoke Way Southbound Bus Lane (SGC).

Familiar green bus shelters on the 73 bus route through Bradley Stoke are being replaced with shiny silver ones funded by the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN).

The old green shelters, owned and maintained by Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC), are beginning to show their age and the Council has sruggled to keep them free of graffiti.

Lib Dem Councillor Jon Williams has told The Journal that the new shelters will be owned, cleaned and maintained by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), saving the Town Council a considerable amount of money.

The 73 route forms one of ten key bus ‘corridors’ identified in the Joint Local Transport Plan of the West of England Partnership, which is formed of the four unitary authorities of Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Work already completed on the route includes the installation of raised kerbs at fifty bus stops between Bristol City Centre and Cribbs Causeway.

A number of the new shelters have already been installed in Brook Way (see photo above) and it is expected that more will follow.

Cllr Williams says that some stops on the route will have improved waiting facilities and real time information displays, but it is not clear if these features will apply to the Bradley Stoke stops, although Cllr Williams suggests that they will:

“This is really good news for the town. Real time information will enable bus users to plan their journeys and not turn up not knowing when the next bus is going to arrive. My hope now is that the bus services improve in the same way that the shelters have. Unfortunately, First Bus seem intent on making it more difficult to catch a bus rather than easier. ”

Cllr Williams’ final point refers to the fact that First Bus has recently axed two routes serving Bradley Stoke (74 and X74) and made changes to the 73 service which mean that it no longer serves MOD Abbey Wood or the Aztec West Business Park.

The total cost of the GBBN is £70 million – comprising £42 million from the Department of Transport, £20 million from First Bus and £6 million from developer contributions, with the balance funded by the four Councils. The money will be spent on bus priority schemes, new buses, real time information systems, bus shelters and service improvements.

Other GBBN projects affecting Bradley Stoke include a new bus priority scheme at the Aztec West roundabout. Implementation of a similar scheme at the Abbey Wood roundabout on the A4174 is currently underway but there is no news of when work on the Aztec West project will commence.

Related Link: Bus improvement schemes in progress (SGC)

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has quietly opened a second round of public consultation on the proposed bus priority scheme for the Aztec West roundabout.

Richard Lewis of consulting group Mouchel (working in partnership with SGC) told The Journal that the new consultation concerns the same scheme as before, “but revised following the public consultation”.

Respondents to the original consultation have told The Journal that they feel the exercise was “a waste of time”, as most of their comments were rubbished in the SGC responses, with many issues raised being rejected on the grounds that they were considered “outside the scope” of the proposed scheme.

Local Liberal Democrats have criticised the lack of publicity given to the original consultation, although they seem to be unaware that a mail drop was made to properties near the roundabout and an exhibition of the plans was held in the shopping centre of the Aztec West Business Park.

No mention of the original or current consultation can be seen on the Bradley Stoke Town Council website, which preferred to inform residents about “Rabbit Roundabout” during the period of the initial consultation.

Links to the consultation pages on the SGC website:

• Aztec West – Proposed Prohibited Right Turn Order (Greater Bristol Bus Network)
• Aztec West Roundabout – Bus Priority Scheme

Details of the proposals may also be viewed at Bradley Stoke Library.

Closing date for comments is Monday 30th June 2008.

[Postscript]: SGC has provided the following statement listing the changes that have been made since the first consultation:

The public consultation received a number of comments asking for improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. The scheme has been revised to include a new pedestrian/cycle refuge to assist crossing the Bradley Stoke Way exit of Aztec West Roundabout. We have also highlighted that cyclists are able to use bus lanes and that the pedestrian facilities are being upgraded at the Bradley Stoke Way/Woodlands Lane junction. The new information is explained on the Statement of Reasons on the public website.

The deadline for public comment on South Gloucestershire Council’s proposed bus priority scheme at the Aztec West roundabout is fast approaching. Comments, which may be sent by post or email, must arrive by midnight on Monday 28th April. For further details, see The Bradley Stoke Journal’s Public Consultations page.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has announced a public consultation on plans to implement a bus priority scheme at the Aztec West roundabout and the section of Bradley Stoke Way between the roundabout and Woodlands Lane. The aim of the proposed work is to “allow buses to avoid the queues and delays that occur on the approaches to the roundabout during the weekday morning and evening peak periods”.

The proposals form part of the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) identified in the Joint Local Transport Plan (JLTP) produced by the West of England Partnership, formed of four unitary authorities – Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire – and a range of social, economic and environmental partners.

The detailed plans are available on the SGC website and will be on display in the shopping centre of the Aztec West Business Park from Monday 14th April to Monday 18th April.

Responses to the consultation must be made to SGC by Monday 28th April.