Bus lane programme 'paused' after complaints

Residents have said the disruption caused by bus lane construction outweighs the benefits

Plans to roll out more bus lanes in North Somerset have been put on pause following complaints about the disruption caused by construction.

The council has created a number of bus lanes across the district after receiving record funding from the government's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BISP).

But members of the public and some councillors have said they have been more trouble than they are worth.

The current bus lane scheme is now on hold until November while the infrastructure programme is reviewed.

The council won £48m of BISP funding in 2022 to improve the infrastructure and reliability of bus services across North Somerset, with a further £57.5m being shared with the neighbouring West of England Combined Authority, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It has already started a bus lane installation programme, starting with the Long Ashton By-pass.

Councillor Patrick Keating told a full council meeting on Tuesday that they should be "rightly proud" of securing record funding.

But he added: "Residents are concerned that existing and proposed plans for bus infrastructure/bus lanes are overengineered for the amount of buses that we have circulating on our roads now and potentially in the future, and the disruption caused by the bus lane construction outweighs the benefits.”

'Reflecting on feedback'

The council's executive member for transport, Hannah Young, said the scheme was being reviewed.

“There was quite an extensive process of bidding to government for that close-to-record pot of money that North Somerset received, and government doesn’t hand out that money with no reason," she said.

“Over the next few months the only bus priority scheme being delivered will be at Wood Hill, which is part of the Congresbury congestion scheme.

“We won’t be starting any other BSIP priority works before November at the earliest and taking a pause to review the remainder of the infrastructure programme as a whole."

She added that the council would be reflecting on feedback and considering how best to address the concerns that have been raised.

Mr Keating said the council should only spend the funding on “practical, effective, and value for money schemes”.

Plans for a bus lane on the Queensway roundabout in Weston-super-Mare may still be decided before November, as Ms Young said they needed to avoid the roadworks happening at the same time as work on Winterstoke Bridge and the Banwell Bypass.