Hampshire County Council has delivered a new bus priority entrance onto the Marchwood Bypass, new bus shelters on the Bypass and at the Hounsdown Business Park, a new 300 metre bus lane with dedicated traffic lights (a bus gate). The existing cycle and pedestrian facilities have been advanced with an improved crossing point at Rushington roundabout including new traffic signals and road markings.
Councillor Kirsty North, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Universal Services, said: “Following Hampshire’s investment in new shelters and bus priority measures, I am pleased to see the bus operator, Bluestar, respond by increasing the frequency of bus services.
“This is part of a package of improvements we have provided, with our partners, to collectively widen the travel choices for those who live, work or study in the Waterside, and also for those who wish to explore the area.
“We know local residents value having public transport services in this area and we will continue to work with operators to monitor bus usage, to support the delivery of better bus services and to promote travel by bus.”
From 1 September 2024, the frequency of the Bluestar 9 bus route increased from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes during the day between Blackfield and Southampton, Monday to Saturday, with a new early bus from Southampton leaving at 5.25 am. The Monday to Saturday evening service has been increased to every 30 minutes until 10.10 pm, then hourly with the last bus from Southampton at ten minutes past midnight, and on Sundays, there is a later last bus at 8.10 pm from Southampton. On Monday to Saturday evenings, buses for Southampton will now pass through Marchwood, providing hourly services in both directions, running until midnight.
Alongside the new bus measures, safety improvements have been made to the Rushington roundabout which include:
• Raising the kerb height to act as a physical barrier to stop the risk of vehicles mounting the verge.
• Improving the road surface for vehicles circulating the roundabout.
• Realigning the footway to increase the distance to the carriageway.
More information about the schemes is available on the County Council’s web pages:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/tcfmarchwoodbypassimprovements
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/tcfrushingtonroundaboutimprovements
For more information about Bluestar bus routes and timetables visit Bluestar’s web pages.