Contact: John Buckett, ext 6599

1. Summary

1.1 It is proposed that a working group of Environment Policy Review Committee Members investigate aspects of bus priority policy and report back on recommendations for bus priority applications in Hampshire.

2. Background

2.1 Bus priority is an important tool in promoting the use of public transport which is a key part of the County Council's Local Transport Plan. The County Council is currently engaged in delivering a number of high profile bus priority projects, including the A3 corridor in Havant district and the Route 1 corridor in the north-east of the county.

2.2 This investment coincides with a Department for Transport (DfT) initiative to promote bus priority work which will also result in the publication of updated guidance to authorities on issues associated with bus priority projects, such as times of operation, which types of vehicles should be permitted to use the lanes and how enforcement is best carried out. However, this advice could be a year or more away and it may therefore be prudent for the County Council to review the issues itself and form at least an interim policy view which might feed into and aid the DfT review.

3. Types of Bus Priority Scheme and Issues

3.1 The most commonly seen bus priority schemes are bus lanes operating for all or part of the day either with flow or contra-flow systems. There are also bus-only roads (as at Winchester Railway Station) and junctions where only buses are permitted to make certain movements. The appropriate traffic signal changes to facilitate such movements are often triggered by selective vehicle detection (a prompt transmitted from a device on the bus).

3.2 There are a number of issues raised when a bus priority scheme is developed. The first is about justification for the facility. The most common arguments are that the facility is not justified, for example because there is insufficient congestion to warrant a bus lane. The second argument is that there is too much congestion already and that a bus lane would put an intolerable burden on motorists. Taken together these are an argument for never introducing bus priority measures! However, there do need to be measurable improvements in bus journey times and reliability against which to weigh any anticipated increase in journey times for other road users.

3.3 The second major issue is the time of operation of any facility. A common argument is that bus lanes should only be peak-hour as that is when they are needed. The counter arguments are that out of peak times the (normally one) lane available for general traffic is normally sufficient, and it does tend to reduce speeding and help encourage bus-lane compliance. Nevertheless, many authorities do have part-time bus lanes and there are particular advantages in this approach where there are commercial premises involved which require servicing from the road. Also, where bus frequencies are low, they can improve acceptability to other road users.

3.4 A third factor is the use of bus lanes by other vehicles. Bicycles are generally accepted but there are a number of variations across the country concerning the use of bus lanes by coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, motor cycles and commercial vehicles. Enforcement is of particular relevance here as, while it is possible to fit a local bus fleet with selective vehicle detection, it is not possible to effectively enforce widespread exemptions without recourse to surveillance in some form.

3.5 The local context may be particularly relevant. For example in Portsmouth, where most taxis are local, it has been possible to extend a selective vehicle detection system to at least part of the taxi fleet and achieve a standard taxi colouring. However in north-east Hampshire where taxis in, say, Farnborough may come from a relatively large number of licensing areas in at least three counties, such a system would be more difficult to introduce. There is also a need to take account of the bus priority rules operating in neighbouring authorities. It is arguable that it is more important for a bus priority scheme in Farnborough to be consistent with those in Camberley than those in Havant.

Recommendation

That a small working group, comprising Environment Policy Review Committee Members assisted by relevant officers, investigate bus priority policy issues and report back to this Committee on 9 July with recommendations to be forwarded to the Executive Member for Environment.

7974/JWB