Bus Rapid Transit – a Step Change in Public Transport for

Introduction

Bristol needs to be provided with a fundamental improvement in the quality and reliability of public transport travel in the city. Building on the imminent funding of the Bus Network project, a further upgrading of the network is required to ensure the economic growth and prosperity of the city does not falter, and to enable the travel demand arising from new developments over the next 20 years to be successfully and sustainably accommodated, whilst reducing the growth in traffic congestion, improving air quality and enhancing quality of life.

The Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study (GBSTS) assessed future transport trends across the Greater Bristol area and concluded that traffic congestion would substantially worsen without a clear package of improvements in public transport provision. The contribution of the Greater Bristol Bus Network, which will be significant in addressing current problems and reversing a previous declining trend in bus patronage, will however be unable to provide sufficient improvement to deal with the additional development predicted for the sub-region, in order to maintain and enhance Bristol’s status as a premier European city. Something more radical is required to ensure that the regeneration benefits the city has experienced, particularly in the city centre, are not affected by worsening traffic congestion. GBSTS identified Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) as ideally suited to deliver this upgrade, and identified four cross-city corridors to be developed as routes for the new mode, and the development and funding of routes has been identified as a priority in the Joint Local Transport Plan.

Line 1 of BRT is already being progressed in Bath as part of the Bath Package, a range of interlinked transport schemes to upgrade the public transport network in this world heritage city, for which a bid was submitted for funding to the in 2006. This note outlines plans to extend this concept to Bristol to achieve similar benefits for the transport network and economy of the city.

What does BRT mean?

Essentially, the vision of the system is to provide a rapid, reliable, frequent and comfortable network to attract substantial numbers of car users and reduce congestion. This will be delivered through a combination of routes segregated from general traffic, new high profile vehicles, stops and interchanges. The vehicle will be bus-based, potentially guided where possible and generally segregated from general traffic. In particular, the vehicles and system will have the feel of a but with the flexibility of a bus in the city centre and with lower cost infrastructure. In formulating the routes, use has been made where possible of alignments already identified and safeguarded for the previous tram proposals. In addition, regular service buses will also be able to join the network from further afield to maximise benefits for the wider area.

BRT will be carefully designed to integrate into sensitive areas and historic streetscapes. In addition, the system will offer the potential to explore future opportunities for improvements to public realm by attracting car drivers onto the new system and facilitating future reductions in highway provision, particularly in the city centre.

Where are we now?

The corridors identified by GBSTS form part of the post-2011 scenario in the Joint Local Transport Plan, which was commended by the Department for Transport when submitted in April 2006. Transport consultants Steer Davies Gleave undertook a full assessment of all potential route options within these corridors, and short-listed routes on the basis of patronage, cost, deliverability, and links with new development. Four routes to the city centre have been identified as good performers on this basis for further work to support a bid for funding in September 2008.

Where will the routes go?

Ashton Vale to the City Centre

The Ashton Vale route is proposed to connect the existing park and ride site with Ashton Gate and the Create Centre, running along the current rail corridor for most of its length alongside Cumberland Road. The route will then cross over the Floating Harbour and enter the city centre via Prince Street, passing through the Wapping Wharf development en route.

The route is relatively straightforward to deliver and performs well in terms of patronage. In addition, it lends itself to future extension to serve Bristol International Airport and links with plans to deliver 10,000 new dwellings in Ashton Vale.

Emersons Green to the City Centre

This route would link the new Science Park development and proposed housing at with established communities in Staple Hill, Fishponds and Easton, before interchanging with rail services at Temple Meads and from there into the city centre. The route is planned to use the existing former railway corridor, although retaining a high quality cycle and pedestrian corridor alongside. The route performs well in terms of patronage and deliverability, and will include careful design to ensure that it interacts sensitively with new developments in the Temple Meads and Temple Quay areas. to the City Centre Lege nd Pote ntial BRT BRT Rout This route will assist in delivering the Alterna Stop e regeneration of South Bristol, linking tive routeRai the emerging Hengrove Park underlwa reviewy development proposals with DeveSta lopmtion Bedminster and the city centre, with ent an alternative route option potentially site running through Filwood. The route uses much of the alignment previously identified through the design of the LRT route to Hartcliffe, and will implement some significant new infrastructure including a new bridge over the New Cut before entering the city centre from Prince Street.

North Fringe to the City Centre

This route will run alongside the M32 into the city centre on new, segregated infrastructure. The route will serve UWE and key employers in the North Fringe, with options for serving either Bradley Stoke or Filton Northfield and Cribbs Causeway. The route exhibits some radical infrastructure requirements in order to provide segregation from general traffic, and is proposed to run behind the Cabot Circus development to link into and the city centre. The route is the most expensive of the short-listed options although is predicted to carry large passenger numbers. Again, the route will include careful design to ensure that it interacts sensitively with proposals in the Broadmead area. What happens in the city centre?

Work undertaken to date has concentrated on options for an orbital route in the central area which will provide for reliable journey times whilst not resulting at this early stage on large scale reductions in capacity for private car movements. As a result, initial routes have been formulated which run on- street sharing and expanding the city centre’s existing bus lanes and interchanges.

Options to improve interchange for both buses and BRT will be investigated as part of the detailed design of the scheme, including the assessment of certain potential restrictions on traffic movement in The Centre, The Horsefair and Redcliffe Way. In addition, highway measures will be considered on diversionary routes to facilitate further re-direction of through traffic from the city centre on an incremental basis, together with the potential for restructuring bus movements. This will open up opportunities for future enhancements in public realm and pedestrian areas as the network expands and the number of car drivers attracted onto the system increases.

What are the benefits for the city?

In short, less traffic congestion, better air quality and lower dependence on car ownership and use. The system will form an essential part of the overall transport strategy for the sub-region and assist in sustaining the current economic growth and regeneration being experienced in the city. In addition, as outlined above a wider network has the potential to justify further reductions in through traffic movement in the city centre, with future opportunities for pedestrian routes and centres to be delivered as a result. Put another way, without BRT traffic conditions are predicted to get substantially worse, with significant implications for the status and future growth and prosperity of the city.

What Happens Next?

The project programme is currently working towards the submission of a Major Scheme Business Case submission for funding in September 2008. This will involve a concentrated programme of detailed design, modelling and environmental assessment to meet the criteria for a successful bid. This package of work will be managed by a project team reporting to a Project Board, which meets every two months and is composed of representatives from the four authorities, SWRDA, Government Office for the South West and First. The Project Board has recently nominated Colin Knight of the City Council as the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the project.

In addition, a public consultation exercise is scheduled for the Autumn to introduce the public and stakeholders to the concept of BRT prior to detailed consultation on the routes themselves.

A further critical work area will be to progress the status of the scheme in terms of Local Development Framework designation, and the project team will liaise with colleagues in the councils’ planning policy teams to ensure that alignments can be effectively protected when considering applications and masterplans for new development. Prior to this formal protection, and whilst route options are being optimised during 2007, it will be vital to raise the profile of the new mode with planning applicants whilst discussing and negotiating development proposals, to highlight the benefits of BRT for sustainable development, to explore opportunities for improving accessibility to sites and reduce reliance on the private car and, above all, to minimise the potential for route options to be unnecessarily compromised. When will the system open?

The first route of the network is intended to open in 2014 following the award of government funding in 2011. A total of £70 million has been set aside in the South West’s Regional Funding Allocation to commence delivery of the network.