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Under the A370 Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) plans, the Wood Hill crossroads junction will be reconfigured to include:
- A new signalised junction offering bus priority and improved traffic flows in the area.
- Wood Hill access onto the A370 will be open to all movements, previously left turn only
- A new bus lane on A370 Bristol-bound.
- Provision of crossing points across A370 both east and west of junction and on both Wood Hill and Wrington Road, improving access to pedestrians and cyclists.
When complete, improvements on the A370 corridor for bus improvements will reduce the longest round-trip journey by between 20 and 25 minutes. The Wood Hill junction has been identified as an area of delays for buses along the popular X1 bus route and traffic heading into Bristol as well as the A3. The works will also create a safer junction for road users and buses by allowing traffic and buses to move in all directions.
A legal notice of the planned works, known as a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), has now been published by North Somerset Council, and will be advertised for 21 days. Anyone wishing to submit a formal response to the TRO before it closes on Friday 9 February 2024 can do so by visiting https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/notices. These responses will be taken into account before works start.
Cllr Hannah Young, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at North Somerset Council, said: “The A370 corridor is used by several bus routes, including the popular X1 service which runs at a 15-minute frequency and currently supports 128,000 passenger journeys every month.
“Ultimately, the total picture of improvements under the Bus Service Improvement Plan will make the experience of travelling by bus faster, greener, more reliable, affordable, sustainable with a significant time saving across the network – and a genuine alternative to the car, for far more people.”
About the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)
BSIPs are regional initiatives, funded by the UK Government. They are specifically aimed at championing and strengthening bus services across the UK, to make them more frequent, faster, greener, affordable, accessible and reliable – and therefore, an attractive alternative to the car, for far more people.
North Somerset Council and the West of England Combined Authority received the second largest BSIP settlement with £48m dedicated to capital bus service improvement schemes across the area.
Infrastructure improvements that reduce journey times will make buses more reliable, frequent and attractive for customers, reduce the number of cars on our roads, improve local air quality and help us meet our 2030 net zero target.
The UK Government has made funding available through BSIP, through select local authorities, to deliver local schemes that support the use of public transport, while addressing localised issues. Plans are not solely based on bus use, but also on how pedestrians, mobility users, cyclists and motorists use the area. Its fundamental aim is to ensure commercial bus services can be self-sustaining, once BSIP funding comes to an end, without having to rely on ongoing local authority support.
Alongside the infrastructure changes, bus service improvements have also been put in place as part of BSIP, including:
- A £2 bus fare cap for all passengers as well as additional free travel through the ‘Birthday Bus Offer’ and Care Leaver’s pass
the X1 is now every 15 minutes Monday to Friday and every 20 minutes on Saturdays Evening and Sundays are still every 30 minutes
a new stop at Worle Train Station for the A3, with links to the West Coast main line to encourage more people to travel by train and bus to the airport and reduce traffic and parking on local roads
- the X5 has been re-routed to serve Congresbury, Yatton and Kenn on-route to Clevedon and Portishead, reconnecting the residents to these key areas
- Changes will also help school buses using the corridor, improving journey times.
Maps and detailed timetables for individual bus services are available at https://journeyplanner.travelwest.info/routes/region/3. You can choose ‘current timetable’ or ‘upcoming timetable’ to view any future changes that will be made to the network.
More information on the Bus Improvement Service Plan can be found on the North Somerset Council website: Bus service improvement plan | North Somerset Council (n-somerset.gov.uk)
*The statutory period of consultation for a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) is 21 days from the date of first being advertised. A previous version of this release said the TRO would be advertised for six weeks, and this has therefore now been updated.