Reasons for the scheme

At peak times A612 Burton Road between Burton Joyce and Gedling (a main route for traffic from the east of Nottinghamshire into Greater Nottingham) suffered delays in the region of ten minutes with queues stretching on occasion for up to three miles. These delays affected the many car users but also buses caught in the congestion. Additionally the queuing traffic made the A612 less attractive for cyclists and difficult for pupils attending the nearby comprehensive school to cross the road safely.

Working in partnership with Department for Transport; bus operators and the school a package of measures was developed to deliver various Local Transport Plan and congestion delivery plan objectives. In addition to introducing the bus priority system the scheme included improving bus services along the A612 corridor into Nottingham to provide further impetus for bus patronage growth, reducing congestion and improving accessibility.

On Tuesday 8 May 2007 the A612 Gedling Transport Improvement Scheme was completed with the opening of the new road by County Councillor Stella Smedley.

What the scheme involved

• A new stretch of road – to improve conditions for public transport users, pedestrians and cyclists and provide attractive alternatives for car users. The improvements included the construction of a new 2km, 10m wide single carriageway
• Bus priority measures – cars have been prohibited and buses given priority along the bypassed lengths of the existing A612 and Stoke Lane through the use of ‘bus plugs’

• Improved cycling/pedestrian facilities – dedicated infrastructure for cyclists/pedestrians was installed on the bypassed sections of Burton Road, Stoke Lane and along the new highway to help make cycling/walking safer, improve journey times and encourage more short distance journeys on foot or cycle. Improved crossing facilities particularly at the current A612 Burton Road/A6211 Shearing Hill junction have been provided. Coupled with the reduction in traffic in the built up area this has made the pedestrian environment far more pleasant and appealing
• Improved bus infrastructure – high quality infrastructure and information enhancements (including ‘real time’ information) provided to complement bus priority measures. These included upgraded bus stops, bus shelters and waiting areas. Kerbs have been raised to improve access to the low floor buses for passengers who have difficulty getting on and off buses.

Complementary measures

• Improved buses/services – to improve the quality of service for passengers Nottingham City Transport as the main bus operator introduced a fleet of seven new high quality fully accessible vehicles costing approximately £1m. The frequency of services was also enhanced with 41 additional journeys per week. It is unlikely this investment would have been made without the journey time reduction created by the bus priority measures. NCC also subsidises evening and Sunday services along the corridor

• Promotion of improved bus services – leaflets with travel offers were distributed to 8,000 properties in the area promoting the improved services, along with attendance at local events (such as the nearby racetrack). Half-price family tickets were also available throughout the summer
• Travel planning – work has been undertaken with the local comprehensive school to encourage non-car modes of travel to/from school. NCC funded secure cycle storage to encourage pupils to cycle to school.

Outcomes of the scheme

Since the completion of the scheme, the combined package of measures has resulted in the following:

• Reduced traffic flows – 20,000 vehicles per day travelled along Burton Road prior to the introduction of the above measures. The combined improvements have seen vehicle numbers fall to around 4,000 per day providing significant environmental and safety benefits. Traffic levels through Gedling Village and Stoke Bardolph have also reduced. Traffic noise has reduced by 8dB on Burton Road and 6dB on Stoke Lane
• Reduced congestion, improved journey times and reliability – prior to the introduction of the scheme a journey by car between Burton Joyce and Netherfield could vary between six minutes 35 seconds and over 18 minutes 30 seconds. This fluctuation has been removed and the same journey now varies between five minutes ten seconds and six minutes 23 seconds. Bus punctuality has therefore been improved through the journey time reliability and operators have reported that the daily complaints received prior to the scheme have now ceased
• Reduced bus journey times – bus journey times have been almost halved and the morning peak journey time into the City Centre from Burton Joyce is now the quickest since 1998. Under the new timetable the scheduled journey time is only 22 minutes compared to 40 minutes in 2000 (saving the operator £70-100k per annum).
• Increased bus patronage – encouragement of non-car modes of travel was a primary focus of the scheme, particularly the increased use of public transport. Improving the quality of the whole journey experience through the measures detailed above has seen bus patronage rise by ten percent since the opening of the scheme
• Reduced journeys from school by car – school travel surveys as part of the travel plan process have shown that 62 percent of pupils now walk from school, an increase of seven percent between 2005 and 2008, with a seven percent decrease in pupils travelling from school by car (down to 14 percent)
• Reduced vehicle emissions – CO₂ vehicle emissions on the bypassed sections of Burton Road have reduced from 75,400 tonnes per year in 2005 to 33,880 tonnes per year in 2008
• Safety perceptions – whilst the scheme was not intended to address pre-existing accident problems, there are potential safety benefits by transferring traffic away from outside a school. This traffic now flows on a modern, high standard non-residential highway away from any conflict with the previously observed pedestrian movements, creating a much safer environment thereby encouraging walking/cycling.

A612/Burton Road bus priority review

The introduction of the A612/Burton Road bus plug raised a number of issues and concerns for local residents and commuters.

Concerns raised include:

• increased travel distance
• inconvenience when making short journeys within the local area
• increases in traffic volumes, for example through Lambley.

In response to these local concerns the County Council is reviewing the operation of the bus plug. The review is only considering the bus plug at the junction of the A612 and Burton Road. The Stoke Lane Bus plug is not part of the review.

While the operation of the A612/Burton Road bus plug is being reviewed it is still illegal to drive through the bus plugs.

Public Consultation

Nottinghamshire County Council will carry out further consultation, as part of a review of the ‘bus plug’ at the junction of the A612 and Burton Road, because the results of last month’s public consultation were inconclusive.

Residents around Gedling and Burton Joyce were invited to consultation events or to comment by telephone or the Internet by Sunday 31 January. While the most popular of the three options was to allow buses only from 7am to 7pm from Monday to Friday (and all vehicles at all other times), a significant number of people said the ‘bus plug’ should be removed completely or asked for other options to be considered.

Bus operators and the emergency services were also asked for their opinions.

The Council will now consider further options that might allow for removal of the ‘bus plug’ but still retain the key element of bus priority that the original scheme sought to establish.

In the meantime, the Council has decided to implement the following improvements that were suggested by the consultation:

• closing the service road between the A612 and Burton Road
• altering the traffic lights at the junction of the A612 and Victoria Park Way to reduce queues bound for Victoria Retail Park
• considering a weight restriction at the junction of the A612 and Burton Road.

Councillor Richard Jackson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways, said:"Before making a final decision, we will be speaking to representatives of the Department for Transport, as it supported and funded the scheme when introduced in 2007.  We are also seeking the views of key local organisations and will need to undertake further public consultation on a wider set of options."

Contact details

Post:

A612 Gedling Transport Improvement

Transport and Environmental Programmes
Trent Bridge House
Fox Road
West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 6BJ

Tel: 08449 808080

E-mail: transport.strategy@nottscc.gov.uk