Passengers have welcomed a 'godsend' multi-million-pound plan to boost Nottingham's bus network. A £11.4m investment is planned into Greater Nottingham's public transport network in the next three years to increase bus reliability and improve journey time savings through the delivery of additional bus lane schemes, junction improvements and priority at traffic signals for late running buses.
The proposal, which will be discussed by Nottingham City Council's Executive Board on October 18, aims to support bus services at risk of withdrawal, helping them maintain "attractive levels of frequency" to increase passenger numbers. Targeted fares support would also be put in place for young people, people with disabilities and the unemployed.
Passengers were enthused by the plans for greater investment into Nottingham's bus network. Marcie Moy, 62, from Newark, said the improvements would benefit a wide range of people.
Read more: Neighbours frustrated by speeding drivers 'taking noise to a new level' on £49m bypass
"There are a lot of people that will help, more frequent buses would be a godsend for a lot of people. I come down from Newark to QMC to see my husband and sometimes it is a nightmare because there's only one bus to Newark every hour so if you miss it you have to wait for more than half an hour.
"I don't drive so I really have to rely on buses and the trams. It will really help elderly people to have more reliable buses, and anyone else who depends on them."
Vicky Hubbard, 48, a civil servant who travels on the buses to work, said: "I use them fairly often to go to work. They need to be reliable and the prices need to stay reasonable, so people will use them.
"The services are generally are quite good, so if money needs to be spent to maintain them, that's fine. Keeping buses going to small places further out of the city is useful."
Retired Malcolm Gibson, 77, from Bilborough, said: "I think that's a great idea. The services are generally quite good already but I only use the main services, so I think that money will help people get around."
Funding will be pumped into continuing the frequency of more than a dozen Nottingham City Transport routes, among other services run by separate operators. For example, for the NCT 3 service from Clifton to the city centre, NCT will divert journeys into Silverdale, and south Wilford which would be without a service following the withdrawal of CT4N services.
For the NCT 11 service, from Lady Bay to the city centre via The Meadows, this will receive support so that the current frequency can be retained for an area where passenger numbers are expected to grow back to previous levels over time.
Additional funding is also required for the NCT 53 service which travels from Clifton to Arnold, via Basford, Radford and Nottingham's main hospitals. The route provides some key links within the Clifton Estate and the Whitemoor and Valley Road areas that would not otherwise be served. It also provides links for school children at those times of day. This service is already providing additional links within Clifton, at Lark Hill, Summerwood Lane and the Sunninghill Drive area.
The city council has accepted the funding from the Department for Transport. Executive Board agenda papers say flexible working and two years of Covid public health messaging had cut the level of bus usage to 80-85 per cent of its pre-pandemic level.
The city council's portfolio holder for transport, highways and parks, Councillor Audra Wynter, said: “More than £11m of funding from the Department for Transport is a very welcome boost at a time when public transport is still recovering from lower passenger numbers due to the impact of the pandemic.
“Through public consultation and partnership work with local bus operators, we have identified a number of key sites in and around the city which will benefit from bus priority measures, which help to increase the reliability and punctuality of bus services and in turn make bus travel more appealing to the public. Further consultation will take place on each of the proposed schemes before they are implemented over the next three years.
“A package of support for bus service development and network enhancement will also be supported alongside fare initiatives for under-21s, job seekers and continuation of the pre-9.30am travel offer for city residents who are mobility card holders.”
Reductions in bus usage combined with rising costs mean operators "need to do more with less and work harder to attract new/former passengers", according to a Nottingham City Council document. Investment in infrastructure focused on improving priority for buses aims to improve the efficiency of services, reducing costs and allow reinvestment back into bus fleets and technology.
A total of £6.86m of the funds would be spent on highways infrastructure, including £2.5m being allocated to give buses priority A6002/ A611 Moor Bridge Roundabout (Hucknall Lane/Moor Bridge Road). And traffic light priority for late running buses is also planned for B682 & B686 - A6212 (Lower Parliament St / Southwell Road, Carlton Road / Sneinton Road/ Manvers St, Carlton Road / Porchester Road, Colwick Road / Meadow Lane / Sneinton Boulevard, St Ann’s Well Road / Ransome Road) at a cost of £520,000.
A statement in the Executive Board agenda papers stated: "This funding provides a welcome boost as the public transport network continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Both in terms of mitigating the impact of changes to travel demand patterns created by flexible working and the two years of public health messaging that has advised the populace to avoid the use of public transport as part of the effort to control the transmission of Covid.
"It will help the network realign to the new levels of bus patronage which are currently in the region of 80-85 per cent of the level of bus use before the pandemic hit and grow patronage going forward."
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Since March 2020 we have supported buses across the country with billions of pounds to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. We are committed to investing further in places like Nottingham to ensure that bus services are sustainable and reflect the long-term needs of passengers.”
Read next:
Woman recalls pain of losing brother in M1 smart motorway crash as protestors call for their end
UK's first wireless electric taxis trial to launch in Nottingham
Neighbours frustrated by speeding drivers 'taking noise to a new level' on £49m bypass
Nottinghamshire hospitals plea for help as staff facing 'huge amount of pressure'
The latest traffic and travel news from Nottinghamshire Live
