A frustrated local resident has launched a petition calling for the removal of a bus lane on one of the main roads into Bristol - just weeks after it was created.
The new bus lane on the A370 Long Ashton bypass was finished just last month after several weeks of roadworks, but drivers who use the route to get into Bristol from North Somerset have called for it to be removed already, because only one bus every ten minutes, on average, is scheduled to use it.
And some people in Long Ashton village itself say that reducing what was a dual carriageway bypass is causing so many delays and queues to traffic on the bypass that traffic has increased in Long Ashton itself, as drivers revert to the old main road through the village to avoid the queues.
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The bus lane, installed as part of North Somerset Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), has seen the two plus lane heading into Bristol turned into a dedicated bus lane with the second lane used for general traffic. The Bristol bound carriageways then merge back into one lane for the stretch over the Yanley Viaduct. The Bristol bound traffic lane on the approach to the Gurney roundabout, at the junction of Colliters Way, has also been changed to a bus lane.
This then joins the existing bus lane on the other side of the roundabout into Bristol. On the outbound stretch of the bypass leaving Bristol, one of the two lanes heading towards Backwell has been converted into a 24 hour dedicated bus lane.
The bus lane is used by six buses an hour - one every 10 minutes - and is aimed at improving the reliability and frequency of services for passengers. But the changes have not been welcomed by some local people who say the scheme has seen journey times for drivers into Bristol increase.
They say people are now diverting through Long Ashton in a bid to avoid delays adding to congestion through the village. The petition - on Change.Org - has been launched by local resident Caroline Sparks and is calling for the scheme to be reversed.
Mrs Sparks said: “Users of the A370 Long Ashton Bypass in North Somerset travelling into Bristol want the unnecessary new bus lane removed and the road returned to two lanes for all traffic to use and the outgoing A370 from Bristol also returned to two lanes. North Somerset Council used some of a £48 million grant from central government to unnecessarily create a new 24 hour bus lane in the direction of Bristol on the A370 Long Ashton bypass, reducing car lanes from two to one, in both directions.
"However only six public buses an hour use the new bus lane. Congestion has increased hugely and it takes considerably longer to travel into and out of Bristol.
“The knock on effect is that traffic has also increased in Long Ashton village as people seek to avoid the A370.” The project was the first in a package of 18 schemes across North Somerset being carried out as part of the BSIP.
Council chiefs say the X1 service into Bristol is one of the most popular services in North Somerset, but buses are often full, prompting the need for more frequent services. Anyone wanting to sign the petition can do so here.
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