ITEM EX11 - ANNEX 1EXECUTIVE – 8 JULY 2003PREMIUM BUS ROUTES NETWORKPremium Routes Schemes for Inclusion in the Capital Programme
Significant peak delays to buses are currently experienced approaching Kidlington Roundabout and elsewhere. There is significant synergy with a parallel real-time information project being implemented along this route. Bus services currently operate at a very high frequency, and improvements would benefit large numbers of users. Indicative cost £500k Current daytime frequency: 25 buses per hour Recommendation: Early Improvements to the local bus route with the highest frequency in Banbury would complement proposed changes in the Town Centre. The route currently suffers from poor reliability and infrastructure. Indicative cost £400k Current daytime frequency: 5 buses per hour Recommendation: Early There is a shared aspiration for the current service (Oxford Bus Company, 35) on this well-used route to be extended across Oxford to the JR Hospital, but this ambition is currently inhibited by infrastructure constraints. It is also planned to improve interchange facilities with Redbridge Park and Ride. Indicative cost £600k Current daytime frequency: 4 buses per hour Recommendation: Early Significant delays occur at Hinksey interchange at peak times. Although sufficient land exists to provide a northbound bus lane at this location, extending onto the interchange roundabout, protracted negotiations with the Highways Agency can be anticipated. Other major constraints include the proposed A34 multi-modal study and a requirement to design effective connections from the A34 onto the GTE guideway. Indicative capital cost £600k Current daytime frequency: 8 buses per hour Recommendation: Early This section of the A34 is currently operating at capacity, resulting in unpredictable delays. The Buchanan study identified the possibility of off-carriageway bus lanes approaching the M40 interchange. Considerable negotiation would be required with the Highways Agency to achieve this, and further delays will be caused by awaiting the outcome of the proposed A34 multi-modal study. It is likely that any priority scheme that adversely impacted on the flow of general traffic would be unacceptable. Indicative capital cost £900K Current daytime frequency: 4 buses per hour Recommendation: Early This comprises measures to complement the Bicester ITS strategy and to provide better interchange facilities. It is anticipated that real-time information would be implemented in Bicester by 2005. Indicative cost £300k Current daytime frequency (to/from Oxford) 5 buses per hour Recommendation: Early The very large number of people using the frequent bus services would benefit from infrastructure measures to complement planned improvements at Green Road roundabout and in Headington centre. It is hoped that real-time information would be implemented along London Road in 2004/5. Indicative cost £400k Current daytime frequency: 38 buses per hour to Green Rd; 16 per hour to Barton Recommendation: Early There are significant peak delays for buses conveying growing numbers of passengers from Witney to Oxford. Proposals include measures to complement the ITS strategy in Witney. A study is required to ascertain the feasibility of measures to assist buses through the Eynsham area. This also links with the Carterton, Witney and Oxford strategy, approved by the Executive on 15 April. Indicative cost £1000k Current daytime frequency: 5 buses per hour Recommendation: Early
An early start would ensure that measures to assist buses along Cowley Road are integrated into the recently announced Mixed Priority Scheme, with better stop infrastructure being extended along the remainder of the route. Indicative cost £500k Current daytime frequency: 28 per hour along Cowley Road, 24 per hour to Blackbird Leys Recommendation: Early Additional measures are required to assist buses along the busy Banbury Road, including a review of the current bus priority arrangements and of roadspace allocation in Summertown centre, in parallel with the forthcoming Banbury Road OTS study. Indicative cost £600k Current daytime frequency: 31 buses per hour Recommendation: Early This route links the northern part of the Headington / Hospitals area with the City Centre. Modest inbound priority measures are required along Marston Road, co-ordinated with the HAMATS strategy. There will be some developer-funded bus infrastructure at the JR Hospital. Current daytime frequency: 7 buses per hour. Indicative cost £350k Recommendation: Medium Term An effective inbound bus priority lane already exists from Botley, but severe constraints prevent its extension towards the city centre. A general review of priority arrangements is proposed. A study is also required to examine ways of improving the flow of buses through Friedeswide Square in the context of proposals to relocate the rail station and construct a north-south GTE guideway. Indicative cost £350k Current daytime frequency: 19 buses per hour. Recommendation; Medium Term Measures are required to assist buses along this busy radial route into Oxford, including a review of parking arrangements. Indicative cost £550k Current daytime frequency: 14 per hour, Recommendation: Medium Term This route links the southern part of the Headington / Hospitals area with the City Centre. Parking is a particular problem along this route. Indicative cost £250k Current daytime frequency: 6 buses per hour Recommendation: Medium Term Good bus services already link Carterton to Witney and to Oxford city centre. New housing developments and a possible new park and ride site will influence the eventual form of this route. Indicative cost £300k Current daytime frequency: 4 buses per hour. Recommendation: Medium Term This route links Banbury’s northern suburbs, where considerable housing developments are planned, to the Town Centre. Indicative cost £300k Current daytime frequency: 3 buses per hour Recommendation: Medium Term Improvements along this section of route will be delivered through implementation of the emerging A40 strategy. In the longer term, there are aspirations to provide a guided busway along some or all of this corridor. Indicative capital cost (to complement A40 scheme) £50k Current daytime frequency: 2 buses per hour. Recommendation: Medium Term This route currently has insufficient buses to qualify as a Premium Route, although there are proposals that would provide 4 buses per hour as far as Berinsfield. There are potential issues with the GTE scheme to resolve near the Science Park. Better interchange facilities are required at Berinsfield and possibly in Wallingford. Indicative capital cost £500k Current daytime frequency: 3 buses per hour to Berinsfield, 2 buses per hour to Wallingford. Recommendation: Medium Term This route is part of the inter-urban bus service from Oxford to Aylesbury. Additional buses currently operate as far as Wheatley for students. Pump priming funding will be required to enhance the frequency of Thame buses to Premium Routes standards. There is a current design study to develop a proposed interchange for buses and coaches at the Thornhill Park and Ride site. Indicative capital cost £550k (not including Thornhill interchange) Current daytime frequency: 5 buses per hour to Wheatley; 2 buses per hour to Thame. Recommendation: Longer Term
Woodstock Road already benefits from extensive bus priority measures, which are to be reviewed in an OTS study that is being commissioned. This may result in some early improvements. The parallel GTE alignment does result in some uncertainty regarding the level of bus frequency along Woodstock Road, however. Indicative capital cost £300k Current daytime frequency: 20 buses per hour Recommendation: Longer Term
Inbound delays on this corridor could be reduced by constructing a new bus lane from Yarnton to Pear Tree. Bus frequency is currently less than the Premium Routes standard, however. Indicative capital cost £1000k Current daytime frequency: 3 buses per hour. Recommendation: Longer Term Significant inbound delays exist at various times of the day, and at weekends, but there are severe constraints on the provision of effective bus priority measures along Abingdon Road. The parallel GTE alignment results in some uncertainty about the level of future bus use. Indicative capital cost £300k Current daytime frequency: 26 buses per hour Recommendation; Longer Term
This Premium Route is currently ill-defined, given the variety of possible links between the two towns. Didcot will experience significant population growth as a result of the large Great Western Park development, albeit there is some uncertainty over planning timescales. Milton Park is expected to grow as an employment site. The Buchanan study identified the need for bus priority measures in Drayton Road, Abingdon. A new bus-rail interchange at Didcot Parkway would facilitate onward connections from the Premium Route to residential areas in Didcot and to other settlements in South Oxfordshire. Measures on this corridor would be developed in partnership with ABITS and the Didcot Integrated Transport Strategy. Indicative capital cost £700k Current daytime frequency: 3 buses per hour. Recommendation: Longer term Significant population growth is expected at Grove towards 2010. There would need to be some revenue pump-priming to bring the current level of service up to Premium Routes standards. Significant delays occur to buses on the Marcham Road approach to Abingdon, although there are ABITS proposals for this road. Indicative capital cost £600k Current daytime frequency: 2 buses per hour Recommendation: Longer term Significant population growth is expected at Cherwell Heights towards 2010 and it is likely that the current routing of buses in this area would need to be revised. Indicative capital cost £200k Current daytime frequency: 2 buses per hour Recommendation: Longer term
There are strong reasons, including HAMATS, to provide better links to the Headington area from locations other than from Oxford City Centre. It is currently unclear whether the B4495 Marston Ferry Road – Windmill Road corridor should be developed to provide a high quality link to Summertown, Kidlington and Cowley, or if a more radical approach is required using dedicated bus lanes or guideways around the Oxford northern and eastern bypass (A40/A4142), which would provide faster links to Park and Ride sites and country towns such as Witney. Indicative capital cost £400k Current daytime frequency: Marston Ferry route 2 buses per hour, Hollow Way 4 buses per hour, eastern/northern bypass route 0 buses per hour. Recommendation:
Longer term
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