Bus lanes plan for Fareham will ‘lead to traffic jams’
First Bus
PLANS to create three bus lanes in Fareham will lead to even more traffic congestion in the town, a council leader has warned.
Hampshire County Council wants to turn part of Portland Street – a busy road leading up to the Quay Street junction – into a bus lane. One lane of the A27 Western Way is also set to become buses-only, as well as a section from Fareham train station to Redlands Lane.
The aim is to improve the flow of buses as part of the £25m Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme between Fareham and Gosport.
The 18-month trial is due to start on April 1.
But Fareham Borough Council leader Sean Woodward has raised concerns, saying it will cause traffic jams.
He said: ‘We think the trial should only be a maximum of three months rather than 18. We remain most concerned about clogging up residential streets.
‘It’s a bit of an unknown because we don’t know where the traffic will be diverted to.
‘The concern is that the town centre is already very busy and it won’t help if we start closing lanes down.
‘The county council is making desperate pace to get something sorted out by the time the BRT starts running.’
It comes after the county council scrapped plans to create a bus lane along West Street, which would have banned cars from the main route along the town centre.
Cllr Woodward added that he hopes the BRT will prove to be a success.
But motorists have raised fears over the plans.
Julie Homewood, 65, from Fareham, said: ‘It will be more congested than it was before.
‘It’s a bad idea. I can’t see how it’s going to work. I don’t know why they’re bringing in the bus route anyway.’
Irene Lowrie, 65, from Fareham, added: ‘It’s stupid.
‘There’s enough chaos on that roundabout as it is without buses being brought in and making it worse.’
Councillor Mel Kendal, who’s responsible for traffic and transport at the county council, said: ‘The borough council raised concerns about our original proposal for a bus gate in West Street, and asked us to investigate alternatives.
‘Our proposed alternative, developed in consultation with them and elected members for the area, involve improvements to Station roundabout and a bus lane on Western Way.
‘We expect to receive a formal response by the end of this week.
‘We will of course then consider any issues it has raised.’
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 44 comments to this article
Page 1 of 3
Yocal
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:14 AMDo road improvements reduce congestion?? As with all these things, in the short term they will, until people realise it is easier to drive everywhere, thus are encouraged to learn to drive and buy a car. Then you have more congestion and what worked previously doesn't now. The game of road improvements is a zero sum game. No one wins (humanity never wins in anything, the ultimate result can only be 'boring' stability or destruction as a result of success, the same rules apply to all species).
Yocal
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 11:07 AMIsn't traffic congestion caused by cars and past council policies favouring cars? I can't see how bus lanes can be blamed, if in the event that buses were taken off the road, there would be more cars on the road, leading to more congestion. Cars generally make life difficult for pedestrians, kids wanting to play etc. It is a bit ridiculous that some news media sources have competitions to win an idyllic country cottage whilst at the same time campaign to pollute and ruin are urban population centres. But I guess they wouldn't be able to have country cottage competitions if people got together in urban areas and made life more pleasant for themselves.
sidious
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 08:43 PM@39 To be honest, I've not noticed any improvement coming along the A32 from the Gosport direction, so maybe there's some creedence in people's comments.
dave3974
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 06:14 PMwhat a stupid idea , another mess from FBC
Zeo
Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 05:34 PMLRT Would of been the way forward but something tell's me that First Bus must of bribed the option to HCC as Stagecoach (SWTrains) would of been the Tram runners plus Liebour being all Anti-rail and all, what did labour do for LRT or Railways?
HilaryatLee
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:52 PM@38 A lot of people who travel in and out of Fareham have noticed a marked improvement on the traffic since the reconfiguration of that roundabout. Or are they all talking 'rubbish'?
farehamscareham
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:43 PM@37 I thought that @36's comment 'Rubbish ' was very inspired and very true.
HilaryatLee
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:58 AMThank you @36 for your thorough and helpful assessment of the situation, your use of the grown-up word rubbish to describe the new Fareham roundabout system was inspiring.
gcpfc
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 04:06 PMThis is a very bad plan and the new roundabout at tesco is rubbish
Bruce6lee
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 03:33 PMThe problem with the roads in and out of FarehamGosport is all down to the obsession with the car. I own a car and i use it for journeys where ther is no other viable option. @20 Travelling two miles to and from work in your car is type of behaviour that causes the roads to clogg up - walkcyclebuscar share! There are always going to be people who need to drive to and from work in cars, but i would suggest that 40-50% of those sat in the jams could just as easily catch a bus or cycle or even walk. I for one will be glad when the BRT is up and running and will be using it regulary, and will have a smile on my face when i sail along the bus lanes past all those stuck in jams because they are too stubborn to see any other alternative.
bladesblue
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 11:30 AMThe rule is, for every metre of road built for cars to cater for the increasing numbers an equivalent 2 metres must be removed . Hence, new piece of road at Quay Street requires balancing. so bus lanes fit the job. Fareham have spent huge sums trying to achieve the dream of dual carriageway on A27 all through the borough, now the extra lanes have been painted out because of all the extra traffic.
Niel
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 03:57 PMAs most of the traffic chaos in the Fareham area seems to stem from Turktown being a cheap place to buy a house (poor transport links don't you know), perhaps the answer is to build a bridge across Portsmouth harbour to the East and a proper coastal road and bridge across Southampton water to the West?
Richard B
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 05:30 PMApparently the Western Way bus lane scheme IS going ahead, with or without Fareham's approval. Good luck to all the workers trying to get home when it does.
bjankins
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 03:15 PMFareham has had a poor road system for many years much of it compounded by the town centre developed areas. Little joined up thinking and a definite lack of long term strategic planning for transport, not just cars, has now resulted in very little road space left to be reorganised. If buses are now priority why when the opportunity presented itself at Quay St roundabout, were they not given it by way of light controlled exit from the bus station and onto the roundabout itself. Playing with "bus lanes" in Fareham town streets is no answer. HCC stay away.
seejay32
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 01:40 PMTraveller @ 25: Well spotted, I glanced at it and assumed the bus was coming up the hill past Fareham station
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