Residents call for bus route rethink as Southsea road changes loom

Formal passing places are set to be trailed on a busy Southsea road, after residents raised concerns about traffic, pavement mounting and the impact of a new bus service.

The proposed experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) would remove parking from selected sections of Kent Road, replacing it with no-waiting restrictions, road markings and signs to allow vehicles to pass one another more safely.

Kent Road connects Southsea High Street, Palmerston Road, Castle Road, Southsea Terrace, Clarence Pier and the seafront. Parked cars currently narrow the road, making it difficult for vehicles to pass, particularly during school drop-off and pick-up times near Portsmouth High School.

Council figures show between 2,500 and 2,600 vehicles use Kent Road each day, with traffic flows rising to between 1,000 and 1,400 vehicles an hour during school peaks. Average speeds are recorded at between 20mph and 21mph.

Safety concerns include drivers mounting pavements, squeezing past oncoming traffic and manoeuvring with limited visibility.

A separate proposal would relocate parking from Kent Road to Osborne Road, providing around 53 metres of replacement parking spaces for the 46 metres affected by the ETRO.

The proposals come amid controversy over the number 18 bus route, which has prompted complaints from Kent Road residents about noise, vibrations and the smell of diesel since June last year.

Speaking at a recent transport cabinet decision meeting, Kent Road resident Richard Lacey said the road “had no bus route within living memory – yet about 90 route 18 buses a day were introduced many lightly occupied or empty.

“Some bad driving existed before route 18 but residents saw nothing approaching the present frequency or severity.”

Mr Lacey urged the council to reconsider its approach, telling councillors to “Defer or abandon this decision, do not alter Kent Road and search for justification afterwards.

“The council introduced these buses, residents should not surrender their safety, parking and historic environment merely to keep them there”.

Another Kent Road resident told the meeting about efforts to monitor passenger numbers on the service.

The resident said they had “Photographed and check passenger numbers on each bus on Kent Road between 6am and 7pm on October 14 last year”.

“There is virtually no passenger usage on this section and this is not something that PCC wants to publicise or acknowledge.”

The resident suggested trialling an alternative route for the number 18, taking buses along Portland Road, Osborne Road, Duisberg Way and Clarence Pier, which they argued was better suited to traffic.

Cllr Peter Candlish defended the council’s wider approach to public transport, acknowledging the challenges posed by congestion and the need to encourage more people to use buses.

“To be honest, all of the routes have their pros and their cons

“We have an awful lot of people in the north of the city who want to come down to the Southsea seafront – that often causes congestion. Parking issues and some limited air quality issues where the congestion occurs

“It is a long term plan to actually change those types of behaviours.

“The strategy is working – bus use is up 53 per cent in the last three years, the number 18 route in particular is doing very well – true that the numbers at the seafront at the moment are small.

“Bus routes take time to establish, it is also the truth that services to the ends of lines are by their nature very lowly patronised.

“Congestion often in that area is due to people taking their children to school by vehicle when they could be going by bus.”

However, the councillor acknowledged the particular safety concerns raised about the road, adding: “The pavement mounting issue there, close by a school, is a real concern for me.”

Before making his decision, councillor Graham Heaney urged the chair to defer the decision to allow a trial re-routing of the number 18 bus, saying residents needed to be convinced the council had “done all it can” to address the issues on Kent Road.

Cllr Candlish maintained his position, arguing that the evidence suggested the number 18 bus’s current route was better than the alternatives, but said he would pursue ways to assess its impact on road safety.