Bradford Council’s Executive Committee will be provided with an update on the development of four Bradford Bus Hotspots Schemes, which are funded through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund 2 (LUF2) grant, when they meet on Tuesday 1 October.
They will also be asked to formally endorse the further development of four proposed junction and highways improvement schemes, which will then go out to public consultation.
The Council has been provisionally granted £1.29 million in Levelling Up Funding through the Combined Authority for these schemes.
Each scheme within the LUF2 programme must demonstrate achievement of bus journey time savings of 10% and bus journey time reliability improvements of 10%.
The schemes have been identified by bus operators based on their daily experience of delays, and designed to improve journey times and reliability of buses through these locations without impacting on journey times for other transport users.
The proposed scheme at the junction of Leeds Road and Garnett Street would see an extension to the current bus lane and implementing a bus gate system to give priority to buses at the junctions and traffic lights. The road will be widened at this point to increase capacity at the junction to not only improve bus transit, but also improve the overall flow of traffic at the junction. The pedestrian crossing and bus stop at this location would also be relocated to Feversham Street. The plan is for this work to begin in July or August 2025 and be completed by October 2025.
At Bolton Road the proposals include a creating a new section of bus lane and introducing a bus gate to prioritise bus traffic to the junction of Idle Road. The proposals also include the introduction of a no right turn from Bolton Road on to Bolton Drive which would create additional road space for through traffic.
There would also be a rationalisation of the bus stops on this section of the road. The scheme is designed to cause minimal disruption to existing traffic flow with the widening certain areas to ensure journey times for other modes of transportation remain largely unaffected. The plan is for this work to begin in February 2025 and be completed by July 2025.
The proposals for the junction at Little Horton Lane and Park Lane include the replacement of the existing mini roundabout with traffic lights. There will be a no right turn from Little Horton Lane into Park Lane to create more road space and remove vehicle conflicts at this junction. A new pedestrian crossing with traffic lights will be provided. The plan for this work is to begin in February 2025 and be completed by July 2025.
The proposals for the Leeds Road Laisterdyke junction include introducing a dedicated lane and filter signal for those turning right this should improve journey times through this junction for all road users. The plan is for this work to begin in March 2025 and be completed by May 2025.
If these proposals are endorsed a programme of consultation will be drawn up to give people the opportunity to look at the schemes in more detail and have their say on the proposals.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said, “I’d like to thank bus operators for putting forward these areas for improvements.
“These proposals are part of a wider programme of investment in buses and aim to help remove barriers to travel, improving connectivity and accessibility to opportunities in terms of jobs and training, particularly for those on low incomes who have limited or no access to cars.
“Although the schemes that are being proposed as part of this report have been designed to improve journey times and reliability of buses, they have also been designed to also not impact on journey times for other transport users.
