Agenda item

The Panel considered a report on the experimental A4 bus and cycle lane and was invited to submit comments to Cabinet prior to a decision on any permanent scheme being made.  The report was summarised by the Associate Director of Place Strategy and the Lead Member for Sustainable Transport & The Environment responded to a number of questions and comments from members of the Panel during the course of the discussion. 

The bus and cycle lane scheme was initially introduced under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) in 2020 to allow for social distancing and to reprioritise road space to for pedestrians and cyclists as outlined in the Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund guidance.  The scheme initially introduced operated 24 hours in designated sections of the A4 between Dover Road and Uxbridge Road.  There were a significant number of objections to the scheme including a petition which received 5,272 signatures.  A number of changes to the scheme were made following a review by scrutiny and Cabinet which changed the operating hours to peak time only and enabled a range of authorised vehicles such as Hackney carriages, private hire vehicles and e-scooters to use the bus lane.  The proposal was to make the peak time experimental scheme permanent and the report set out the monitoring data, consultation responses and information on issues such as air quality and journey times.  The alterative options, including removing the bus and cycle lane, were summarised in the report.

Councillors Gahir, Matloob and Sharif addressed the Panel under Rule 30 and made a number of comments during the course of the discussion.

The Panel asked a number of questions about the monitoring data, including both the practical difficulties of collecting reliable and comparable data due to Covid-19; and whether the data collected supported the recommendation in the report that the bus lane be made permanent.  For example, the data showed that average car journey times had increased; whilst air quality in the A4 corridor had improved the evidence could not directly attribute this to the bus lane; the consultation showed a majority of respondents were opposed to the scheme; and there were no evident improvements in public transport services and usage arising from the bus prioritisation.  The Lead Member for Sustainable Transport highlighted that the scheme had improved the reliability of bus services and the bus priority measures were an important step as part of a wider strategy to work with bus operators to improve services over time.  The Bus Service Improvement Plan and Enhanced Partnership with bus operators considered by the Panel in September provided the platform for this and more radical measures to promote sustainable transport in other towns and cities across the country were noted, such as ultra-low emission zones.  It was stated that the air quality data would require significant recalibration to determine the direct impact of the bus lane, but the evidence clearly showed major improvements in air quality during the period the scheme was in place.

Members raised a number of other issues including the ability of taxi drivers to stop in the bus lane to pick up fares; the ability of electric vehicles to use the bus lane; and the issues caused by the additional traffic movements at Salt Hill Activity Centre which was being used as a temporary vaccination centre for Covid-19.  A member also highlighted the need to address localised congestion on the A4 in Colnbrook to improve the reliability of bus services between Heathrow and Slough.  Whilst this particular issue was outside of the experimental scheme it highlighted the importance of addressing the wider transport issues in the corridor to make public transport as reliable and attractive as possible to promote modal shift.

Councillor Gill proposed a number of points to recommend to Cabinet which were refined during discussion, seconded and agreed by the Panel.  The proposals were designed to ensure the scheme maximised capacity, ensured the bus lane led to improvements in bus services and promoted other modes of sustainable transport.  They were that if the scheme was to be made permanent the Council should:

·  “Ensure the scheme was part of a broader strategy to improve bus services and public transport provision for Slough residents”;

·  “Maximise capacity by using the existing service road as the bus lane where practicable between Huntercombe roundabout and The Three Tuns junction”;

·  “Explore localised measures to widen any sections of carriageway where appropriate, to increase capacity to provide the bus lane and relieve traffic congestion, subject to securing external funding.”

·  “Standardise the rules and regulations for the operation of all bus lanes across the borough”;

·  “Take forward plans to segregate the bus lane from the cycle lane to make cycling as safe and attractive alternative mode as possible”;

·  “Recognise that existing public transport provision required significant improvement and therefore work with bus operators through the Enhanced Partnership/Bus Service Improvement Plan to seek to lower fares and improve the frequency and reliability of services both on the A4 and elsewhere in the borough”;

·  “Promote the take up of Electric Vehicles by making the bus lane available to use for zero emission vehicles.”

At the conclusion of the discussion the above points were agreed to refer to Cabinet.

Resolved –  That the following comments on the A4 bus lane be referred to Cabinet:

That if the A4 bus and cycle lane was to be made permanent the Council should:

1.  Ensure the scheme was part of a broader strategy to improve bus services and public transport provision for Slough residents;

2.  Maximise capacity by using the existing service road as the bus lane where practicable between Huntercombe roundabout and The Three Tuns junction;

3.  Explore localised measures to widen any sections of carriageway where appropriate, to increase capacity to provide the bus lane and relieve traffic congestion, subject to securing external funding.

4.  Standardise the rules and regulations for the operation of all bus lanes across the borough;

5.  Take forward plans to segregate the bus lane from the cycle lane to make cycling as safe and attractive alternative mode as possible;

6.  Recognise that existing public transport provision required significant improvement and therefore work with bus operators through the Enhanced Partnership/Bus Service Improvement Plan to seek to lower fares and improve the frequency and reliability of services both on the A4 and elsewhere in the borough;

7.  Promote the take up of Electric Vehicles by making the bus lane available to use for zero emission vehicles.