Work has started to build a new dedicated road for buses and cyclists which will speed up journey times and reduce delays to bus services.
The new two-way route links the University of West of England (UWE) Frenchay Campus with the Abbeywood Roundabout via the Cheswick housing development.
The route is over land to the rear of the Hewlett Packard site. Construction work within the UWE site will be carried out during the university summer holidays, while work on the route behind Hewlett Packard will commence in the autumn. Buses are expected to be running on the route by the summer of 2012
Cyclists will be able to use the new link and there will be an adjacent footpath which will link in with existing cycle and walking routes.
Cllr Brian Allinson, executive member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “This new bus link will help to reduce delays for a number of bus services in the local area. This will complement recently completed schemes across South Gloucestershire to improve the bus network such as the Great Stoke Way bus lane and Abbeywood Roundabout improvement.”
Steve Ward, Travel Planner from the University of the West of England said: “This is a welcome improvement to the transport infrastructure in the North Fringe which will significantly improve public transport in the region.”
The £1.5 million investment is being funded by contributions from companies involved in the nearby Cheswick development with a further £300,000 provided by South Gloucestershire Council from a fund dedicated to transport development.
To ensure the road is only used by authorised vehicles, barriers will be in place at the entrance to the road at the University and the restrictions will be clearly signed.
