South West regional factsheet
Map of Region
People in England want efficient, reliable and safe systems of transport. Of course, local transport problems need local solutions.
The Government is keeping the promise it made in the 10-Year Plan for Transport by giving local authorities £8.4 billion over the next five years to be spent locally on projects identified at a local level.
As part of the settlement, authorities in the South West have be given £147 million for 2001/02 and are expected to receive at least £621 million for the five-year period. In addition the region will benefit from a share of resources for future years that have not yet been definitively allocated. The settlement covers:
- major public transport and road schemes costing over £5 million.
- integrated transport schemes costing under £5m; and
- local road maintenance and bridge strengthening schemes.
Major schemes have earmarked funding, however, local authorities decide which of the other transport schemes identified they fund.
Major schemes in the South West
The following major schemes have been accepted and will receive Government funding:
Plymouth - Northern Corridor Public Transport Scheme - £8.4m
Package of measures including Park and Ride and better traffic management and highway improvements, to deliver safety improvements, better pedestrian and cycle facilities and improved reliability and access to public transport.
Wiltshire - Salisbury Package: Salisbury integrated measures - £13.7m
A multi-modal solution to the traffic problems of the city of Salisbury. The measures include 4 bus park and ride sites, bus priority and cycling measures, pedestrianisation and traffic management.
The following schemes have been accepted and will receive Government funds subject to:
- the completion of the statutory approval process, or
- further work on the case, or
- funding being secured from a third party
Devon - Barnstaple Western Bypass - £30.4m
The scheme includes a 2.7km road and a 400m 5 span bridge to the west of Barnstaple, bypassing the town for north and south traffic.
Wiltshire - Salisbury Package: Brunel Link & Harnham Relief Road - £13m
The second stage of the multi-modal solution to the traffic problems of the city of Salisbury. The Brunel Link and Harnham Relief Road complements the Salisbury Package: Integrated Transport Measures, which include 4 bus park and ride sites, bus priority and cycling measures, pedestrianisation and traffic management.
Wiltshire - Semington to Melksham Diversion- £12m
The scheme will improve journey time reliability for HGVs along the A350 corridor and will relieve the communities of Semington and Melksham from through traffic. Walking, cycling and traffic management measures will complement the road.
Cornwall - A39 Camelford Bypass - £6.8m
A single carriageway bypass to the north of Camelford with a viaduct crossing of the Camel River, removing traffic from the town.
Somerset - NW Taunton Package - £10.6m
Replacement of the existing level crossing at Silk Mills - a major congestion point in Taunton - with a road bridge. The other main component is a 600-space park and ride site.
Dorset - Weymouth Relief Road - £28.7m
Better road access to and from Weymouth, relieving communities on the current A354 of the effects of through traffic.
NB. Figures relate to gross scheme costs
In addition, there are a number of schemes for which we do not yet have sufficient information to form a view. The Government is keen to work with the authorities concerned to assist them in completing the work necessary for each scheme to be evaluated by Government against New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) criteria. The schemes in this category are:
|
Cornwall |
St Austell-Newquay Rail Diversion |
Integrated transport schemes in the South West
The settlement provides funding for authorities in the region to introduce:
- a number of interchange schemes, including:
-
- rail station improvements at Bristol Temple Meads Station, Sherbourne and Wareham in Dorset;
- bus interchange/terminal facilities at Bridport and Dorchester in Dorset, and at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth; and
- better road layouts.
- up to 19 new or extended park and ride schemes. For example, authorities are considering proposals for sites at:
-
- Gloucester and three sites in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire;
- Barton, and Brixham, Devon;
- Greekmoor and Riverside, Bournemouth;
- Weymouth, Dorset;
- five sites in Swindon; and
- various sites in Cornwall, North Somerset, and Salisbury.
- up to 700 road safety schemes, including:
-
- 20mph zones in, for example, Henbury in Bristol, and outside North Prospect and College Road primary schools in Plymouth;
- speed management proposals including traffic calming measures at Brislington secondary school and West Town Lane primary schools in Bristol, as well as in a number of towns in Dorset;
- safety measures for schoolchildren including crossing patrols and school travel plans at schools in Bristol; and
- improved pedestrian facilities in Dorchester town centre and throughout Dorset.
- up to 450 km of cycle routes and other measures to encourage cycling, including:
-
- new cycle routes in Bournemouth, Poole,Christchurch, Weston-Super-Mare, and various sites in Somerset;
- better cycle parking provision;
- reviews of cycle routes in and around Bristol and Plymouth; and
- improved integration with public transport or the introduction of partnerships for action, for example, at Northern corridor park & ride Plymouth.
- up to 60 km of footway improvements and pedestrianisation, along with other measures to encourage walking such as:
-
- a new pedestrian route linking Christchurch Road and Poole town centre with shops, services and transport facilities such as Poole railway station;
- footway maintenance schemes at Station Road, Backwell in North Somerset;
- safety measures for pedestrians, for example, more CCTV or additional lighting;
- integration with public transport or the introduction of partnerships for action for example at Bath City Centre; and
- improved mobility arrangements for people with disabilities for example at Bristol City Centre.
Public Transport Schemes
- accessibility schemes, including:
-
- better rural bus services in Cornwall including improvements to the Penzance, St Austell and Truro public transport interchanges;
- improved arrangements for using taxis and private hire vehicles; and
- innovative community/ voluntary transport schemes.
- improvements to bus transport, including up to 380km of busways, Quality Bus Corridors, bus lanes and bus priority measures:
-
- new Bus Quality Partnerships throughout the region, for example, in Taunton, Yeovil, Bridgwater, Wellington and Cheltenham to provide better services;
- bus priority schemes throughout the region, for example, to and from Taunton railway station, on the A420 at Kingswood, on the A38 at Thornbury, and in Yeovil, Poole and Plymouth;
- enhanced funding for bus corridors and the provision of bus priority traffic signals, for example, between Poole and Bournemouth, and at Christchurch;
- better lighting and security arrangements for bus passengers in, for example, Kingswood Town Centre; and
- better bus information systems at Milehouse park & ride.
Local Road Schemes
- improvements including:
-
- junction improvements at Flax Bourton in North Somerset, George junction in Plymouth, and on the A417/C124;
- road widening at Clapton-in-Gardano and Hutton in North Somerset, and Kings Ash Hill in Torbay;
- various traffic management measures, such as new traffic control systems at Tweenaway Cross in Torbay aimed at reducing congestion, and in Devizes; and
- parking strategies at Long Ashton, and in Torquay town centre.
Maintenance schemes in the South West
The 5-year LTP settlement provides funding for authorities in the South West to address the maintenance backlog on the region's 47,000km of local roads, and to start restoring the 1019 bridges that need strengthening.
