Work Underway to Develop Five Bus Priority Corridors Across the City Region (September 2022)

A consultation to identify issues associated with bus travel on five key corridors across Glasgow City Region has recently concluded, with responses set to influence the bus priority options recommended for each route.

Following a Transport Scotland Bus Partnership Fund award to the Glasgow City Region Bus Partnership for initial appraisal work on five bus corridors, consultants have been appointed to develop bus priority measures aimed at tackling congestion on busy routes and reversing the decline of bus usage across the Region.

Through analysis and assessment work, consultants Jacobs and Steer are helping local authorities and SPT develop a business case that can support future bids to the Bus Partnership Fund so that effective and appropriate bus priority solutions can ultimately be delivered.

Early appraisal work is focused on five key routes into Glasgow city centre where it is anticipated that the introduction of priority measures could encourage more people to travel by bus:

• Maryhill Road (from Bearsden Cross/Boclair Rd in East Dunbartonshire)
• Great Western Road (from Kilbowie Roundabout in West Dunbartonshire)
• Dumbarton Road (Clydebank Railway Station in West Dunbartonshire)
• Paisley Road West (from Paisley Gilmour Street in Renfrewshire)
• Pollokshaws Road (from Thornliebank and Eastwood Toll in East Renfrewshire)

Interventions pinpointed through this process will also be informed by the broader ambitions for sustainable transport across the City Region that seeks to reduce car dependency.

Glasgow City Region Bus Partnership

Glasgow City Region Bus Partnership has a vision for bus to form a network of connectivity, enhancing the opportunities and wellbeing of those who live, work, or visit the Region - providing safe, affordable, enjoyable connections and reducing road congestion, noise and air pollution. The voluntary Partnership brings together local authorities, SPT, bus operators and passenger user groups to address the current challenges to bus travel and assist with creating the conditions that will increase the number of people choosing to travel by bus.

Next Steps

A first stage business case will be completed later this year, setting out the preferred bus priority options for each corridor. Significant, targeted engagement will follow to develop the business case further, which subject to receiving all the relevant approvals, paves the way for the Glasgow City Region Bus Partnership to apply for funding from Transport Scotland's Bus Partnership Fund next year, enabling progression of each bus priority corridor to final business case stage and detailed design development.