£30m package to boost bus routes
Development work has started on a £30 million package of bus priority measures to improve reliability and journey times on commuter routes covered by some of the region 's busiest bus services between Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley.
The measures will include new bus lanes, priority junctions and bus gates, with state-of-the-art bus stops offering real time information along a cross-city corridor from Druids Heath to Dudley via Birmingham City Centre.
It will allow buses, including the 50, 82 and 87 routes in Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley - primarily following the A435 and A457 - to cut through traffic congestion and offer passengers more reliable journey times.
Improving bus reliability and services will also contribute to the region 's #WM2041 plan to become carbon-neutral over the next 20 years by making public transport an even more attractive option.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is currently working with partner councils to plan the package of bus priority measures. Public consultation on proposals for Birmingham City Centre has launched this week, and further consultation on the wider measures will take place later in the year.
Construction on some early measures will begin this summer and the entire project will be completed during the second half of 2023.
That will open opportunities for a new cross-city bus route providing better connections to bus, tram and rail services including the new Dudley bus and metro interchange, due to be opened in 2023.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA, said: “This cross-city bus route will enable buses using the Alcester Road and A457 Dudley Road to beat traffic jams and offer commuters a convenient and reliable alternative to the car.
“It will also come on stream around the same time as our Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension and our new Dudley Interchange, transforming public transport for people and businesses living in that part of the Black Country. ”
Improving the region 's public transport infrastructure better connects people to jobs and leisure opportunities which is seen as crucial for the region 's economic recovery from Covid-19, as well as helping the region in fight against climate change
Measures could include:
- Improving bus journey times through Cape Hill
- Improvements to Burnt Tree junction in Sandwell and Dudley
- Safety improvements on Waterloo Road
- Dudley Road improvements alongside works planned by Birmingham City Council
- Bus improvements on Alcester Road South through Druids Heath, Highter 's Heath, Billesley and Kings Heath.
- New shelters with RTI at key locations
The investment is backed by a grant of more than £24m from the Department for Transport, topped up with funding from West Midlands Bus Alliance partners, which includes Birmingham City Council and TfWM.
Consultation over the first phase of bus priority measures in Birmingham city centre has been launched. These measures are set to be introduced later this year, benefitting hundreds of thousands of residents and bus users daily.
These include:
- a bus lane on Bristol Street between Wrentham St and Lee Bank Middleway
- bus lanes on Summer Hill Road between Newhall Hill and Ladywood Middleway
- a bus lane on Snow Hill Queensway
- passenger improvements around Margaret Street; and
- improvements to the junction of Newhall Street with Great Charles Street Queensway
Consultation over the planned measures for Birmingham city centre is available at https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/economy/crosscitybus/
Pictured: A start-of-the-art National Express bus