Portswood Project trial set to begin
The trial for the part time bus/taxi/cycle only restriction on Portswood Road is set to begin on Monday 27 January 2025
This follows the consultation on the Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and other regulatory notices which took place in October and November 2024. This initiative, alongside the introduction of Active Travel Zones (ATZs) in neighbouring streets, aims to make Portswood District Centre a more attractive, accessible, and vibrant destination which can be more easily reached via public transport and active travel.
The part-time bus/taxi/cycle-only section of Portswood Road will be between the St Denys Road spur and Westridge Road. It will operate Monday to Saturday at peak times, between 7am and 10am in the morning and between 4pm and 7pm in the evening, with both the bus/taxi/cycle-only restriction and ATZs introduced on a trial basis for at least six months.
The public car park on Westridge Road, as well as private car parks such as those at Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, will remain accessible to those who need to drive to visit Portswood Road. By restricting through traffic, the project aims to improve bus journey times and reliability, improve road safety and encourage people to spend more time and money in the District Centre.
In addition to buses, taxis and cycles, legal e-scooters, emergency vehicles, and statutory service vehicles such as gritters are permitted to use the restricted section of Portswood Road. To facilitate deliveries to businesses, a new loading bay is provided on St Denys Road spur and access will be maintained northbound through the bus/taxi/cycle restriction for large vehicles over 7.5 tonnes.
The trial is being thoroughly monitored to understand any impacts on traffic and movement on the Portswood Road, in the ATZ and the wider area, as well as on the local economy and community. A monthly report will be published on the council website summarising any traffic changes during the trial.
Andrew Wickham, Managing Director of Bluestar and Unilink, said:
“We welcome this scheme and hope it will speed up journeys on Bluestar 2, 20 and Unilink U6. We also hope it will deter inconsiderate parking of cars at key bus stops.
“Our team is expecting these changes to have a positive impact on our services and will be working closely with the council throughout the trial, providing feedback on levels of traffic and journey times.”
Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:
“I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has taken part in the public consultations on the Portswood Project as well as the members of the local steering group that has helped guide the project’s progress to this stage. We are conscious of the wide range of views that have been submitted through the consultations and these have informed the decision to trial the scheme.
“We appreciate that this trial represents a significant change for the local community, and we will be monitoring its effectiveness throughout. The project is expected to deliver significant benefits, including shorter journey times for buses, safer roads for people walking, wheeling and cycling and improvements to air quality and the overall environment for people who live, work or shop on Portswood Road.”
The Portswood Project aims to deliver improvements in this key travel corridor that support the delivery of the Local Transport Plan: Connected Southampton 2040.
