£25m A3 ZIP brings better waiting facilities and new buses as part of quality partnership

Rush-hour journeys into Portsmouth could be cut by a fifth, as transport minister Paul Clark opened a new bus scheme.

New bus lanes, dedicated traffic signals and pedestrian crossings all form part of the £35m A3 Corridor – a 10km stretch of road on which buses will have priority between Clanfield and Portsmouth.

While experiencing the new route for himself, transport minister Paul Clark said: “The problems of urban congestion and pollution are well documented, which is why the Government has dedicated over £25 million towards this particular scheme. This venture sets a good example of how the Government can work together with local authorities to improve public transport, and I look forward to watching this and other similar projects go from strength to strength.”

The Corridor being opened forms the first completed part of a major bus network in the county put forward by Transport for South Hampshire. Other measures being introduced to improve bus travel along the route include street level access to buses, real-time passenger information, CCTV and better street lighting. The frequency of buses on the route is expected to rise by 50%, leading to an 18% rise in passengers.

Several ‘firsts’ have been incorporated into the design of shelters on the A3 ZIP Bus Priority Corridor to improve the experience of bus users.

The ZIP bus shelters have been designed by contractor Queensbury Shelters Ltd in consultation with a bus users’ forum made up of representatives from Havant Access Group, Portsmouth Association for the Blind and Bus Users UK. The forum was designed to take into account the needs of people with visual impairment and limited mobility.

The shelters use bright, contrasting colours in blue, green and grey for high visibility; street furniture has been kept to a minimum so that approaching buses can easily be seen by anyone sitting in the shelter; seats are fixed at a height that makes them easy to get out of quickly, and arm rests help people to push themselves up.

For passengers with limited vision, the shelters have a tactile paving strip at the edge of the pavement where the bus is boarded. Linked with this, a trial is currently underway using guidance studs in the pavement within the shelter, leading to the point at which passengers board the bus. The LED studs pulse blue when the bus approaches and continue until it drives off.

First Hampshire and Dorset has worked closely with both Hampshire County Council and Portsmouth City Council to develop the ZIP Bus Priority corridor. A Quality Partnership Agreement with the Council means that vehicles used on Service 41, will never be more than four years old...