More people waiting for a bus in Brighton & Hove will know exactly when it is going to turn up, thanks to a new wave of electronic arrival boards.
The city council has just invested over £200,000 in electronic real-time signs at 18 locations. These tell passengers how many minutes it will be before their chosen bus arrives.
The new signs will be dotted around the city from Mile Oak shops and Portland Road in the west to North Road in the city centre, Whitehawk Road and Marine Gate in the east and Valley Drive, Withdean in the north.
Making buses predictable - a real-time bus sign
Additional signs are also being installed at the busy Churchill Square and Old Steine bus stops.
Funding has mainly come from property developers who negotiate contributions with the council planning department to pay for local improvements – called Section 106 agreements.
It is expected the new signs will be working by the end of August. They will complement 180 already operating citywide..
Meanwhile parking restrictions at many bus stops will be beefed up to stop selfish drivers blocking access to buses for people with mobility problems. Clearway markings are proposed for eleven bus stops. These make any driver pulling up in a bus stop liable to a £70 fine. Consultation letters to locals are going out this week.
Chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee Cllr Gill Mitchell said: “Uncertainty over when your bus might arrive is one thing that can deter people from bus travel. So we’re working hard to overcome this obstacle and give passengers more certainty about their journey. It’s good to see money secured from developers being spent on benefits for local people.
“Cars parked in bus stops mean buses have to stop in the road where some people cannot reach them. So restrictions must be improved to provide equal access to all.”
List of sign locations (street, bus stop, direction)
Marine Drive - Marine Gate, westbound
Kingsway - Westbourne Villas, eastbound
The Drive - Upper Drive, southbound
Eastbourne Road
Ditchling Road - St Matthias Church, southbound
Dyke Road Avenue – Hillbrow, southbound
Western Road – Clarence Square, westbound
Portland Road – School Road, westbound
Mile Oak shops, southbound
Fleet Street
Manor Road – Bristol Gardens
Valley Drive – Whitehorn Drive, southbound
Old Shoreham Road – Hove Park Villas, westbound and eastbound
North Road – North Laine
Whitehawk Road – Findon Road, southbound
Davigdor Road – Lyon Close, westbound
Portland Road – Coleman Avenue
List of bus stop clearway locations (street, bus stop, direction)
Bexhill Road - Balsdean Road southbound and northbound
Bolney Road - already completed
Hangleton Way eastbound
Hodshrove Road
Poplar Avenue - Sherbourne Road
Carden Hill - Rotherfield Crescent southbound
Sherbourne Road - Sherbourne Close southbound
Hangleton Road - The Twitten northbound and southbound
West Way Twitten, westbound