Why we need bus gates
Tackling congestion
Bus gates are used to tackle congestion. As set out in the City Centre Transport Strategy, one of our aims is for 90% of all peak, morning journeys to the city centre to be made on foot, by cycle or public transport by 2040.
This means having the right tram, rail and bus connections in the right places - all working together and linking with high quality routes for people walking, cycling and using wheelchairs - as well as doing what we can to tackle congestion and allow public transport to flow reliably and freely. Additional benefits will include improved air quality, linking pedestrian and cycling routes to each other and to places that people want to go, and improved safety / congestion benefits, in turn leading to better air quality.
Reducing private cars in the city centre
Our aim is to reduce our reliance on private cars for trips into the city centre.
Having fewer vehicles passing through the city centre while investing in alternative and reliable forms of public transport will contribute to our action plan around air quality. This is an important part of creating spaces that pedestrians and cyclists can enjoy and use safely. The aim of this and other interventions is to make the city centre a safer, more pleasant place to walk, cycle and spend time.
Using alternative routes
We want to encourage motorists to choose the most appropriate route.
Ideally, they'll use the ring road to move from one side of the city to the other, only coming off it to enter the city centre at the nearest point to their destination. This may mean that some journeys will take longer, but it supports the target set out in the City Centre Transport Strategy. It is recognised that access for residents and servicing businesses will always be required and as such maintained, albeit routes may be altered and less direct. We expect that as non-essential car use decreases, journey times will improve.
Keeping traffic flowing
Traffic flows across the city centre are monitored via a control room and, where appropriate, real time interventions are made to signal timings to reduce delays. This intervention is particularly helpful when traffic increases at seasonal times like Christmas as well as those from one-off major sporting and leisure events.
Access to homes and places of work
Access to all properties and the servicing of businesses has been maintained through alternative routes. While journeys may be less direct and take longer in the short term, this should improve as non-essential traffic uses different routes to travel across the city.