Backwell - public transport design proposals

Thank you to those that took part in the Backwell survey. The survey on proposed transport improvements in Backwell has now closed. 

Each response has been collated and is now being considered. We will be back in touch with over the next few weeks. Please also use the North Somerset Council's BSIP page for updates: Bus service improvement plan | North Somerset Council (n-somerset.gov.uk)

We'd like to invite you to take part in a consultation and gain your views and comments on a number of suggested public transport design changes in the Backwell area.

Bus priority infrastructure proposals include:

• Creating a new full time bus lane on the A370 south-westbound only
• A bus priority traffic light system, allowing buses to run smoothly through the junction bypassing other traffic
• Creating improved footways for pedestrians and mobility users through clearance of soft verges
• Turning Dark Lane from a two way to a one way at its A370 junction, with traffic exiting from Dark Lane via Church Lane back onto the A370

Why are we making these proposals?

Increasing pressure on the A370 junction

• Backwell crossroads is a key junction in the North Somerset network and a source of significant congestion which also impacts buses
• The four-arm junction is a popular commuter route for traffic between Weston and Bristol and serves the X1 and X8 buses.
• It is currently at close-to maximum capacity to cope with the amount of traffic passing through at peak times and this is expected to worsen if some changes are not made.
• Changing Dark Lane into a one way at the junction will assist all traffic on the A370 and Station Road, improving the overall flow and helping buses and general traffic move more quickly through the junction.
• All Local Authorities are required to produce a Local Plan which sets out the areas allocated for housing development and the local policies that will be applied to development in order to meet local housing need. North Somerset’s draft Local Plan, which is also currently under consultation, proposes further development south of Backwell which – if it takes place – is likely to increase demand on the A370. There are also current planning applications for further housing outside of the local plan allocations. The Council is limited by law in what it can do to refuse these applications when North Somerset has not identified locations that would provide sufficient housing supply to meet need for the next five years. If these plans are approved, the additional traffic would also increase use of the A370 and put additional pressure on the Backwell junction.

Increasing efficiency to sustain bus services - ‘save minutes to save buses.’ 

• The Bus Service Improvement Plan provides limited-time national grant support for two years to help to make buses more efficient so that by 2025-26 they become commercially self-sustaining without this ongoing subsidy.
• The current cost of retaining bus services at their current frequency along the A370 is £1m per year, which far exceeds the Council budget to support services.
• Currently, the X1 service carries 128,000 passenger journeys a month. We want to retain bus service frequencies and routes that our communities want and need, not to see these reduced or cut at the end of the funding period.
• Saving minutes at each congested area where buses are currently delayed will result in large time savings along a whole route, which reduces journey time for bus passengers but also means the services can be maintained with fewer buses and drivers and at a reduced cost.
• Traffic improvement measures including those being considered at Backwell are being proposed in order to save 25 minutes per bus on a round trip – equivalent to £750,000 in running costs.

Communities want reliable bus services in order to choose public transport.

• Communities consistently tell us they want and need buses to be more reliable. Traffic signals and lanes that give buses priority at key congestion points help reduce bus delays in increase their reliability to arrive on time.
• Improvements will accelerate the decarbonisation of transport – a key priority for the council as part of its commitment to tackle the climate emergency.

On the A370 corridor, between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol, the following areas have been highlighted through our Bus Service Improvement Plans as key areas that affect bus running times:

• Bristol Road/Walford Avenue/Queensway Worle
• A370/B3340 slip road.
• Smallway junction
• Woodhill
• Brockley Combe – in construction
• Backwell
• Long Ashton Bypass – completed and delivering improved bus journey times

We would like your views on the early designs. You have from 13 November to Friday 29 December to send your ideas and comments back to us.  

Your feedback will be used to create future plans for the area.