FOUR of Bradford’s busiest bus routes will be improved after being identified as “hotspots” for congestion. 

The £1.2m funding follows analysis carried out by First Bus in 2021, which highlighted the places where busy buses were losing the most time in traffic.

Bradford Council then used this analysis to develop a set of targeted highway schemes, such as new signals and sections of bus lane, to speed up bus journeys.

Areas of the city that will see improvements include Leeds Road and Bolton Road in Eccleshill. 

This funding comes from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and is part of a package of improvements aimed at improving bus journeys and bus facilities across West Yorkshire.

Similar schemes will take place in Leeds and Wakefield, with the West Yorkshire wide scheme costing over £2m.

The “hotspot improvement programme” was approved by members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority earlier this month.

A report into the scheme by WYCA said the work was “designed to help remove barriers to bus travel in West Yorkshire, improving connectivity and accessibility to opportunities to jobs, education and training, particularly for those living in low-income communities with limited access to cars.”

It adds: “A key issue for buses and their passengers throughout the region is bottlenecks which cause a disproportionate amount of delay and reduce bus reliability.” 

Work on the following priority routes will be completed over the next two years:

A647 Leeds Road/Garnett Street, City Centre

This will include the modification of the bus lane and existing pedestrian crossing to give bus services priority over traffic in the right-hand lane.

A bus stop will be relocated 90 metres east of its current position

Leeds Road/Laisterdyke

It will include a new right turn filter light for traffic turning from Leeds Road (inbound) into the A6177 and changes to existing parking on the street.

 

These two schemes will improve journey times for passengers travelling between Bradford, Thornbury and Leeds on the First Bus services 72, 608 and X6

 

Bolton Road/Leeds Road/Stone Hall Road, Eccleshill

The scheme will benefit passengers travelling Bradford, Eccleshill, Thorpe Edge and Leeds Bradford Airport.

It will include a section of new inbound bus lane on Bolton Road with a bus gate to accelerate buses ahead of other traffic. There will be a ban on right turns from Bolton Road (westbound) into Bolton Drive and the removal of one of the two bus stops in close proximity inbound on Bolton Road.

Little Horton Lane/Park Lane

The above scheme will benefit passengers travelling between Bradford, Little Horton, Dewsbury and Wakefield.

It will involve the removal of a mini roundabout and replacement with a signalised junction, as well as the prohibition of a right-turn into Park Lane from Little Horton Lane.