Portsmouth City Council has unveiled plans to improve travel in the city after securing over £26m from the UK government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
Working with Hampshire County Council and the Isle of Wight Council, the joint bid was awarded £55.6m toward 23 public transport, walking and cycling schemes.
In Portsmouth nine schemes will be delivered within a three-year funding period, including bus priority and congestion reduction measures, bus priority measures and improved traffic flow, as well as cycle and walking route improvements.
Councillor Lynne Stagg, Portsmouth’s cabinet member for traffic and transportation, said: “These city schemes are a vital part of our emerging Local Transport Strategy and go a long way in providing greener, safer and healthier journeys for Portsmouth residents.
“But there are also wider benefits for those who live outside of the city. Our initial modelling has shown that once all 23 schemes are complete people travelling by bus from Fareham, Leigh Park, Havant and Waterlooville will benefit from more reliable journeys and reduced journey times, by up to 20%.
“We’ll be introducing cleaner buses, and exploring how we can improve ticketing too. This investment means we are able to make significant progress with our plan to deliver a network of rapid transit services in the area.”
Over the three-year funding period, project partners First Bus and Stagecoach have committed to investing in 29 new high-quality low-emission buses for the Portsmouth city region.
Consultation with stakeholders will begin once preliminary designs have been finalised.
