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We want to make bus travel a quicker and greener alternative to using the car, offering accessible options, with simple and consistent fares.
Reducing carbon emissions from local transport is also a key priority for us as we tackle the climate emergency.
Investing in buses also supports economic growth, enabling people and businesses to connect, attend college while travelling easily and affordably to new education and employment opportunities.
Here’s a round-up of the latest incentives and improvements…
Birthday bus launches
Happy birthday to everyone – are you taking advantage of the big birthday bus offer yet?
Free bus travel across North Somerset and the West of England is now available during the whole of your birthday month in this first-of-its-kind initiative, which started on 1 August and runs until July next year.
Just go on the Birthday Bus website to apply and get your free pass for whenever your birthday falls over the next year.
Bus companies including First and Stagecoach have signed up, as well and the region’s WESTlink on-demand bus service.
We're hoping new passengers take advantage of unlimited free travel and build new routines.
Less than one in ten regional commutes are currently made on public transport and the economic impact of congestion costs the West of England £300m a year.
X5 calling at Yatton
People living in Yatton will have better access to public transport from next month when the X5 bus service is re-routed to serve the village.
From Monday 4 September the bus will call on Yatton as part of its hourly service between Portishead and Weston.
It will run six days a week from Monday to Saturday and also stop near Yatton railway station.
This will reconnect the whole of Yatton, enabling all residents to access schools, shops, the train station and other amenities.
Yatton's a big village with more than 8,500 people and a railway link so it's vital that those who want to use the station have a reliable and regular bus service.
New daytime parking restrictions are also going to be introduced along the High Street to improve traffic flow and air quality.
The restrictions will be introduced between the junctions with The Eagles and Grassmere Road.
There will be a single yellow line on the southern side of the road to restrict parking Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm, and a double yellow line on the northern side to prevent parking issues being transferred across the road.
These will be implemented on an experimental basis and their performance will be monitored before a decision is made whether to remove them or for them to be made permanent.
This approach is called an 'experimental traffic regulation order' and you’ll have a six month period to formally object to the new restrictions if you want to.
We can make adjustments to the restrictions during this time and then they must be either removed or made permanent (following consideration of any objections) within 18 months of being implemented.
All properties adjacent to the new restrictions will receive a letter outlining the changes as well as properties in neighbouring roads.
Work is expected to be carried out during the week beginning Monday 28 August and finished before the bus service calls at the village the following week.
Parking restrictions proposed
Improving access for emergency services, recycling and waste lorries, and buses is the aim of proposed parking restrictions in an area of Weston-super-Mare.
If you live in Weston Village you can now have your say on the parking review, which focuses on the route of the X5 bus route.
The area has experienced problems with emergency vehicles and refuse collection access because of the bottlenecks created by parked vehicles.
We’re carrying out the review as part of our Bus Service Improvement Plan to support existing bus services.
Following requests from the community, the X5 service was recently re-introduced here after being withdrawn from this area last October. It also includes a new Saturday service.
The bus had been withdrawn following complaints from the operator that parking issues were forcing their drivers to over-run kerbed areas, causing damage to the footway and buses, creating pedestrian safety issues, and resulting in buses unable to pass parked cars.
Now this important service has been re-introduced, we need to address parking issues around Weston Village for it to run reliably.
Usage has increased steadily over the last few months and hopefully these new measures will add to its growing popularity.
The plans have been agreed by the ambulance and refuse services, and now we need to hear from people who use the roads every day.
Your feedback will help ensure the plans best meet the needs of Weston Village.
View the proposals and have your say on our consultation website before 11.59pm on Thursday 31 August.
Funding
The changes and improvements to bus services are being done following a successful bid to the Department for Transport (DfT).
More than £105m of government funding has been allocated for bus improvements in the West of England, with £48m earmarked for capital improvements in North Somerset alone. £57.5m will be used as a pooled revenue fund with the West of England Combined Authority.
Find out more about the Bus Improvement Service Plan on the North Somerset Council website.
Changes at-a-glance
Here's a quick round-up of changes coming in on Sunday 3 September:
- A new service linking Clevedon, Portishead and Cribbs Causeway launched in June. The X10 service will now be routed through Sheepway instead of Portbury Hundred. This service offers three round-trips Monday-Friday and four round-trips on Saturdays.
- Airport users can make use of a direct shuttle bus to Bristol Airport from Weston-super-Mare. The A3 runs seven days a week, 22 hours a day and now stops at Worle train station.
- The X1 Bristol to Weston (Searle Crescent) will run every 15 minutes Monday-Friday daytimes, every 20 minutes on a Saturday, and every 30 minutes on Sundays and all evenings, to cover part of the former 3 route. This means the Bournville and Searle Crescent area of Weston-super-Mare has an evening service for the first time in many years.
- The 3 between Searle Crescent and Worle Retail Park in Weston-super-Mare is being withdrawn but will be serviced by the 6 and X1.
- The new 6 service between Weston interchange (Alexandra Parade) and Worle Retail Park, via Upper Bristol Road, Worle High Street and Mead Vale, will run every 30 minutes during the day and 60 minutes evenings and Sundays. When combined with route 7, this doubles the frequency between Worle and Weston during the evenings and on Sundays.
- The X4 Bristol to Portishead now runs every 20 minutes Monday-Friday.
- The X5 Portishead to Weston will cover Weston’s bus interchange (at Alexandra Parade), Atlantic Road, South Road, Locking Castle, Worle, Congresbury, Yatton, Clevedon and Portishead. For the first time, users will have access to these areas on one route without needing to change services. The X5 will no longer serve the West Hill area of Portishead. This will continue to be covered by the improved X4 service.
- X7 Bristol to Clevedon now has additional late journeys.
- X8 Bristol to Nailsea/Backwell has been reintroduced hourly, but no Sunday service.
- 7 Locking Parklands to Worle Retail Park has been extended from Haywood Village to Locking Parklands.
- The usual seasonal reduction of the 20 from Weston interchange (Alexandra Parade) to Burnham means the service will become every 60 minutes instead of 30 and the Sunday service withdrawn. The seasonal reduction will also be made to the 1 from Sand Bay to Weston, now every 60 minutes instead of 30. These changes will come from Sunday 29 October.
- 50 will be withdrawn, partially replaced by the 6 and X5 services.
- The 51 service (renumbered the 125) has been withdrawn from Weston railway station, the runway and Locking Parklands. Instead, it’s been rerouted to start and finish at Weston interchange (Alexandra Parade) and serve Flowerdown Retail Park and Locking Village. Some journeys to and from Wrington have been withdrawn. The first journey from Wrington has been altered from 8.45am to 9am so concessionary passes can be used.
- Everyone can use the U2 service between Langford (vet college) and Bristol centre. It has been extended to have a two-hourly Saturday and Sunday service for the first time, as well as hourly service in the evenings Monday to Saturday.