Hounslow Wins Bus Improvements Award

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New London Road Bus Lane improving journey times

The London Borough of Hounslow’s efforts to encourage greater use of buses have been acknowledged at the 2009 London Transport Awards.

The Council won the award for Improvements to Bus Services in recognition of several successful projects including a major new bus and cycle lane on London Road (between Syon Lane and Commerce Road), which provides journey time savings of up to five minutes for thousands of bus users each day.

This and other schemes represent best practice in bus priority design, and have significantly improved the speed and reliability of bus services on many routes throughout the borough, making bus travel a more attractive choice for commuters and shoppers.

The judges commented that “key to its winning formula was the borough’s ability to allocate road space to meet the needs of bus users, cyclists, local businesses - and the private car”.

Announcing the award at last night’s meeting of the Borough Council, Hounslow’s executive member for environment, Cllr Barbara Reid, said, “I am delighted that Hounslow’s transport planners have once again been acknowledged for outstanding efforts and results. We are continuing to deliver integrated improvements to transport and the streetscape with the support of the Mayor of London. Residents can also look forward to further improvements when our £198 million pathfinder PFI initiative, which will improve the state of the borough’s roads and pavements, comes into operation from 2012.”

Commenting on the award, Hounslow’s head of transport, Chris Calvi-Freeman added, “The scope for simply marking a new bus lane on the carriageway no longer exists at most locations. Bus priority now involves improving road capacity at pinch points and realigning junctions to speed up bus journeys without simply frustrating car and commercial vehicle users. If done correctly, cyclists and pedestrians also benefit, and local businesses can sometimes be catered for with inset parking and loading bays.”

The Council was also commended for a road safety project that aimed to reduce road casualties in the Somali community in Hounslow.

Hounslow was previously awarded Most Improved Borough in last year’s London Transport Awards and also received the Cycling Improvements Award in 2008 and the Bus Improvements Award in 2006.

 

March 27, 2009