(30 Jan 2025, 6:03 pm)Storx wrote Personally bar the slightly extended bus lane near the Motorway I don't understand how or where these are improving buses. If this was a fund for pedestrian and cycle safety then I'd understand but it's not, it's about improving bus journey times.

I can think of a million other places where money would be better spent ie. Shields Road, can we ban cars? Chillingham Road, can we improve traffic flows? where buses lose a lot of time in the same area.

Argyle Street bus stop is being moved back because it's too close to the junction, and buses often have to double-park in or around the stop once they've reached it when the lights turn green and the traffic blocking the stop has moved (and then have to wait for the lights to turn green again when they're moving off). This improves passenger safety, accessibility and journey times. The extension of the bus lane to here and removal of parking spaces also reduces journey times and the awkward merge point.

The bus lane extension to the Shields Road roundabout will speed journeys up by around 2 minutes at the worst of the peak, as the entrance is usually (infuriatingly) blocked by traffic which gets backed up to the roundabout.

The reorganisation of pedestrian crossings and the signalisation of the roundabout adjacent to Morrisons will speed up journey times when bus priority signalling is introduced, and means that the bus lane from Byker Bridge to Morrisons benefit from priority over other vehicles. This reduces journey times, and with the improvements in pedestrian crossings from the bus stops to Morrisons also reduces congestion caused by passengers crossing over everywhere to and from the stops.

We have discussion elsewhere on the forum where people criticise councils for not liaising with drivers/operators where bottlenecks occur, yet here is an example of BSIP funds being used to iron out imperfections that impede bus priorities, improve safety and accessibility for passengers and improve journey times between Byker and Newcastle by 3-4 minutes at peak times with relatively small adjustments. I used to drive buses along this corridor multiple times a week and welcome the improvements this scheme will bring, and commend Newcastle City Council for paying attention to something as small as this - especially when it's a small scheme that impacts barely anybody negatively but brings a true benefit. 

The pedestrianisation or bus lane-ification of Shields Road would be an expensive way (because other social value and local realm improvements would have to be undertaken) to bring around similar improvements in journey times, so your point of BSIP funds hits even more so here.