Proof of Evidence of Mr James Willcock

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Document Reference Number OA/13 Proof of Evidence of Mr James Willcock North Fringe to Hengrove Package (NFHP) BRT Service Procurement 6.15 The BRT service for NFHP comprises of a range of BRT services, most of which are likely to be provided on a commercial basis. Some of the NFHP BRT services will be provided initially, via competitive tender using pump-prime funding, to secure service provision to on-going residential and commercial development sites. The proposed AVTM BRT competitive tender will provide an opportunity to procure some of the NFHP BRT services, as well as the SBL BRT services, within one contract. Feeder Bus Services 6.16 The AVTM feeder bus services will be procured in negotiation with the existing commercial service providers. Three feeder bus services have been identified to make use of the AVTM bus-way, these are the: X1 operating between Weston-super-Mare and Bristol every half an hour 354 operating between Nailsea and Bristol every half an hour, and 361 operating between Clevedon and Bristol every hour. In 2016 when South Bristol Link (SBL) opens, the existing airport shuttle service A1 & A2 known as the ‘Airport Flyer’, operating between Bristol Airport and Bristol Temple Meads and city centre, will join the SBL infrastructure at the A38 and operate onto the AVTM bus-way at the SBL / AVTM bus only T junction to the east of the Long Ashton Park & Ride site and into Bristol city centre. The ‘Airport Flyer’ currently operates every 10 minutes throughout the day time Monday to Saturday and every 15 minutes on Sundays. For the NFHP BRT scheme, the extent of feeder bus services to use BRT infrastructure is subject to further engagement with bus operators. 6.17 The incentive for the commercial bus operators to divert these services onto BRT infrastructure, is to reap journey time savings which directly reduce bus operating costs and stimulate passenger demand. Further information about journey time savings can be found in Mr Rob Thompson’s Proof of Evidence OA/6.. While the feeder bus services will also be required to adhere to minimum quality standards, these standards may be less stringent than the uplift required for the BRT services, as they will continue to be branded and operate as conventional bus services. All bus operators wishing to use the AVTM busway will be required to fit guidance wheels to the front of buses, at the bus operators cost. The councils will provide bus operators with the technical specification for the guidance wheels. The experience from the Cambridge busway scheme is that the cost of fitting guidance Page 17
Document Reference Number OA/13 Proof of Evidence of Mr James Willcock wheels is minimal. The cost of maintenance, repair and cleaning of BRT infrastructure and ITS may be recouped from bus operators via a small access charge levied by the councils. Naturally, any access charge will need to be lower than the comparative operational cost saving to the bus operators arising from diverting bus services into BRT infrastructure. BRT Infrastructure Capacity and BRT Network Level of Service 6.18 Approximately 85% of the AVTM BRT alignment is physically segregated from general traffic. The percentage segregation for SBL and NFHP is lower, this is because the scheme context is different for each scheme. The AVTM BRT alignment provides for a lane in each direction, i.e. two way operations except for at: Ashton Avenue Swing bridge, Cumberland Road bridge and Prince Street bridge. At these locations where there is reduced lane width, buses will operate shuttle working under signal control. The length of shuttle working varies from 60 metres to 220 metres. The capacity of BRT infrastructure at these locations has been tested using a micro-simulation model, based on the proposed levels of service (number of buses) of the BRT services and feeder bus services. 6.19 The total level of service on the AVTM bus-way will be 15 buses per hour in each direction in the peak, which is equivalent to one every 4 minutes. When South Bristol Link (SBL) opens in 2016, the ‘Airport Flyer’, will join the SBL infrastructure at the A38 and operate onto the AVTM infrastructure and into Bristol city centre. This will increase the total number of buses using the AVTM bus-way from 15 services per hour to 21 services per hour in each direction, which is equivalent to approximately one every 3 minutes. This leaves considerable scope for future expansion of services as the transport modelling work undertaken shows that at a service interval of every 2 minutes (30 buses per hour in each direction) the average delay to buses would be between zero an 19 seconds. In 2017 when North Fringe to Hengrove Package BRT opens, a further 9 buses per hour will operate via Prince Street bridge (which lies after the end of the AVTM bus-way approaching Bristol city centre). The combined total number of buses operating via Prince Street bridge will be 30 buses per hour and the average delay to buses would be approximately 5 seconds. Further information about shuttle operation over bridges can be found in Rob Thompson’s Proof of Evidence OA/6. Quality Partnership Scheme 6.20 Building on the success of the Greater Bristol Bus Network (GBBN) Quality Partnership Schemes (referred to in Section 4), an area wide Quality Partnership Scheme (QPS) will made under the provisions of the Transport Act 2000 and as Page 18
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Proof of Evidence of Mr James Willcock

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