Greener Journeys has launched a report in Westminster which claims a growing congestion crisis on Britain’s roads is threatening bus services.
The report said services in Glasgow, Oxford, Gloucestershire and the West Midlands in particular are all suffering due to lower traffic speeds caused by rising car numbers, with some experiencing a knock-on impact in usage.
The first part of the study was launched in June. Entitled ‘The Impact of Congestion on Bus Passengers,’ it was written by Professor David Begg, Visiting Professor at Plymouth University and former chairman of the Government’s Commission for Integrated Transport.
The report found that online shopping deliveries and the rise of Uber have contributed to a growing congestion crisis.
In the updated study, new research from across the UK reveals that:
- Bus journey times in the West Midlands have increased by 8% over the past seven years;
- Passenger numbers in Glasgow have fallen by 22% in a decade, equal to 49 million fewer passenger journeys;
- Average bus speeds have fallen below 10mph in Oxford; and
- Journey times on some routes in Gloucestershire have risen by 90% in the past 25 years.
In contrast, Prof Begg found that effective bus priority measures in Dublin have helped the city limit the impact of congestion, with average bus speeds falling by 0.4% last year, compared with the national UK average of 1%.
The report also warns that traffic on the roads is expected to grow by up to 55% by 2040 across the UK, and that if journey times continue to decline at their current rate, bus passenger numbers will drop by between 10% and 14% every 10 years, putting the future of the bus sector under threat.
Prof David Begg said: “Traffic congestion is a disease which, left unchecked will destroy the bus sector.
“This is a dire and sensational prediction, but the evidence uncovered in this research leads to no other conclusion. Urgent action is required from industry, local government and Whitehall to reduce people’s reliance on cars and encourage more sustainable modes of transport.”
Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, said: “This report underlines the shocking growth of congestion and its enormous impact on bus users in particular. Measures such as contactless payments and effective bus priority measures are essential in order to ease congestion and encourage greater bus patronage.
“Buses make such a significant contribution to our economy and local communities and rising congestion levels pose a direct threat to services. We must act now to ensure that increasing traffic levels do not impact upon the viability of bus travel.”
