HRA E-news March 2025

Live Traffic Data Brookvale Road

You may have noticed a huge increase in the number of vehicles using Brookvale Road instead of Portswood Road during Bus-gate hours. HRA members are live-counting vehicles in both directions using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) counter. The numbers are staggering. Brookvale live traffic data can be found here:

https://www.portswood-funnel.co.uk/
info@portswood-funnel.co.uk

ePetition

There is still time to consider the ePetition running until 28/03/2025 on the Southampton City Council website. The petition asks for Bus-gate to be halted in order to explore alternative solutions which manage through traffic effectively. This is an independent ePetition, not initiated by HRA. 1500 signatures are required for the Bus-gate to be debated at full council.

SCC ePetition link

The Monthly Interim Report for February was released this week

This week, the Project Team released the monitoring results for:

• Portswood Road Cycle and Pedestrian Flows (% changes and actual values)
• Traffic flow on Portswood Road and Thomas Lewis Way (% changes and actual values)
• Bus punctuality (% change in on-time buses at the Broadway and % change in services late at the Broadway)

SCC Monthly Interim Report

There is no commentary with the data but HRA would be happy to receive your comments.

These are the relevant objectives linked to monthly data on cycle and pedestrian flows:

• To provide more space for people walking and wheeling with improved connectivity and road safety.

Can any members comment on the following?

I have asked the Project Team to clarify what the following objectives mean in plain English but with no satisfactory explanation to date. So, if you cycle or walk along Portswood Road or the ATZ area, have you noticed any:

• Increase in walking porosity, crossings, permeability and mesh density
• Increase in cycling porosity, crossings, permeability and mesh density

It might be easier for members to comment on the next two objectives:

• Improved road safety
• Compliance with posted speed limit

And what about these two:

• To improve the choices of transport modes for people to use
• To improve bus reliability and journey times and create better bus stops

Please let HRA know what you have noticed.

Do you have any photos?

HRA received worrying photos of an articulated lorry travelling along Brookvale Road on Wednesday 12 March at 09:38h (just after school-time), turning right onto Highfield Lane and then left up Church Lane.

• To improve the air quality, environment and biodiversity
• Improve the air quality wider than just Portswood Road
• Air quality measures of success:

– Reduction in NO2 levels
– Reduction in vehicle use across the area.

Here are three important questions:

Q1 By rerouting the traffic to Brookvale Road during the Bus-gate Trial, has an air quality problem been shifted from a main thoroughfare (Portswood Road) to a smaller totally residential road?

Q.2. Are the effects on air quality exacerbated due to the built environment of Brookvale Road being different to Portswood Road?Q.3. Have the ATZ calming measures introduced on Brookvale and Russell Place, where cars are often idling or stopped, further degraded air quality?

What do you think? What have you noticed? Please send any comments or observations to: HRA.HonSec@gmail.com

Send general or safety comments, observations or complaints to: portswoodcorridor@southampton.gov.uk

Send comments concerned with the Experimental Traffic Orders (ETRO), changes which include the ATZ buildouts on Brookvale Road, signage, traffic filters on Russell Place, changes to parking, measures to improve safety and cycling and the Bus-gate restrictions on The Broadway to:

ETRO Comments Page SCC

These comments will not be considered until after the 6-month trial but they will all count and you can comment more than once.

Further Information

If you require further information to allow you to submit a comment on these proposals, please email: Southampton.Traffic.Management@balfourbeatty.com

Send comments, observations or complaints to the Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Eamon Keogh: Councillor.E.Keogh@southampton.gov.uk

This is how to contact the Portswood Ward Councillors:
Councillor John Savage: Councillor.j.savage@southampton.gov.uk
Councillor Marie Finn: Councillor.A.Finn@southampton.gov.uk
Councillor Katherine Barbour: Councillor.K.Barbour@southampton.gov.uk

Every comment will count.

HRA will take account of member comments in their monthly monitoring reports but will not pass on individual comments to the Officers or Councillors leading the scheme.