CHANGES have been made to a travel scheme in North Somerset aimed at improving congestion, making it easier to walk, wheel, and travel creating infrastructure needed for now and in the future.

The changes came after a decision to pause the programme earlier this year.

The decision to pause and review parts of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) was taken back in April to offer more time to review and reflect on the infrastructure changes completed to date and the further schemes that have been put forward and ensure that public engagement is prioritised before decisions are made.

This means that, since April, the only new BSIP infrastructure project being delivered has been at the A370 Wood Hill junction.

The pause and review followed months of engagement with local communities on early proposals for schemes in Backwell, Clevedon, Rownham Hill, Lime Kiln, Churchill and Worle High Street.

Changes agreed so far through the review include:

• Reducing the extent of current proposals for several schemes including Martcombe Road near the M5 roundabout, Southern Way in Clevedon and Rownham Hill near Bristol and removing the Portbury Hundred scheme completely

• Continuing to monitor completed infrastructure schemes to understand their impact and draw out any lessons learned for future schemes

• Undertaking a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the programme delivery to identify areas of improvement for the remainder of the funding period

• Developing a bus lanes policy to clarify restrictions and work towards a default position of motorcycles being allowed to use these unless a particular local issue prevents it

• Continuing to develop the engagement approach to deliver improvements in the way stakeholders and the wider community are communicated with.

A formal request was also put forward to the Department of Transport to extend the delivery of the BSIP programme to March 2026.

This has been agreed, allowing more time to continue engagement with local communities and to progress roll out of the programme over a longer period.

Cllr Hannah Young, executive member for Highways and Transport at North Somerset Council, said: “This period has been key for us to be able to reflect on feedback and consider how we can change our approach to BSIP capital delivery to address the concerns that have been raised with us.

“We’ve reviewed the infrastructure programme and made changes to some schemes following feedback.

“We’ll now look to engage with the local communities on the refreshed designs, allowing us to develop the plans that North Somerset needs to improve congestion, help more residents to choose travel sustainably, and create infrastructure needed for now and in the future.

“The BSIP programme is complex, ambitious, and about delivering long-term changes.

“It is entirely funded by the UK Government and we have to get their permission for every change, including to timelines, and must otherwise operate in line with the original funding package.

“Despite these challenges, we are determined to listen to our communities and make changes where they are needed.”

To learn more about the UK Government-funded Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), visit https://n-somerset.gov.uk/bsip