Bus priority’s economic benefits

Every pound spent on local bus infrastructure can generate up to between £4.67 and £6.94 of benefits for local businesses, communities and the environment, according to a report commissioned by Greener Journeys. Carried out by independent analysts at KPMG LLP, the study found that carefully planned bus priority measures, such as bus lanes, busway schemes and better interchange systems to speed up journeys, when implemented in the correct places and properly enforced, deliver significant local benefits such as cutting pollution and journey times.

Further new research for Greener Journeys carried out by Peter White, Professor Emeritus of Public Transport Systems at the University of Westminster, also found that effective bus priority measures can deliver up to 75% fewer emissions per passenger per km. Bus journeys are made shorter and more reliable, encouraging more people to leave their car at home. This has a corresponding reduction in congestion, which costs the UK economy at least £11bn per year. The findings are brought together in Greener Journeys’ Roadmap to Growth, a new framework which outlines the ways in which local decision makers and Government can maximise the contribution of buses to our society and economy. As responsibility is being devolved locally, the framework calls for the provision of enhanced and consistent guidance to local decision makers on the evaluation of transport schemes.

A Roadmap to Growth will be launched at a dedicated event for local and national decision makers, where there will be a keynote speech from the Minister for Transport, Andrew Jones MP. Following this, there will be a panel discussion with Kevin O’Connor, MD UK Bus, Arriva; Leon Daniels, MD Surface Transport, TfL and Hilary Chipping, Head of Infrastructure, South East Midlands LEP.

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