To make Portswood District Centre a more attractive place and reduce the detrimental impact on residents and visitors of too much through traffic, we are proposing restrictions to through traffic with only buses being able to drive through the entirety of the District Centre.
This will allow us to make the area more pedestrian friendly with widened footways and better crossing facilities. It will also benefit bus journey times and provide space for better bus stop infrastructure including ‘super stops’ with large shelters and real time information, making bus travel more attractive. Local bus operators are supportive of the project.
The parallel corridor of Thomas Lewis Way, and the improvements to its junction currently underway, provide the unique opportunity to shift traffic away from Portswood Road, thereby enabling the creation of a vibrant District Centre that invites people to enjoy and spend time here.
Scheme overview
To achieve the aims set out above, the following improvements are proposed:
Lodge Road/Portswood Road Junction
The planned improvements to the Lodge Road/Portswood Road junction will include:
- Pedestrian and cycle crossings on all arms of the junction
- On-road cycle lanes on Bevois Hill north of Forster Road to connect with the existing cycle lanes north of the Lodge Road junction
- Removal of the left slip lane from Lodge Road to Portswood Road
- Technology upgrade to the junction signals, including traffic signal bus priority
- Improved connection for cycles to and from Lawn Road and removal of the current arrangement via the traffic island
- New toucan crossing on Bevois Hill at its junction with A335
- Greening incorporated in the shared area at the northwest corner of the junction
The below is a representation of what these improvements may look like (click the image to expand):
The intended benefits of these improvements are to:
- Provide safer crossing opportunities for people travelling on foot or by bike
- Afford more priority to buses via upgraded signal technology
- Northbound vehicle traffic from Lodge Road guided to use Thomas Lewis Way instead of the Portswood Road residential area
- Slower traffic turning left from Lodge Road onto Portswood Road
- Link Portswood to the Bevois Valley cycle scheme (completed in 2020)
- Portswood Broadway (including Highfield Lane/St Denys Road junction)
Portswood Broadway (including Portswood Road/Highfield Lane/St Denys Road junction)
Portswood Broadway is the heart of Portswood local centre. Currently, it sees approximately 6000 northbound and 6000 southbound vehicle trips per day, however, visitors to Broadway already travel overwhelmingly by sustainable modes; in recent surveys over 50% said they walked to Broadway, with a further 22% travelling by bus.
The planned improvements to Portswood Broadway will include:
- Two new raised zebra crossings, along with footway widening along Portswood Road
- Improved public realm including greening, seating and cycle parking
- New bus ‘superstops’ with large shelters and real time information
- Bus-only access at a point between Westridge Road and Highfield Lane/St Denys Road junction, with deliveries to shops maintained
- Improved access to Westridge Road car park for pedestrians
- 20mph speed limit
Along with Portswood Broadway, improvements will also be made to the Highfield Lane/St Denys Road junction including:
- Upgraded pedestrian and cycle crossings on all arms of the junction and new cycle lanes on approaches to junction
- Widened footway and greening to replace the existing left turn slip from Portswood Road towards Highfield Lane
- Traffic signal improvements
- Improved access to Westridge Road car park for pedestrians
The below is a representation of what these improvements may look like:
The intended benefits of these improvements are to:
- Make the district centre more attractive and a more enjoyable place to spend time
- Improve walking and cycling connectivity to and through the local centre
- Provide safer crossing opportunities
- Afford more priority to buses via upgraded signal technology
- Reduce bus journey times by removing non-local traffic
- Enhance the waiting experience for bus users
- Improve air quality
- Link Portswood to the St Denys Road Transport Corridor improvements (construction from August 2022)
Complementary Schemes
Along with the improvements to the Lodge Road junction, Portswood Broadway and Highfield Lane/St Denys Road junction, there are two further complementary schemes in the Portswood area that are proposed.
These are Highfield Active Travel Zone and Portswood Travel Hub. To find out further information on these schemes please click on the title to navigate to their scheme page.
