CONNECTING SOUTHAMPTON

We want to create a more attractive and safer Portswood. The proposals include significant bus priority upgrades, improved facilities for cycling and walking and reducing the amount of  traffic through Portswood. This will result in a greener, more pleasant environment for everyone living, working, studying and spending time in Portswood.    

With all its shops and cafes, this area has a high amount of footfall and reducing through traffic at this point will have a considerable benefit for users of Portswood. It will allow us to improve public space, increase the use of sustainable travel to and within the area, improve air quality, increase road safety and creating better connection into and out of Southampton City centre.    

This funding for this project comes from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. In March 2020, Southampton City Council, in partnership with Hampshire County Council, was awarded £57M to deliver an ambitious package of transport improvements. Full details of the bid can be found HERE and an overview of the schemes HERE.   

Yes, you will. Access will be maintained to the Sainsbury’s Car Park to the north of the proposed work and to the South you will still be able to access Westridge Road Car Park.   

We will be improving access, lighting and safety in the Westridge Road Car Park as part of these proposals. Additional disabled parking will be provided as part of the works.   

We are proposing additional green space, along with ten new trees along the Broadway. more benches and seating. The introduction of bee-friendly bus stops will also help improve biodiversity. The aim is to make this a more pleasant space to shop, enjoy and meet people.   

The proposals include additional and continuous footways, allowing better access for people walking or wheeling. We will also be providing disabled parking bays next to St Denys Road and by the junction with Westridge Road for people who need to drive.   

Further information can be found under the Additional Information section on this site.  

We are currently investigating the phased introduction of the bus gate should the proposals move forward.  

Further information can be found under the Additional information section on this site. 

Many people raised the concern about additional traffic using local roads to get through the area, should a bus gate be introduced.   

To further assess this, additional traffic modelling and counts were commissioned in April 2023*. It is also proposed that an Active Travel Zone be introduced to the Highfield area, which will be designed with the local community, in order to minimise any impact from the proposals, while maintaining access for local residents.  

 Further information can be found under the Additional Information section on this site. 

*Correction: traffic counts were carried out in March 2023 but were processed by officers in April 2023. 

People who choose to cycle will still be allowed to cycle along the Broadway as they currently do. It is our hope that, by providing more protected spaces, more people will take up this sustainable alternative to the motor car. We will also be providing additional protected spaces at junctions, advanced stop lines and are considering a secure cycle parking facility as part of the proposed transport hub.   

Loading and deliveries are important, and we will continue to engage with local businesses to ensure their needs are met. Following this consultation, should we decide to proceed to a detailed design phase, loading and delivery needs will be incorporated into any final designs.  

This money has been awarded to Southampton City Council from the Department for Transport to improve our public transport service, walking and cycling areas around Portswood.   

While the details of the scheme are yet to be agree, should the proposals be approved, the overall fundamentals of the scheme are fixed and any change would need considerable negotiation with the Department for Transport and due to restriction on time frame are likely to lead to a loss of the investment in the area.  

We would like to invite you to two drop-in sessions which will be held at the corner of Portswood Road and St Denys Road weather permitting on Wednesday 6th September (4-7pm) and Monday 11th September (4-7pm) where you will be able to ask questions and get any clarifications on the proposals.   

 Should you have any further questions you do not feel are covered on these pages, please email us at Portswoodcorridor@southampton.gov.uk  

The public consultation questionnaire for the Portswood Project - including Highfield ATZ - is available online until 1st October 2023.     

In addition to this, two public consultation events are happening on Wednesday 6th September (4-7pm) and Monday 11th September (4-7pm), on the corner of Portswood Road and St Denys Road next to Trago Lounge.     

Once the survey has closed, we will review and analyse all feedback from the consultation questionnaire and events. If we decide to proceed with the proposals, we will then enter a more detailed design phase for the scheme. The public and local stakeholders will again be consulted on the plans.   

A local travel hub is gives travel options located close to one another that are designed for user convenience and to encourage more sustainable travel choices.  

Options for local travel hubs in Southampton are currently being investigated. Options could include cycle parking, cycle hire, a bike maintenance hub, electric vehicle charging points, electric vehicle hire, disabled parking, public green space and a micro freight hub to support local deliveries. E-scooter hire is also an option as part of local trials.  

Transforming Cities Fund money has been allocated to make improvements to transport infrastructure in the local area, as part of the Highfield Active Travel Zone and the improvements to the Broadway we will be able to repave many local and main roads to improve footways and carriageways.  

Only hire E-scooters are legal to use. They will need to be used on the road or cycle lanes.  

We are trialling an e-scooter hiring system across the city and many people have raised concerns about people riding on the footway or other unsociable use.  Should you see an incident you can report it here (Voi Scooters - Report a Voi) which will then be investigated.  The Council has been working with Voi to undertake on site enforcement in the Portswood Broadway area to issue warnings / riding bans for pavement riding.  

We are introducing a part-time bus/taxi/cycle-only section of Portswood Road, between St Denys Road spur and Westridge Road, as well as Active Travel Zones (ATZs) and 20mph signage in neighbouring streets. Maps for work locations can be found at the end of the FAQs.

Please see below for an overview of the planned schedule:

• Bus Gate Installation - works are expected to begin Monday 6 January 2025 and to take approximately 2 weeks to complete.
• Active Travel Zones – works are expected to begin Monday 6 January 2025 and to take approximately 3 weeks to complete.
• 20 mph signage - works are expected to begin Monday 6 January 2025 and to take approximately 3 weeks to complete.

Whilst we work closely with the bus operators to alert them of any future or current works, they will design and maintain their own diversions or temporary stops. If you are planning to travel by bus during this scheme, please check in advance with your bus service to see if your route is affected at Bluestar – Shining across your city.

The temporary traffic management that is in place to ensure the safety of the public and our workforce is likely to extend travelling times. To help with planning your journey, please see map below for alternative routes.

There will be overnight road closures on Portswood Road from Monday 13 January for 5 nights between the hours of 8:00pm-6:00am to complete resurfacing.

In addition to this, St Denys Road spur will be closed 24 hours a day for the entirety of the 2 weeks to create a welfare, storage and safety zone for our team whilst we carry out construction.

Daytime closures are in place to allow for buildouts to be constructed in the Active Travel Zones.

Brookvale Road will have multiple buildouts constructed, so works in this area will be delivered in stages. Closures will be limited to the vicinity of the working area, and signed diversion routes will be in place.

Individual properties and businesses directly affected by the scheme will initially be contacted by letter or email. For further updates on works, visit the Portswood Project page.

Balfour Beatty are working in partnership with Southampton City Council to manage the highways service across city and will be carrying out this Department for Transport funded work.

You can reach our customer services team by emailing roadworks@southampton.gov.uk, where we aim to get back to standard enquiries within 5 working days. Our team on site work considerately, if you do have any concern or queries, please speak to them when they arrive on site and they will do their best to help. 

The project aims to restrict general traffic through the Broadway to improve bus journey times and conditions for people who are walking and wheeling around the Portswood area.

The proposals have been developed with advice from a local Steering Group. For more background on the project visit the Portswood Project page.

The bus/taxi/cycle-only section of Portswood Road will be operational Monday to Saturday between the hours of 7:00am-10:00am and 4:00pm-7:00pm. During the trial, access will be maintained northbound through the bus gate for large vehicles over 7.5t, with a new loading bay on St Denys Road spur. Emergency service vehicles will be exempt from these restrictions.

If camera enforcement is deemed necessary, this is expected to start approximately 2 weeks after bus gate signage is displayed.

For an initial period, drivers that contravene the restriction will receive a Warning Notice, and on their second contravention, they will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days).

Warning Letters and PCNs will be sent through the post. To allow enough time between a Warning Notice being processed and received by the driver, there will be approximately two weeks after a Warning Notice is activated before a PCN is issued.

All money received from Penalty Charge Notices will be used to pay for the upkeep and running of the camera system and any surplus funds are reinvested into Southampton’s transport network as set out in national legislation.

Only authorised vehicles are allowed, these include:

• Buses
• Taxis (Taxis that are not locally licenced by Southampton City Council cannot use the bus gate - 09:30 - 10:00 and 18:30 - 19:00).
• Cyclists, E-scooters and E-bikes (not motorcycles/mopeds)
• Emergency vehicles
• Any other service vehicle, carrying out a statutory duty e.g. gritting, refuse collection, that cannot use another route for their purpose and require constant use of the vehicle.

Yes, all private hire vehicles registered in Southampton are allowed in the bus/taxi/cycle only section.

The bus gate and ATZs will both be introduced on a trial basis for a minimum of 6 months to assess the potential impact.

At the end of the trial period, a decision will be made by the Council on how to proceed; this could mean making the bus gate permanent, amending the scheme and extending the trial period, or removing the scheme. Any decision will be made taking into account to what extent the project achieves its objectives, as measured by an independent consultant, and considering recommendations of the Portswood Project Steering Group