Bus, taxi and cycle-only trial starts in city road

Bus, taxi and cycling-only restrictions are being tested along a Southampton road.

The city council has launched a trial of the Portswood Project, which aims to improve air quality and limit the number of cars driving through Portswood Road.

It means only buses, taxis and cyclists are permitted to travel at certain hours between the St Denys Road spur and Westridge Road.

The restrictions are expected to stay in place for the next six months.

In January 2024, hundreds of campaigners took to the street to protest against the scheme, claiming it would create a one-mile diversion for 12,000 car journeys.

Southampton City Council said the plans had been developed after consultation with the Portswood community.

Active travel zones (ATZs) will also be introduced in neighbouring streets to encourage walking and cycling during the trial.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh said: "I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has taken part in the public consultations...

"We are conscious of the wide range of views that have been submitted... and these have informed the decision to trial the scheme."

He said it represented a "significant change" for locals and promised the authority would be monitoring its effectiveness.

The restrictions will be enforced between 07:00 and 10:00 GMT and between 16:00 and 19:00 from Monday to Saturday.

The council said the project aimed to "improve bus journey times and reliability, improve road safety and encourage people to spend more time and money in the district centre".

Andrew Wickham, managing director of Bluestar and Unilink buses, added: "Our team is expecting these changes to have a positive impact on our services and will be working closely with the council throughout the trial, providing feedback on levels of traffic and journey times."

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