Decision details

Councillor Bell introduced the report and invited Councillor Davies to comment on it.

Councillor Davies referred to the disappointing announcement of further delays with the Development Consent Order (DCO) for the Portishead Rail Line and the increasing need for improved bus services across North Somerset and the wider area if the council was to meet its net zero target.  He referred to the key aspects of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) as set out in paragraph 3 of the report, the likely timescale for developing the strategy and welcomed the recommendations as set out.  It was noted that the BSIP was still a draft document which provided an indication of the key aspects but was subject to further refinement and update.

In discussing the report members thanked officers for the excellent report and raised a number of key issues, to which the representative of the Director of Place responded, as follows: no changes were required to the BSIP as a result of the recent decarbonisation announcement regarding COP26 as ambitions within the Plan went beyond national targets; average carbon emissions per person for bus journeys (paragraph 7.1) were dependent on passenger numbers and as the use of public transport increased and buses were powered by cleaner energy this figure would improve further; the need for wider publicity around simple measures that could be taken to make car journeys more fuel efficient such as removing non-essential items to reduce the vehicle weight; the importance of delivering planned improvements to provide a frequent, reliable, co-ordinated and affordable public transport service in order to encourage the public to leave their cars at home; the inequitable impact of failing bus services and the benefits of cross-boundary work on the BSIP which was to be welcomed; the risks around potential loss of discretionary government funding and the need for a longer term financial settlement for bus services; the need to take measures to encourage a return to public transport post-Covid, including accurate and timely information in respect of delayed and cancelled services, and addressing safety concerns by improving bus stops where practical and looking at safe walking and cycling routes to and from bus stops; the importance of increased patronage to cover operating costs, and limitations on the size of vehicles given the need to ensure accessibility.

Resolved:

(1) that the work that has been done on the development of a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) be noted; and

(2) that the Leader of the Council, as the Executive Member responsible for Strategic Transport; Transport Policy, Public Transport, Home to School Transport, Bus and Rail Strategy, be delegated authority to approve the final version of the BSIP for submission to government by 29 October 2021.

Reasons for the decision:

As set out in the report and discussed above.

Alternative options considered and rejected:

As set out in the report and discussed above.