Actively managed hard shoulder and bus priority measures: EIR release

Information requested

1. A list of all planned Actively Managed Hard Shoulders or Managed Motorways projects currently proposed or under development with Transport Scotland.
2. In addition, a list of other bus priority measures proposed for the Motorway and Trunk road network in Scotland.

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Response

I enclose the information requested, please see individual response to the points outlined:

1. Building on the success of the bus priority on the M90 / M9 Queensferry Corridor Actively Managed Hard Shoulder for buses, Transport Scotland recently opened an additional section on the M8 eastbound approach to Hermiston Gait.
   
   Transport Scotland has undertaken work on the potential for reallocation of roadspace through the Glasgow Motorway network, with engagement with a number of stakeholders including bus operators. This included includes consideration of bus priority on the M8 alongside the M80, M77 and M74 and informed recommendation 14 in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).
   
   It states, “Bus priority options are implemented within Scotland’s cities and towns where congestion is highest and that bus priority measures continue to be identified and implemented on the motorway trunk road and motorway network. Within the local networks these could be taken forward using the Bus Partnership Fund process. In the case of the trunk road and motorway network, Transport Scotland would build on the current work progressing plans for the M8, M77 and M80…”
   
   Furthermore, the recommendation notes:
   
   “Additional locations that are recommended for further appraisal include the M90 southbound between junctions 1C and 1B, and A90 Forfar Road southbound at the Kingsway in Dundee.”
2. Transport Scotland do not hold a list for bus priority measures proposed for the Motorway and trunk road network in Scotland.
   
   However, through the Bus Partnership Fund the Scottish Government have awarded £25.80m of funding for local bus partnerships to design and deliver bus priority measures on both local and trunk roads. This initial funding, that has been allocated, is for appraisal work to support local transport authorities towards developing business cases for further bus priority investment in their regions. The next steps will be dependent on the outcomes of this work. Table 1 below provides details of the projects which have received funding, some of these consider potential measures on the Scottish trunk road network.

Table 1: Bus Partnership Fund awarded projects as at September 2022

Partnership	Project Description
Fife Bus Partnership (Central North East Fife)	Leven and Kirkcaldy - Permanence of Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund (BPRDF) projects
	Cupar to Kirkcaldy Corridor – Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) study
	Cupar to Kirkcaldy Corridor – Outline Business Case (OBC)*
	Glenrothes to Leven corridor - STAG
	Glenrothes to Leven corridor - OBC*
	St Andrews to Kirkcaldy corridor - STAG
	St Andrews to Kirkcaldy corridor - OBC*
Fife Bus Partnership (West Fife)	Carnegie Drive, Dunfermline - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Cowdenbeath to Kincardine - STAG
	Cowdenbeath to Kincardine - OBC*
	Dunfermline to Ferrytoll - STAG
	Dunfermline to Ferrytoll - OBC*
Tayside Bus Alliance	Bus priority corridors - STAG to evaluate 20 corridors
North East Bus Alliance	North Corridor (Ellon to Gathdee) - STAG
	North Corridor - OBC*
	North West Corridor (Inverurie to Aberdeen) - STAG
	North West Corridor - OBC*
	West Corridor (Westhill to Aberdeen) - STAG
	West Corridor - OBC*
	South Corridor (Stonehaven to Aberdeen) - STAG
	South Corridor - OBC*
	City Centre - STAG
	City Centre - OBC*
	Aberdeen Rapid Transit - STAG
	Aberdeen Rapid Transit - OBC*
	South College Street - Improvement works
Glasgow Bus Partnership	Hope Street - Upgrade to a bus avenue
	Howard Street - Improved waiting areas and placemaking
	Paisley Town Centre - Junction Improvements for bus priority
	Paisley Road West - STAG
	Maryhill Road - STAG
	Dumbarton Road - STAG
	Pollokshaws Road - STAG
	Great Western Road - STAG
	Wider Bus Strategy - STAG
Forth Valley Bus Alliance	Stirling to Falkirk - STAG
	Glasgow Road - STAG
	Grahams Road - STAG
	A9/A872 - STAG
	A908/B9096 - STAG
Edinburgh and South East Scotland	Bus Strategy - STAG
	North Corridor - OBC*
	West Corridor - OBC*
	Orbital Routes - OBC*
	Orbital Routes - Rationalising bus stops
	A1 Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	A90 Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	A89 Eastbound Bus Lane - Permanence of BPRDF project
	A8 Westbound Bus Lane - Permanence of BPRDF project
	A71 Hermiston Park & Ride signals for bus egress - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Newcraighall/Kaimes/Gilmerton Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Melville Dykes/Hillhead Junction - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Musselburgh and Prestonpans - Permanence of BPRDF projects
Ayrshire Bus Partnership	Two Urban Traffic Control extensions on Three Towns Corridor to prioritise buses
	Feasibility study - Pennyburn Roundabout bus lane extension
	Feasibility study - John Finnie Street prioritisation signals
Highland BSIP (Inverness)	Completion of BPRDF Rose Street Bus Link
	Raigmore - Bus gate
	Rose Street - Bus lane enforcement camera
	Barn Church Road - Bus lane
	Millburn Road - STAG appraisal
	Millburn Road - OBC/Design*
	B9006 - STAG appraisal
	City Centre - Traffic light bus prioritisation for cross-city routes
	A82 between Shore Street and Rose Street - STAG
	North Kessock – STAG
	North Kessock - OBC/design*
Highland BSIP (Fort William)	Blar Mhor - Bus-only link between health centre and new residential development
	Upper Achintore - Bus-only link between new residential development and Lochaber Road
	Fort William STAG
Argyll & Bute	Oban Signalised Junctions for bus priority
	George Street/Dunollie Road - Consultation, Traffic Regulation Orders and Delivery
Midlothian	STAG for: A6094 Whitecraig-A6094 Eskbank B6392 Eskbank to A772 Gilmerton Junction A7 Gorebridge to A7 Danderhall A6094 Eskbank to A701 Straiton
West Lothian	STAG for: Alderstone Road: Physical priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Almondvale: Bus priority, junction modifications, parking controls
	Deans: Bus priority, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls
	Knightsridge: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Ladywell: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Craigshill: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Dedridge: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Civic Centre: Junction modifications
	Kirkton Campus: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	A705: Physical bus priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Bathgate / Boghall: Physical bus priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls
	A89 west of Bathgate: Bus priority signals, parking controls
	Harthill / Whitburn: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, parking controls
	A7066/B792 Interchange: Junction modifications
	Uphall / Broxburn: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls

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