A SIX-month project to create a new bus hub at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital is now under way.

The £715,000 scheme will create a new dedicated space with new shelters, an improved waiting area and real time passenger information.

There will also be a covered walkway, to be installed by the hospital trust, from the hub to the hospital entrance.

Once finished in February 2014, it’s hoped more patients, staff and visitors will choose to travel to the hospital by public transport, reducing congestion on Castle Lane East.

Cllr Michael Filer, cabinet member for transport, said: “As the population grows, there will be more people, more jobs and more commuters on the road network.

“Three Towns Travel is about preparing for future by providing people with easier, safer and more attractive travel options whilst reducing congestion.”

Delivered in partnership with the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Yellow Buses and Wilts and Dorset, the bus hub will be built on the existing space allocated to bus lanes and will also use neighbouring land provided by the hospital.

The scheme is part of the Three Towns Travel programme, which aims to improve sustainable travel options across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

Edwin Davies, of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We acknowledge that parking can be a problem for some visitors and we are keen to encourage the use of public transport by our staff, patients and visitors.

“Improvement such as the sheltered walkway to the hospital entrance will make it a more convenient and pleasurable experience for bus users.”

The council has promised hat it will minimise disruption and that works will be done outside of peak times.