NEW major bus routes, priority at more junctions and new CCTV at Poole Bus Station are some of the schemes that will be delivered through an £8.9million pool of funding from government.

Initial details have emerged of BCP Council’s bus service improvement plan, which will be delivered over the next three years.

To support the plan, the council has been successful in receiving the indicative grant award from the Department for Transport under its ‘Bus Back Better’ national bus strategy.

The council has submitted a draft of its enhanced partnership plan and scheme to the government and it is currently being reviewed.

Securing the £8.9million in funding will be dependent on the enhanced partnership between the council and bus operators.

Cllr Mike Greene, BCP Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “It is something we have been working on for quite a while. I am very please to be given the award from government, who have recognised the difficulties we have as a congested place across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

“One of the major solutions is an improved bus service.

Bournemouth Echo: Cllr Mike GreeneCllr Mike Greene (Image: BCP Council)

“We have worked in conjunction with the bus operator partners to produce something which is going to improve the speed and reliability of bus services.

“Statistics show that if you can do that then people are more inclined to use buses regularly.”

A report to Wednesday’s cabinet meeting says the government expects the majority of the funding to be spend on bus priority, “ambitious and attractive” initiatives to reduce and simplify fares, increased service frequencies and new or expanded routes.

The council’s draft enhanced partnership scheme includes introducing six bus priority routes across the conurbation to speed up buses, make them more attractive to use and reduce the cost of operation.

There will be additional bus shelters and additional real time passenger information displays.

The proposal includes providing bus priority at a further 23 signalised junctions, with this already in place at 42 sites across the area.

At Poole Bus Station, there are plans for new passenger information displays with CCTV incorporated, which can be live streamed to the council’s control room to support passenger security.

Councillors will be asked to accept the government funding, subject to confirmation of the award, at a full council meeting next week.