The controversial bus gate trial on Portswood Road was paused on May 14, and much of the traffic diverted away from the road was pushed onto Brookevale Road.
An internal memo retrieved by a Freedom of Information request revealed that traffic on Brookvale Road was 56 per cent higher compared to pretrial, equating to 2000 extra cars per day.
The memo also showed that the council were considering putting a modal filter in place on the road, but it said that its announcements would make “no mention” of the traffic calming measure that “would only be needed should traffic volumes not return
to pretrial levels”.
Prior to the release of a monitoring report three months into the trial, Councillor Eamonn Keogh sent the memo confirming that the scheme would be “paused”.
READ MORE: Southampton Council U-turn on Portswood Road bus gate
He also noted that the bus gate was “proving to be very unpopular” and said that “residents and parents” were “regularly reporting” concerns about safety on the road “daily”.
Looking back at the trial, Brookvale Road resident Catherine Wood called it an “absolute horror show”.
“Some days it was just horrific. I think during the trial we were the busiest residential road in Southampton”.
Speaking to the Echo during the trial, Catherine said she watched as her 6-year-old was almost knocked down by an e-scooter rider who had decided to travel on the pavement in a bid to avoid the heavy traffic on Brookvale Road.
READ MORE: Portswood Road bus gate trial slammed by more locals
Nick Waite of Highfield Residents Association said that roads in the area “had complete deadlock” in the mornings because of the trial.
“They’d removed parking spaces on the road to make room for buildouts,” he said.
“It’s the residents on Brookvale Road who were really suffering and dealing with it.”
In an email to the council’s “Labour Group”, sent at 4.31am in the morning on May 13, Cllr Keogh said he was “genuinely sorry” for the impact the bus gate had on many of the councillors.
He said: “As mentioned, there is much to learn from this as we move forward, and this pause will allow us to consider the next steps and the opportunity to ensure we make the right decision for our residents, our city and our Labour council.”
‘There were unintended effects on surrounding roads’
An email sent on May 6 said that 2,657 Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) had been issued at Portswood bus gate by that day.
But a “technical issue” meant that no PCNs were issued between May 6 and May 14, the day that fines stopped being issued, and to date £30,170 has been paid from these fines.
Councillor Eamonn Keogh said the approach to the bus gate was always “rooted in evidence and safety”.
The cabinet member of environment and transport said: “The data showed that while the intended benefits of making Portswood Broadway a safer, more attractive place to travel and spend time were emerging, there were also unintended effects on surrounding roads.
“As a result, the trial was paused to relieve these impacts and allow us to continue to explore long-term improvements.
“We are grateful to all residents and business who shared with us their thoughts and experiences regarding the trial.”
