A decision to “pause” design work in England around the shared-space variant of the already controversial floating bus stop is not before time. With work in the Bus Services (No.2) Bill a further influence, that should end further public realm planning that includes the shared-space variant.
That arrangement, where passengers board from and alight into a segment of footpath that is also used by cyclists, is plainly unfit for purpose. Involvement from Westminster should not have been required for that to be seen.
In an area where shared-space stops have recently been installed as part of a Transforming Cities Fund-supported project, the footpath is on an incline. The prospect of fast-moving cyclists mixing with potentially infirm bus passengers is a recipe for trouble.
Nevertheless, it is easy to carp from the sidelines. Local authorities face an increasingly difficult task to accommodate bus users and the active travel agenda while balancing the ever-sensitive matter of space for motorised vehicles.
All that acreage is finite, and the UK is largely still to benefit from the kind of high-quality segregated cycle infrastructure that can be found elsewhere. Arguably that would remove the need for floating bus stops entirely.
Criticism around long-term planning can be aired as easily, but with various shorter-term pots of money and government policy that has traditionally wavered, the argument can equally be made that floating bus stops, including the shared-space villains of the latest piece, are a fruit of the lack of strategy around infrastructure.
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood is often at pains to stress how public transport is core to the government’s missions, and it has thus far backed that with an extended horizon for funding allocations. With luck, the shared-space floating bus stop will join Setrights and Freight Rover minibuses behind a door of the industry’s history that is well shut.
Meanwhile, a welcome debut for coach operators is the Depot Charging Scheme grant mechanism. It will cover 75% of the costs of charging point and associated civils work in operating centres to support battery-electric vehicles including coaches.
Available in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it is thus the first UK-wide public funding to back battery-electric coach take-up. While not making a dent in the upfront cost of those vehicles, it is nevertheless a good start.
Multiple parties have suggested that the charging conundrum is the primary blocker for electric coach adoption. The new scheme does not change the difficulty around on-road battery replenishment, but it is a useful start. The coach industry will now be watching closely to see if this early step is followed by any wider support for vehicle purchase.
