Public transport bosses have say on BCP region roadworks

In a week which has seen more than 70 different roadworks take place across the BCP area, two of the region’s leading public transport directors have called into question the co-ordination between utilities companies and BCP Council.

Andrew Wickham, managing director of Go South Coast which operates Morebus, questioned why road works begin only to be seemingly left for “weeks” afterwards.

.@SGNgas What is happening with long term gas road works on A35 and A350 near Poole? Has been traffic lights/lane closure for weeks, delaying/diverting vital bus services, and no sign of any work taking place. Can’t you just fill in the holes until you’re able to do the work?

— Andrew Wickham (@AndrewWickhamGo) January 27, 2022

He said: “In summary, my issue is that these works have been in place for weeks – pretty much since Christmas – with no activity on site. Meanwhile, the Purbeck Breezer has to divert to a longer route to continue to serve Upton, and other buses such as the 10 and X8 suffer delays.

• Read more: The SEVENTY roadworks taking place across the BPC area

“Of course, repairs to gas mains have to take place and they are unfortunately often under roads. It is the huge length of time, with no activity, that this type of thing takes that is so frustrating.

“There was activity at the A350 site yesterday (Monday) and it looks like the holes have been filled in, so I suspect those traffic lights will be gone later. Upton Bypass is still ongoing though. The real issue with all roadworks is why do they need to take so long? Why not longer hours and night working to get things done quicker and reduce disruption?”

Yellow Buses

Yellow Buses managing director David Squires agreed, telling the Echo: “Andrew Wickham is correct, we accept that there is a need for these works. We are operating in a conurbation that needs updated infrastructure whilst juggling the demands of trying to operate a timetable that is impacted by the normal high levels of congestion, let alone the numerous diversions and temporary traffic lights that slow everything down.

“We also accept that there will be the need for emergency closures at no notice due to gas leaks, fires and the like. However, what we do need is much better co-ordination. Often, we get days or weeks’ notice of works that coincide with other works in the same area, where they could have been easily coordinated.”

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “We have an excellent working relationship with the bus operators in the BCP area.

“Bus operators and private road users are inconvenienced by utility works and we will do everything in our power to reduce their impact on the road network.”

The Daily Echo also approached SGN for a comment.