Buses welcome priority light (From Witney Gazette)

Buses welcome priority light

9:00am Wednesday 18th October 2006 in Witney By Jo Duckles

A PRIORITY traffic light designed to stop delays for buses turning right into Eynsham has been welcomed by a bus company.

The traffic light has been installed on the A40 between Oxford and Witney, and will give priority to buses turning right into Eynsham.

It is designed to make the journey quicker for the Stagecoach 100 service. In August, the Witney Gazette reported how car drivers feared the lights would hold up traffic, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours, causing more congestion problems.

At that time, Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for transport, David Robertson, said the point of the scheme was to prioritise that section of road for buses.

Stagecoach bus operations manager for Witney, Trevor Bayliss, said: "This will provide valuable assistance to our 15-minute service on the 100 route.

"The 100 route between Witney and Oxford is the key service that we operate out of Witney depot, and road conditions can make all the difference to our running time.

"We more than welcome the bus priority, with the traffic light which will certainly ease our right turn across traffic.

"I am confident this will not only be a safety feature, but help us avoid delays at peak times.

"This is a further example of Stagecoach working in close partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.

"The 100 service runs every ten minutes in the peak, and 15 minutes at other times of the day. It also operates 18 hours a day."

Mr Bayliss added: "All Stagecoach buses which operate the 100 route will be fitted with a sensor, to allow the vehicles to activate the traffic light in their favour."