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By 2040, Osborne Street Bus Station could have to cope with four times the number of buses than it is designed for.
The creation of a new Bus Station Interchange in Colchester is critical to helping solve capacity issues within the city centre, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for transport has said.
Essex County Council and Colchester City Council, through their Team Colchester initiative, are currently consulting on plans to create a new facility off Queen Street, adjacent to FirstSite and the Curzon Cinema.
The proposals would see up to 25 stops provided in the city centre, as well as layover space and facilities to support coach and community transport services.
The current facility at Osborne Street provides six stops. Figures released as part of the consultation have set out that, without intervention, it could be operating at four times the capacity by 2040. This means four times the number of buses would be using the facility than originally designed for.
Councillor Mark Webster, Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure at Essex County Council, said: “Bus services and public transport provide a lifeline for many people. There are thousands of people travelling into and from the city every week, and we fully recognise the issues faced by people trying to access services at Osborne Street.
“As multiple buses are trying to access a small number of stops, this often means they are not at the right place at the right time, which impacts on reliability, the passenger experience and people’s confidence in using public transport.
“As a growing city, we are only going to see more demand in the future. While the council and bus operators work hard to be as efficient as possible, there is a clear capacity issue, and a need for a new bus station to work alongside the existing stops.”
A public consultation on early proposals for a new bus station off Queen Street was launched in September. This would see part of the former bus station and depot used to create new stops, layover space and passenger facilities.
Details on the plans and the consultation can be seen at: www.essexhighways.org/colchester-bus-interchange. Copies of the consultation can be picked up at Colchester Town Hall or Colchester Library. The consultation closes on Sunday 8 November.
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