King Street and Boot Hill regularly experience severe traffic congestion and as a result suffer poor air quality, with nitrogen dioxide levels reaching or topping acceptable levels.

No new roads can be built in the town centre and so the only option is to adapt the existing road network.

Modern technology such as cameras, computers and variable signs can improve people's journeys; signs and traffic signals can be altered to take account of current traffic conditions.

Improvements include:

• Active traffic management at key junctions including the introduction of traffic signals, where necessary, to reduce congestion
• Introducing cameras and detection equipment to provide information on traffic flows to a central control room. The control room can alter traffic signals to help break up traffic queues and give buses priority where possible
• Modernising the bus fleet

Congestion at traffic junctions can cause long delays. Reducing congestion through traffic management will help bus companies provide more reliable journey times. Motorists will also benefit as all traffic will be able to use King Street and Boot Hill more reliably.

King Street corridor (pdf, 973kb) (opens in a new window)

• Right turn allowed into station forecourt
• No left turn from Queen Street into King Street
• No right turn from King Street into Crescent Street
• No Right turn from King Street into Gloucester Mews
• Giving buses priority when entering and exiting the station forecourt by preventing access for all other traffic (excluding taxis) to the Ranelagh Road area from Queen Street  
• No right turn from King Street onto the Esplanade (south) 

Boot Hill corridor (pdf, 1Mb) (opens in a new window)

• No right turn from Wyke Road into Rodwell Road
• No left turn from Rodwell Road into Wyke Road
• No left turn from Rodwell Road into Chickerell Road
• Sections of bus lane on North Quay and Rodwell Road
• Ban of articulated vehicles on Chickerell Road and Wyke Road