Nottingham City Council will provide a free shuttle bus service from tomorrow (Friday 13th February) to ensure vital public transport links are provided to parts of the Clifton estate that would otherwise be cut off when major works to remodel the Green Lane junction start tomorrow.
The Council is providing the shuttle bus service following an announcement at the end of last week that Nottingham City Transport will be suspending some bus services and rerouting others because the roadworks, which are due to be undertaken by the Highways Agency, will see the right turn into Green Lane from Clifton Lane closed to traffic for up to eight weeks. The shuttle will run on a one-way loop from Lark Hill and Nobel Road via Hartness Road and the Rivergreen area to the medical centre, shops and services in the centre of Clifton.
The council has been liaising closely with Lilian Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South, the Highways Agency and Taylor Woodrow Alstom, who are responsible for the A453 widening scheme and tram extension construction works respectively, to ensure everything is being done to minimise the impact of the works on Nottingham’s residents and visitors to the city.
In addition, the Council has been given assurances from the Highways Agency that it will endeavour to complete works at the Green Lane junction as quickly as possible and has asked TWA, the tram contractor, to concentrate its efforts at the junction of Nottingham Road and Farnborough Road, which is currently restricted because of the tram works.
The Council has also been liaising with Nottingham City Transport and welcomes the bus operator’s introduction of a reduced fare in Clifton for the duration of the Highways Agency works to help residents get around the area. Details of this initiative are available at www.nctx.co.uk/2015/02/clifton-connect.
Councillor Jane Urquhart, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Transportation, commented: “We have been working hard this week with all the relevant parties to see what could be done to improve the situation. We are paying for the new shuttle bus service and are doing all that we can to get both the Highways Agency and Taylor Woodrow Alstom to complete their respective works as quickly as possible.”
Nottingham South MP Lilian Greenwood said: “While the widening of the A453 and the tram extension to Clifton will make a huge difference in the long term to those living and working in Clifton, the current disruption is making life very difficult for my constituents. I am encouraged that all the parties involved are working together to try and find solutions and I particularly welcome the free shuttle bus”.