Western Bus Gate

Improving bus reliability and public realm

Background

We’re planning improvements to the area around Gloucester Street and the Esplanade to make it better for active travel and more reliable for bus users.

Right now, this space is used mostly by pedestrians, with cycle parking and a small grassy area and it doesn’t contribute as much to the wider public space or travel network.

At the same time, many buses that pass through this area face delays. Roads like La Route de la Liberation, especially between Castle Street Roundabout and Gloucester Street, often get congested. This slows down buses and affects the reliability of public transport.

To help fix this, we plan to create a dedicated westbound bus lane at the western end of the Esplanade. This will form a new ‘bus gate’, allowing buses to avoid the congested roads.

What this means for the community:

faster, more reliable bus journeys
reduced congestion in busy areas
new more accessible bus stop
a green, people-friendly space
a more connected cycling routes

This project is part of our ongoing work to support better transport, improve the public realm, and make it easier for everyone to move around the town.

The Western Bus Gate project is planned to start later this year (2025).

Key benefits

As well as making it easier for people to use public transport by streamlining bus travel along the Esplanade, it will also improve pedestrian access to and from the proposed new westbound bus stop located within the bus lane.

This will be much more convenient for both buses and passengers compared to the current Les Jardins de la Mer bus stop, which requires crossing a six-lane road.