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8 Specified Facilities to be provided in a sQP
Transport Scotland Act 2001 - Part 2 Bus Services Quality Partnership Schemes: Section 3(3) Quality partnership scheme.
8.1 
A scheme will be required to set out the specified facilities to be provided by the authority. The aim is to impose an appropriate quality threshold to prevent use of the specified facilities by operators that do not meet certain specified standards. The range of facilities available to be promoted as part of the scheme can include extensive bus priority measures along the routes, improved bus stop and access measures, improved bus shelters and enhanced bus route monitoring. The facilities are likely to be a combination of existing as well as new or upgraded ones.
8.2 Examples of specified facilities include:
Route development
- Bus priority measures /bus lanes
- Bus gates
- Bus only turning restrictions
- Traffic signal priority
- Urban Traffic Control ( UTC) systems
Bus stop infrastructure
- Bus shelters
- Bus boarders
- Raised kerbs
- Dropped kerbs
Safety & security
- Bus shelter CCTV
- Bus shelter lighting
- City centre/town centre CCTV
Intelligent Transport Systems ( ITS)
- Traffic signal priority
- Real time bus monitoring/tracking
Enforcement
- Bus stop clearways
- Parking, waiting & loading restrictions
- Bus priority enforcement
Information
- Printed timetable information
- Bus stop Real Time Passenger Information
- On bus passenger information
- Real time 'next bus' SMS
- Branding materials
8.3 Facilities in respect of information should also be delivered as part of a Bus Passenger Information Strategy ( BPIS) which also forms part of the 2001 Act ( Section 33-35 Provision of Information). The information facilities, however, may not be included if the transport authority has determined that these must be provided throughout their area under sections 33 and 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.
8.4 Sections 33 and 34 refer to the provision of information. From time to time each transport authority should determine what information should be made available to the public and the way in which it should be made available. In doing so the transport authority should consult with the Scottish Traffic Commissioner, organisations that are representative of the users of local bus services and others that that the authority thinks fit. If the authority deems that information is not being made available in an appropriate way it has a duty placed upon it to secure the information. If it is unable to do this by agreement then the authority/authorities may recover reasonable costs from the operators concerned.
Timescales for implementation
8.5 The scheme may include facilities provided before any proposals to form a quality partnership have been considered. However in doing so, it is important that the age of existing facilities is taken into account as the time limit specified within the scheme may preclude their inclusion or require a phased adoption.
8.6 Scottish Statutory Instrument ( SSI) No 218 makes provision for existing facilities to form part of a quality partnership scheme if they are provided:
- no more than 5 years before the scheme is proposed (Regulation 3); or
- for more than 5 years but less than 10 years before the date the scheme is proposed where consent of all operators using the facilities has been obtained (Regulation 4)
Figure 8.1 Provision of existing facilities
8.7 Any facilities more than ten years old are not permitted to be incorporated within a scheme.
8.8 Specified facilities must be made available from the commencement of the scheme until it ceases to have effect; the end date of which is subject to discussion and agreement between the partners. It is important to note at this point that the legislation allows for the phased implementation of new or upgraded facilities upon the agreement of all partners, therefore certain facilities need not be in place at the time of scheme commencement, but an expected date for implementation must be provided.
sQP 'minimum standard'
8.9 A schedule is required to be produced highlighting details of all infrastructure elements to be provided within the sQP, including both existing and proposed facilities. When this is along a corridor or over an entire area, this can involve a considerable amount of data collection.
8.10 It is suggested that a 'status survey' is undertaken to identify the current condition of all stopping places to be covered under the scheme. The survey will include information on shelter provision, real time displays, footway and carriageway facilities. A suggested pro forma for recording results of the survey is shown in Appendix D.
8.11 It is recommended that each of the stopping places within the scheme is subject to a minimum ' sQP standard'; essentially a minimum standard specification that the transport authority should strive to implement across all locations. This might include aspects such as printed timetable information meeting DfT 'Access for All' guidance, or use of solar powered bus shelter lighting.. This will help to ensure wherever possible, that there is consistency in quality of provision, however it is recognised that there may be instances where site constraints may preclude the sQP standard from being achieved.
8.12 The specific details of the minimum standards will need to be determined by each individual authority, although they are likely to be based on their existing specifications for infrastructure. The results of the status survey will highlight where improvements will be necessary to raise the specification of each stopping place to the appropriate level.
8.13 Appendix E contains examples of the types of standards to be applied to sQP stopping places. As discussed, it is for each individual authority to decide on the absolute minimum specification for bus stop infrastructure.
Maintenance of facilities
8.14 An effective maintenance regime is essential to the provision of high quality facilities, and the importance of ongoing commitment to maintaining facilities should not be overlooked. With the exception of one or two facilities, every type of facility in the bulleted lists above will need to be maintained throughout their lifetime.
8.15 Consideration must also be given to where it is necessary to upgrade or replace facilities where maintenance is no longer effective or appropriate.
8.16 Clear guidelines should be established on the responsibility and funding of maintenance of the facilities. The majority of facilities will be maintained by the transport authority for the duration of the scheme although this may not be the case with bus tracking and driver communications which will be the responsibility of the bus operator.
8.17 The authority will also be responsible for the promotion, enforcement and maintenance of Traffic Regulation Orders ( TROs). TROs may be needed to support the introduction of certain facilities, for example a bus lane will depend on a TRO to prohibit its use by other traffic. Providing and enforcing the TROs and the traffic signs necessary to enforce them can therefore be as important to the success of a sQP as providing the facilities themselves.
8.18 It is important to give early consideration to the time required for the drafting and making of orders in the delivery of the sQP, and also whether the road is one which the Scottish Ministers are the traffic authority (within the meaning of section 121A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (c.27)).
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