Harford Park and Ride area

Norfolk County Council asked for feedback on a proposed changes to the Harford Park and Ride area of the A140 Ipswich Road. The aim of the scheme is to improve bus journey times and reliability by increasing the capacity of the road for buses.

Overview

The proposal for this project is to introduce a dedicated filter lane for buses exiting the Park and Ride site. It will join a new bus lane running along the A140 Ipswich Road as far as the Tesco Superstore, where it will integrate with the existing highway layout before the signalised junction. This will be achieved by widening the verge to accommodate the designated bus lane so there will be no loss of road capacity for general traffic.

The project is designed to help improve bus journey times and reliability not only for Park and Ride but also the other services that use the route, including buses from Diss, Harleston and Long Stratton. It is also hoped to encourage more people to use these services due to the resulting improvements.

How to comment

This consultation is now closed. It closed on 22 December 2023.

View the original consultation material

Large print and alternative formats are also available on request by emailing transportfornorwich@norfolk.gov.uk.

Next steps

We have now advertised the formal Traffic Regulation Orders needed to deliver the scheme which includes a reduction in speed limit from 60 to 40mph in addition to the new section of bus lane.

The orders are open for comment until 3 June 2025.

View details of the Traffic Regulation Orders.

The final decision on whether to progress with the scheme rests with the cabinet member for highways, transport and infrastructure.

This webpage will be kept up to date with the latest progress and information.

Background

The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded the county council nearly £50m of funding for its Bus Service Improvement Plan, aimed at improving bus services and infrastructure facilities across the county. The plan includes measures such as integrated travel hubs, new and more frequent services and bus priority infrastructure schemes such as this project in the Harford Park & Ride area.