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Rural busSubsidising bus services - decisions to be made

A one third reduction in the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant paid to the council by the government and the need to make savings to meet a budget gap of £55 million means that there is less money in Hampshire to subsidise bus services that would not otherwise be run by the bus companies because they are not commercially viable. Around five out of six bus trips are made on bus services that operate without a bus subsidy (85%). Recommendations have been considered for how best to allocate the funding to the best effect, with an emphasis on retaining a transport link in a community where one exists currently. The decisions to agree the recommendations were taken on 27 July 2011.


Road resurfacingOperation Resilience – long term investment in Hampshire’s roads

Contact Diana Leahy on 01962 847666

Nearly 400 sites on roads and pavements are being targeted in the first year of Operation Resilience – a new approach to highways maintenance placing the emphasis on planned structural maintenance and designed to make Hampshire’s roads more resilient to the effects of extreme weather and increasingly heavy traffic.  

Operation Resilience will include the resurfacing of around 250 roads, together with drainage work and improvements to pavement surfaces.  



  Improving Hampshire’s Street Lighting

The project to replace or improve all Hampshire’s street lights over the next five years is the biggest of its kind in Europe. Hampshire’s project was officially launched at Winchester’s In Tech Planetarium on 30 June 2010. The next five years will see the replacement or updating of 150,000 street lights, illuminated signs and bollards with the latest energy efficient equipment.

The multi-million pound 25-year project is part of a unique partnership with West Sussex County Council and Southampton City Council.

The introduction of remote lighting management will improve the performance and flexibility of street lighting and reduce energy consumption by up to 15% over five years year - the equivalent of powering 1,500 homes. The work is being carried out by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and the  many benefits include reduced carbon emissions, less light pollution and targeted lighting in areas of high crime.
Latest press release on improving Hampshires street lighting



  Royal seal of approval for Village 30

The Village 30 Initiative - a scheme that has introduced 30 mph speed limits in 112 villages in Hampshire - won the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.

Combining safety engineering, education and enforcement, Village 30 has resulted in a steady reduction in driving speeds - initial monitoring has shown there has been an average reduction in speeds of nine per cent and road traffic accidents have reduced by as much as 80 per cent.

Village 30 was initiated by the County Council’s Leader and the Executive Member for Environment, in response to concerns about traffic speeds expressed by those living in rural communities. It was also in line with the release of revised Government guidance on setting speed limits, which stated villages should have comparable speed limits to similar roads in urban areas”.