The East Park Terrace sustainable travel corridor came forward as part of the Transforming Cities funded proposals for the city centre and which saw a significant level of support from the public during a consultation in November 2022.
The project was delivered in June 2024, improving bus journey times and reliability for buses travelling along the Portswood and Eastleigh corridor when they get to the city centre, and enhancing the pedestrian environment and the safety of walking, wheeling and cycling connections between the city centre, Solent University and Newtown. It also helps to improve the health and wellbeing of local people through improved access to the Green Flag Award-winning city centre parks, cultural attractions, shops and restaurants.
While the majority of drivers are complying with the bus/taxi/cycle only restriction at East Park Terrace, the council has made the decision to introduce camera enforcement because our monitoring has shown regular contraventions to the restriction. Our experience with other schemes that introduced a similar restriction shows that compliance will improve with camera enforcement.
Once the camera enforcement on East Park Terrace starts on Monday 28 April 2025, for six months, vehicles, other than authorised vehicles, that drive through the restriction will receive a Warning Notice, and on their second contravention they will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70 (reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days). After the six-month warning period, contraventions will only receive a PCN.
Warning Letters and PCN’s will be sent through the post to the Registered Keeper of the vehicle. To allow enough time between a Warning Notice being processed and received by the driver, there will be a period of approximately two weeks after a Warning Notice being activated and a PCN being issued. All money received from Penalty Charge Notices will be used to pay for the upkeep and running of the camera system and any surplus funds are reinvested into Southampton’s transport network as set out in national legislation.
Eran Kochlany, Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Solent University, said:
“We’re very pleased with the transformation brought about by the new look East Park Terrace. The quieter road and improved pavements have made a significant difference to the safety and overall experience for everyone on campus. It’s now far easier and safer to cross to and from East Park, especially for students, staff and visitors moving between the city centre and the university.
“With better links to the park, the cultural quarter and routes into the city centre, this project has strengthened our ties with the community and Southampton as a whole.”
Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport at Southampton City Council said:
“The East Park Terrace scheme is one part of our ambitious plans for transforming bus travel in the city which, in the short term, provides improved bus journeys and a nicer environment adjacent to East Park and underpins the long-term objectives of our Local Transport Plan, Connected Southampton 2040, and camera enforcement is a necessary part of these plans.”