A hard shoulder running scheme for buses took a significant step forward today with the award of £725,000 of Scottish Government funding.

This investment is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to progressing this project to a detailed design phase to enable buses to run on the hard shoulder of the northbound M77 between Kilmarnock and Glasgow.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “As part of our continued transport investment, this £725,000 project marks our commitment to progress this innovative scheme on the M77.

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“In the current economic climate, where we must find ways to make best use of our existing network, this scheme is just one of many novel ideas we are trialling to make our roads as efficient as possible.

“By enhancing public transport options through reduced journey times, we can encourage modal shift and help reduce emissions.

“Wider work is also underway in order to identify the most congested parts of the central Scotland motorway network and look to see how Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can ensure better and more efficient journeys for road users.”

Transport Scotland will work closely with key industry partners during this work to ensure the scheme can be constructed when capital funding becomes available.

(GK)