Caroline is committed to tackling the access problem of the Gosport peninsula, and has invited successive Transport Ministers to the area.
Her interventions have helped to secure a combined investment of over £90m for highway improvement projects for the area since 2010.
One of her key achievements was the new Gosport access road, the Stubbington Bypass, which opened in May 2022. Caroline campaigned on this for many years, and secured high-level meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which delivered a vital £25.7m of Government funding. This 50mph, 3.5km road takes at least half of the daily 25,000 vehicles out of Stubbington Village.
She has also worked hard to improve public transport services in the area, promoting the Eclipse Bus scheme and working with local stakeholders to find solutions to the challenges posed by changes to local bus services. Following its success, the Eclipse Bus Route was extended 1km south to Rowner Road following Government funding. This extension opened in December 2021. The Government recently announced a Bus Service Improvement Plan, which will result in a greater frequency of busses between Gosport and Fareham.
Caroline has previously submitted deputations to Hampshire County Council in support of preserving local bus routes and regularly meets with First Bus to discuss bus services in the local area including the impact of bus route changes on constituents. Caroline has welcomed the announcement that Gosport's waterfront will be transformed with funding from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund, including £1.25m for the bus station site as well as £850k for the depot. This will boost the local economy & attract visitors. Work has also recently been completed at the Esplanade, as part of the Bus Interchange project which will make it easier to travel around Gosport. The project is funded by money from the Government's Transforming Cities Fund.
She is pleased with the progress of cycle paths and walkways in our local area and wants to see these successes built on, with walking and cycling the natural choices for shorter journeys, or as part of a longer journey. Gosport Borough Council have a handy cycle route map to help plan your journeys on cycle paths.
Caroline has called for faster train links between London and Portsmouth, holding a debate in Parliament to raise her concerns about transport infrastructure in the south coast. You can find this here.
Promoting a more sustainable journey to work, Caroline led a successful campaign for the restoration of the entitlement to Home to Duty Travel Allowance for service personnel travelling to work on the Gosport Ferry, reducing congestion on key roads on and off the peninsula.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Caroline made numerous representations to the Secretary of State for Transport, and Junior Ministers, to provide financial support for the Gosport Ferry as passenger numbers plummeted due to the lockdown. Funding was secured thanks to Caroline’s intervention to enable the Ferry, as a vital piece of infrastructure, to continue to operate.
