Transport for London (TfL) in the UK has invested £200m in bus priority schemes to speed up travel times for passengers in the city.

The new bus priority schemes involve changes to road layouts and junctions and small changes in routes to allow buses avoid areas with maximum traffic.

Around 50 bus priority schemes were already delivered across London last year, while another 116 will be delivered by the end of April.

"We are investing £200m in modernising roads across the capital so that bus passengers can avoid potential delays to their journeys.

These new schemes will help reduce road congestion and ease traffic flow in busier parts of the city, thereby benefitting travellers in 17 London boroughs.

The latest bus priority scheme was recently completed in Battersea that has made provision for buses to take a right-hand turn along route 156, which will cut down average journey times by around 1.5min in each direction during peak hours, benefitting almost 800,000 passengers a year.

TfL director of buses Mike Weston said: "London’s continued success means that it is a very busy city with a huge range of construction projects underway, particularly in central London, and this is having an effect on traffic.

"To ensure that the bus network remains reliable and efficient, we are investing £200m in modernising roads across the capital so that bus passengers can avoid potential delays to their journeys.

The bus priority schemes are funded by TfL and delivered in partnership with local boroughs.

Weston added: "We’re working 24 hours a day to relieve congestion through our traffic control centre and cracking down on illegal or inconsiderate drivers through our expanded team of dedicated traffic enforcement officers."