Nearly all bus lanes to be scrapped in Liverpool, council rules
The majority of bus lanes in Liverpool are to be scrapped after a year-long trial
without them. An independent review recommending retaining just four of its 26
bus lanes was backed earlier by Liverpool
City council's cabinet. Liverpool
Mayor Joe Anderson introduced the trial in September 2013, saying bus lanes
"simply don't work".
Bus operator Stagecoach said it was an "irresponsible" move which ignored the needs of "thousands of bus passengers". Councillors also approved moves to study the possibility of "red routes" to deal with "indiscriminate street parking".
Bus operator Stagecoach said it was an "irresponsible" move which ignored the needs of "thousands of bus passengers". Councillors also approved moves to study the possibility of "red routes" to deal with "indiscriminate street parking".
Pragmatic common sense or an irresponsible
decision which will come back to haunt the council? Twelve months on, the
suspension of bus lanes is still a hot topic. Liverpool
city council believes there are better ways to improve traffic flow around the
city than bus lanes. Bus companies feel they (and their passengers) are being
overlooked in favour of motorists. The Green Party don't think the evidence for
scrapping the bus lanes is really there. It's been a fascinating debate. What
happens next will be even more interesting, especially as the council unveils
its latest transport plan early next year. The big challenge is still
convincing people to get out of their cars and onto the buses. They do it in London - why not in Liverpool?
A Stagecoach spokeswoman said: "It is clear
that the needs of the thousands of people who rely on bus services every single
day across Liverpool are not seen as a
priority by the city council." She said the report also cited areas where
the loss of bus lanes would increase journey times. "We believe this is an
irresponsible decision which could well come back to haunt them," she
added.
The review by engineering consultant Mott
MacDonald looked at issues such as changes in bus journey times, times of
non-bus passenger numbers and accident statistics. It examined traffic flow on
three main bus corridors - Prescot Road, between the Royal Liverpool Hospital
and Alder Hey Hospital;, County Road, between Scotland Road and the M57
motorway; and Picton Road, between Edge Lane and Belle Vale - where the
majority of the bus lanes are placed.
Bus
lanes to be retained
- Strand Street (southbound)
- St John's Lane - Monday to Saturday 4 - 6pm
- Strand Street/James Street - Daytime cover
- Lime Street - Monday to Saturday 4 - 6pm
Better
for cyclists
The report, which included data from researchers
who travelled as bus passengers, said bus lanes only offered "marginal
benefits" along all three corridors. It found buses were slowed down by
on-street parking rather than other vehicles on the road. Mayor Anderson also
promised that roads where the lanes are scrapped will have better provision for
cyclists.
Traffic Regulation Orders for the bus lanes will
now be revoked with new orders introduced for the four remaining lanes. Merseytravel
chief executive David Brown, said he was glad the city centre routes were
retained.
The bus lane review is part of a wider city
transport plan to be concluded in February 2015.
Both pictures by Martin Arrand
