A controversial new bus lane that was installed on one of the main roads into Preston earlier this year has made traffic worse – even according to most bus passengers using the route.
That was the finding of a survey carried out by a local councillor into the introduction of the priority measure on the A59 New Hall Lane.
The bus-only zone, which runs on the city-bound side of the carriageway – from close to the junction with Fishwick Road to just short of the traffic lights at London Road – was completed in February.
Read more: New Hall Lane bus lane frustration grows
Lancashire County Council has not yet started enforcing the rules, meaning no fines have yet been handed out to motorists flouting them – although it is understood the authority will begin issuing penalty charge notices shortly, on a date yet to be revealed.
However, Preston city councillor Suleman Sarwar says public opinion about the claimed benefits of the bus lane shows that the facility has actually been a “waste of money” – and should be scrapped.
Cllr Sarwar – who represents the St. Matthew’s ward through which the bus lane runs, along the border with Fishwick and Frenchwood – conducted a survey last month, to which more than 530 people responded.
When asked how traffic had changed on New Hall Lane since the changes were introduced, 94.2 percent of all respondents said it had “worsened”.
The bus lane was given the green light under the previous Conservative administration at County Hall and was presented as a way of improving the reliability of bus services that were getting caught up in delays on the routinely-congested route, which – via Brockholes Brow – connects the M6 to the edge of the city centre.
However, of the 331 survey respondents who answered a question based on them being bus users on New Hall Lane, 249 – or 75 percent – said the “quality” of their journeys had deteriorated under the new arrangements. Sixty-eight said there had been no change, while just 14 said their experience had improved.
Meanwhile, 85.7 percent said the parking situation on New Hall Lane was worse now that the bus lane was in force – and 94.4 percent of all those who answered the survey wanted to see the restriction removed.
Cllr Sarwar said he was disappointed that highways bosses were planning on pressing ahead with enforcing the bus lane, in spite of his survey suggesting it had “made things worse, not better”.
He added: “New Hall Lane is one of the main arteries of Preston – it connects neighbourhoods, supports businesses, links schools and carries people in and out of the city centre every single day. When you disrupt New Hall Lane, you disrupt the entire flow of Preston.
“[The bus lane] runs only on one side of the road while the other is blocked with parked cars. It has created confusion, congestion and frustration, not faster or safer journeys.
“It is a waste of public money that could and should have been used to fix street lighting, which is a major concern in St Matthew’s and across Preston, or to repair potholes and invest in basic highway services that people rely on every day.
“I support sustainable travel and better public transport, but not when schemes like this fleece motorists and working families. With Christmas around the corner, we should be encouraging people to shop and spend in our city centre, not hit them with bus lane fines.”
Lancashire County Council, which is now run by Reform UK, has been approached for comment on Cllr Sarwar’s survey.
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