East Lancashire bus lanes can be just the ticket

7:17am Friday 20th June 2008

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PLANS are being stepped up for a £20million bus lane linking Blackburn, Darwen and Accrington. As the first in a series of public consultations for the area's affected take place, we look in detail at what the plans mean for communities along the proposed routes and assesses whether the scheme really will beat congestion.

GET people on the buses, so thinking goes, and congestion on East Lancashire's roads will fall at the same time.

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This is one of the driving forces behind the multi-million pound bus lane that could soon link Blackburn, Darwen and Accrington and give public transport vehicles the ability to "jump the queue" ahead of general traffic.

The proposed new routes are part of East Lancashire Rapid Transit Plan by Blackburn with Darwen council and Lancashire County Council, to improve transport between key employment sites.

And while Blackburn with Darwen Council chiefs are hailing the project, opposition leaders, traders and motoring groups have questioned the viability of the bus lane.

If the scheme is approved, the lanes would run from Darwen, along the A666 to Blackburn, and from Accrington to Blackburn through Church and Intack.

The bus lane would only be added at key points where congestion is a problem.

The project, which will cost around £20million, is on a Department of Transport high-priority list with other North West projects.

Other plans running alongside it, include the completion of the Furthergate bus lane to Whitebirk and a number of junction improvements in Blackburn, Darwen and Accrington.

Council bosses said they realised the scheme would be controversial, but felt the bus lane would provide a real alternative to car travel, thereby reducing congestion and improving road safety.

But critics have been queueing up to doubt the scheme.

Coun Kate Hollern, leader of the opposition on Blackburn with Darwen Council, said the plans could make it even harder to get access to the town centre.

She said: "Customers and shoppers need access to be easier. Shops could be cut off.

"The key to it is encouraging people in to the town centre but with the consultation looming I am cencerned the whole thing will be a farce."

Darwen MP Janet Anderson has branded the scheme "bonkers", saying it would make congestion worse and take away "parking places and gardens".

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA said: "We have nothing against bus lanes in the right places.

"We usually say that if a bus lane isn't working out then they should remove them, but when it is a £20m scheme, I doubt very much this would be an option."

Traders in Higher Eanam, Blackburn, which has had its own bus route for a number of years, claim that system is not working.

Abbas Firfirey, owner of A F Furniture in Higher Eanam said: "Since they changed the road and put a bus lane in, all the shopkeepers in this area have suffered.

"We used to do very well, but now we are unable to use the front of the property for loading."

A spokesman for The Car Party, a group set up to represent motorists in the UK said: "We will campaign for a reduction in bus lanes and believe that they cause traffic congestion.

"Road space is paid for by all road users."

>>> Blackburn Road and Birch Hall, Darwen

• Buses will be able to jump the queue with the help of a bus lane along the Blackburn-bound side of the A666 Blackburn Road.

• On street parking could be scrapped to make way for the bus lane and Broderick Street, Lyndhurst Road, Windsor Road, Cavendish Street and Preston Street will be closed at their junction with Blackburn Road so that residents' parking bays can be set up.

• There is a similar situation with Haldane Road, Monton Road, Westwell Street, St Albans Road and Broderick Street which could all close at their junction with Blackburn Road to create more parking space.

>>> Earcroft and Blackburn centre

• In Blackburn town centre, a new bus terminal will be built and it will be linked to the train station which would include new shops and offices.

• Under the plans, a link road could be created at the junction of Freckleton Street and Weir Street providing direct access for buses to the new transport interchange.

• Improved access for buses will be created in Fielden Street for the college.

• The junction of the A666 Blackburn Road and M65 Link Road will be tweaked and the A666 Blackburn Road junction with Birch Hall Avenue will have traffic lights put in place instead of a roundabout.

• Priority for buses will be brought in at the junction of Bolton Road Oakdale.

>>> Bolton Road, Ewood and Shadsworth Road, Blackburn

• The bus lane will be extended onto the A666 Bolton Road towards Blackburn. Traffic lights at the Branch Road junction will also be altered and will have priority technology to give buses a head start over general traffic and give a green light to approaching buses if they are running late.

• The Ewood Gyratory will be remodelled to allow two-way traffic on Albion Road, while Bolton Road will be restricted to bus only access. Proposals also include closing Tapestry Street at its junction with Bolton Road to bring in the interchange.

• A bus route will be brought in along Sandy Lane, Stopes Brow, Roman Road to Haslingden Road and the Royal Blackburn Hospital which will continue along Shadsworth Road to Blackburn Road and return to Darwen via Blackburn centre.

>>> Furthergate link, Blackburn

• The existing Eanam bus lane would be lengthened along Copy Nook and Furthergate to the junction of Burnley Close.

• Dedicated bus lanes will be provided in both directions along both Burnley Close and Burnley Street.

• A new Blackburn bound bus lane could also be built along Copy Nook, Bottomgate and Furthergate.

• The junctions of Furthergate with Burnley Close and Harwood Street as well as the Copy Nook, Higher Eanam and Audley Street junction will be improved to include better crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. It is proposed that some on street parking spaces will be removed to improve traffic flow on Copy Nook.

>>> Burnley Road, Blackburn

• Whalley Road could be a new site for a bus lane and this could once again allow buses to jump the queue, particularly on the approach to the Sparth Road junction.

• A bus priority gate is also proposed to give southbound buses priority over general traffic.

• The junction of Sparth Road and Whalley Road could see improved crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.

• Whalley Road at its junction with Devonshire Drive could be improved to provide a right turning bay for northbound vehicles turning into Devonshire Drive.

• The right turn lane would be extended to improve traffic flows at the Hare and Hounds junction.

>>> Accrington centre, Church, Oswaldtwistle, Knuzden

• The major proposal in Accrington is to move the bus station to Edgar Street in order to make the town centre pedestrian friendly.

• The train station could become the transport hub of Accrington under the proposals.

• A double roundabout is proposed for the Church Gateway junction and will include traffic lights for cyclists and pedestrians to improve safety.

• In Oswaldtwistle, on street parking spaces on Union Road could be axed and replaced with loading and unloading restrictions. There is potential for a new car park off Howarth Street to replace the lack of on street parking.

• In Stanhill, West End and Knuzden, new bus shelters could go up with electronic displays.

>>> Great Harwood and Harwood Bar

• The PennineReach service, which has been put forward, will a provide a link between the main towns in the area and it is thought that the core bus route would be aided by improvements to bus services In Great Harwood.

• A new interchange is planned on Blackburn Road with better bus stops in front of the Holgate Street Car Park and adjacent to Town Hall Square.

• There are plans redesign the Town Gate junction to remove one of the two existing roundabouts.

• New bus stops are also planned at Lomax Square.

• Crossing points would be provided to improve pedestrian safety.

>>> Whitebirk and Rishton

• The main proposals on the this stretch relate to the junction of Blackburn Road, Harwood Road and High Street where a dedicated bus lane is proposed on the Blackburn Road approach to the junction in order for buses to bypass heavy traffic.

• In a bid to improve the flow of traffic through the junction, Eachill Road could be made access only while the bus stop in Blackburn Road, heading towards Whitebirk, could also be relocated further away from the junction.

>>> Accrington Road, Blackburn

• Buses in the dedicated bus lane would be given greater priority over traffic on the approach to the junction of Accrington Road and the new Burnley Road link road, which has been suggested, would allow further queue.

• The Accrington Road Burnley junction will be controlled by traffic lights in order to improve crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.The traffic lights at this junction will use Selective Vehicle Detection (SVD) to give a green light to approaching buses, giving them a head start over general traffic.