Lancashire County Council is proposing to boost bus journeys through Lancaster by introducing a bus-only lane over Greyhound Bridge, the Lancaster Guardian reported.
The bus lane would take up one of the two lanes which were previously used for northbound traffic, meaning there would still be one lane in each direction for all traffic, as well as a northbound bus lane.
It would run from the bus stop on Cable Street south of the river and across Greyhound Bridge, before merging with general traffic again north of the river on Morecambe Road.
The bus lane would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and be for use by buses and cyclists only.
Lancashire County Council’s cabinet agreed to commit funding to take the proposal forward when they met on Thursday 9 August.
Consultation on the scheme will now follow, with details to be announced in due course.
County Councillor, Keith Iddon, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Modelling work suggests that introducing a bus lane over the Greyhound Bridge could be expected to have minimal impact on traffic while improving journeys for bus passengers.
“The current closure of the Greyhound Bridge for refurbishment provides an ideal opportunity to introduce a bus lane as the cost of doing the work, and disruption to traffic, would be less while the bridge is closed, and drivers could more easily adapt to the changes as part of the bridge being reopened.”
Initial informal consultation with Lancaster City Council, Lancaster University and Stagecoach has indicated support for the proposal.
