Liverpool bus lanes should go, says review

All but four of Liverpool’s bus lanes should be permanently closed, according to a review of them by transport consultant, Mott MacDonald. The city’s 26 bus lanes were suspended in October 2013 to monitor and analyse the effects on congestion and traffic flow. The lanes proposed to be kept are: Lime Street (inbound) Monday to Saturday 12.00 to 18.00, St John’s Lane (inbound) Monday to Saturday 16.00 to 18.00, Strand (right turn) Monday to Saturday 12.00 to 18.00 and Stand Street (southbound) full time.

On a number of other routes, measures such as bus detector loops are being recommended. The review will be considered by Liverpool City Council’s cabinet on 24 October. If approved Traffic Regulation Orders for the bus lanes will be revoked with new orders introduced for the four remaining lanes. The bus lanes were suspended from 28 October 2013, initially for a nine month period. This was extended for four months to 24 November 2014 to allow the completion of the analysis.