Lancashire County Council say they are considering their options after a bus became stranded on a Church Street traffic island last month.
On 18 January we reported how a Stagecoach Park and Ride service had mounted the street furniture.
Read more: Park and Ride bus stranded on Church Street island
Bus driver Matthew Myerscough commented on the article, claiming that the road design was partly to blame for the accident.
He said: “There has been a planning error or an error in the execution of the parking/street furniture arrangement.
“The very end of the parking bay and the street furniture are too close together. If a car is parked right up to the very end of the Fishergate end of the bay, buses can only just pass through the gap between the car and the furniture. In fact, the side walls of the rear wheels scrape on the furniture whilst the nearside of the bus is well under six inches from the car.
“Sometimes they have to pass the furniture on the wrong side of the road, if it’s clear, which it frequently isn’t. And that has its own perils where a bus can get stuck.”
Matthew also said a lack of lighting on the street furniture causes difficulties for drivers.
When approached with these comments, Daniel Herbert, highway group manager for Lancashire County Council, said: “We’ve already had concerns raised with us about the space between the parking bay and the street furniture.
“We don’t want there to be any incidents involving damage to either vehicles or street furniture.
“While there is enough space for vehicles to go past, we’re already considering our options, including changes to the parking bay to reduce the risk of damage in the future.”
The bus incident was reported to the council on 22 January, and the status can be viewed on the LCC website.
Read more:The many victims of the Fishergate Bollard
What do you think of the road layout on Church Street? Have you had any difficulties navigating it? Let us know in the comments.