Bus lane to be added to New Hall Lane to improve journey times for passengers

A new bus lane is set to be introduced on a busy route into Preston city centre – and a major junction will also be overhauled – as part of plans to improve journey times for passengers.

Lancashire County Council intends to create the facility for city-bound buses on New Hall Lane between Fishwick Road and Witton Street.

The authority says the new layout will have little impact on other vehicles, because the road is wide enough to accommodate the dedicated lane – which will also be open to cyclists – without affecting the general flow of traffic.

Work on the project, which will require the approval of the authority’s cabinet, is expected to take place in the autumn.

County Hall also plans to widen the junction where New Hall Lane meets London Road and Stanley Street, which highways bosses say will benefit all road users – including bus passengers – by improving the capacity of the often-congested confluence. That revamp is currently pencilled in for spring 2025.

Both schemes have been drawn up as part of Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan, for which the two authorities have received just over £34m to implement a raft of measures – including bus priority projects like the one proposed for New Hall Lane.

A public consultation into the traffic regulation order needed for the new bus lane took place earlier this year. The public will be asked for their views on the junction upgrade at a later date.

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: “A key aspect of our £34.1m Bus Service Improvement Plan is to introduce bus priority measures in a number of locations to improve reliability and journey times and, in many instances, improve the general flow of traffic.

“We have published details of a number of these schemes on our website so that people can see what we’re proposing, and have begun the process of carrying out wider public engagement on some of the measures.

“The scheme for New Hall Lane is being carried out in two phases, with the first being the introduction of a dedicated bus lane between Fishwick Road and Witton Street. The impact of this on other road users will be minimal as the width of New Hall Lane will allow for the creation of a bus lane alongside the existing traffic lanes.

“The second phase is the proposed widening of the New Hall Lane/London Road junction. This is currently at the design stage, however we will be holding a public consultation on this scheme in the coming months.”

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