Bus lanes considered in local transport plan

Some roads could have "bus priority or bus-only access", the draft plan says

Plans to make travelling by bus more attractive in Herefordshire have been set out by the county council.

The draft local transport plan covers the next 16 years and reveals council bosses are considering bus priority or bus-only access on certain streets to make bus services faster and more reliable.

It also raised the possibility of tackling delays caused by on-street parking on some roads in Ross-on-Wye.

Councillor Phillip Price, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said any moves to install bus lanes were several years away.

Price said: "You're not going to get bus lanes out in the rural sticks. You will get them possibly in Hereford, and that will be down to whether or not the infrastructure of Hereford allows it to happen."

He added there would need to be further investigations on the roads before it was decided whether it was possible to put in bus lanes or not.

"Bus lanes need space, and until you have that space, you can't have bus lanes," he said.

"The ambition might be to do that, but the reality is you are not likely to get another river crossing and a bypass for at least until 2032; therefore, we're not going to be doing any bus lanes until we have that space to do it."

Parking 'critical'

In Ross-on-Wye, concern had been raised over possible restrictions to on-street parking. Three roads mentioned in the plan were Cantilupe Road, Gloucester Road and the High Street.

Alison Charles, who has a shop on Gloucester Road, said parking outside her shop was vital and people used it "all the time".

She said: "It's quite critical, really, to the dynamic of the town centre. People have got half an hour to come in and perhaps browse in the shop or perhaps pick up something they need in the town."

Consultation on the plan is ongoing, and people can give their views until 5 June.