Bus lane plan for city centre pinch point

Liverpool council has invited residents to have their say on the installation of the bus lane in Liverpool's city centre

A new bus lane could be introduced at a key pinch point in a city centre after almost all priority lanes were axed there ten years ago.

Liverpool City Council has invited residents to have their say on the possible installation of a bus lane on Irvine Street in the city centre, turning into Mount Vernon Road.

The area is part of major development around the Knowledge Quarter, Paddington Village and the new Royal Liverpool Hospital.

Council bosses said the lane would help reduce congestion, improve public transport journey times and boost road safety.

Reverse decision

The Irvine Street proposal is separate from the council's four-year transport strategy which was unveiled last year, with the cabinet approving a plan to bring back five priority bus lanes to encourage public transport.

Former Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson got rid of almost all the city's priority bus lanes in 2014 after a year-long trial.

The move was criticised by bus firms and environmental groups at the time but he insisted they caused congestion.

The council said the Labour administration would now seek to reverse that decision between now and 2027.

A six-week consultation on the Irvine Street plan has now gone live on the authority's website which will inform any future decision, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has said.

Should the plans be approved, the council said a six-month warning notice period would be in effect, with no fines issued to first-time offenders.

A series of other lanes were identified in the council's transport plan, incorporating the busiest areas in the wider city region, including the following services:

• 10A Liverpool to St Helens,

• 86 from Liverpool to Speke and John Lennon Airport

• 53 from Liverpool to Bootle and Crosby

• 79 from Liverpool to Halewood and Widnes

• 20/21 from Liverpool to Kirkby, Tower Hill