Southampton bus lane installed last year to be removed

The bus lane on Bitterne Road West had increased journey times for cars, Southampton City Council said

A bus and cycle lane which has cost taxpayers £83,000 since being installed last year is set to be removed.

Work to remove the temporary lane on the A3024 Bitterne Road West in Southampton will be undertaken overnight on 31 May.

The Conservative-run city council said the decision was made after more than 400 residents objected to the scheme.

The opposition Labour party, which lost control of the council earlier in May, said the move was "short-sighted".

Funding for the lane - part of the council's Green Transport Recovery plan launched in May 2020 - came from the Department for Transport.

It cost £48,000 to design, install and maintain, while £35,000 is being spent on the removal, according to the the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The council said the lane increased car journey times by up to five minutes during peak afternoon times.

Council leader Dan Fitzhenry said: "Bus journey times went down but there were no new buses, no new routes, there were no real alternatives provided and everybody spends five minutes more in traffic."

He added that it was "the wrong scheme" and there were existing alternatives for cyclists.

Opposition leader Satvir Kaur said: "It is disappointing and short-sighted to see the removal of this scheme without any real alternatives for those residents that have come to rely on this scheme and want different travel options."

The Conservatives had pledged to "immediately" review the city's £18.5m transport plan after taking control of the council away from Labour for the first time in nine years.