Call to ditch Chester Road bus lanes as Labour admit they don’t know if it will increase traffic congestion

Local councillors in Sunderland are calling for plans for bus lanes on Chester Road to be ditched after Council bosses admitted this week that they have no idea if bus lanes would lead to more traffic delays and congestion.

A member of Sunderland Council’s ruling cabinet has this week admitted that they have carried out no research or modelling about whether introducing new bus lanes along Chester Road would increase traffic congestion.

A promise by the Council to replace the Chester Road-Holborn Road-Springwell Road roundabout in the city – dubbed ‘the worst roundabout in Sunderland’ – with a traffic-light controlled junction has been dropped by the Council. Instead the Council are consulting on introducing bus lanes on Chester Road between The Wavendon pub in Barnes and the A19 junction at Hastings Hill.

The revelation came after Lib Dem councillor Niall Hodson raised the matter at a meeting of all 75 city councillors this week [26 March].

Asking about the Council breaking their promise of March 2023 to replace the small roundabout at the Chester Road-Holborn Road-Springwell Road junction with traffic lights, Niall Hodson queried whether modelling had shown that the bus lanes would reduce traffic delays.

Responding, the Labour councillor responsible for Environment and Transport at the Council, Lindsey Leonard, said that traffic modelling they did in the area did not look at what the impact of installing bus lanes would be.

Commenting, opposition Lib Dem councillor Niall Hodson said:

“Even by Sunderland Council’s standards, this admission is beyond belief.

“Not only have Labour bosses at Sunderland Council ditched the promise to replace the Broadway roundabout with traffic lights, they have now admitted their plan for new bus lanes are based on absolutely no research whatsoever.

“It doesn’t take a genius to realise that new bus lanes running along pinch points on The Broadway will make horrific traffic tailbacks and congestion even worse – and increase the numbers of people using neighbouring estates at rat runs.

“Ruling Labour councillors must do the decent thing and axe these hated plans for bus lanes which will make the lives of motorists and local people across the High Barnes and Grindon areas an absolute misery.”