WARRINGTON Borough Council has confirmed plans to introduce a new Bus Gate in the town centre on Academy Way- which is scheduled to be active from a week on Monday (April 17).
Highway planners say the proposal aims to reduce the impact of vehicular traffic in the town centre and encourage more people to walk and cycle.
The measure is also consistent with the Town Centre Masterplan and Central 6 Masterplan.
Warrington Borough Council has made an order under Sections 1, 2, 4, 5 and Part IV of Schedule 9 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and by virtue of the Road Traffic (Permitted Parking and Special Parking Area) (Borough of Warrington) Order 2006 made by Order under Section 43 and Schedule 3 of The Road Traffic Act 1991 and the Bus Lane Contraventions (Approved Local Authorities) (England) (Amendment) (No.8) Order 2006 made by the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to Section 144 of the Transport Act 2000 and all other enabling powers on 12th April 2023.
The effect of the Order is as follows:-
1) The Borough of Warrington (Bridge Street Quarter) (Traffic Management) (Movement) Order 2017 is amended in so far as it relates to the deletion of Schedule 6 (Bus Lane including Pedal Cycles, Hackney Carriages and Licensed Hire Private Hire Vehicles 5am to 9pm) and by the deletion of Articles 11 and 13.
2) To introduce a 24 Hour Bus Gate (including pedal cycles and taxis) on the length of Academy Way on its north west side which extends from its junction with Bridge Street for a distance of 45 metres in a north easterly direction.
The Order will be effective from 17th April 2023.
Deposited documents may be viewed on-line at https://www.warrington.gov.uk/permanent-traffic-regulation-orders or Contact Warrington, 1 Time Square, Warrington, WA1 2NT between 9am & 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Any person who wishes to question the validity of the Order or of any provision contained in it on the grounds that it is not within the powers conferred by the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 or on the grounds that any requirement of that Act or any instrument made under it has not been complied with in relation to the Order may, within six weeks from 12th April 2023, apply to the High Court for this purpose.
15 Comments
Making it harder and harder to negotiate the town, used to be able to go to Wickes from Sth Warrington and then back past the Salvation Army and back onto Bridge foot, now have to go back round via traffic lights with no filter. Shame nothing left DIY without going miles
do what i do, BOYCOTT the town centre shops!, you want us to walk & cycle to the town centre!
DREAM ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Making shopping in town less attractive, are the shop owners not involved in these decisions ?
Hmm. Warrington isn’t a town with a high density of buses. Traffic and air pollution would improve if this changed, but I can’t see a few bus gates making a difference.
So what’s the real driver for this change? It might simply be Good Intentions, but the cynic in me recalls that bus lane fines brought in over £1 million last year . . .
What is a “Bus Gate” ?
Buses only!
Bus Gate it sounds like some sort of scandal
Why are there doing a 24 hour when the buses stop before 11 ish even earlier than that in some parts of warrington they need to get a grip on this
I stopped going into town a couple of years ago as it has become so expensive to park and when you get there most of the shops are boarded up. This isn’t going to make me change my mind at all. Oh yes, and where I live we’re lucky to get a but every hour and the last one back is at 9pm so you can’t even go for an evening out!
When are the next elections? Vote them out. First I’ve heard of this so how were we consulted?
Where is the research and justification? Will there be charges to come into or through town next?
Not a good decision, it will hit the shops even harder, I for one will go to Widnes instead
This council is a utter joke doing what they want closing roads, building more homes in and around the town centre get them out before the business and town centre are destroyed because they will never come back.
wow……lots of replies with complaints here, did you even look at the map ? WBC changing a bus lane that you can’t use to a bus gate that you can’t us makes absolutely no difference to current traffic restrictions in the area. It will just stop unlicensed taxis and people using the road, I witnessed an Uber driver go down it today and nearly hit someone coming out of moulders lane to the loading bay opposite, it makes no difference to the shops, as for the Cynic gentleman regarding bus lane fines ?!? good! if someone is stupid enough to not read road signs and warnings on a road that’s been buses only for the past 20 years you deserve a fine.
Why not put up a No Entry Sign except Buses, Bikes and Taxis.
Bus Gate has only been around since 2016, looks too much like Bus Lane, apart from Bus Lanes have operating times and then people accidently use them and get fined.
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