Traffic light plan dropped over delay fears
GooglePlans to replace a busy city roundabout with a traffic signal junction will not go ahead.
The proposals for the roundabout on Chester Road at the junction with Springwell Road and Holborn Road in Sunderland were part of the regional Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), funded by the government.
Sunderland City Council has confirmed the proposed traffic lights have been dropped in favour of turning one of the traffic lanes into a bus lane.
The local authority said traffic modelling had shown introducing traffic lights would increase delays.
The new proposals also include:
- Carriageway widening to allow bus priority and free-flow bus lane through the A183 Greenwood Road roundabout
- Changes to road markings at Hastings Hill Roundabout and the Grindon Lane junction
- Existing roundabouts at Hastings Hill and Greenwood Road junctions to be signalised
It is all part of the BSIP, which is an investment programme aiming to improve bus journey times.
'Adverse effect'
Works are planned to start in the summer and will take about one year to complete.
A council spokesman said the roundabout at Chester Road, Springwell Road and Holborn Road was "a particularly complex and busy junction" which carried "a lot" of traffic.
"Planning to improve the junction using transport modelling has shown that introducing traffic lights at the roundabout, rather than improving the flow of traffic, would have an adverse effect," the spokesman said.
He said traffic lights would "significantly increase delays" and could "considerably hinder the reliability of public transport" on the route.
A public consultation on the plans is taking place until 5 March.