Exact locations of new Winwick Road bus lanes as plans approved

Planning permission has now been granted for the work on Winwick Road by Warrington Borough Council.

As previously reported, new bus lanes are being proposed on short lengths of the main route through the town as part of the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The first would be on the A50 Long Lane and A49 Winwick Road, on the corner of both outside Warrington and Vale Royal College.

The council says this would allow buses turning left onto the A49 to enter directly into the bus stop outside the college on Winwick Road.

Another is on Winwick Road, near to Tesco and between the junctions with Owen Street and Melville Close, with a set of signals and new road proposed to allow buses to gain priority over queuing traffic to get to the bus stop.

The bus lane on the corner of Long Lane and Winwick Road

Moreover, a bus only turning lane would be introduced in between the continuation of Winwick Road and regular traffic turning lane to Tesco.

In approving permission, the council said: “The proposed works would comply with the criteria of permitted development.

“Therefore, it is recommended that a certificated of lawful development is granted for the proposals.”

It comes as the council recently published a temporary 20mph speed limit on Long Lane, from Fisher Avenue to Winwick Road, and on Winwick Road, from Long Lane to Pinners Brow roundabout.

A council order says this will be effective from September 30 for 18 months, as and when signed on site, and that the restriction is required to assist with the BSIP Scheme.

The bus lane on Winwick Road, near to Tesco and between the junctions with Owen Street and Melville Close

A four-week public consultation on the plans, to seek feedback from residents, motorists, bus users and business owners, was held last winter.

The council said that the new bus lanes will ensure a quicker route to Warrington Bus Station and ‘transform bus travel in the town, with faster, more reliable journeys’.

Councillors say the number of existing lanes for cars would not change, with new carriageways to be built and existing road space remodelled.

This means that motorists will not lose any lanes of traffic as part of the proposals, and car journey times will remain approximately as they are now, the council says.

Walking and cycling facilities will also be improved by creating and widening segregated walking and cycling paths where possible.

Plans also propose two new toucan (walking and cycling) crossings – one outside Warrington and Vale Royal College on Long Lane and the other on Winwick Road, near Halliwell Jones Stadium.

The bus lane near to the turning at Tesco on Winwick Road

The construction would be phased to minimise disruption as much as possible and keep traffic flowing, while delivering the improvements in a quick and efficient manner.

The project will cost approximately £12.5million to deliver, with £10million provided by the Department of Transport following a successful bid, and the remainder funded by the council.

Council leader Cllr Hans Mundry, who is also cabinet member for transport, previously said: “It is an exciting time for bus services in Warrington.

“We are making fantastic progress with our BSIP, which by 2025 will have seen us investing more than £70million by 2025 in improving all aspects of our bus services, with a new all-electric bus depot and fleet for Warrington’s Own Buses.

“We are fully committed to driving up the number of people who choose the bus for their journeys, by creating a more reliable, sustainable and attractive bus service for Warrington.”