Police promise crackdown on Wakefield Road car share lane (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Police vow to get tough on drivers abusing car share lane on Bradford's busiest road
9:10am Saturday 19th May 2012 in News
By Jo Winrow, City Hall Reporter
Police are to crack down on motorists abusing a car share lane on Bradford’s most congested road during the next month.
It follows the introduction in March of a high-occupancy vehicle lane on the A650 Wakefield Road southbound route on the approach to Tong Street.
So far, officers have mainly been offering advice to those drivers caught using the lane without any passengers in their vehicle. As a result, three fixed penalty tickets have been issued since it opened. But officers will shortly be undertaking enforcement action.
The 2+ lane operates Monday to Friday, between 7am and 10am, as well as from 4pm to 7pm, and was designed to speed up journeys for the thousands of bus passengers using the A650 and for those with two or more people in their vehicle. Its introduction also aims to encourage people to car share or use public transport.
The scheme is subject to a six-month trial period, but indications so far show that bus journeys are quicker.
Ward Councillor Michael Johnson said the lane had definitely led to an improvement on bus times. He added that it was the most congested route in Bradford and that the long-term solution was to widen it.
Bradford Roads Policing Inspector Dorian James said: “We have been approached by the Council to undertake some dedicated enforcement work, which is planned to take place during the next month.
“As the high-occupancy lane has only been in place for a short period of time, officers have initially offered verbal advice to motorists and therefore only a small number of fixed penalty tickets have so far been issued.”
Chris Bedford, principal engineer at the Council, said: “We are aware some vehicles are using the high-occupancy lane when they only contain a driver, and police will be carrying out enforcement action. The trial is in place for six months. There is currently no funding in place to widen the road.”
Comments(18)
Shipleyvegas
says...
9:58am Sat 19 May 12
webess
says...
10:19am Sat 19 May 12
Who thinks of these schemes and what substances are they on?
webess
says...
10:36am Sat 19 May 12
The idea seems to be that surgeon sits in traffic in his Jag while the pensioner gets to buy a stamp a couple of minutes earlier - really clever scheme this, makes you wonder why councils up and down the country aren't adopting it?
vax2002
says...
10:36am Sat 19 May 12
People drive , get over it, they dont do it for fun, they need to work to pay the taxes for your hair brained schemes
webess
says...
10:38am Sat 19 May 12
Quick question Cllr Johnson - when will it get widened?
No need to specific on the year, just the decade will do as "plans" were in place to widen this road over years back..
webess
says...
10:41am Sat 19 May 12
Roadkilluk
says...
11:02am Sat 19 May 12
webess
says...
11:07am Sat 19 May 12
Roadkilluk wrote:Another option would be to put in a park and ride - there's loads of room up at the top end of the A650.
The road needs widening imo, the space is there atm, until the council sell the land to build on. You could even make the extra lane work in different directions in the morning and afternoon. Would you like me to draw up a plan?
But doesn't involve cracking down on motorists so it won't happen.
Albion.
says...
11:36am Sat 19 May 12
Newswatcher
says...
11:39am Sat 19 May 12
Surely the priority should be to move this traffic quickly and safely which would in turn speed journey times for local traffic.
sexysam
says...
12:06pm Sat 19 May 12
mad matt
says...
12:37pm Sat 19 May 12
It would get rid of most of the traffic jams in the town centre as well.
Reality001
says...
1:24pm Sat 19 May 12
mad matt wrote:The proposals to extend the M606 to the Shipley Airedale Road were abandoned when they allowed houses and a school to be built in its path over 20 years ago
If they built the long-proposed road from the M606 to the Shipley-Airedale Road all these problems would be solved without the need to widen Wakefield Road. It would get rid of most of the traffic jams in the town centre as well.
sam-tyler
says...
3:21pm Sat 19 May 12
sexysam wrote:Hmm! Strange that. I also use that bit of road, around 6/8 times every morning, starting from 07:30.
As someone who has used this road for last 20 yrs at peak time, the alteration to this road has made my journey faster by about 10 minutes on the the stretch of Wakefield Rd and Tong St.So credit to the Council for this, but I would still like to see this road widened
Guess what?....the new lane & lights have made no difference at all to my journey time.
Some days it's quick, other days it's slower, 'cos as Super Suds said, the traffic is very often backed up to the new lights, and often from the new lights, up the slip road is jammed, stopping cars from leaving the roundabout. Also, if those lights don't stop you, one of the numerous crossings will.
How's the Deli/takeaway business doing these days? I understand you were a little naughty as regards staffing recently. And just when are you going to remove those dodgy bollards?
sexysam
says...
6:36pm Sat 19 May 12
sam-tyler wrote:Sorry I come to Bradford in morning, and only use the bus lane in the afternoon on my way home to Wakefield. The outward journey is definetly quicker, probally because they are no school kids crossing the pedestrian crossings at that time.As regards your other comments, I am sorry I dont know what you are talking about?.Are you sure you have got right person as I dont own any takeway.
sexysam wrote:Hmm! Strange that. I also use that bit of road, around 6/8 times every morning, starting from 07:30.
As someone who has used this road for last 20 yrs at peak time, the alteration to this road has made my journey faster by about 10 minutes on the the stretch of Wakefield Rd and Tong St.So credit to the Council for this, but I would still like to see this road widened
Guess what?....the new lane & lights have made no difference at all to my journey time.
Some days it's quick, other days it's slower, 'cos as Super Suds said, the traffic is very often backed up to the new lights, and often from the new lights, up the slip road is jammed, stopping cars from leaving the roundabout. Also, if those lights don't stop you, one of the numerous crossings will.
How's the Deli/takeaway business doing these days? I understand you were a little naughty as regards staffing recently. And just when are you going to remove those dodgy bollards?
yezboss
says...
7:22pm Sat 19 May 12
webess wrote:Whats a NAZCA line?
There's the guided bus lane on Manchester Road, the Nazca lines on Bolton Road which nobody understands, speed humps even where the fire service has objected, parking attendants roaming round the city centre like packs of jackals...and now this latest scheme to deter motorists from driving into a struggling city.
Who thinks of these schemes and what substances are they on?
Albion.
says...
7:36pm Sat 19 May 12
yezboss wrote:Peruvian carvings I believe.
webess wrote:Whats a NAZCA line?
There's the guided bus lane on Manchester Road, the Nazca lines on Bolton Road which nobody understands, speed humps even where the fire service has objected, parking attendants roaming round the city centre like packs of jackals...and now this latest scheme to deter motorists from driving into a struggling city.
Who thinks of these schemes and what substances are they on?
Super Suds says...
9:56am Sat 19 May 12