Bus lane improvement plans in South Tyneside
Improvement works are due to begin over the summer around a busy South Shields junction and bus lane.
The £400,000 project aims to provide shorter journey times and focuses on the junction between Sunderland Road and Grosvenor Road.
Cash for the project has been secured from the £163.5million Bus Service Improvement Plan funding pot for the North East region.
Schemes were selected following a regional bus route study which identified key corridors for improvement.
The project will create a northbound bypass of the Sunderland Road/Grosvenor Road junction for buses – which will mean bus services heading towards South Shields will only need to stop when pedestrians are waiting to cross the bus lane.
Speaking at the latest meeting of South Tyneside Council’s Riverside community area forum, officers said construction should commence “early to mid July 2025 for an estimated period of 20 weeks.”
Chris Elliott, from the infrastructure and transport team, said: “Currently the buses have a bus lane but they still have to stop at the traffic signals when vehicles turning right out of Grosvenor Road get a green signal.
“The proposal is to create a bus bypass of the junction so that bus services will no longer have to stop when vehicles are turning right out of Grosvenor Road.
“What this should do is improve journey times getting into South Shields along that corridor.”
Work will also include the extension of the right turn lane into Grosvenor Road by 46metres to increase stacking capacity.
Officers noted currently queuing traffic in the existing right turn lane can extend beyond the lane, which can restrict ahead traffic as well as access to the bus lane.
Mr Elliott added: “It will hopefully prevent that ahead traffic being blocked but also it helps future-proof the junction.”
Council officers also stressed a bus lane enforcement camera is in place on site.
A communications plan, including letters to local residents, has been carried out by the council, with feedback considered and incorporated into the detailed design of the scheme where appropriate.
Additional letters will also be issued to residents two weeks prior to commencement of the scheme in addition to advance warning signs on all approaches advising of the upcoming works.
Further communications will also be provided at regular intervals during the construction period including updates for local residents and advance warning of any proposed traffic management requirements.
Officers said in order to enable the junction improvements it will be necessary to remove ten existing trees which are of varying condition and have been classified “from fair to poor.”
The removed trees will be replaced by 12 heavy standard trees on the central reservation which will provide a “more aesthetic avenue.”
Councillor David Francis, Green Group leader on the council, said the local authority “should do whatever we can to keep mature trees and design around them, not take them out to be replaced.”
The tree officer has also inspected the whole of this section of central reservation and reported another five trees are additionally needing to be removed as “in general they are in very poor condition or damaged.”
These are proposed to be replaced following completion of the scheme in winter 2025/2026 in the central reservation or in the same locality, around the Readhead Park area.