Axe looms over bus lane at tourist spots in the West Midlands
A bus lane near two of the biggest tourist attractions in the West Midlands could be permanently axed.
Officials suspended the lane in Tipton Road, Dudley, when construction work started on the £6 million Dudley Archives.
The dual carriageway is the main route for thousands of commuters travelling to and from Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhamptonn each day. It is also the only route linking Dudley Zoo, the Black Country Living Museum and the Castlegate retail park.
Councillor Patrick Harley. Campaigners said bus journey times for people wanting to visit the attractions would be affected if the lane was axed.
The council's new transport chief, Councillor Judy Foster, said: "The bus lane was suspended to improve the capacity of the road during the work to Burnt Tree island, the upgrade to the signals at the junction of Tipton Road and Birmingham New Road and the works to the Castle Hill site access.
Works
"Now these works are completed, the council will be reviewing the re-introduction of the bus lane."
Public transport pressure group Bus Users UK has previously called into question axing any of the bus lanes in the Tipton Road and Castle Hill area.
In a letter to the Express & Star, the group said the roads in the area run freely in off-peak times, suggesting there was not a problem.
But in peak hours the bus lanes assisted the smooth flow of traffic in a bid to ease congestion close to the Castlegate island.
