Newcastle City Council spends £1.2m on bus lane

Jul 29 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

THE staggering cost of bus lanes in the region was met with outrage last night after new figures were revealed by The Journal.

Town hall chiefs were accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after it emerged they splashed out thousands of pounds per metre on bus lanes around the region.

In Newcastle, city council bosses spent £1.2m on a bus lane that measures just 205m.

The route, used by buses on St Mary’s Place and Sandyford Road, near the Haymarket Metro Station, in Newcastle, cost nearly £1.2m of taxpayers’ money to install.

And that means the council paid £5,449 for every metre of the lane.

City planners insisted the development reduces air pollution and eases congestion during rush-hour traffic in the city, but the scheme has sparked criticism from one MP who condemned it as a waste of money. It is just one of several bus lanes around the region which have required the expenditure of large amounts of public money to install.

Last night Tyne Bridge MP David Clelland claimed the money would have been better spent elsewhere.

He said: “There are a thousand other more valuable schemes this money could have been spent on.

“The Labour Group raised concerns during the planning stage of the project because we didn’t feel the plans justified the money.

“We felt the money could have been better spent elsewhere. The whole cost is excessive and we are not getting the value out of it we should have.”

However, a city council spokesman claimed the route was designed to cut greenhouse gases and provide a reliable public transport system.

He said: “Domestic transport is a major contributor to carbon emissions and climate change.

“In order to deliver our commitment to become a carbon neutral city, it is important Newcastle has a public transport system that is efficient and reliable.

“The stretch of road from St Mary’s Place to Sandyford Road is a significant part of the city’s bus network and a designated super route.